Bachelor Groups and Mature Bucks

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Landonk
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Bachelor Groups and Mature Bucks

Unread postby Landonk » Sun Jan 12, 2014 2:07 am

This morning I was standing in my kitchen and noticed 6 bucks, no does, standing behind my house (cant hunt there, urban area)
I have gotten the group on camera many times since the rut wound down. It's always the same six bucks and at night. Before and during the rut they were broke up into singles and a few pairs.

Two are nice sized shooters for sure, but they don't look to be more that 2.5-3yo. The rest are large 4 pointers.
None of them look to be older mature bucks.

I have read on here multiple times that mature bucks are solitary animals. Is there an approximate age that they leave the bachelor groups behind and venture out on their own?
Is there a known reason for this? Hormones?



edit: And to add to this, I just checked the wind direction. The bucks were traveling West to East on the South side of the ridge when spotted with the wind out of the North :D


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Stanley
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Re: Bachelor Groups and Mature Bucks

Unread postby Stanley » Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:37 am

I am not 100% sure of the age but I would say at 5.5 years old they become pretty solitaire. The buck pictured is a 4.5 year old and he is with two 1.5 year old bucks. I see this age mix max quite often. I very seldom see 5.5 year old buck intermingled with 1.5 year old bucks. I have seen 5.5 and older bucks together usually in 2s or 3s at the most.





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Re: Bachelor Groups and Mature Bucks

Unread postby Knute78 » Sun Jan 12, 2014 6:22 am

Landonk wrote:This morning I was standing in my kitchen and noticed 6 bucks, no does, standing behind my house (cant hunt there, urban area)
I have gotten the group on camera many times since the rut wound down. It's always the same six bucks and at night. Before and during the rut they were broke up into singles and a few pairs.

Two are nice sized shooters for sure, but they don't look to be more that 2.5-3yo. The rest are large 4 pointers.
None of them look to be older mature bucks.

I have read on here multiple times that mature bucks are solitary animals. Is there an approximate age that they leave the bachelor groups behind and venture out on their own?
Is there a known reason for this? Hormones?



edit: And to add to this, I just checked the wind direction. The bucks were traveling West to East on the South side of the ridge when spotted with the wind out of the North :D


Not to be completely sarcastic but I would say when all his other friends get shot. He has learned a lot by that point!

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Landonk
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Re: Bachelor Groups and Mature Bucks

Unread postby Landonk » Sun Jan 12, 2014 10:35 am

Knute78 wrote:
Landonk wrote:This morning I was standing in my kitchen and noticed 6 bucks, no does, standing behind my house (cant hunt there, urban area)
I have gotten the group on camera many times since the rut wound down. It's always the same six bucks and at night. Before and during the rut they were broke up into singles and a few pairs.

Two are nice sized shooters for sure, but they don't look to be more that 2.5-3yo. The rest are large 4 pointers.
None of them look to be older mature bucks.

I have read on here multiple times that mature bucks are solitary animals. Is there an approximate age that they leave the bachelor groups behind and venture out on their own?
Is there a known reason for this? Hormones?



edit: And to add to this, I just checked the wind direction. The bucks were traveling West to East on the South side of the ridge when spotted with the wind out of the North :D


Not to be completely sarcastic but I would say when all his other friends get shot. He has learned a lot by that point!

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:lol: That's one way to look at it!
Landonk
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Re: Bachelor Groups and Mature Bucks

Unread postby Landonk » Sun Jan 12, 2014 10:45 am

You can almost see my house in the background.

I think I counted seven bucks total.

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Re: Bachelor Groups and Mature Bucks

Unread postby dan » Mon Jan 13, 2014 12:12 am

A lot of bucks that are loners in the fall hang in groups in the spring thru summer. Some older bucks are loners all year, some hang in groups all year. I agree with Stan at about 5 y/o give or take a year.
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Re: Bachelor Groups and Mature Bucks

Unread postby PLB » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:24 am

Just because they hang together doesn't mean they bed together... ;)

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Re: Bachelor Groups and Mature Bucks

Unread postby Landonk » Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:14 am

PLB wrote:Just because they hang together doesn't mean they bed together... ;)

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I agree. I have never found more than 2 beds in one location where these deer roam, even while searching after a good snow.
I have never jumped more than one out of a bed at a time too.
But, when I see them or get them on camera they are almost always grouped up.
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Re: Bachelor Groups and Mature Bucks

Unread postby JoeRE » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:18 pm

Stanley wrote:I am not 100% sure of the age but I would say at 5.5 years old they become pretty solitaire. The buck pictured is a 4.5 year old and he is with two 1.5 year old bucks. I see this age mix max quite often. I very seldom see 5.5 year old buck intermingled with 1.5 year old bucks. I have seen 5.5 and older bucks together usually in 2s or 3s at the most.


Thats about what I have seen too. Late season deer group up even more than the rest of the year when food is concentrated in a few spots but the big boys still take the best bedding and keep all the others at a polite distance.
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PLB
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Re: Bachelor Groups and Mature Bucks

Unread postby PLB » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:57 pm

JoeRE wrote:
Stanley wrote:I am not 100% sure of the age but I would say at 5.5 years old they become pretty solitaire. The buck pictured is a 4.5 year old and he is with two 1.5 year old bucks. I see this age mix max quite often. I very seldom see 5.5 year old buck intermingled with 1.5 year old bucks. I have seen 5.5 and older bucks together usually in 2s or 3s at the most.


Thats about what I have seen too. Late season deer group up even more than the rest of the year when food is concentrated in a few spots but the big boys still take the best bedding and keep all the others at a polite distance.

Yep....

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