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Location of buck vs. doe pics?

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Truedouble

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Over the past couple of years I've noticed that in the areas where I get a lot of doe pics I don't get many pictures of bucks, especially bachelor groups. Vise versa, where I end up getting pictures of a lot of bucks I don't get near as many pictures of does. Some of my most used trophy rock locations (that have been used for 5+ years) I get pics of does almost every day but only occasionally get pictures of bucks. These locations are in the bottom of the farm and in or close to the thickest cover on the farm. On the flip side I seem to get more pictures of bucks up in the mountain in our more open, but traditional habitat as the cover in the bottom has only been there for 7-8 years (used to be cow pasture). The obvious answer (to get more buck pics) would be to re-locate most of my cams up in the mountain, but I hesitate to do this because most of my mineral site locations are in the bottoms where the bucks "should" be. Several years ago I got hundreds of buck pics in these same locations but over the past two summers, mostly does. Is this just chance or is there something to it? Also, how many of you see a substantial increase in buck pics when you put out corn in lieu of just having the minerals? May need to go that route but don't really want to as it cost more money and once hunting season rolls around I have to stop. I don't want pull bucks just b/c of the corn to see them change their pattern once the corn stops showing up. I realize a lot of bucks change their core areas once the velvet falls off, so I take this into consideration.
 
In a nutshell, the does have ventured out to find the best habitat for fawning - near the thickest cover and pastures, as you stated. They are the dominant sex this time of year and will drive bucks to other locations. That is why you are seeing mostly all bucks at a couple locations, and mostly does and fawns at other locations. Starting in September, you will see range-shifting where some of those bucks are venturing out, though you will have new ones appearing as weeks progress.

We see the same patterns at our place. If I have found an area where the does are dominating (over a salt lick location), I move my location the following year....because I am just trying to get the best "buck inventory" I can get, as you are. It took me about 6 years to find these perfect "buck locations".

Now as habitats change, so will everything else. Their movements also change each and every year :crazy: :D
 
What JCDEERMAN said.

You actually have two primary "patterns" going on. First, older bucks group into social units during the summer, and deer are most sexually segregated during summer, with buck bachelor groups often inhabitating different areas than does. If you have a bait/lick site inside the range of a buck bachelor group, generally that's all you will get at that site. If outside a groups range, all you get are does and fawns.

Second, as JCDEERMAN point out, does are dominant over bucks at this time of year, with does driving bucks away from the best fawning areas (best food and cover). It's common to get mostly does near the best habitat and mostly bucks near the poorest habitat in summer.

But I have also experienced fairly destinct differences in sexual segregation by terrain, even in areas of very homogenous habitat. As you are experiencing, I have often found bait sites "low" (in valleys) get more doe pictures while bait sites "high" (ridges and points) get more buck pictures in summer. I don't know whay this is.
 
wow! great info. That's all I needed to here to convince me to move my cameras. It's hard to move a camera from a 5 foot in dia. mineral hole but if all I'm going to get are does then what's the point? Sounds like there is a reason for this and it's not just by chance.

Thanks
 
On salt i notice that the does frequent the licks more often than the bucks but when the bucks do visit it is in groups and usually a few times per month, not weekly as the does do. just my observations.
 
I have a couple licks that are predominately does. Though, there are a few licks that does only come in every 2 or 3 days, whereas up to 2 different bachelor groups come there daily, as well as a few "lonesome straggler bucks" that are all by themselves.
 
JCDEERMAN said:
I have a couple licks that are predominately does. Though, there are a few licks that does only come in every 2 or 3 days, whereas up to 2 different bachelor groups come there daily, as well as a few "lonesome straggler bucks" that are all by themselves.
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This is exactly what my observations have been as well. Over the past 5 years, the sites where I've gotten pics of bachelor groups, there have been very few does and typically a single mature doe with a fawn, but not a group of does. In these locations the bucks come in almost every single day or a minimum of 4-5 times per week. Locations with frequent doe use consisting of groups of does, the bucks come in sporadically and usually only one comes in for a few minutes then leaves and typically isn't seen again, which would make me believe he just happened to venture out past his core area.
 
