How mature whitetail have an advantage

[mheichelbech]

I read Robert's article which was very nice. It got me to thinking, and wondering what are the various ways that mature bucks demonstrate their advantage in the woods. Sense of smell is pretty obvious as is discernment of movement but what others? For example:

- How well or what examples have you seen of bucks noticing new(stand or blind) or out of place things, such as trimmed shooting lanes in THEIR woods?
- I know it is best to put your stand up in the Spring if not hunting mobile, but what is the minimum time it typically take a deer to get used to one?
- I've read on here how they use terrain to their advantage via thermal tunnels but what else do they do, how they bed to smell, see and hear predators, any other common things they do?

Just wondering if you guys have observed or know of other things they do, besides what is commonly talked about on here, to avoid the arrow and what you have been able to do to overcome it.

I really related to the part in his article where he mentioned the number of hours spent on a particular deer without seeing it. Of course it made me think of the many things I've learned on here but it also made me wonder if there were other things not commonly talked about.

[Jackson Marsh]

They just don't move much in daylight. This point was really hammered home to me this past season.

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[yungbuck]

Nocturnal certainty and their memory. They remember places that worked as escapes and places that never seemed to have human ground scent so they stay around those "safe zones"

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[whitetailassasin]

I often think deer sometimes carry characteristics like dogs. Type a knock at the door dog comes and greets. Type b knock at the door dog sits back and stares and waits to see what happens. Type c knock at the door and the dog goes and hides. Most mature whitetails are type c, I also believe that you also have different personalities like skiddish. Just my take on possibilities.

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[JoeRE]

All mature bucks, anywhere there is hunting pressure anyway, are survivalists. They have the perfected the art of staying alive, through (maybe) a little bit of luck and definitely a whole lot of skill. Its interesting when you get to know specific mature bucks, like assassin mentioned each has his own personality, or way of staying alive. Some learn to hide in plain sight (because no one looks there), some move around in their home range a lot to avoid being patterned, others stick to tiny core areas because no one has looked there too. Some completely freak out and are never seen again for a year in that spot if you bust them out of a primary bedding area, others will be back in the next few days because they still think its safe.

When we do forced movement hunting late season, small nudges with just a couple of guys, it is interesting to see the reactions of fully mature bucks. There are two typical reactions, most will take off running as fast as they can in about a straight line, and don't stop for a loooong ways. I have tracked several mature bucks run full tilt for almost a mile after being bumped and quit tracking them because they were not slowing down. They are counting on getting out of the area before someone cuts them off. That's a typical farm country mature buck tactic. The others never run, they try to sneak out or just sit tight and let you walk by. This seems to be more common in bigger thicker hillier timbers. If we try to get that particular buck in another nudge, he will do the same thing too. All use the wind in some way to escape when bumped.

Interestingly I think the few bucks I have seen pass that 6,7-ish year old mark start to get a bit senile and are more likely to slip up and be killed in a "typical" hunter scenario. I think they start to loose it just like many older animals & humans.

[mheichelbech]

All great posts....what have been you guys' experiences with bucks using terrain...for example, Brad Herndon talks about a particular buck point hopping to avoid hunters in his book, is this a common thing? I also have read on here how bucks will use parallel field trails to scent check does during the rut....any other things like this that you guys see used.