Deer living together

[luckofthedraw]

I've been out a few times this year silently walking through brush and have been seeing deer. No shot yet, but it is coming. Do the bucks tend to hang out near other deer? I always thought they were more solo wanderers. The first time seen hanging with a fawn, and and a week later 100 yards from a doe and a fawn. How long or what time of year does the buck stay with the family........ if at all?

[caddisguy]

I've been out a few times this year silently walking through brush and have been seeing deer. No shot yet, but it is coming. Do the bucks tend to hang out near other deer? I always thought they were more solo wanderers. The first time seen hanging with a fawn, and and a week later 100 yards from a doe and a fawn. How long or what time of year does the buck stay with the family........ if at all?

Please mark the exact locations of each deer sighting on google satellite with maximum zoom and send the images to me privately ;-P

I don't really have an answer, but now that I think about it, most of the bucks I have seen in my lifetime were hanging out with other deer. I have seen a half dozen wandering solo though.

[caddisguy]

Actually I didn't think that all the way through. Please zoom out a little so I can positively identify the region of your honeyhole.

[ruger#1]

If you are hunting Black tails. I have seen small bucks up to three points in September. Mid Oct to DEC is when the action starts. Bucks chasing does. Bucks fighting Bucks.

[brian]

It depends on the time of year. Summer to early season the bucks are either solitary or in small bachelor groups. As the rut heats up, the bachelor groups separate as they start doing the thinking with the wrong end of their bodies. Good old testosterone kicks in and they realize its no good for getting the babes with all these other dicks around. The full on rut sees the bucks wandering looking for estrous does and sticking with them until they can put on the Barry White and get down to business, then its off to look for the next fling. At some point after the rut cools down they get back together with other bucks and say, "Sorry for being such a dick back there!" But of course because deer are deer and there are no absolute rules, just generalities. Also consider that Blacktails (even does) are more likely to be solitary than the other species. Also sometimes deer happen to be hanging out in the same place at the same time because the food is good and there they are. They may not actually be a cohesive group, much like a bunch of people in a food court really have nothing to do with each other except for they all like the onion rings.

[squamishhunter]

Just from personal experience the older bucks fly solo, the younger ones hang with doe's. (black-tails)

[Big Lew]

It depends on the time of year. Summer to early season the bucks are either solitary or in small bachelor groups. As the rut heats up, the bachelor groups separate as they start doing the thinking with the wrong end of their bodies. Good old testosterone kicks in and they realize its no good for getting the babes with all these other dicks around. The full on rut sees the bucks wandering looking for estrous does and sticking with them until they can put on the Barry White and get down to business, then its off to look for the next fling. At some point after the rut cools down they get back together with other bucks and say, "Sorry for being such a dick back there!" But of course because deer are deer and there are no absolute rules, just generalities. Also consider that Blacktails (even does) are more likely to be solitary than the other species. Also sometimes deer happen to be hanging out in the same place at the same time because the food is good and there they are. They may not actually be a cohesive group, much like a bunch of people in a food court really have nothing to do with each other except for they all like the onion rings.

Good response.
"Also sometimes deer happen to be hanging out in the same place at the same time because the food is good and there they are. They may not actually be a cohesive group, much like a bunch of people in a food court really have nothing to do with each other except for they all like the onion rings."
Very true... you can search mountain sides at different elevations for hours, even days, without seeing any deer and then you'll see many in groups or singles, and of both sexes and of various age all within a small area. Often they will all be near the same elevation and browsing in the same general direction. I suspect it has something to do with how finely tuned their evolution has evolved, similar to how the barometer and weather conditions seem to dictate most deer movements at the same time.
"

[luckofthedraw]

Thanks. Yes, I am referring to blacktails. I'll just keep tinkering around, I seem to be in the right area. Time is ticking for one of them

[dingdongdenny]

x2 on brians great response, very well written.See groups of 2 or 3 this time of yr,but in a few wks will be solitary as the smarter ones go more nocturnal cause of hunting pressure.Then the rutt kicks in, lets all here it for silly season hell ya.