MichiganMike wrote:may21581 wrote:MichiganMike wrote:Mgaspari wrote:<DK> wrote:Mgaspari wrote:tim wrote:The doe he is with is a good size doe with a deeper chest but he’s so big he dwarfs her she’s definately not a young doe
Yep, talking mature deer (buck and doe). I think it has more to do with the doe.
Either she will be first to bred
I came here to say this as well. They seem to like breeding the closest mature doe to their core area. I have a few spots that the buck is bedding across the valley from a prime doe bedding area, even in summer. The same Doe can be on camera everyday so they probably know each other well.
There is a loner buck iv been trying to catch up to, 3 years as well. Hes very ghostly and tough to pattern. I have never seen him w another deer on camera. I jumped him once and ruined it for myself bc he was right where I needed him to be. He still comes around so fingers crossed this year!
Sounds like we are seeing same type of situation.
I agree that is something with the doe either “dominant” doe, most reproductive or maybe in deer world she is a 10.
Thats a good point and interesting, Could open up something here in the deer world that we aren't aware of. Maybe shes that "it" doe that sends a vibe that mature bucks gravitate to and tend to hang around them. Something keep an eye on for sure
This is the matriarch of the doe herd. It's pretty common and they are generally the oldest, wisest, and the first to be bred alot of times.
True, but for a buck to hang with her and shadow her this time of of year seems odd. Mature bucks are usually pretty solidary but randomly in farm fields with a herd this time of year. This just seems odd. During pre rut or rut in a dense bedding area I would understand...
My first year bow hunting I kept seeing a large 6pt in Sept that was always with a Doe that had a fawn. It didnt make much sense and still really doesnt. I do know bucks use Does or other deer as security while bedding and they also will let other deer enter fields before they do. Based on his comments about the deers habits it could just be that. I do believe bucks breed the closest mature Doe though. It just makes sense and the local bucks already know hes top dog. Iv seen it a few times but one occasion really opened my eyes watching a 4+ year old buck go after a old Doe on like Oct 10th. She even had 2 fawns w fading spots, they just tagged along behind like it was Nov. She was very old, she definitely had a crippled leg too. 7-10 days later he came cruising hard for her in the same exact spot. I could not shoot bc I had my tag filled.
Iv also seen and heard some odd things about breeding. Iv both witnessed and heard stories about Does following bucks after breeding. One story is from early-mid Oct. Last Dec I witnessed a rutting buck being followed by a Doe through a bedding area. He passed up the bed, she stopped at the bed, he was half way across a field and turned around to come back to her. I believe he fought another buck and was going to breed her or already did. Very odd exp.. I think its in my KZ thread
I believe these exp and this bucks habits are very rare occasions. I am infatuated by it bc iv seen things myself and its not the normal "deer thing" to do. I guess it could all be a coincidence. Its probably bc I have been out there so much early season. Ours starts Sept 15.
They can do some odd things but there is always the story about a mature Doe being un-killable. If a mature buck is doing that during the summer then I would suspect maybe she lost a fawn or didnt have one and he enjoys using her to his advantage. Or as others said maybe they grew up together.