I can't speak for the SW but up here the mature bucks generally stay in bachelor groups or solo until sometime in October or even early November. We are seeing more deer overall than last year at this time. If you have a good doe population, then there should be some bucks showing up later on even if they have to travel from adjoining areas.

 

If you have alot of does. Shoot some early then wait and hunt that spot late oct early nov and you should see some good action. If your only seeing 4-6 or so does go by your judgement but if more thin them out ( depending on what you gotta hunt) Sometimes the less does in your area could mean alot better buck hunting!! Alot will change from now till the end of oct. Ive had good bucks on camera before season and then they are gone come season and vise versa.

 

i usually dont start getting bucks on my property till late sept/early oct. i get a few pics of small bucks different times over the summer but the majority of the bucks i see come later. my thoughts are i have great fawning area and the bucks stay away. i have food and cover. my cards are filled with pics and videos of doe groups all summer long.

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Soybeans.

 

The Bucks are not far. They follow a little different program, especially this time of the year. Use care to not get busted and shoot your doe early. The Bucks will be after your ladies later in the season!

Good luck


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Deer have traits. One trait that mature bucks do not have is to join-up-with -the-herd. It is simply not in there nature until testosterone builds up in pre-rut.

I have seen experienced habitat managers like Mike Hartages create more obscure "junked up" trails with a few obstacles, but still trails and the bucks use these trails. Often they are perpendicular to the main or big brush-hogged trails. Bucks are out to preserve their ass. Does are out to preserve their families which often have 8 eyes,and ears, and four noses, while the mature bucks are solitary in their pursuit--especially during hunting season.

Mature bucks tend not to use the main trails you create for the herd, bucks use the road less traveled.

And No, they certainly don't prefer open hardwoods!


There are also properties that hold mostly does for 9 months. It is a well know paradigm of properties that have good cover, food, water and security (the things Alpha Does need for good fawn recruitment). In this paradigm, the does take over the property and and a bucks have little tolerance for being around so many females--except for three months out of the year. Take for example, except for when you want to bed a woman, do you want to be alone in a room with 18 females? :help:

You can read about this paradigm in Jeff Sturgis blogs on Michigan Sportsmans forum or in his book Whitetail Success by Design.


N.B.: much of this was taught to me 3 1/2 years ago by a guy for Coldwater, MI.

 

Deer have traits. One trait that mature bucks do not have is to join-up-with -the-herd. It is simply not in there nature until testosterone builds up in pre-rut.

I have seen experienced habitat managers like Mike Hartages create more obscure "junked up" trails with a few obstacles, but still trails and the bucks use these trails. Often they are perpendicular to the main or big brush-hogged trails. Bucks are out to preserve their ass. Does are out to preserve their families which often have 8 eyes,and ears, and four noses, while the mature bucks are solitary in their pursuit--especially during hunting season.

Mature bucks tend not to use the main trails you create for the herd, bucks use the road less traveled.

And No, they certainly don't prefer open hardwoods!


There are also properties that hold mostly does for 9 months. It is a well know paradigm of properties that have good cover, food, water and security (the things Alpha Does need for good fawn recruitment). In this paradigm, the does take over the property and and a bucks have little tolerance for being around so many females--except for three months out of the year. Take for example, except for when you want to bed a woman, do you want to be alone in a room with 18 females? :help:

You can read about this paradigm in Jeff Sturgis blogs on Michigan Sportsmans forum or in his book Whitetail Success by Design.


N.B.: much of this was taught to me 3 1/2 years ago by a guy for Coldwater, MI.

That was some good info for me Steven, thank you.

 

Every year i'll get trail cam pics of bucks till the fawns drop. Once they drop the bucks disappear onto the neighbors land which I watch all year. Come the first week of October, they start to show up again every year. If you have does, they will be there for the rut.

No worries dude!

 

If you have does, they will be there for the rut.

And if they don't show up it is generally because there is too much hunting pressure on your's or surrounding properties and there are good unpressured sanctuaries nearby.

 

Had Jeff out to my property this past March and this is the first year with very little in the way of pics of bucks in the summer, as others have said that is what you really want they should be retunring to the cover soon. Just dont over pressure them and watch your entry and exit's to and from your stands.

 

Had Jeff out to my property this past March and this is the first year with very little in the way of pics of bucks in the summer, as others have said that is what you really want they should be retunring to the cover soon. Just dont over pressure them and watch your entry and exit's to and from your stands.

Same here. A few bucks in early spring. Ever since then it has been 99% does and fawns.

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Also, it sounds like you have one camera out. It's entirely possible that you may not be getting a representative sample of what's around you.

 

Same here. A few bucks in early spring. Ever since then it has been 99% does and fawns.

Heath,
You have done quite a bit of transformation of your property this year and the mature bucks are surely hanging out in the sanctuary to the north where there is little or no human presence.

Don't be discouraged if you don't see them on your property soon. They will eventually return if not presssured.

What are your plans for the youth hunt?

Worst thing I ever did was let others take non alpha-does from future buck hunting stands.

Does should be taken from ground blinds (with firearms) which are then removed. During a youth hunt it would probably best to target a 2 1/2 year old buck as they will be solitary without a witness.

what would cause the bucks not to join the herd and use these paths as well?

Also, it sounds like you have one camera out.

Leaving too much scent when checking the camera? How often have you been checking the camera?

 

Yeah I have done quite a bit this year. I have one camera out that I only check about once a month and can access it without disturbing my property. I will not be out there for the youth hunt or early doe. I have limited my presence lately just completing a few outside edge finishing touches, access routes cleaned up etc. I'm sute as pressure increases on other properties ad the year moves on things will pick up. Looking forward to late October early November.

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Mature bucks tend not to use the main trails you create for the herd, bucks use the road less traveled.

Yup. My guess is that not far into the cover you'll find a narrow, but well traveled deer trail that parallels the main trail. Move your camera (or your stand) to that trail and I bet you'll see antlers.

 

Like stated above, bucks seek out areas away from Doe traffic until the rut begins. As hunters we tend to put cameras and hunt near the heaviest sign, and most used runways. Resulting in doe sightings and few bucks the first 3 weeks of October. My best early season buck stands have very light, visible deer trails. Find the early rubs, and you will find the October bucks.