Mature Bucks: Patterns, Core Areas, Home Ranges

[finelyshedded]

I agree 100% that a mature buck prefers the cheek wind or quartering into wind over any other wind direction. Chad is spot on with saying mature bucks are very deliberate in their movements. If you let one catch you drawing your bow back the game is essentially over unless you can stand absolutely still holding back the tension for as long as it takes. I had a mature 170 gross 10 in once and he locked up at 40 yards downwind of a scent wick of "trails End 309" for just over 13 minutes, got it all on video. It was a couple minutes after I rattled. He stood there like a statue slowly turning his head and working his ears like radar. When he did leave, it was by going back the direction he came with his ears straight back, another common trait mature bucks are known for.

 

[Fullbore]

Its amazing just how far some of these deer do travel. 2 years ago, a friend of Ric and I son. Shot a 155 incher5 miles from where another friend got them same deer on camera a week earlier. What a man or beast will do for a piece of tail! Lmao!

 

[customizer1000]

There is a part of me that would love to know how far the bucks in my area tend to roam, but the bigger part of me doesn't want to know!!!

I know Deuce stayed really close to our farm because he'd only been seen by a couple neighbors (so long as everyone was truthful with me postmortem). There was one other camera he frequented that I knew of and that was a mile east of our farm near a cluster of apples trees. He could walked the ridge line along the creek the entire way with either a southerly or northerly west wind cutting across his path. It wasn't until this winter that I pieced together the best pinch point on our part of his path. With a proper crop rotation (corn) and solid acorns, the stand I hung at the head of the ditch along the corn filed two weekends ago is one tree I've over looked for far TOO long...

Well I can put it this way, I've seen on cam the same buck in 3 different cities though kinda close a decent drive nevertheless, caught him on cam at clearcreek and 73, at 741 and Austin and also on the other side of 75 by 675, fs can relate to the distance, also my buddy hunts a lot of areas in Monroe, he got a bad shot on a buck and tracked it to Walmart in middeltown, I say mature bucks keep walking till they find what they are looking for

 

[brock ratcliff]

I don't think there is a way to pattern deer. At least not to a point where I think they will show up at a certain spot at a certain time. From hunting open country so long, I know how often they will change direction and sometimes for no specific reason. I've seen them a hundred times start across a field and a dog will bark or a farmer will start a tractor, whatever... It doesn't take much to make a deer decide where he was headed is not where is wants to be. It seems to be a crapshoot to me, but it may just be that I don't have the understanding of deer that some do. I don't understand for example, why it is that there is a 160" typical ten that shows up every year on Sean's place about the 15th of November and stays for a week, only to be non-existent for the next 51 weeks. There are bucks that live there almost year 'round, and disappear during the rut and return in late season. There is no way those deer are on that property and not getting their picture taken...there are BEC's running 24/7 all over the place! My property in Fayette will not have a decent buck on it all year, but around Halloween and lasting for two weeks, there will be maybe a dozen from 140-world class come through. No idea where they come from or where they go. They are deer, and they do things I will never understand. I gave up trying to figure out that puzzle a long time ago 'cause it will drive ya nuts! These days, I hunt funnels knowing that something good will eventually come by. It takes a lot of the frustration out of the thing for me.

BTW, Mike Rex has a truck load of dead deer that were killed miles from where they were last seen or photographed. I'm sure a lot of you guys are the same way. If you could figure out how or why they go from one place to another and put it in a book, I'll buy the first edition!

 

[Lundy]

If you could figure out how or why they go from one place to another and put it in a book, I'll buy the first edition!

