We are not really trying to attract bucks, I guess I had in mind maybe I need to move a few cameras to different type of area that bucks might use more. But I also was thinking like you said that maybe the bucks are not in this area this time of year. There is a large Pine woods to the North and older growth forest south of the property. It is surrounded by beans except for a small 10 ac corn field on one side.
We plan on cutting a road to the North end and maybe making a few small food plots. But we can not do much because it is still in the WRP program. We can only mow like 7% or something around that.
I found some major trails, but I guess not the right one yet. I have not walked the West side at all yet.
Yes you can see 2 sides of it from roads. I will try to go see what comes out one afternoon.
It has a established salt lick that was put there by someone in the past few years. We have 2 cameras in that area.
Gotcha. I love seeing summer bucks, but if I don't see many, no sweat off my back. Now, come fall and I'm not getting them, that's when the mind games come into effect.
I have never heard that before until now but definitely explains the pattern I have seen all my life on my property. We have an abundance of does and fawns this year, just like every other year and as I've said before I don't get many buck pics this time of year. Just the occasional bachelor group to roll through at the salt licks. Luckily for me I have most of the woods and tall CRP (in the summer months) so that explains why I get a lot of the does and fawns every year. I always just assumed the bucks were in the crop fields that surround me and didn't utilize my place much because of that.
Just before fawning season, doe social groups break up and each doe establishes a fawning territory. The size of an individual doe's fawning territory varies by study with total deer density being a major driving force. Once established, a doe will attack any other deer that enters their territory, and will also attack dogs, people, anything. Does can be VERY aggressive at this time. These territories are chosen by social dominance. The most dominant doe will choose the best territory and then choice of area moves down the dominance ladder. The lowest does on the social ladder may not be able to find a suitable territory within the social group's normal range, hence they will leave the area completely and disperse until each of them finds an unclaimed location. This is why so many does are hit by cars in late May and early June. It is low-on-the-social-ladder does dispersing out of their normal range to find a fawning territory, often crossing areas they are unfamiliar with. Most of these dispersed does will return back to their social group in late summer, with fawn in tow, but not all do.
Its CRP or WRP i am not exactly sure at the moment. There is a limit on how much we can mow, cut, till or plant. It sounds like it is a higher number then we originally thought. But we are still finalizing the paperwork and finding out all the rules.
