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buck dispersal?

2K views 23 replies 15 participants last post by  Rancid Crabtree 
#1 · (Edited)
I was wondering if some of the land owners could verify the observations of woods and water article this month. Do you see the same bucks maturing yearly ? the article said if I remember that up to 77 percent of yearling racked bucks dispersed up to 7 to 22 miles away. Is this true? If it is wont we get some other areas disbursed bucks? I know Im being really basic but , this really blows my mind. how does this affect QDM management? the article said that the majority of the bucks thats displaced are young racked bucks, leaving the inferior young bucks left to breed. are the bucks I pass up more than likely to be dispersed?
 
#4 ·
There are several on here way more qualified than me to answer this question, but here is my understanding:)

Just before does come into estrous they become aggressive toward the yearling bucks in their family group, forcing the young bucks to disperse and find another home range. The mother doe is more aggressive toward her own offspring. Thus, in theory, the best doe on the place to kill is the one with twin buck fawns because without an aggressive mother chasing them off the following fall they will be much less likely to disperse.

I have read 2 or 3 articles on this subject and all said roughly the same thing.

One article gave dispersal rates for all buck fawns vs. orphaned buck fawns, and claimed a much lower dispersal rate for orphaned fawns. I'm pretty sure that was the same article that used radio collared yearling bucks to determine dispersal distances as well. I do recall a great variance in dispersal distances. I think that article was in Bowhunter Magazine. I don't recall where I saw the others.
 
#6 ·
There are many variables when it comes to yearling buck dispersal. I'm no expert and only know what I have read. Herd density, habitat, the number of mature bucks, sex ratios, and dominant does all play a role to some extent. In the end it is mother natures way of preventing inbreeding.
 
#7 ·
I was wondering if some of the land owners could verify the observations of woods and water article this month. Do you see the same bucks maturing yearly ? the article said if I remember that up to 77 percent of yearling racked bucks dispersed up to 7 to 22 miles away. Is this true? If it is wont we get some other areas disbursed bucks? I know Im being really basic but , this really blows my mind. how does this affect QDM management? the article said that the majority of the bucks thats displaced are young racked bucks, leaving the inferior young bucks left to breed. are the bucks I pass up more than likely to be dispersed?
Have not read the article but would make the following comments. Buck fawn dispersal is driven by mature does particularly matriarch does, who tend to be the most likely to have twins. If you want to limit buck dispersal, target mature does, particularly the one that is the highest on the doe hierarchy, the matriarch.

Not sure what they are talking about regarding the dispersal of racked bucks but when talking about buck dispersal that is driven by does it is in regards to buck fawns I. E. button bucks. Yearling (1.5 year old) racked bucks are not usually still part of the family group, they will be hanging with an all male bachelor group this time of year prior to the rut. Once the rut starts the bachelor groups disband and it's every buck for himself in terms of looking for breeding females.

The bucks that will be dispersed by their moms are 6-8 month old button bucks and none of them are sporting a rack. These are the ones that are still part of the family group with their sisters and aunts and moms until the rut starts and then the moms will push them out of the group and force them to leave their birthing area. As mentioned, this is natures mechanism for preventing incest. Button bucks will either become solitary deer (which is one of the reasons that they have such a high natural mortality, sometimes as high as 60%) or they will find other BB's or occasionally yearling bucks to hang with. They will often be tolerated by yearling bucks but not by most mature bucks. It's another reason that many BB's get mistaken for does because they are seen hanging around a yearling basket 6 and the hunter assumes that the 6 is trying to breed what appears to be a doe.

After the rut is concluded bucks will re-assimilate into bachelor groups and by that time BB's are often allowed to join those groups.

I'm very skeptical of the articles claim (if you reported it accurately) that racked bucks (yearlings) are forced to disperse while "inferior" non-racked bucks are allowed to do the breeding. Sounds very fishy to me.
 
#8 ·
One article gave dispersal rates for all buck fawns vs. orphaned buck fawns, and claimed a much lower dispersal rate for orphaned fawns. I'm pretty sure that was the same article that used radio collared yearling bucks to determine dispersal distances as well. I do recall a great variance in dispersal distances. I think that article was in Bowhunter Magazine. I don't recall where I saw the others.
I think this might be the article you are talking about. It was originally published in Quality Whitetails, I believe, and then republished in Deerhunting. It's written by Brian Murphy, executive director of QDMA. Good basic article on the topic.

http://www.deerhunting.ws/buttonbucks.htm
 
#10 ·
There was a rather substantial study on buck dispersal performed in PA a few years ago. I don't have a link, but the ambitious could find it.