Fairly consistantly, I find that my salt lick sites closest to the best combined food/cover resources are dominated by doe/fawn pics, while my lick locations farthest from these resources are dominated by buck bachelor groups that are photographed almost daily.
 
My sites do have good food and cover all around, but strange that 3 yrs ago I had almost 50/50 buck/doe pics, but the last two years, so far anyway, have been nothing but does and fawns, with the occasional spike or button in the mix.
 
MUP said:
My sites do have good food and cover all around, but strange that 3 yrs ago I had almost 50/50 buck/doe pics, but the last two years, so far anyway, have been nothing but does and fawns, with the occasional spike or button in the mix.
Click to expand...

Do you pick up older bucks during the fall?
 
So if the bucks are hanging out in the "not so ideal habitat" does that mean that the bucks aren't utilizing the summer food sources that we plant (bean fields, corn, clover, etc.) as much as we would like or think. Granted, as mentioned in another topic, healthy does mean better bucks, so not all is lost, but interesting to think about.
 
Without question, there is some sharing of resources, but the very best areas for fawning (great cover in close association with good food), will be dominated by does, and they can actually drive bucks away from the area, especially if those very good resources are very limited geographically.

Unfortunately for horn-growers, this is just Nature's way. But also a very good reason to spread good resources out as widely and evenly as possible across a managed property. The more evenly spread the resources, the less chance does can dominate all of it.
 
BSK said:
MUP said:
My sites do have good food and cover all around, but strange that 3 yrs ago I had almost 50/50 buck/doe pics, but the last two years, so far anyway, have been nothing but does and fawns, with the occasional spike or button in the mix.
Click to expand...

Do you pick up older bucks during the fall?
Click to expand...

When I have one of these seasons,(does primarily on cams) I've normally had a pretty good buck turnout during the rut, but just sparingly getting a pic here and there during the Fall. Seems like they're trying move in just as the rut is starting to get going.
 
MUP said:
BSK said:
MUP said:
My sites do have good food and cover all around, but strange that 3 yrs ago I had almost 50/50 buck/doe pics, but the last two years, so far anyway, have been nothing but does and fawns, with the occasional spike or button in the mix.
Click to expand...

Do you pick up older bucks during the fall?
Click to expand...

When I have one of these seasons,(does primarily on cams) I've normally had a pretty good buck turnout during the rut, but just sparingly getting a pic here and there during the Fall. Seems like they're trying move in just as the rut is starting to get going.
Click to expand...

Did you make any major habitat changes jusr before this "only does, fawns and yearling bucks at summer salt licks" pattern began?
 
No. This is a virtually untouched block of land with trees in the hundreds of years old on it,(according the the forestry survey I had done 2 yrs ago), creeks and thickets with plenty of food available naturally. No food plots or even supplementary feeding going on, other than 2-3 TR's out thru out the year.
 
MUP said:
I think the bucks are close by, but just out of the range of the does and fawns at that time, but that's just my best guess.
Click to expand...

I'm sure that's the case, I'm just trying to deduce why the sudden domination by does as fawning territory. Normally, mature hardwoods are VERY poor fawning habitat.
 
My two salt licks are only about 200 yards from each other, both on the edge of a ~8 acre field. One is where 3 hardwood ridge points come down and converge into a corner of the field, and the other is at the end of a thin "finger" of trees that comes partway out into the field and separates it from a smaller 1 acre field. Although I get buck pictures at both throughout the year, almost all of my pics of bachelor groups in the summer come from the corner salt lick. Single does and groups of does seem to use both of them fairly equally.
 
BSK said:
MUP said:
I think the bucks are close by, but just out of the range of the does and fawns at that time, but that's just my best guess.
Click to expand...

I'm sure that's the case, I'm just trying to deduce why the sudden domination by does as fawning territory. Normally, mature hardwoods are VERY poor fawning habitat.
Click to expand...

There's not really much else around but mature hardwoods but an occasional small green field. They really don't have much choice! ;)
 

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