Then all they would have to do is get the deer to read the book so they would know how they are supposed to act

 

[Jackalope]

I don't think there is a way to pattern deer. At least not to a point where I think they will show up at a certain spot at a certain time. From hunting open country so long, I know how often they will change direction and sometimes for no specific reason. I've seen them a hundred times start across a field and a dog will bark or a farmer will start a tractor, whatever... It doesn't take much to make a deer decide where he was headed is not where is wants to be. It seems to be a crapshoot to me, but it may just be that I don't have the understanding of deer that some do. I don't understand for example, why it is that there is a 160" typical ten that shows up every year on Sean's place about the 15th of November and stays for a week, only to be non-existent for the next 51 weeks. There are bucks that live there almost year 'round, and disappear during the rut and return in late season. There is no way those deer are on that property and not getting their picture taken...there are BEC's running 24/7 all over the place! My property in Fayette will not have a decent buck on it all year, but around Halloween and lasting for two weeks, there will be maybe a dozen from 140-world class come through. No idea where they come from or where they go. They are deer, and they do things I will never understand. I gave up trying to figure out that puzzle a long time ago 'cause it will drive ya nuts! These days, I hunt funnels knowing that something good will eventually come by. It takes a lot of the frustration out of the thing for me.

BTW, Mike Rex has a truck load of dead deer that were killed miles from where they were last seen or photographed. I'm sure a lot of you guys are the same way. If you could figure out how or why they go from one place to another and put it in a book, I'll buy the first edition!

Agreed. Sometimes there isn't a rhyme or reason that we can see for why they strike out in a direction. And I've noticed lately that the properties that seem to have big bucks just prior to and during the rut are the ones devoid of deer through the summer and early season. Alex has a property that you might as well forget about hanging a cam on until the third week of October. The property where the two deer I posted earlier had deer galore up until the rut. Those two were never seen again after the third week in October. But they were back sometime before June.

 

[customizer1000]

Agreed. Sometimes there isn't a rhyme or reason that we can see for why they strike out in a direction. And I've noticed lately that the properties that seem to have big bucks just prior to and during the rut are the ones devoid of deer through the summer and early season. Alex has a property that you might as well forget about hanging a cam on until the third week of October. The property where the two deer I posted earlier had deer galore up until the rut. Those two were never seen again after the third week in October. But they were back sometime before June.

Couldn't agree more, I have some nice bucks around but right now you can't find a track in the mud

 

[hickslawns]

Agreed. Sometimes there isn't a rhyme or reason that we can see for why they strike out in a direction. And I've noticed lately that the properties that seem to have big bucks just prior to and during the rut are the ones devoid of deer through the summer and early season. Alex has a property that you might as well forget about hanging a cam on until the third week of October. The property where the two deer I posted earlier had deer galore up until the rut. Those two were never seen again after the third week in October. But they were back sometime before June.

I think it works opposite as well. This is why I am not overly fired up about the buck pictures I have been getting. I think I would be better off hunting a property loaded with does from third week in October to first week in December. I am seeing very few does on this property. Once the testosterone is flowing, it seems likely the bucks are going to establish a pecking order and several are going to disappear.

December story- Killed my first buck following 5 does in the first week of December.
October story- Saw the buck my buddy killed last year during gun season with a doe singled out in late October. Sat in the middle of that field all morning chasing off small bucks. Had already had the wheat taken off.
Moral of the story: From late Oct to early December, all bets are off. lol


Much like certain properties coming alive in late October, I believe many also fall apart. My current hot spot is like a bachelor pad. Won't stay this way long.

 

[finelyshedded]

Alot of great posts here. Hunting the rut is like a crap shoot, hang in a pinch spot, put in some ass time, and hope a slob is off a hot doe and comes thru eventually. Still, the first week or so of the season and over the best food source in the area during January are the best times to attempt to pattern a mature buck(providing no outside interference boogers them). Last year was the first time in my hunting career where I actually had a mature buck patterned early, but I blew my chance by shooting over his back. I've never had a kick ass food plot to hunt over during th month of January so personally I have virtually little if any proof to back this up. I just know the Drurys and Kiskys along with Lee and Tiff have killed most of their big bucks during these two times over food.

