Bucks, Travel Patterns, Home Range

[Dean Parisian]

Was supposed to be swimming this morning but lightning has kept me in my office. Popped on FACEBOOK and see this study posted so thought I would share with TNDEER.

https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/ar...0tea0amBBLHy0iDFNsmERmEzA3lOotFy2ZLEBua9ZaQXk

 

[kaizen leader]

Was supposed to be swimming this morning but lightning has kept me in my office. Popped on FACEBOOK and see this study posted so thought I would share with TNDEER.

https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/ar...0tea0amBBLHy0iDFNsmERmEzA3lOotFy2ZLEBua9ZaQXk

Thank you.
Boy that's a lot of blah blah just to say they don't know and it's sporadic movement. I guess it's like predicting the weather. Nature has to many variables.

 

[BSK]

Don't remember where I saw it (I know it was a MSU study), but it was a fascinating time-lapse video of all the GPS-collared bucks' daily movements over a several month period of time (including the rut). The data included more than a half-dozen older bucks. What I believe is most important from that data was how different each buck's movements were. Some were extreme homebodies during the entire period. Other bucks were all over the place. It reminds me of the data on buck home range. Yes, an average home range size can be determined. The problem is, almost no bucks actually have home ranges that match the average! They are all over the place, from just hundreds of acres per year to almost 20,000 acres! The researcher pointed out they hate to quote the average home range size because it's virtually meaningless.

It just reiterates that all bucks are individuals, and each buck "does his own thing." When it comes to annual and seasonal movements, some bucks shift around a lot. Some don't shift at all.

 

[TheLBLman]

Yes, an average home range size can be determined. The problem is, almost no bucks actually have home ranges that match the average! They are all over the place, from just hundreds of acres per year to almost 20,000 acres! The researcher pointed out they hate to quote the average home range size because it's virtually meaningless.

And this brings up another reality most hunters seem to greatly overlook.

One square mile is 640 acres.
But even a "homebody" buck that has an unusually small range of less than 640 acres is very unlikely have that range "centered" in any particular 640 acres.

"Your" bucks are often being called "My" bucks by many different hunters on the surrounding properties, some of which may be over a mile from "your" property line.

 

[BSK]

And this brings up another reality most hunters seem to greatly overlook.

One square mile is 640 acres.
But even a "homebody" buck that has an unusually small range of less than 640 acres is very unlikely have that range "centered" in any particular 640 acres.

"Your" bucks are often being called "My" bucks by many different hunters on the surrounding properties, some of which may be over a mile from "your" property line.

This absolutely true. Generally speaking, I have to be running a photo census on a property exceeding several thousand acres before I start finding bucks I believe live withing the confines of the property.

 

[BSK]

And because each buck is an individual, and bucks in different habitat conditions produce different seasonal patterns, I hesitate giving landowners estimates of how much shifting of buck ranges will occur on their property. Honestly, they need to run a season-long census to find out this information. I've seen properties that see little seasonal shifting and properties that experience extreme seasonal shifting, like my property does.

 

[Ski]

What I believe is most important from that data was how different each buck's movements were. Some were extreme homebodies during the entire period. Other bucks were all over the place.

That's exactly why hunters should very very, very careful when selecting a "target" buck to focus on. Just because you've caught a nice buck on camera a few times doesn't mean he's huntable, as in he may not be in your property during daylight the entire season, or possibly only once or twice as he's passing through. You're wasting your time hunting a wanderer. Might as well play the power ball lottery while you're at it. Sure it could happen but it's not going to be because of anything other than luck.

On the other hand if you have a homebody buck then you can tilt the odds in your favor by making him comfortable on your place. Doesn't mean he's going to live his life out on your property, only that he feels safe enough and is attracted enough to it that it becomes part of his home. The trick is to be honest with yourself on what is achievable. The achievable buck might not always be the biggest one you have on camera.

 

[BSK]

Good points Ski.

 

[HoytDawg]

Good points Ski.

BSK, this thread is related to a question I've had. My parents just got about a 100 acre farm. We have been running 5 cams since may to get an idea about the deer population on and around it. We have tons of does, but haven't got one single pic of male deer. I realize 100 acres is tiny compared to a normal bucks home range. Is it realistic to think we might have some bucks show up when patterns shift this fall?

 

[JCDEERMAN]

BSK, this thread is related to a question I've had. My parents just got about a 100 acre farm. We have been running 5 cams since may to get an idea about the deer population on and around it. We have tons of does, but haven't got one single pic of male deer. I realize 100 acres is tiny compared to a normal bucks home range. Is it realistic to think we might have some bucks show up when patterns shift this fall?

