Buck Food Plot Use During the Hunting Season

[BenAllgood]

The MSU Deer Lab has a movement ecologist who has joined the team. She is analyzing some of the data collected. They are excited to bring new information as they come out with it.

Here's some brief takeaways, but I'd encourage people to watch this episode. They do note that, while the data is preliminary, they have lots more questions they will explore.

Study Area/Info:
-NW of Jackson, MS
-50k acres
-60 gps collared bucks
-positions taken every 15 minutes during hunting season (over a million locations)
-468 food plots
-89 feeders
-915 stands
-knowns= when stands were hunted, weather, wind speed and direction, bedding site



Bucks visited food plots more frequently during the rut and late season than they did earlier, but durations of the visits were longer before and after the rut.



Median acreage size of plots was 1.7 acres, but most of the visits, by far, were in food plots of about 4 acres



After the opening of season, buck visits during legal shooting light, decreased dramatically
There was a spike in activity around noon



Bucks seemed to prefer bedding between 100-200 yards away from the first food plot they visited.



They are currently working on wind analysis in relation to movement and bedding.

 

[SwampCat]

That is pretty much my experience

 

[Prairie Acres]

Very interesting.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I have wondered about many of these things after every encounter.

Part of me hopes we don't ever fully understand how and where bucks move.

I'm still going to gobble up as much info as I can because killing a mature buck is so tough.