bachelor groups

[bueller]

I've got a group of 3 that have been hanging together all summer. Most recently I had them on camera with two young looking doe. All five deer were on the move towards food late afternoon. One doe was leading, then the three bucks, and the other doe was last in line. I thought bachelor groups and doe groups don't intermingle...

 

[Peplin Creek]

It's funny you mention this. I have had one buck, atleast 3 1/2 years old show up on camera in August. About 90% of the pictures with him are with a doe in close proximity just causally hanging out. My theory on this is that she is either an old dried up doe or didn't carry any fawns this year and they must be socially acceptable towards each other. Go figure.

My other theory is that this is first year I have caught wolves on camera. Maybe they're hanging out because there is safety in numbers.

 

[Greta&Gus]

It's funny you mention this. I have had one buck, atleast 3 1/2 years old show up on camera in August. About 90% of the pictures with him are with a doe in close proximity just causally hanging out. My theory on this is that she is either an old dried up doe or didn't carry any fawns this year and they must be socially acceptable towards each other. Go figure.

My other theory is that this is first year I have caught wolves on camera. Maybe they're hanging out because there is safety in numbers.

I would not doubt that are of the reason both does and bucks socialize in groups is for safety from predators. More eyes and ears on the look out.

 

[rlb165]

bueller, I've wondered the same thing.
The picture below is of 2 bucks, 2 does, and 2 fawns. The deer in the back on the right is a buck, but you can't see his antlers. The pic was taken August 24 of this year. It's not the first time I've seen bucks and does and fawns hanging out.


I've seen one bachelor group in my life. That was about this time last year, about 10 miles from our place. There were 3 bucks together on the edge of a cornfield. Basket-racked 1 year olds.
A friend of mine lives and hunts in an adjoining county. This year he and his buddies have been watching a bachelor
group of 12 bucks, some of whom are pretty impressive. He said 12 is more than normal for their place, but 6 or so is pretty common.
Could it just be because there are more deer in his area, and that deer prefer to be in groups of a certain size, i.e. strength in numbers?
I wonder if there is an optimal number that deer prefer to live and travel in...?

 

[bueller]

We've all read about bachelor groups but what has everyone actually seen and learned about bachelor groups through their own observations and experiences? Seems like a lot of unknown out there on this topic.

 

[bueller]

Bachelor groups are one area where I feel trail cameras really help. A couple years back we had a group of three with one in the group being much better than the other two. My buddy was in a stand one afternoon and watched the first two come into the plot he was hunting over. Without the knowledge from the trail cam photos he would stuck either of them. Instead he waited and sure enough the third and much better buck stepped into the plot and he whacked him.

^^^this was in late September. How long into October do your bachelor groups stay together?

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Our bucks are always in groups as well as the does and fawns. In the summer months I never see the groups together. Our buck groups don't really break up until the rut starts to kick in unless certain bucks disperse to different areas but for the most part they pretty much do the same things in the same areas. I just wish they would do it during legal shooting hours.

 

[bigbendmarine]

They occasionally intermingle on my place during summer, especially when out feeding. I run cameras year round and definitely see a portion of videos where the bachelor group is together minus any does, but also get captures of them feeding in the general vicinity of does at other times.

Shared this video a while back, but shows a bachelor group feeding with does and, a fawn, and even a few turkeys... all kind of doing their own thing without showing too much concern / stress.

 

[bigbendmarine]

As for references to 1 year old bucks, sometimes they won't even be with an adult bachelor group.

Got a pretty healthy looking 1 year old 6 point that's been hanging out with a group of does the entire summer. Guessing one is mom, as she gives him a bit of heck and challenges him sometimes when he gets too close to her feeding. Don't know if he's ever going to leave the nest as comfortable as he seems hanging with the does.

 

[bueller]

Another question...After your bachelor groups disperse do all/most of the bucks still frequent your properties separately or is there only one that sticks around?

 

[Native Hunter]

Another question...After your bachelor groups disperse do all/most of the bucks still frequent your properties separately or is there only one that sticks around?

At my place, for the most part they stay around but that isn't 100%. Last year I had two 5 year olds that ran together all summer. They finally just separated but I still got pictures of both. At the end of October I had another old deer to move in and stay the winter. I would get pics of all 3 but not together. The 157 we got last year seemed to come in very late and I didn't have a single trail cam pic of him.

This year I had a pretty 3 year old that ran with a 4 year old that was ugly as heck. The ugly 4 year old disappeared about a month ago about the same time when a nicer 4 year old moved in. I got the picture below today. It is the nice 3 year old and the new 4 year old. This is the first picture I have ever had of them together, even though they have lived on the same place for at least a month now.

Every year is different. I've had deer to return after being gone 3 whole years, but that is truly uncommon.

I've also had deer to move in right at the end of October and stay until March.

The best I could tell, the fight below ended without any blood being shed. The 3 year old just finally turned and walked away and the 4 year old just followed him slowly.

 

[Bill]

I always have summer batchlor groups. They inter mingle with the does but for the most part but they hang together.
Early October they seem to break up from the big groups of 4 to 8 but I often, even today, see two bucks together. a 1.5 YO with an older buck. I think the older buck isn't threatened by the freshman until a doe comes into heat, then everyone is an enemy.
I always, "always" loose most of the older bucks. Some come back and the ones that don't were probably killed. Drives me nuts, what the does you hang with all summer aren't good enough? Way out on limb here but if we didn't Marry as a species and only got to fool around for about 3 weeks a year it might be beneficial to be the new mysterious man in town. Just as I always loose my older deer some new ones show up.

No clue where this toad came from but if he walked by me this morning he wouldn't have been going home. He passed by about 8 days ago too.