Quite possibly you will see a shift of bucks moving in around October. What's the habitat like on that 100 acres? It's probably fairly good and that's why the does are there for the fawning process. They are the dominate ones this time of year.

We used to have all the bucks during the summer. Once we started doing a lot of habitat work, the does took over and we now don't have many bucks during the summer.

 

[TheLBLman]

Generally speaking, I have to be running a photo census on a property exceeding several thousand acres before I start finding bucks I believe live withing the confines of the property.

Even then, it will usually be a minority of the bucks photo censused on the property. This is in part the case because many of the bucks will have the core of their ranges more around the perimeter of the property as opposed to all of them being in the center.

Take a big river bottom area or a big ridge area that's about 4.7 miles long (north to south) x 1 mile wide (east to west).
That will be about 3,000 acres.

Most of the bucks (especially during the rut) will range either side of that 1 mile width, sometimes going over a mile beyond. Many will seasonally "range shift" complete off that particular 3,000 acres.

While 4.7 miles seems a long river bottom or a long ridge line, to a buck cored in the middle, he only has to rut-range a little over 2 miles either direction up & down the bottom/ridgeline to be outside the area. Yet regardless where he is up & down that 4.7 miles, he would never have to travel any more than 0.5 mile to be completely off that 3,000 acre tract.

 

[kaizen leader]

BSK, this thread is related to a question I've had. My parents just got about a 100 acre farm. We have been running 5 cams since may to get an idea about the deer population on and around it. We have tons of does, but haven't got one single pic of male deer. I realize 100 acres is tiny compared to a normal bucks home range. Is it realistic to think we might have some bucks show up when patterns shift this fall?

If you have does the bucks aren't far. Put a Trophy rock out there. Good luck.

 

[backyardtndeer]

BSK, this thread is related to a question I've had. My parents just got about a 100 acre farm. We have been running 5 cams since may to get an idea about the deer population on and around it. We have tons of does, but haven't got one single pic of male deer. I realize 100 acres is tiny compared to a normal bucks home range. Is it realistic to think we might have some bucks show up when patterns shift this fall?

If you have does that stick around, you will have bucks come fall. Where do you have your cameras located, any mineral sites(granted you are not in cwd zone)? If you are not cwd zone and are allowed to use minerals, I would have at least one camera on a mineral site.

 

[BSK]

Quite possibly you will see a shift of bucks moving in around October. What's the habitat like on that 100 acres? It's probably fairly good and that's why the does are there for the fawning process. They are the dominate ones this time of year.

We used to have all the bucks during the summer. Once we started doing a lot of habitat work, the does took over and we now don't have many bucks during the summer.

Exactly what JCDEERMAN said. He's dead on the money. During the fawning season, Nature has made does with fawns dominant over all other deer, including bucks. They will drive other deer away from their little fawning territory. This is good for the species as a whole, as this maximizes fawn survival; i.e. the does raising fawns get all the best resources. Bucks can exist on lesser-quality resources for the time being.

What JCDEERMAN experienced is exactly what I have experienced on my own property. When we first bought it, the property was 90% hardwoods, but it is surrounded on three sides by massive agricultural bottomlands. All of the does and fawns would be in the bottomlands in summer while the bucks were relegated to my poor hardwood habitat (little in the way of native food sources due to the complete forest canopy). A summer photo census would pick up 12-18 different bucks of all ages using the property all summer. Once fawning time was over, the does and their fawns would move up out of the agricultural fields into my hill-country hardwoods. However, once we started cutting timber and making lots of thick cover and natural forage, the situation suddenly reversed. Now my place - because of the thick cover - has become the fawning territory, and bucks are almost non-existent in the summer. I may pick up only 3-5 in summer and they are almost all yearlings. But once acorns begin to fall and the farmers start harvesting the crops in the adjacent bottomlands, my place becomes flooded with bucks. I've got the fall food source (acorns) as well as the sanctuary cover from hunting pressure deer are looking for.

 

[BSK]

Even then, it will usually be a minority of the bucks photo censused on the property. This is in part the case because many of the bucks will have the core of their ranges more around the perimeter of the property as opposed to all of them being in the center.

This is correct. I should have worded my sentence differently. I should have said it takes several thousand acres before I find the first buck I believe lives completely within the confines of the property.

 

[Ski]

BSK, this thread is related to a question I've had. My parents just got about a 100 acre farm. We have been running 5 cams since may to get an idea about the deer population on and around it. We have tons of does, but haven't got one single pic of male deer. I realize 100 acres is tiny compared to a normal bucks home range. Is it realistic to think we might have some bucks show up when patterns shift this fall?

