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Big Game Hunting
Deer Research
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Feb 13, 2005 - 9:02:00 PM

Deer Research

By T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors

I have learned a lot about deer research over the last few years: 1. Researchers are learning about game animals so fast that the only way to keep you up to date is to do it in a regular newsletter. The problem with magazines is that by the time the article gets printed the information is probably a year old, and the writers who get hold of research seldom do research themselves or have access to other sources to verify the research they are writing on. The article often leads you to believe that the research project and researcher's findings and conclusions are gospel, and they aren’t. 2. Not all game animals react alike. Animals of the same species react differently in different areas and different habitats. 3. Animals of different sexes react to environmental conditions and predatory pressure, especially hunting, differently. Males of most prey species, because they look different from females, are more susceptible to being chased, killed and eaten, therefore they are more wary. The older the animal, especially males, the warier they are and the more they react differently than other animals in the same area.

Case in point. I have two articles by two different writers, both who I know and like. The first article refers to a study by Norb Geissman and Brian Root in the Deer Ridge Wildlife Management Area in Lewis County, Missouri to determine if white-tailed deer actually head for un-pressured areas and refuges to avoid hunters during the hunting season. Based on this study the article states that does increased their daily movement during the hunting season by 25 percent., presumably because of hunting pressure. The does moved about 2 miles a day during the pre-rut and 2 1/2 miles per day during the rut/hunting season. It also states that all of the does, whether hunted or not, stayed within their home range and none of them wandered into unfamiliar ranges, even when hunted, and there was a refuge nearby.

The article goes on to state that the bucks decreased their movement by 20 percent during the hunting season. This was while the rut was on and when bucks could normally be expected to travel more in search of does. The bucks moved about 5 miles a day in the pre-rut and 4 miles a day during the rut/hunting season. The article states that the bucks with home ranges partially in the refuge shifted almost all their activity to the refuge, again presumably because of hunting pressure. (But it said the does traveled more and didn't leave their ranges.) The researchers also found a difference in home range sizes between bucks and does (something most of us who hunt already know). The average home range of a buck was 1,576 acres, about three times the size of the doe ranges which averaged 502 acres. A closing statement of Brian Root, who was a student at the time of the study says, "Don't worry about deer moving into areas closed to hunting. Most deer will stay right where they've been all along." (This is exactly the kind of statement I am referring to. And what about those bucks that shifted to the refuge?)

The second article refers to a study by Kurt VerCauteren on the Desoto National Wildlife Refuge in Nebraska to determined the size of their home range. In this study the deer ranges averaged 400 acres, although they varied greatly in size. The article goes on to states that most transient deer tended to be yearlings that traveled 12-15 miles off their former home range. Some subadult does traveled 40-50 miles. It then states that old deer become almost invisible because they live in prime ranges where they don't have to move much to find what the need. (Sounds right to me.) Next the article says that, "VerCauteren verified what most hunters know, that whitetails respond to hunting pressure." (Hey, the other guy said they would stay right where they were.)

The Desoto Refuge is near the Missouri River that separates Nebraska and Iowa. VerCauteren noted that when the hunting season opened in Nebraska some deer swam to Iowa; and when the Iowa season opened some deer swam to Nebraska. (In other words they left the area to avoid hunting pressure.) Once the hunting pressure let up most of the deer returned to their home ranges within two weeks. Those that stayed at home changed their habits too. Eight deer moved to a strip of posted land 60x100 yards and remained there until the season closed. (In other words they headed for a refuge.) The article then refers to Dr. Harry Jacobson who calculated that in the hardwood forests of Mississippi the average annual range of does was 1,820 acres, bucks 3,773 acres, with the largest at 5,500 acres. In the same article Dr. James Kroll is reported to have said that bucks in Alberta may occupy a 3,000 acre core area and travel circuits of 20-25 miles during the rut. (Hey, the other guy said bucks travel less during the rut, about 4 miles.)

The article goes on to say that a study by Thomas Baumeister in Idaho's Clearwater River drainage found that whitetail deer, including bucks, had small summer ranges of 190 acres in the drainage's upper range. But, that in October and November the deer migrated an average of 24 miles to winter ranges. (He is not saying the deer moved in response to hunting pressure. Presumably the movement was in response to less forage, cold weather or deep snow. But it did happen during the hunting season.) Some of the deer stopped along the way, while others traveled straight through. The points I am trying to make are: 1. The results of a study in one area don't necessarily hold true for any other area. 2. Not all deer in the same area react the same. Males, especially older ones, are more wary than all other deer, and will do almost anything to avoid predatory behavior, especially hunting.

These studies show that deer, especially older bucks (what most of us are looking for), will seek un-hunted areas or refuges to avoid hunting pressure. If you've seen a big buck in the area but can't find him during the season he might have moved out or he may have become nocturnal. You have to try to figure out where he is or where he went, even though you know he is probably traveling at night. First you need to find the buck's core area. If he is coming out only at night you can either stalk him in the bedding area during the day (if you are good enough) or you can try to find his travel route as he leaves to feed or look for does. Then you can setup along the route to ambush him when he moves. You can also wait for the does to come into estrus and hope to see him acting stupid during the rut. For this to work you should know where the doe bedding, feeding and travel areas are. This is where the bucks will be looking for does once the rut is in full swing.

