Opinions on Why This is....

[PickettSFHunter]

On my first property, my 85 acres in Fentress County, I bought it at the last of the year in 2007. It was heavily timbered 10 years ago at that time, hadnt been accessed much at all and the old roads were all overgrown and barely accessible. Rough property with a 900 foot elevation change border to border. Anyway, very few deer in the area. That first winter I photographed 3 bucks on the property, a 3.5 year old 10 point, 2.5 year old 8 point and 1.5 year old 4 point. (Ages approximations off of pics) Not very many does either. However, there was buck sign(rubs and scrapes) everywhere. There were rubs lining all the old logging roads.
Then in 2008 I had went in and made the property more accessible for me and put in 2 acres worth of food plots by clearing out the timber. These are the only fields around for a mile or so. That Fall I photoed 8 different bucks using the property, 2 of them 3.5 plus, 2 were 2.5, and 4 were 1.5 year olds. In 2008 there were still rubs and scrapes all over the property. I also had attracted a few groups of does.
In 2009 I didnt get alot of data due to being deployed but did add 3 more acres worth of plots by that time. I did get to be home alittle that Fall and saw that were a few rubs and scrapes but not near as many as years past.
Now comes this year, 2010. I have photographed more bucks and more deer period using the property than ever. I have also seen many more deer and finally killed one from the place. I have photoed 12 bucks this year. 9 of them have been 3.5 plus, 1 2.5 , and 2 1.5 yr olds. The 1.5 year olds were around in September and Early October but have since left. Now all Im getting is older bucks. More doe groups as well. Its not a bad problem to have and Im not complaining.
But here is what is strange to me. I have found ZERO rubs or scrapes on my property this year. But yet I have pics of 9 3.5 plus yr old bucks! And Ive been all around the place in the last week looking. I did change some things this year, that may be helping alot with the buck numbers, I banned myself from having any motorized vehicle on the property. I dont border a county road and control the access so Im effectively keeping vehicles from being anywhere near the place. Its just so strange to me how I have all these older bucks but if you just walk through the place, you would think there isnt even a buck there. Anyone have any ideas as to why this is ? Sorry for the long read but its something Im really wondering about. Any questions about anything regarding the situation, just ask and Ill do my best.

 

[paradis1142]

Im not seeing any buck sign this year either, same for alot of people that I have talked to.

 

[BSK]

A lack of sign is a common complaint I'm hearing all across the Southeast this year.

Honestly, although the lack of sign is a head-scratcher, I wouldn't waste too much time over-thinking a single year's observations/data. Record it and collect more data in future years. Maybe it will turn out to be an abheration and maybe it won't, but I've learned from years of experience to not get too worked up about a single year events--good or bad.

 

[AllOutdoors]

I have found many rubs this year but only 2 scrapes. I have seen a buck or bucks every set except for 2. The bucks are here, they just haven't scraped like the past. I don't know.

 

[Mike Belt]

Sounds alot like SW TN. We have the deer but they haven't left much sign this year. Fewer scrapes and rubs than I've seen in the last 5 years.

 

[pass-thru]

maybe it's related to turkeys not gobbling anymore?? (probably not I've heard that's because of coyotes)

 

[Blount County Hunter]

Smaller bucks generally leave more sign, if being what you said is true, that more mature deer than small deer are using your property, the little bucks might have been making all the sign you were seeing in common areas, and the mature bucks leaving little to no sign other than in their core areas

 

[BSK]

Smaller bucks generally leave more sign...

Why do you think that?

When all age bucks are present, older bucks definitely produce the most sign (rubs and scrapes). When deer are in excellent physical shape, and have excess energy to burn, they will make more sign than when they are physically stressed. Bucks in a balanced sex ratio herd will make more sign than bucks in a skewed sex ratio herd.

 

[Blount County Hunter]

Smaller bucks generally leave more sign...

Why do you think that?

When all age bucks are present, older bucks definitely produce the most sign (rubs and scrapes). When deer are in excellent phusical shape and have excess energy to butn, they will make more sign than when they are physically stressed. Bucks in a balanced sex ratio herd will make more sign than bucks in a skewed sex ratio herd.

Thanks for the correction, I was going by personal experiences on what I've seen in countless hours of hunting, but my theory was probably a little biased being that I rarely see mature deer on any of my trail cameras or with my own eyes, good to have people making corrections, thanks bsk

 

[8 POINTS OR BETTER]

I'd keep my eye on the doe population. From what I noticed over the years when the doe numbers rise the bucks will make less sign and move less.

 

[BSK]

I'd keep my eye on the doe population. From what I noticed over the years when the doe numbers rise the bucks will made less sign and move less.

As a general rule, that is correct.

However, again, don't put much weight behind a single year's observations. Quirky things happen.

 

[AndyW]

SmStone my hunting buddy has a wall full of dang nice buck mounts taken exclusively here in Fentress over the last 20 years or so. He just told me the other day that this has been the worst year he could ever remember for deer sightings, and the weirdest one in terms of rut signs and activity. For what thats worth...

 

[Football Hunter]

Very little sign on my place this year,Im putting it off on lack of acorns

 

[megalomaniac]

I've noticed the same thing over the past several years on my place as well... significantly fewer rubs each year, TONS of scrapes. Also improving age structure.

I just assumed the deer were actually fighting each other instead of fighting saplings, especially since we get to watch several buck fights each year while on stand that we never saw a decade ago.

I think they go straight from rubbing just enough to get the velvet off, to going right after each other.

 

[BoonerBucks]

I think they are trying to trick us!

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

my property is the same way,sometimes i ask myself,with the deer population up,does a buck need to make sign,what he is looking for are plentiful

 

[spitndrum]

Havent see any scrapes in that area that the 130 is hanging out and summer I had 7-8 different bucks in the area??

 

[Crosshairy]

I've had similar results this year. One area that I've been watching fairly closely that I killed a very large 7-pt in last year now has much less sign.

I believe that the two most mature deer were killed, and the biggest buck I have seen evidence of is a 6-pt. On top of that, there is an abundant doe population.

I think that the herd dynamics in this spot have changed slightly, and the smaller deer haven't picked up the slack. I have one small pocket of fairly heavy buck activity, and the rest is basically nil.

Then again, maybe the bucks dug a tunnel to China and left. There are lots of unexplored theories