Homebody Bucks

[PLB]

I read a lot of hunting articles in various magazines talking about all the miles mature bucks put on cruising outside of their home area during the rut. They must be talking about 2 and 3 year olds because i just have not experienced this. I know there are a lot of exceptions but I really believe deer 4 and older are more homebody than many of us believe. In SW WI we are getting pics of these deer in the summer and then seeing and or killing them within a couple hundered yards or less of where the pic was taken! I think the whole rut thing is blown way out of whack from reality! These mature deer know they can breed any given doe in their core area and they are more concerned with survival than anything. Also on many of these smaller properties if they venture too far they will be invading another mature buck's home area. What do you guys and gals think and what have been your experiences with MATURE bucks during the rut??

[dan]

Funny you bring that up... I just got interviewed for an article that I thing is going into Bowhunting World magazine called "Homers vs Romers"
Older deer don't roam much RUT OR NOT... But, there is a huge difference between the amount and distance of unpressured daylight travel between pressured and unpressured bucks. Especially in the older age classes.

[DevinJD2007]

Funny you bring that up... I just got interviewed for an article that I thing is going into Bowhunting World magazine called "Homers vs Romers"
Older deer don't roam much RUT OR NOT... But, there is a huge difference between the amount and distance of unpressured daylight travel between pressured and unpressured bucks. Especially in the older age classes.

I will be looking forward to this article! Did they say when it would be published?

[tresleggos]

dans right on.......

[dan]

I will be looking forward to this article! Did they say when it would be published?

No, but it usually goes in print about 2 or 3 months after the interview...

[Singing Bridge]

PLB- I agree for the most part, but as in every other aspect of deer hunting there are exceptions. In wilderness areas, such as the Seney National Wildlife Refuge in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, I've snow tracked bucks for miles in between doe families during the rut. I never cut another deer's track, and the big buck was really cruising. Wilderness areas can have extremely low deer densities, and sometimes the bucks really have to travel. In the pressured areas I hunt, it's a totally different scenario.

[magicman54494]

In northern Wis. I know of one buck (4 or 5 years old) that was shot about 3 miles from where he was caught on a trail cam.

Also tracking deer there has shown me that they will travel a long ways. Judging by how they use the land I believe they knew the country well. Deer numbers are low up there so I'm sure they have to travel a long way to find girlfriends.

[adrenalin]

What if the deer people claim are from other areas have actually been in the area the whole time, but they are just smart enough the rest of the year to not be seen.

[MOBIGBUCKS]

I firmly believe it varies with the individual deer.