You may have to hunt all day near these areas because there is no telling what a buck will do, or where he will be during the rut. But, the breeding season is the one time of the year when the buck may throw caution to the wind and show himself. If there is no sign of the buck in his traditional area, look for areas where he won't be disturbed. You probably won't see a lot of sign. Often the only evidence will be his tracks and beds, although you may find rubs and droppings. Don't expect to find scrapes near a bedding site. Most scrapes occur in doe use areas, not near buck bedding sites and core areas. If you can't find the buck, but you do have the luxury of tracking in the snow, you should be able to find where the buck went by scouting after the hunting season. Then you will know where to find him next year, if he made it through the winter.

The studies show us two other things: 1. Deer have different size home ranges which are generally governed by the type of habitat and the forage availability in the area. Mixed habitats of hardwood forests and agricultural land provide the best deer habitat. In these areas populations may exceed 40 deer per square mile. Because the forage is good does have small ranges and the bucks don't have to travel very far to find them during the rut. Consequently the bucks have small home ranges. In marginal habitats with little mixture (such as river bottoms in prairies, agricultural areas, virgin or old growth hardwood forests), and in northern forests (of evergreens, birch and aspens), does need larger home ranges to find enough forage. Consequently the bucks must travel greater distances to individual doe home ranges during the rut, and the bucks have very large home ranges. 2. Bucks act differently than does during the rut, especially when the hunting season is open. The first article states that the does increased their movement during the hunting season. But this can be misleading. Studies by Dr. Larry Marchinton in Georgia show that does become more active during the days just prior to coming into estrus, but they may confine their movements to certain portions of their range. The theory is that the does increase their daily movement, but limit their travel range, making it easier for the bucks to find them. If the does in Missouri acted like the does in Marchinton's study, they may have been moving more during the hunting season, not because of hunting pressure, but because the were approaching estrus and making themselves available to the bucks.

The problem with radio telemetry studies is that, while they can tell you where the deer are at all times, they cannot tell you what the deer are doing. By doing my own research, following and watching the deer in my areas for seven years, I know where they were and what they were doing. By looking at the studies of as many other researchers as I can, and checking their findings with my own research, I have a better understanding of the game in a wide range of areas. I guess the moral of the story is, “Don't believe everything you hear or read." If you really want to understand the game in your area do what I do, spend more time and effort reading, listening and watching the game.

The Dispersal Phase

One of the things I have learned over the years is that I can’t rely on when and where I saw bucks during the different phases of the rut, to hunt them in later phases of the rut. I often hear hunters say that (during the hunting season) they can’t find the big bucks they saw while they were scouting from late August to mid-October. That’s because the bucks probably weren’t in the same area. Once the bucks (that you may have seen in bachelor groups in late summer/early fall) shed their velvet, they start to become more aggressive, and they eventually won’t put up with each other. Many of them move to new core areas where they don’t come in contact with other bucks. Some of them may also move out of their summer home range, to go to their fall home range, which may be as little as a half mile away, to as far as several miles away. This breakup (dispersal), and fall home range shift, usually occurs within two to three weeks of when the older bucks begin to shed velvet. In the upper Midwest it occurs sometime between the first week of September and the middle of October.

When this dispersal occurs you have to do go looking for the bucks. Since bucks usually start making new rubs and scrapes in the area they use in the fall, the best way to locate them is to look for fresh rubs and scrapes, in areas where they may not have occurred before. When you find rubs and scrapes you can setup where you can watch that area, to see which bucks are there. Once you find the buck you want, you can back track it’s rub route to locate it’s core area, where you can setup to take the buck. Information on how to do this is included in my Deer Addict’s Manual, Volume 2; Hunting Techniques, and my Scrape Hunter’s Manual.

Another way to locate the bucks you couldn’t find during the hunting season is to glass feeding areas, and scout for field sign after the rut or the hunting season is over. If you have rain or snow in your area, get out the door when the rain or snow lets up, and back track buck trails until you find their core areas and bedding sites. Then you can setup to take the buck (if the season is still open). If not, you will know where to find the buck next year. Information on how to do this is also in the Deer Addict’s Manual, Volume 2.

If you are interested in more whitetail hunting tips, or more whitetail biology and behavior, click on Trinity Mountain Outdoor News and T.R.'s Hunting Tips at www.TRMichels.com. If you have questions about whitetails log on to the T.R.'s Tips message board. To find out when the rut starts, peaks and ends in your area click on Whitetail Rut Dates Chart.

This article is an excerpt from the Whitetail Addict's Manual ($19.95 + $5.00 S&H), by T.R. Michels, available in the Trinity Mountain Outdoor Products catalog.

T.R. Michels is a nationally recognized game researcher/wildlife behaviorist, outdoor writer and speaker. He is the author of the Whitetail, Elk, Duck & Goose, and Turkey Addict's Manuals. His latest products are the 2003 Revised Edition of the Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2003 Revised Edition of the Elk Addict's Manual; and the 2003 Revised Edition of the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual. For a catalog of books and other hunting products contact: T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors, PO Box 284, Wanamingo, MN 55983, USA. Phone: 507-824-3296, E-mail: TRMichels@yahoo.com, Web Site: www.TRMichels.com