buckeye

The more you read, the more articles you will find that contradict each other. They are in the buisness to sell books / mags...

I only put faith in something that I have read once I experience it once or twice myself. Until then, it really means nothing to me.

To me this sounds far fetched, a home range of a few dozen acres? I don't know this guy, study or the publication it was in but I call BS.

racewayking

I agree with you on this, I have read a lot of good and bad. Not saying the bad was wrong, just wrong for my hunting area from my experiences. This particular topic seems way off base from anything I have experienced with deer movement.

MeanV2

My guess is those numbers are a little low.

Dan

MeanV2

Meet and hunt with a few of these so called expert writers and my guess is your opinion will go even lower

Dan

gri22ly

I would guess 300 rubson average, what does the "quiz" say?

I have several books on bucks that have been tagged and monitored. The info.is very interesting and conducted in different parts of the US. The studies suggest that core ares range from 20 to 150 acres with an average of 60 acres. Home range 300 to 1200 acres with an average of 600 acres.
Studies also suggest, bucks move frequently in daylight within there core but rarely venture out until afterdark. Bucks do not always disperse but dispersal rates are high(90%). Buckssome times travel upto five miles during the rut and in some cases, relocate.

ThoughtI would throw this in to because it was very interesting.One of the studieswas done on 300 bucks on public land inMichigan. 20% were taken by hunters and averaged 2 1/2years old. 10% disappeared completely. 70% died of natural causes an averaged 4 years old.

Belushi

I'm sure deer react differently depending upon location but i just read an article about deers home range. To keep it short their study showed that All bucks leave there birth area at 1 1/2 yrs old and more to a new home area any where from 1- 32 miles away. Once they establish their home range, and they were not talking in exacting acerage, then they would have a core area. The core area was the area that he spent more than 50% of his time and the core area was usually about 25% of their home area. I found it ointeresting that they all move away from their birth area.

dukemichaels

This is much more believable. Dispersal rates and home ranges I can agree with.

As a long time shedder.. I can tell you first hand how often I find sheds a mile or more apart. Trailcams of a buck 3/4 of a mile from where an antler lays in spring. It's just not plausable (in my own opinion) that a whitetail buck could have such a small home range... smaller yes... but not less than 200 acres.. and thats really really small.

Likely in terms of 700+ acres on a home range.

buckeye

I would say 250-350 rubs per year, right on par with your guess...... Although, I am not sure I really want to hear the guys answer after he talks about a few dozen acres as a buckshome range

MeanV2

A few years ago I was hunting a non typical I had sighted on 3 different occassions, but before I could connect a buddy killed him during Slug season 5 miles from where I had seen him 3 times during the first part of season.

Dan

TJF

Roughly 5 miles as the crow flies is the farthest we have found a matched set apart.

Not unusual for some deer to travel 1 - 1.5miles every day to feed depending on crop rotation or in the winter.

I've killedtwo bucks 6 miles from where we have found their sheds. Both were 4.5 years old when I killed them. Both bucks werekilled 250 yardsfrom each other a year apart. Both sheds were foundwithin 400 - 500 yards a yearapart. They were 2.5 years old when they dropped their sheds that we found. We didn't find their sheds when they were 3.5 years old.

I killed another buck3 miles from where he shedded. " edited... " He was 3.5 years old when I killed him. The sheds werefound the year before.


We seequite a few 3 year oldbucks relocated in the springto different " core summer - fallareas" . Once they setup inthat area... they come back to it even if they move miles in the winter to better feeding areas or from hunting pressure.

We have 3 sets of sheds from one buck. All sheds where found within a200 yard area. His home range was small but still consisted of 400 acres. He was avery visible buck compared to most even at 6.5 years old. He had two major bedding areashe frequented1/4 mile apart at any giventime of the year.

Deer are not afraid to travel here. Core areas can consist of 100s of acres and home ranges very big with our terrain, crop rotation, perferred food at different times of the year,pressure and winter.

Tim