Had another one vacation last year.

[WTNUT]

On the old hang out forum there was a thread in the last month where we discussed whether our mature bucks move from summer habitat to fall. My experience was that with the exception of a couple bucks, mine stay. I noted that it was very strange in that those of mine that left were nearly always during their 5.5 year old year, and would pop back up as 6.5 year olds. Well it has happened again. Two years ago, I had a buck I called Texas. He was 4.5 years old and had the classic Texas rack in that it was tall but each time curved inwards some. Probably not 2 inches deduct on entire rack. Last year there was no signs of him, not photos, no sightings nothing. I thought he had been poached. Well, guess what, last night 15 minutes before dark Texas was on the edge of one of my hodge podge plots. And, he is very very impressive. As of now he is number one on my list :)


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[Bill]

I believe this is where individual personality plays a roll. I've had mature bucks hang close summer through fall. Also had them vanish in Sept only to return the next spring.

The farm is kind of a buck sink not a doe sink. With us they leave at 3 to 4. I figure the middle age ones with subordinate personality traits just don't want to be in the mix when things heat up. When one of these returns to stay it's usually when he is "The Man" and no one is going to try him.

I used to say our bucks don't show up, they grow up. Never experienced an influx of roaming bucks during the rut. Last year Mother Nature shot my theory down. We killed 3 I had never laid eyes on.

Hopeful that trend continues but I'm more apt to believe it will return to being that the majority harvested are locals.

 

[WTNUT]

I have been thinking about this a little today. As you may recall from the other thread, I have had very very few mature bucks (will use 4.5 year olds as the benchmark here) summer on me and then leave. In 15 years, I could count all on one hand. But out of the three bucks that left for a year as 5.5 year olds, every one of them used a core area on the north east corner of my property. I view my farms in 80 acre blocks where I make sure there is ideal cover, food and water in each of the 80 acre sections. This corner has all of that, but maybe there is something about that area or a neighbors property that has cause them to leave. It is just really strange all three disappeared as 5.5 year olds and showed back up as 6.5 year olds. The good news is that yours truly killed both of the bucks that showed up as 6.5 year olds and I will be real happy if this one follows suit :)


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[chummer]

I am in for a big shift to my place this year. It is the same shift that caused me to get into apples. Four years ago there was a bumper crop of apples. Sometime in August the deer started showing up. With no apples and two of the worst winters on record the last three years I have seen very few deer. Well this year I have apples again and the shift has started. I have what I believe to be a 6.5 yo that showed up two weeks ago. He is the biggest buck we have had since I have been keeping tract (5years). I guess 6.5 because that goes back to the last mild winter and we had nearly 100% kill off of fawns 2 and 3 years ago. That puts him at least 4.5. However, I had three bucks last year I could date back to be 5.5 and we actually killed one(neighbors killed other two) and it was estimated at 5.5+. He is bigger than all 3 of those. I believe many more will show up for the apples. After they are gone this guy will probably go back to where he came from. Hopefully he will move in with me for the next 30 years. Someone is getting nervous right now that their "Tall Eight" has not been on camera for a couple weeks. I also have had 3 yearling bucks move in. Betwween the apples and the plots hopefully they will set up shop.

 

[Boll Weevil]

This year will provide another data point for a theory on my farm; one reason bucks reaching maturity may leave is because there's little or no room at the top of the dominance ladder or within the most ideal habitat. We are in the 5th year of a 4.5 year old or older buck harvest program and have worked hard to manage overall herd population and improve sex ratio while simultaneously improving habitat.

We average killing 1 mature buck per year but were fortunate to remove 2 last year. Thus far, 2 known bucks from last year that are now 5.5 have adopted the area last years dominant 4.5s were removed and are now exhibiting bully behavior (on camera) over their bachelor buddies.

If we had not removed those two 4.5s would these now 5.5s guys have moved on? If we don't remove 1 or more this fall, will any of the up-n-comer 4.5s disappear?