There are two general points in time in the calendar year when yearling bucks disperse; some do so in the spring, at fawning time, and the rest in the late summer/early fall.

Bucks do not disperse evenly across the landscape, and do not necessarily seek out the best habitat when they disperse(likely because of the proclivity of adult does to dominate superior range). It is thought that they may wind up in areas that have better herd dynamics (ie., more bucks to begin with). This supports the notion that, if you'd like to attract more dispersing bucks to your property, it's important to harvest sufficient adult does in order to make room for those bucks.
 
#11 ·
Often the dispersal of 1 1/2 year old bucks is confused with rutting activity. Think of all those times in late October you've seen bucks in wierd places looking lost and confused. On the road, in neighborhoods, etc.
 
#12 ·
Often the dispersal of 1 1/2 year old bucks is confused with rutting activity. Think of all those times in late October you've seen bucks in wierd places looking lost and confused. On the road, in neighborhoods, etc.
I'd question, though, whether that is due to dispersal caused by mothers forcing their offspring to leave the immediate area where they were born or whether it's due to the break-up of bachelor groups resulting from the increased levels of testosterone that becomes present with the approach of the rut. As the rut approaches older more dominant bucks cease to tolerate the prescience of younger subservient bucks and that may be more likely the cause of the resulting wandering yearling syndrome that you describe.
 
#13 ·
I'd question, though, whether that is due to dispersal caused by mothers forcing their offspring to leave the immediate area where they were born or whether it's due to the break-up of bachelor groups resulting from the increased levels of testosterone that becomes present with the approach of the rut. As the rut approaches older more dominant bucks cease to tolerate the prescience of younger subservient bucks and that may be more likely the cause of the resulting wandering yearling syndrome that you describe.
Pobably a combination of all of the reasons but disprsal makes a lot of sense in both the timing and the behavior.
 
#14 ·
It's interesting that you've asked these questions. I'm working on a story for Bowhunting World about the dispersal and movement patterns of mature bucks. What I've learned so far.

1. The 7 - 22 miles that bucks are known to disperse comes from a general study done by researchers for the Pennsylvania Dept. of Wildlife. Right now I can't remember the name of the lead investigator, but I could get it if you want me to.

2. New research shows that bucks don't necessarily go that far. They may go 1 mile or two, but not always as far as the established research would have us believe. How far they go depends a lot of the quality of their habitat, deer density, and deer age-sex ratios.
 
#16 ·
I think this might be the article you are talking about. It was originally published in Quality Whitetails, I believe, and then republished in Deerhunting. It's written by Brian Murphy, executive director of QDMA. Good basic article on the topic.

http://www.deerhunting.ws/buttonbucks.htm
Yep, that's one of the articles I read.

I must have been confusing it with another article claiming more buck disperse as yearlings than as buttons.
 
#17 ·
1 more benefit of qdm......for everyone else:D:lol::lol::lol::lol:
Unless, of course, most of your neighbors are QDMers as well:)
 
#19 · (Edited)
So, what do you do about it?

Setup enough separate bedding, food and protection cover on your land to hold both does who are fawning, and bucks who are trying to get out of the way of the protective doe. This will hold the "racked" bucks.

At the same time realizing that you are going to lose your button bucks, but you will be getting button bucks from other properties, so by having enough room for them, they will arrive when dispersed and setup shop for the future.

People often tell me, "well that area over there is my bedding cover and sanctuary". Having one big bedding area is a huge mistake. Having lots and lots of bedding areas, all separated and all with access to food sources and water with separate travel lanes is the answer. You do not need large acreage to make that happen either.
 
#22 ·
#23 ·
There was a good article on this subject in Quality Whitetails just a couple issues ago where they studied home ranges of deer in southern Michigan using radio telemetry. I'll see if I can dig it later tonight.
 
#24 ·
I am hesitant to bring up any more info from our CWD panel but here again, we asked to have some science about dispersal presented to our group since it was long thought that mature bucks were the biggest group on the infection scale. We asked for Nancy Mathews to present the findings of her ongoing study so that we would know how large to make the CWD management zone beyond the know positives that were tested. We settled on a 10 mile buffer zone.Her schedule only allowed one of her co-workers to deliver the presentation. You can watch the video 45 minute at:

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/whealth/issues/CWD/advisory.htm

Click the link called" "Deer Dispersal and movement" Draw your own conclusions from what you see.

Lastly, remember that this migration does not only work in one direction. yes, you might have deer leaving your property but at the same time, you will have new and diff bucks from other areas moving towards your direction as well. This all helps to prevent inbreeding. I won't offer up any opinons beyond that. I have learned not to.

Here is another link to Nancy's work.

http://www.news.wisc.edu/cwd/cals.html
 
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