Rory/MO

weve got a couple stands where we mostly see bucks

JoeRE

That is interesting documentation. I have heard of the parallel trail theory, but not witnessed it. The 'buck' trails I have seen are the ones heading looping around bedding areas and traveling along hillsides instead of the top or bottom. I have gottened burned a few times by not hanging my stands far enough down hill when covering pinch points....its not easy making a shot at deer 50+ feet in elevation below you[&:]

I can tell the difference between bucks and does as well w/o antlers. The key is the difference between chests and hindquarters, does have approx the same size of each, while bucks have vastly larger chests. Just looking at the chest itself is sometimes missleading on mature animals.

The ears tho- I never thought of. Good tip!

GregH

Guys, thanks for the input.

130woodman

I found a trail like that back in 2005. I hung the stand for gun season and didn't see much out of it in 2005. But since then I have shot 2 bucks and see 15 on it. I only see bucks on it. We can't figure out what the attraction is, It's not a funel it's just out in the middle of the woods.

Edcyclopedia

Many times a smart buck will walk a trail parallel to a regular deer trail (mostly used by younger deer or Does).
I have found the trails to be anywhere from 10-50 yards mostly downwind, and usually in a little thicker habitat.
These buck trails are sometimes hard to find because there may only be a few deer that travel on them, instead of a "highway like" main trail.

GMMAT

I don't have a ton of buck sighting down here.....but enough to see a trend in the woods I hunt.

Could be an anomoly......but I rarely see a buck use a trail, period. I can count on the does coming from certain trails....but I don't ever remember a buck walking down a known trail.....OR....remember a buck coming from the same spot.

I've had a theory for a while that this is one thing that makes bucks harder to kill (once they get past the yearling stage). If they had trails that they frequented.......they'd be as easy to pattern as the does (even if that trail was running parallel to a "doe" trail).

Just a theory. Interesting photos, no doubt.

HuntingBry

I always try to find those buck trails, but have never been able to put together the conclusive evidence that you have. I have always found heavy doe trails and then looked for lighter trails that parallel the heavy trail and eventually intersect usually close to a food source. Sometimes this theory works out, sometimes it doesn't.

It looks like you've got a pretty good place to hang a stand there now.

125py

the trails that i hunt i see both bucks and does use. I am not saying there are not any buck trail in the woods i hunt, i just have never found any

GregH

This trail is like someone else has mentioned, it is in thicker cover than the doe trail and travels the edge of a creek. It gives the bucks good cover and by traveling it with the right wind, allows them to scent check a couple of doe bedding areas. You can bet I'll have a stand or two in place there come fall!! [:-]

Sliverflicker

Great photos Greg, I wrote an article on this back in the early 80's when I started to take notice that Buck's in pre and post rut usually traveled on secondary (but main buck path) paths Parallelto the main trail and behindif they are fallowing other deer. Some of these secondary paths will zig zag where the buck will move onto the main trail for a short distance usually coming into a scrape and the move right back out to the secondary path. Also if the main trail takes a turn where the wind crosses it from another direction the secondary trail will cross the main trail to stay on the down wind side of it.
One of the reasons you sometimes see a clump of rubs off of the main trail and wounder why he would go out of his way to rub them when the same type and size are right next to the main trail, there is usually a faint trail there.