 

[brock ratcliff]

Alot of great posts here. Hunting the rut is like a crap shoot, hang in a pinch spot, put in some ass time, and hope a slob is off a hot doe and comes thru eventually. Still, the first week or so of the season and over the best food source in the area during January are the best times to attempt to pattern a mature buck(providing no outside interference boogers them). Last year was the first time in my hunting career where I actually had a mature buck patterned early, but I blew my chance by shooting over his back. I've never had a kick ass food plot to hunt over during th month of January so personally I have virtually little if any proof to back this up. I just know the Drurys and Kiskys along with Lee and Tiff have killed most of their big bucks during these two times over food.

I've never had a food plot to hunt late season either. However, about 5 years ago I found a patch of soybeans still standing on very heavily hunted public land. This was a very small patch, 1/4 acre that was left standing due to foxtail. When the weather turned to crap and snow had been on for a few weeks, it was amazing! I had filled my buck tag so I would just go watch. I took my buddy down the last day of season in hopes he'd fill a tag. I think we saw every deer on Paint Creek WA that evening, including one absolute pig that came in with too little light to shoot. That showed me just how awesome a patch of standing beans can be in late season!

 

[brock ratcliff]

And, those deer were there everyday that the temps dropped below 20. I guess that's about as close to a sure thing as I have ever figured out in deer hunting.

 

[finelyshedded]

And, those deer were there everyday that the temps dropped below 20. I guess that's about as close to a sure thing as I have ever figured out in deer hunting.

I agree Brock, IMO between the two different times(1st week or late season over food) late season over food seems to be the best time to pattern or kill a slob according to what I've witnessed. It depends on the food availability on surrounding farms and the quality and quantity of your food source. During the early season the beans are usually looking good and plentiful everywhere and then you have acorns dropping. If antlers wouldn't be prone to falling off during late season, I'd hunt during it more often but by then I'm usually burned out and tired. Lol

Now if I was sitting in a heated tower blind in the view of a 50 acre partially standing corn,bean and milo field in Iowa! I'd be out there! Lol

 

[TurkeyFizz]

Not that I have a wall full of Booner's or anything but I would say creating your own luck by being PERSISTANT. I try to hunt an area as smart as I can in the least intrusive manor that I can think of. (scent) Be there as long as I can and be as still and quiet as possible. Then hope a hot doe is in the area or he just makes a mistake or gets pushed or something to help me out. But just being there as much as possible is biggest factor IMO.

 

[Jackalope]

Not that I have a wall full of Booner's or anything but I would say creating your own luck by being PERSISTANT. I try to hunt an area as smart as I can in the least intrusive manor that I can think of. (scent) Be there as long as I can and be as still and quiet as possible. Then hope a hot doe is in the area or he just makes a mistake or gets pushed or something to help me out. But just being there as much as possible is biggest factor IMO.

Yep. Ass in a stand is what it really boils down to.

 

[mrex]

I don't think there is a way to pattern deer. At least not to a point where I think they will show up at a certain spot at a certain time. From hunting open country so long, I know how often they will change direction and sometimes for no specific reason. I've seen them a hundred times start across a field and a dog will bark or a farmer will start a tractor, whatever... It doesn't take much to make a deer decide where he was headed is not where is wants to be. It seems to be a crapshoot to me, but it may just be that I don't have the understanding of deer that some do. I don't understand for example, why it is that there is a 160" typical ten that shows up every year on Sean's place about the 15th of November and stays for a week, only to be non-existent for the next 51 weeks. There are bucks that live there almost year 'round, and disappear during the rut and return in late season. There is no way those deer are on that property and not getting their picture taken...there are BEC's running 24/7 all over the place! My property in Fayette will not have a decent buck on it all year, but around Halloween and lasting for two weeks, there will be maybe a dozen from 140-world class come through. No idea where they come from or where they go. They are deer, and they do things I will never understand. I gave up trying to figure out that puzzle a long time ago 'cause it will drive ya nuts! These days, I hunt funnels knowing that something good will eventually come by. It takes a lot of the frustration out of the thing for me.

