unread does?

[tkelite35]

I hunt an area where the aparent buck to doe ratio is very low. Additional doe tags were offered this year as a result. I have a few questions that I hope people may have answers to.

1. Are some does not bread on some years as a result of low buck to doe ratio?

2. how long (typically) is lock down? Will lock down shorten if other does are in heat and not being bread?

3. How young/old does a buck have to be, to breed... could a spike suffice?

Thanks!
Tom

[Jdw]

I don’t know about questions 1 & 2 but I have seen a button buck breeding a doe fawn so a spike would have no problem.

[dan]

Its my understanding that a doe will go into heat a second time if not bred. I think based on observations a buck hooks up with a doe for about 3 days and then starts looking again. If big bucks don't stop them 1.5 year old bucks will breed.

[CattailCommander]

I've been watching the Dr. Nordberg videos about the rut and he says theres a 2 week window in the beginning of November, December, and January that does are in heat. Majority being bred in November, some in December that didn't get bred and then a few (which I imagine very few) in January. I'd have a hard time believing that a doe in estrous wouldn't be found by a buck. Also from the videos he said they are in estrous for a 24-26 hour period, so I imagine a buck necessarily wouldn't have to be with that doe for 3 days before he'll breed her. I think if a buck came along and she was in estrous, hasn't found another buck and willing, it would only take 5 seconds and the job would be done and he'd go find another one.

[Ognennyy]

1. Are some does not bread on some years as a result of low buck to doe ratio?

Yes. A doe will come back into estrus as many as 5-6 times if unbread, before her system finally "gives up" for the season.

[Lu Rome]

Incomplete breeding of a herd is not very common, it would take exceptional low buck #s. It can happen, but most does get bred. A lot of the "second" rut are fawns that are mature enough to be bred in addition to the few unbred does. I'm not a big believer in the "lockdown" in that bucks disappear for several days at a time. If a doe is only in estrus for 24-48 hours, and standing estrus even shorter, he doesn't need to spend several days with her. Add the fact that 25% or more sets of twins are fathered by different bucks and it tells me that there's a lot of movement going on. I think the perceived lockdown is just that there's a lot of does cycling and the bucks don't have to travel as much as they do in the early and late phases where the hot does are fewer. They stay out of site in the doe bedding cover or isolate their current doe in a patch of hidden cover. As far as what bucks are doing the work, they all participate, all ages, there aren't any bucks that monopolize the breeding. It's just a matter of who's standing next to the doe when she's ready to be bred.

[tkelite35]

Thanks everyone...lots of great info! Food for tought that gives me some hope... rough season so far.
Tom