A Doe's Homerange??

[BA-IV]

What is an average doe's home range do yall think?

we all put the emphasis on bucks, how, why, when, what, and everything in between, but what's your opinions on what a doe's home range is? It struck me as a thought that I'd really never gave it any thought to be honest. and was curious on what everyone's experience is.

[Mschmeiske]

Good question. It might help some of us who focus on the rut more.

[BA-IV]

To further my thought process. I was looking at some old trail camera pics from last year, and noticed a particular buck hanging around for a few days, and noticed the doe as well, and it hit me. Studies have shown that does consistently come in at the same time every year regardless of environmental factors like moon and weather. Why not track particular does coming in estrous if at all possible, for example, like a torn ear or white spot on the shoulder, and base it off trail camera pictures, and KNOW that the area will be hot at that exact time year to year. ALOT of variables just something to ponder.

[Hawthorne]

Generally they are homebodies imo. Like women in the human race. They stay home to raise the kids or they want to. A bucks homerange is usually 3 times the size of a does generally. Yearling does will also disperse to find homerange it's been studied. I think it's more infrequent than a buck.

[PK_]

Pa deer study had some interesting info.

Outside of rut buck and doe homeranges around 1 square mile.

During rut bucks range average 2 square mile but can be 3-4 square mile.

During rut does tend to shrink their home range a bit.

That was in big woods.

[Southern Man]

I tend to think it depends on cover and food. I have seen farms where I'd bet the does never traveled more than 50 to 100 acres. But we have lots of food and cover. A lot of places here you can count on the does. The move like clockwork.

[fireforeffect]

You can set your watch to doe family groups on the main property that I hunt. I've even named a few of the matriarchs through the years. I had to put "Annie" on the hit list last year because she was barren. She made her home in a small section of the property and could always be found there if you were patient. She was decent bait, but since she wasn't producing fawns I had to take her out so that a new doe could have that section. Always felt bad for Annie because she was alone all the time. Does are herd animals.

There is another doe on the same property that I named "Patches", because of the white patches on her back and left side. She had a button buck last year that has now become a fork horn. He's got a few patches of his own. She and her fawn spent all their time in a small woodlot that adjoins some ag fields. I haven't got any pictures of her new fawns yet, but hopefully she'll make another buck lol. Patches is excellent bait because her little woodlot sets up perfect for the prevailing winds and it is easy to access. She's a valuable doe.

Those are two examples, but I have observed LOTS of doe groups, and most of them are home bodies. As long as they've got food and security they rarely roam; at least in my experience. Your mileage may vary.

[stash59]

I do believe they can change areas by some distance if the gun season pressure is real high.

[Whitetailaddict]

To further my thought process. I was looking at some old trail camera pics from last year, and noticed a particular buck hanging around for a few days, and noticed the doe as well, and it hit me. Studies have shown that does consistently come in at the same time every year regardless of environmental factors like moon and weather. Why not track particular does coming in estrous if at all possible, for example, like a torn ear or white spot on the shoulder, and base it off trail camera pictures, and KNOW that the area will be hot at that exact time year to year. ALOT of variables just something to ponder.

This is the exact reason i believe people notice trends at certain times every year. Every doe is s little different and once they are killed you may see some micro adjustments to when the area heats up but it will probably still be close. As fast as home range i don't know but I'd guess they'd be smaller when food is adequate and larger in areas with scattered food. Pressure could also cause a little more dispersment but it's the buck fawns that tend to relocate unless the doe is shot which makes me believe the does range is smaller especially during the rut.

[Tennhunter3]

That's really a impossible answer.

Depends if woodlots of Wisconsin or open plains of Kansas.I would think does in Kansas home ranges might be larger like 400 acres.

In a qdm study they found does ranges were smaller then bucks on average.

Some might be 400 acres others might be 60 acres. One doe group study I read 3 does lived 309 days of the year in a 19 acre area. It had everything they needed.

[NorthStar]

Great topic! I wonder if trying beast tactics this year will mean less dear in the freezer?

[Scratchman]

You can set your watch to doe family groups on the main property that I hunt. I've even named a few of the matriarchs through the years. I had to put "Annie" on the hit list last year because she was barren. She made her home in a small section of the property and could always be found there if you were patient. She was decent bait, but since she wasn't producing fawns I had to take her out so that a new doe could have that section. Always felt bad for Annie because she was alone all the time. Does are herd animals.

There is another doe on the same property that I named "Patches", because of the white patches on her back and left side. She had a button buck last year that has now become a fork horn. He's got a few patches of his own. She and her fawn spent all their time in a small woodlot that adjoins some ag fields. I haven't got any pictures of her new fawns yet, but hopefully she'll make another buck lol. Patches is excellent bait because her little woodlot sets up perfect for the prevailing winds and it is easy to access. She's a valuable doe.

Those are two examples, but I have observed LOTS of doe groups, and most of them are home bodies. As long as they've got food and security they rarely roam; at least in my experience. Your mileage may vary.

I had one named buck bait. She was old and huge. She had a bent tail. I think I saw her in the woods 50 times. You could set a clock to her for a couple years anyway. I haven't seen her since muzzle loader last year so her name is probably freezer filler now. I can't imagine she tasted that good!

[SplitG2]

This is a great question and something I have always wondered myself.

This is just my 2 cents worth but I think does are homebodies, even more so than mature bucks.And I would even say on a mature doe that, that area might even be smaller than a lot of mature bucks, not all tho. I've always said that an old mature doe is the smartest animal in the woods and I believe that based on a few reasons.....

1) She encounters more hunters in one season than a mature buck ever does in his lifetime
2) I've seen specific does on properties for several years in a row, more so than bucks. even heavily hunted properties.
3) I believe they put up with far more human intrusion, thus making them "almost" impossible to completely run out of an area
4) They're stubborn as all get out
5) Altho I can't prove it but I swear that I have encountered does that know they're not being hunted

Hopefully somebody out there can shed light on this subject

[Clink]

Depends on the area?

[G.Tubbs]

I think a home range will vary upon available food , cover and hunting pressure. I have access to hunt a tiny 8 acre parcel in south eastern Wisconsin. I would classify this as a suburban property. It is over populated with deer. There is an old doe that If I were to guess her age, is at least six years old. Every season she has twins. If I hunt this property 6 times in a season (specifically for doe's) She is on the property at least 4 out of the 6 sits. If I don't see her on the property she is usually across the road on the neighbors property or down the road near a water source. That doe seems to know when I am around and approaches the property from a different point every time. They are more resilient to human activity ( because of their environment) than the bucks are. I don't see a lot of bucks until the first week of November. When that time rolls around, it seems the doe's are more dispersed because of all of the young bucks chasing them. The three does I took from this property in 2016 were all deer I had seen through out the season in about a 40 acre area. They keep a pretty tight home range where I hunt. Even after the rut and having a coyote take one down, they were still there the last days of bow season.