BTW, Mike Rex has a truck load of dead deer that were killed miles from where they were last seen or photographed. I'm sure a lot of you guys are the same way. If you could figure out how or why they go from one place to another and put it in a book, I'll buy the first edition!

In 1997, I filmed a 150" buck in late September feeding in an alfalfa field. I killed the buck 3 weeks later on an oak flat in a different township.

In 1998 / 1999, I gave the DOW permission to dart / tranquilize mature does on my property after bow season as part of a fawn mortality study. They inserted a transmitter inside the birth canal of the doe that would immediately transmit a signal as soon the fawn hit the ground...making them a lot easier to catch and collar. Our DNR was trying to get a better handle on issues like coyote predation long before it was fashionable. One of the collard buck fawns was killed 4 years later by a hunter over 10 miles from where it was born. All of buck fawns had left the area by their 2nd birthday.

From 1998 to 2002, we had a buck show up out here the week of Thanksgiving and then disappear the following March. In February 1999, he was mistaken for an adult doe by an intern for the DOW after he had shed and accidentally darted. I begged the DOW guys to put a radio collar on him. I vowed that me or anyone I had control over would not kill him if presented the chance...and that wouldn't be easy because he was big...I even offered to pay for the collar but they refused as it was outside of the study parameter. I just wanted to know how large his home range was and where he disappeared to each spring. They did put a numbered tag, (#17), in his ear. The buck my boys called "goofy horns" was shot on a neighboring property through the back leg during the 02' gun season and shed his antlers within a week of being injured. His health worsened and he disappeared for good the following month...he was at least 8 or 9 years old...a true freak of nature in this area.

 

[mrex]

Not that I have a wall full of Booner's or anything but I would say creating your own luck by being PERSISTANT. I try to hunt an area as smart as I can in the least intrusive manor that I can think of. (scent) Be there as long as I can and be as still and quiet as possible. Then hope a hot doe is in the area or he just makes a mistake or gets pushed or something to help me out. But just being there as much as possible is biggest factor IMO.

When I was a kid, my Dad knocked out some interior walls, bought a custom wrestling mat and turned our basement into a wrestling room. On one end of the room there was a quote painted on the block wall that said, "I believe in luck, and the harder I try, the luckier I become." At the opposite wall it said, "Winners never quit and quitters never win." I think those apply to most things in life.

 

[jagermeister]

In 1997, I filmed a 150" buck in late September feeding in an alfalfa field. I killed the buck 3 weeks later on an oak flat in a different township.

In 1998 / 1999, I gave the DOW permission to dart / tranquilize mature does on my property after bow season as part of a fawn mortality study. They inserted a transmitter inside the birth canal of the doe that would immediately transmit a signal as soon the fawn hit the ground...making them a lot easier to catch and collar. Our DNR was trying to get a better handle on issues like coyote predation long before it was fashionable. One of the collard buck fawns was killed 4 years later by a hunter over 10 miles from where it was born. All of buck fawns had left the area by their 2nd birthday.

From 1998 to 2002, we had a buck show up out here the week of Thanksgiving and then disappear the following March. In February 1999, he was mistaken for an adult doe by an intern for the DOW after he had shed and accidentally darted. I begged the DOW guys to put a radio collar on him. I vowed that me or anyone I had control over would not kill him if presented the chance...and that wouldn't be easy because he was big...I even offered to pay for the collar but they refused as it was outside of the study parameter. I just wanted to know how large his home range was and where he disappeared to each spring. They did put a numbered tag, (#17), in his ear. The buck my boys called "goofy horns" was shot on a neighboring property through the back leg during the 02' gun season and shed his antlers within a week of being injured. His health worsened and he disappeared for good the following month...he was at least 8 or 9 years old...a true freak of nature in this area.

Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places... or just not looking hard enough... But why does it seem like there's not enough of these types of studies taking place? Radio or GPS collars attached to mature bucks would shed a lot of light on general behavior and movement-related questions. Or better yet, why hasn't someone attached a GoPro video camera to the back of a mature buck?