Bucks disappearing at age 3 and 4

[gunther89]

I've noticed a trend in our area that we can't seem to get any 5+ year old bucks. We've had 1 in the last 10 years. We get plenty of bucks that are 3 and 4 years old to survive hunting season and have them around all winter only to never show back up the next year. Has anyone else experienced this or have any ideas as to what is happening. I know it's possible some get hit by a car, taken down by yotes, die from a wound but I wouldn't think all of them would disappear. The 2 bucks below were both 4 years old in 2014 only to not show up in 2015. Both deer we had history with including one for 3 years. Any ideas would be great to hear.

 

[tooln]

Any poachers or Amish in your area?

 

[gunther89]

We have Amish as neighbors but they try and pass on younger deer. We have a pretty good relationship with them. One of them works very close with the DNR on some things. We did hear about some poaching going on about 2 miles away from us but we haven't found any dead deer in our woods or heard from the neighbors finding any either.

 

[sandbur]

I have quit running cameras, but I feel some of these bucks find a place to stay where they are not photographed or bothered. Perhaps as they get older they travel less and are exposed less. My neighbors had sheds from a nice buck and could not find him on camera all summer. We now have part of it figured out.

I have a client who once had the state archery record told me to think about those small places out in fields where a corner of cover is not farmed. He lives in the shotgun zone, rifle zone might be different.

Steve Bartylla could give us the best answer.

 

[bueller]

I've also heard/read that the real old bucks tend to find a small confined area which they spend a large majority of their time in. They may stay a 100 yards off your line yet you never see them. But that doesn't explain why a 5+ year old never decides to lay low in old age in your place ....

 

[dipper]

I have the same problem...shot, hit by car, winter, poached, lots of ways to go. YeArling and two year olds are another group. I know for a fact I had 8 different yearlings bucks opening day of gun season by me. I won't have 8 different two year olds next yeAr?

 

[gunther89]

Yeah I know Bill Winke has said 5 year olds seem to become ghost and are hard to find, but I would think with running 12 cameras we would pick up a picture of 1 of them somewhere. We are also the only people around who leave standing food during winter which becomes a hot spot. We literally have all the deer feeding in our plots.

 

[gunther89]

I have the same problem...shot, hit by car, winter, poached, lots of ways to go. YeArling and two year olds are another group. I know for a fact I had 8 different yearlings bucks opening day of gun season by me. I won't have 8 different two year olds next yeAr?

We see that but I figure some of them disperse into other areas but I figure once a buck hits 3 or 4, he has his core area pretty well figured out.

 

[Bill]

Let me start with, this is a theory that I can't prove.

I have a friend with an exceptional piece of ground in N. MO. It's 220 acres of overgrown pasture. Other than some fields he has bulldozed off in the past few years for food it's thick and nasty. Lots of young cedar thickets, native grasses and natural bedding. It is surrounded by hundreds of acres of corn and beans. It's basically the bedroom for the neighborhood. More deer than one could imagine stacked into 200 acres.

Every year he shows me picture after picture of 3 year olds with great potential if they just make it another year or two. Every year he gets a picture or two of a great buck or bucks. But that's it, a pic or two. They usually show up late after the season or in the summer.

He shoots "A" deer every 2nd or 3rd year hoping a good one will make it. When he does shoot one it's a really nice 3 year old.

My theory is he needs to get some help and reduce the number of 3 year old testosterone breathing bucks and make some room for an old fart that really doesn't want to fight every time he gets out of bed. I just think he has to much of a good thing and it puts a lot of stress on the older bucks. I believe they just find an out of the way hedge row to spend the fall undisturbed by the boys on the playground.

Again just a theory, but there is no way all the good 3 year olds he has are being killed.

 

[kl9]

Imo unless teeth are sent in for aging many "3" year olds are 4,5,6 yo. Most bucks will never break 150 at any age even on the best dirt.

Very heavily dependent on where you live... Good genetic areas are out there.


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[gunther89]

Imo unless teeth are sent in for aging many "3" year olds are 4,5,6 yo. Most bucks will never break 150 at any age even on the best dirt.

I'm about 90% sure of the age of the bucks in our area. When we run as many cameras as we do and have them show back up for 2 or 3 years, I'm pretty certain we get them right. I firmly believe 75% of our bucks will be able to make it to 150 pretty easy. I could post picture after picture of bucks in that 130-145 range as a 3 and 4 year old range.

 

[kl9]

I am in the #2 county in the #1 state for all time entries. We have taken 14 over 150 the last 20 years. I know of 5 taken within 4 miles between 188-221. Ask steve b. Most bucks will never grow 150 inches of bone even in the best areas

What county is that?


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[gunther89]

I am in the #2 county in the #1 state for all time entries. We have taken 14 over 150 the last 20 years. I know of 5 taken within 4 miles between 188-221. Ask steve b. Most bucks will never grow 150 inches of bone even in the best areas

I know tons of guys who don't enter deer shot. When I'm located in south central where we have ag field after ag field, the nutrition is there to grow big deer. We have the genetics to do it, they just need to get the age.

 

[kl9]

I know tons of guys who don't enter deer shot. When I'm located in south central where we have ag field after ag field, the nutrition is there to grow big deer. We have the genetics to do it, they just need to get the age.

What county are you in? I hunt Vernon/Crawford/La Crosse.


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[gunther89]

What county are you in? I hunt Vernon/Crawford/La Crosse.


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I'm located in Sauk county

 

[gunther89]

Here are just a few of the 3 and 4 year olds to go missing. All of these bucks I feel easily could hit the 150 mark if given another year or 2.






I can post more if you want me to.

 

[Bill]

Here are just a few of the 3 and 4 year olds to go missing. All of these bucks I feel easily could hit the 150 mark if given another year or 2.

I can post more if you want me to.

I think you need a new ruler. :D Some of those are really close to grossing 150 now.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I think it's likely that you have some 5+ year old bucks that you are under-aging. Shoot a couple and send in the teeth for CA aging and see how old they are. We've done just that in SE MN and NW WI and it showed massive differences in sizes at a given age. It's entirely possible that one of the bucks you think is 3.5 is actually an old aggressive buck that pushes off younger deer with better antlers.

Deer have a pretty large home range, especially in ag dominated areas so seasonal movements could also be causing some of your deer to go missing. If a deer travels 10 miles from summer to winter range, maybe his travels will take him to a new property where he decides to set up shop the following fall.

 

[j-bird]

Consider that every year a deer lives he gets a year smarter as well. Young bucks are fairly dumb, 3 & 4 year olds are smarter and true mature deer are even smarter yet. Once they reach the top of the pack they can choose which ever habitat they want as well. I think they are going to be less tolerant of other deer as well and may seek even more solitude. Just an opinion.

 

[Fall guy]

I am in the #2 county in the #1 state for all time entries. We have taken 14 over 150 the last 20 years. I know of 5 taken within 4 miles between 188-221. Ask steve b. Most bucks will never grow 150 inches of bone even in the best areas

Waupaca #2 ???
http://www.northamericanwhitetail.c...spots-for-bowhunting-wisconsins-trophy-bucks/