I'd echo what the others have said, but I'll go off on a related tangent, something that has HUGELY helped me hunt. It almost feels like cheating and is probably only plausible on properties the size of yours and smaller.

I began leaving cams out year round so that I could see when shifts and cycles happen. What I found was that it is very easy to pinpoint when a particular doe births a fawn. I am then able to count back 201 days to know nearly exact day of conception. On the small properties I hunt i get familiarized with the resident does to the point I can often recognize an individual doe when I see her. Large properties likely have too many does for that to be possible. Anyway, she'll be in estrus same time again next season and knowing the exact day means you know when the bucks will be on her. That day and the couple days leading up to it is when you need to be hunting where she lives. Rain snow shine wind cold hot doesn't matter. She's likely getting bred that day and if you're not there then you've missed out on a very high odds hunt.

Nothing is fool proof. There's no crystal ball predicting when you should hunt. But this is the closest thing to it I've ever found. It's uncanny. The older bucks know it too and will be showing up and hanging around when that time comes. When that time passes the bucks are gone again and you're left wondering what's going on, why you're not seeing bucks in rut. In my experience each doe gives you a a couple 2 or 3 day window. Learn those days because as long as she's alive you can set your calendar.

 

[HoytDawg]

If you have does that stick around, you will have bucks come fall. Where do you have your cameras located, any mineral sites(granted you are not in cwd zone)? If you are not cwd zone and are allowed to use minerals, I would have at least one camera on a mineral site.

We have 3 on mineral sites all on opposite sides of the property, two on corn feeders more in the heart of the property.

Quite possibly you will see a shift of bucks moving in around October. What's the habitat like on that 100 acres? It's probably fairly good and that's why the does are there for the fawning process. They are the dominate ones this time of year.

We used to have all the bucks during the summer. Once we started doing a lot of habitat work, the does took over and we now don't have many bucks during the summer.

We are all hardwoods with some open/some thicker sections where old trees have fallen and opened up the canopy. Ag on two sides of it. That makes sense though about the habit. Thank yall for the advice!

 

[backyardtndeer]

We have 3 on mineral sites all on opposite sides of the property, two on corn feeders more in the heart of the property.

We are all hardwoods with some open/some thicker sections where old trees have fallen and opened up the canopy. Ag on two sides of it. That makes sense though about the habit. Thank yall for the advice!

They are around. With having does, bet as it gets closer to November you will start seeing bucks show up.

 

[HoytDawg]

I'd echo what the others have said, but I'll go off on a related tangent, something that has HUGELY helped me hunt. It almost feels like cheating and is probably only plausible on properties the size of yours and smaller.

I began leaving cams out year round so that I could see when shifts and cycles happen. What I found was that it is very easy to pinpoint when a particular doe births a fawn. I am then able to count back 201 days to know nearly exact day of conception. On the small properties I hunt i get familiarized with the resident does to the point I can often recognize an individual doe when I see her. Large properties likely have too many does for that to be possible. Anyway, she'll be in estrus same time again next season and knowing the exact day means you know when the bucks will be on her. That day and the couple days leading up to it is when you need to be hunting where she lives. Rain snow shine wind cold hot doesn't matter. She's likely getting bred that day and if you're not there then you've missed out on a very high odds hunt.

Nothing is fool proof. There's no crystal ball predicting when you should hunt. But this is the closest thing to it I've ever found. It's uncanny. The older bucks know it too and will be showing up and hanging around when that time comes. When that time passes the bucks are gone again and you're left wondering what's going on, why you're not seeing bucks in rut. In my experience each doe gives you a a couple 2 or 3 day window. Learn those days because as long as she's alive you can set your calendar.

Thats a great tip. We have a whole herd of fawns right now, so ill have to go back and figure out the date they started showing up.

 

[TheLBLman]

One more thing about buck movement, range shifting, etc.

As has been mentioned, pregnant does take over the the very best habitat creating "doe sinks" where nothing older than a yearling buck is allowed to be in proximity.

But this is not the only reason buck sightings commonly go down during May thru July. Growing antlers are apparently extremely sensitive to touch, as in intense pain if they brush against something hard or sharp. Imagine wearing your testicles on your head and running thru the woods, or a briar patch, etc.

Bucks usually group into bachelor groups, kinda looking out for each other during this time they may feel more vulnerable due to the pain if something touches their "velvet" antlers. They just don't move around as much until those antlers begin hardening and are no longer sensitive to touch.

So right now, they're not only just NOT where the does are having their fawns, but these bucks are also NOT most other places either. They're concentrated in a small portion of what was their range and will become their range once their antlers harden. As to 2 1/2 & older bucks, you either have several right now, or none at all. This all starts rapidly changing in September when the bucks' new antlers become hard.