Post-rut hierarchy logic question

[Ryo]

A friend and I were out hunting around Remembrance day, and on our first evening we rattled in a 4-pointer. However he snuck in right behind us and was gone before we realized what was going on. We spent the next couple days after that deer, and seemed to figure out his territory pretty well - however with no more sightings. We went back on the 22nd, but got a late start, and saw only a doe, wandering out of the cut and into the dark timber (about 10am). I figured if I got back to the feeding ground early I'd come across a harem of does and hopefully the buck nearby.

So yesterday I was up and at em early, and had hiked into the area by 8am, this time on my own. Just as I started to look out over the cut, the hillside right beneath me exploded with activity, with movement in all directions. There seemed to be at least 5 deer quickly shuffling away, but who could tell... A spike buck emerged right in front of me, at 75 yards, looked back up the hill trying to spot what what the spook was, and after half a minute or so, gave me a perfect broadside opportunity, which I took. He took about 6 steps and fell over. I spent the next 5 hours skinning, field-dressing, and hiking out the meat. This was my first deer, and I couldn't have been happier with how everything went. Tenderloins on the bbq tonight!

However, I am wondering why, if this area clearly has a much larger buck within earshot, would a spike buck be 'allowed' to feed with a group of does? Is this normal? My only guess is that the dominant buck may have been cruising one of the other doe herds that I assume live nearby. Or??? I don't think the 4-pointer was shot in the last 2 weeks, because my boot tracks were the only ones on the road... ???

[hunter1947]

I have filmed WT deer in the rut when mating the dominant WT buck will not let a spike or other one get close to his gal he puts the run on dinker bucks ,,a big buck equil will try to fight the other dominant buck for the rights to his doe that is in heat the winner takes all same goes for elk and mule deer

[Islandeer]

Does finished estrous or not in,big guy off cruising for receptive does.

[Looking_4_Jerky]

Never having lived or hunted in Blacktail country, I'll start by saying I don't know a thing about their behavior. Certainly with both MD & WT, I often see smaller bucks in herds where a dominant buck is present. It seems as though as long as the smaller buck does not make any threatening or invasive gestures toward whatever doe the dominant buck is interested in at the time, the bigger buck will tolerate the presence of smaller bucks, or at least ones that are clearly subordinate, as would be the case between the spiker and the 4 point. I think things get a bit more tense (and subsequently violent) when the bucks are close in size.

[brian]

There are a number of assumptions being made here. Bucks in the rut expand their territories dramatically. They wander more trying to find does in heat. So this may not have been the 4 pointers home terrain. He may have his nose deep up some other receptive does arse on the other side of the mountain. He can't be everywhere at once and that will give other bucks a chance to hit on the ladies. Because the deer rut works this way, a dominant buck does not monopolize the breeding. The buck searches for a receptive doe, finds her and stays with her for a day or more and then moves on. He keeps circling and searching to find breed-able does. So that deer could have been far away from where you were hunting and the lucky spike was trying to get in on some action. The 4 pointer could have been killed by some other hunter far from where you saw him. He may not have been the dominant buck of the area! He may have been there where you were hunting, tolerating the submissive spikes presence and you just didn't see him. Perhaps none of the does you saw were receptive at the time you saw them so the only one interested at that particular time was the spike. I have seen a bunch of does been run ragged by a couple of smaller 2 points in a field by my house. Then one day a truly jaw dropping massive guy shows up! The little guys were all still there, but no one was paying attention to them anymore. Could have been the same situation out where you were hunting. So you can't really make too many assumptions about why that spike was with those does. All you can really say is, man he tastes good! Congrats on your first deer!