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Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

Title:	The Hunting Notesfile
Notice:	Registry #7, For Sale #15, Success #270
Moderator:	SALEM::PAPPALARDO

Created:	Wed Sep 02 1987
Last Modified:	Tue Jun 03 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1561
Total number of notes:	17784

499.0. "Outdoor Life on Deer" by MAIL::HENSON () Thu Oct 05 1989 12:38

    
    This month's (October) issue of Outdoor Life has a very interesting
    artical about whitetail deer behaviour.  A 4-5 year study was
    conducted on a South Texas ranch during which trophy bucks were
    fitted with electronic collars and monitored.  Some of the
    results really surprised me.  I will try to relate some of them
    as I remember.
    
    First, it was determined that a buck's range will span considerably
    more than one square mile.  One buck had a range as far as 9
    square miles.  I forget what the average is, but is surprised me.
    
    Next, a buck's home range and it's rutting grounds are not necessarily
    the same.  It was discovered that many of the bucks in the study
    (I think that there were 25, with one that would score 180 in B&C)
    would travel several miles from their home range during the rut.
    This is a reasonable explanation why deer sometimes seem to
    disappear during season.  They've actually moved.
    
    Another really startling fact is that the deer in the study didn't
    move about any more in the rut than they did anytime else.  However,
    they moved more during daylight hours during the rut than at other
    times.  This explains why they are seen more during the rut.
    
    A correlation between moon phase and deer movement was also made.
    Unfortunately, I don't remember all of the details.  As I recall,
    though, deer move more during the morning while the moon is full
    and more during the evening when it is new.
    
    I recommend that everyone who is interested in deer behaviour read
    this article.  I know that arguments can be made that deer in Texas
    might be have differently than deer in other places, but it was
    a very informative article.
                                 
    Jerry

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
499.1	Good Article	SALEM::MACGREGOR	I'm the NRA/GONH/NAHC	`Thu Oct 05 1989 13:48`	16
	I have read the article and I was a bit surprised. But the one thing that got me was about the "movement". I thought it had mentioned that the buck in question did this only for a day or two during the year and not for a length of time. It was unexplainable to them why these deer did this. Wind was another thing that was new to me. Deer move less and less when the wind speed picks up until the wind goes over 20mph which deer become skittish and start moving around more. But as always deer just instinctively knew when there area was being "violated by intruders" no matter if the wind was in the deer's favor or not. One would actually let the observers walk by it before it would get up and run. The article definately goes against the traditional way of hunting Whitetail in most ways but there were a couple of ways of traditional thinking that were supposedly true. I thought it was a good article. Hopefully I have learned something from it this year. Bret
499.2	Video Tape	LUDWIG::STEVENS	Designated Drinker	`Thu Oct 05 1989 21:26`	17
	Jerry, Go to the video store and rent Whitetail Hooker It has basiclly the same info you just described, It also has a few tips on the grunt call... How it will hols almost every deer long enough for that one shot... It's worth renting... 5 weeks till Maine.......... Jeff
499.3	$ .02	SALEM::AYOTTE		`Fri Oct 06 1989 09:56`	8
	Well one thing to keep in mind is that a doe will not allow a buck from her bloodline to breed her. How the does can tell the ancestry of a buck is pretty remarkable in itself. I think I read this in the book titled "The Deer of North America". Anyway, this would account for a buck leaving his home range to find receptive does. FWIW, Dave
499.4	Superbucks	SKIVT::WENER		`Fri Oct 06 1989 11:56`	19
	"Hunting Superbucks" just recently put out by outdoor life books has perhaps one of the best collections of information I have yet to see on the behavior of very large bucks. The information in the book is the information in the article you mention! They also discuss how important it is to realize that during the rut, all past scouting activity goes out the window! A buck in the rut is highly UNpredictable in his movements, however, he is generally much less wary - The home range was also discussed at length and the reports were just as you mentioned, A deer's individual home range may triple in size during the rut! When you think about this, it makes perfect sense for perpetuation of the species, and for genetic crossover. A buck is truly governed by what's between his legs during the rut - later, Rob
499.5		XCUSME::NEWSHAM	I'm the NRA	`Fri Oct 06 1989 15:46`	8
	Re. 4 And the best part is that it's written by a woman (Kathy Etling ). It's enjoyable to see more and more woman being recognized as both authors and true sportpersons. Red
499.6	home range vs. breeding range	MAIL::HENSON		`Mon Oct 09 1989 14:34`	19
	re. .3 >>> Well one thing to keep in mind is that a doe will not allow >>> a buck from her bloodline to breed her...Anyway, this would >>> account for a buck leaving his home range to find receptive >>> does. At first blush, your explanation for bucks leaving their home range during rut looks pretty good. However, if bucks use the same breeding grounds every year, won't that only increase the likelihood of inbreeding? For one thing, the deer in his home range shouldn't be of his lineage, whereas the deer in his breeding range should. If I'm all wet, feel free to show me the light. Jerry
499.7	Just something I read	SALEM::AYOTTE		`Tue Oct 10 1989 09:57`	7
	RE: last Like I said..... I read this in "The Deer of North America", forget the author. Just natures way of protecting a species from too much inbreeding. I'm not a biologist but it seems logical to me. Dave
499.8	More readings	SKIVT::WENER		`Wed Oct 11 1989 09:21`	13
	I believe it's called Dispersion. And the result is permanent! Deer usually will disperse (especially bucks) after their first winter, in the spring when the mother is ready to bear new young. At that point, deer may travel several miles to settle on a new stomping ground. The doe will send her previous year's young into the world to fend for themselves. This may be some of what you are referring to?? A doe will know from smell her progeny from the past, so the doe will generally not let the buck mate with her, she'll run away. - Rob