Bucks moving within bedding areas?

[Brandon]

Dan do you find this to be true in your obervations?

"Contrary to what some might think, even mature whitetails displaying the most extreme nocturnal behavior don’t simply find a nice place to lay up and sleep the day away. Even at the very least, a deer must take periodic breaks throughout the day to answer nature’s call.

One study conducted during the winter found white-tailed deer will take as many as 22 such breaks a day! This means that during daylight hours, you can expect a buck to get up and move around approximately 10 times. Whitetails typically stand at these times and generally travel at least a few feet from their previous bed before lying down again.

In addition, though mature bucks’ major foraging activity often occurs under the cover of darkness, they’ll take advantage of these two-minute daytime bathroom breaks to stretch their legs, browse on available vegetation or mast and, depending on the time of year, rub their antlers on a small tree or two before bedding down once more.

Over the course of a day, and after 10 or so repeated episodes, a buck may move 100-yards or more, depending on the size and shape of the cover available."

Anyone else agree or disgree? Thanks.

[dan]

I find it to be somewhat true but also misleading. Deer get up up and move around in daylight within there bedding areas. Yes.
20+ times a day, I wouldnt think so. But maybe young deer in some areas. Deer have 4 stomach chambers and animals in that group need to feed ever six hours. At least thats what the scientists tell us. So mature bucks get up up and feed around there beds at least once a day when not pressured. Under pressure my observations tell me that a lot of bucks remain bedded all day, but seem to get up earlier than most would think within there bedding area and stage waiting to go off and feed cause they are hungry. Some bedding areas have food in them, probably most do to some small degree. But some have very little.
The biggest problem I see with the statement you posted is that there is big differances between mature bucks, and deer, and there are big differances between deer activitys in different terrains, and different areas, with differing amounts of pressure.
I have yet though, to ever observe a mature buck get up and wander around his bedding area more than a couple times in a single day.

[Spysar]

I bet that survey was done on penned deer.If this were true, wouldn't you find 10 beds in a spot? How can some observer get close enough to a wild buck bedding to see all that? I think a wild mature buck is a different animal. I think bucks browse on their way in to bed, or just came from feeding, cause they know they're going to be there all day. And I also believe that what they do in winter, spring and summer, is totally different than what they do when deer season kicks in.

[Spysar]

And on the 6 hour and they have to fill their stomach thing...When deer season is in, there is only about 10 hours of daylight. I think a mature buck has the ability to adjust from the 6 hour thing. They do lose a lot of weight during season...I'm sure most of it is from chasing, but some is from different eating habits.

[Brandon]

thnaks guys! both great replies and make sense to me!