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Post by Catscratch on Dec 10, 2019 11:11:30 GMT -6
All my plots are near the house. Bucks use them during the summer a lot. In the winter I tend to see does in the plots. Occasionally one of us shoots a buck that is chasing one of those does, for the most part I don't see a lot of bucks feeding in the Jan-March time period. I'm currently wanting to increase the body and antler size of the bucks in my area. I have a pretty detailed plan for plots to provide nutrition. Do you think does are keeping bucks off the plots during a weak nutritional period? If I shot a couple of the does would the bucks fill in? The plots are close to the house. My gut tells me that the does (who are basically pets) are more willing to get close to the house and the bucks aren't willing to compete with them for that space. If the does were vacated would the bucks take advantage? There are 2 does and 4 fawns as regulars. One of the fawns is a buck so he'll probably leave soon.
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Post by sd51555 on Dec 10, 2019 11:26:13 GMT -6
When I still ran cameras on food, I regularly got pics of does fighting, like every day, rearing up and swatting at each other like they were on Springer.
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Post by smsmith on Dec 10, 2019 11:29:42 GMT -6
Does "fighting" is normal deer behavior. It is simply an establishment of pecking order. I've seen it happen in foodplots. I've seen it happen when winter feeding. I've seen it happen under oak trees during acorn drop.
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Post by chummer16 on Dec 10, 2019 11:31:47 GMT -6
Shoot the bucks mom. Do they use them at night? I used to hunt suburban deer where you needed no scent control because the deer were always smelling someone. I shot lots of does there but bucks just didn’t go in those woods during the day. They stay on bigger adjoining properties where they don’t deal with people. I never bought into does keeping bucks away. If that is the best food source and the buck feels safe eating there no doe is going to keep him out.
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Post by benmnwi on Dec 10, 2019 11:54:46 GMT -6
I also have yard does and they are my favorite deer since they are not too scared of people and they draw in bucks during the rut. Does tolerate human pressure, but bucks don't (at least at my place). I don't think the does by your house are keeping the bucks away from the food. The bucks are choosing to spend the majority of their time in areas with as little human pressure as possible.
I could see the bucks moving toward the best food if they were ever seriously stressed in the winter, but that probably isn't too likely in your tropical location.
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Post by Catscratch on Dec 10, 2019 13:19:53 GMT -6
You guys are confirming what I suspected; that the bucks probably aren't run off by the does as much as they just don't want to hang around the house.
The puzzler is that these bucks are around the house a ton during the summer and don't seem to mind being close at all. It's not until late winter that they scatter. They certainly are not worried about the house for at least part of the yr. The time of year that they are at the house happens to be the time of year that there is the most human activity, and the time they are gone is when there is the least human activity (outside). I know that deer change their patterns from season to season, I just want to have them on the plots more during the year.
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Post by kooch on Dec 10, 2019 21:13:57 GMT -6
It’s rare I see bucks out in the corn piles at my deer feeding neighbor. Does are out there all hours of the day.
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