View Poll Results: A poll
Voters: 70. You may not vote on this poll
Bucks; How they reach maturity
03-31-2007, 08:01 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 6,006
Bucks; How they reach maturity
After reading an article in this month's issue of Bow&Arrow Huntingthat talked about understanding mature bucks, I thought I would find out what the majority of HNI's hunters thought.
Granted, caution is something that is learned to a degree, are mature deer mature because they've learned to be that cautious or were they born with the traits that make them cautious?
Granted, caution is something that is learned to a degree, are mature deer mature because they've learned to be that cautious or were they born with the traits that make them cautious?
03-31-2007, 08:10 PM
#2
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location:
Posts: 13,082
RE: Bucks; How they reach maturity
Both. They're cautious and non trusting by nature, and the more experiences they have growing up only enforce that. They're all different, from what I can gather, they have their own "attitudes and personalities" and that is largely due to their experiences....
But what do I know.....I can't kill one anyway....[&o]
But what do I know.....I can't kill one anyway....[&o]
03-31-2007, 08:13 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Missouri
Posts: 3,763
RE: Bucks; How they reach maturity
ORIGINAL: mobowhuntr
Both. They're cautious and non trusting by nature, and the more experiences they have growing up only enforce that. They're all different, from what I can gather, they have their own "attitudes and personalities" and that is largely due to their experiences....
But what do I know.....I can't kill one anyway....[&o]
Both. They're cautious and non trusting by nature, and the more experiences they have growing up only enforce that. They're all different, from what I can gather, they have their own "attitudes and personalities" and that is largely due to their experiences....
But what do I know.....I can't kill one anyway....[&o]
03-31-2007, 08:18 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Stony Point/Albany, NY
Posts: 1,479
RE: Bucks; How they reach maturity
Like mobow said, I think its a combo of both. Deer being prey must always be alert, and almost paranoid to a point. Now, I believe there are some deer that a more cautious then others, which I feel is something that maybe their mother showed them as fawns, and as fawns they do whatever their mom does.
Genetics= common prey traits
Learned= traits learned as fawn from their mother(more alert then your average deer).
Then again, I'm really tired right now, so this may sound stupid when I wake up in the morning and reread what I wrote.lol[8D]Plus I gotta wake up early to go striper fishing!!!
Genetics= common prey traits
Learned= traits learned as fawn from their mother(more alert then your average deer).
Then again, I'm really tired right now, so this may sound stupid when I wake up in the morning and reread what I wrote.lol[8D]Plus I gotta wake up early to go striper fishing!!!
03-31-2007, 08:20 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Deer Country
Posts: 2,244
RE: Bucks; How they reach maturity
I think a deer's"caution" is dependant on several factor's, for example, here in E. Central IL, we have several county and State parks, that have deer that will not even move if you are riding a bike, jogging, or whatever else you may be doing. But these are high traffic areas, and they seem to know they are safe. Then you take your normal private ground 5 miles down the road from these parksand deerseem to be on High Alert.
03-31-2007, 08:34 PM
#9
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Indiana (southern)
Posts: 6,146
RE: Bucks; How they reach maturity
Lets not forget being raised by cautious does probably had some impact to. But surviving some hunter encounters at an early age would most certainly wise up any (deer)
03-31-2007, 08:38 PM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Northwest suburbs, Illinois
Posts: 2,075
RE: Bucks; How they reach maturity
In my opinion.. it's like this..
Caution is part of a trait.. a survival trait that is deeply etched into the minds of all living creatures. Whether it is a human or a deer we all have this trait.
When a buck survives to become mature (at 3.5 or older) he has just naturally seen more than the other deer. Thus, he is wiser.. and has more experience which gives him more brains (loosely stated). Are some bucks smarter than others... absolutely. Some humans are smarter than others, some dogs are smarter than others.. etc. etc. Some humans are more cautious than others, some cats are more cautios than others etc. etc.
Caution is a natural form of survival. An older deer who has been hunted for years knows the ropes.. and has been there and done that. His experience has taught him when and how to be cautious. The trick is beating him to the punch!
Caution is part of a trait.. a survival trait that is deeply etched into the minds of all living creatures. Whether it is a human or a deer we all have this trait.
When a buck survives to become mature (at 3.5 or older) he has just naturally seen more than the other deer. Thus, he is wiser.. and has more experience which gives him more brains (loosely stated). Are some bucks smarter than others... absolutely. Some humans are smarter than others, some dogs are smarter than others.. etc. etc. Some humans are more cautious than others, some cats are more cautios than others etc. etc.
Caution is a natural form of survival. An older deer who has been hunted for years knows the ropes.. and has been there and done that. His experience has taught him when and how to be cautious. The trick is beating him to the punch!