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Some of you may have seen trail cam pics (in the trail cam sub-forum) of a big buck in one of my hunting areas. I have 3 cameras distributed in the area and the buck has been to all three. Apparently a bucks home range can exceed a square mile, which coincides with what I’ve observed. Here’s a google image of the area and camera sites. The distance between camera 1 & 2 is about 850m, between 2 & 3 is 1.5km, and 1 & 3 is 1.2km.
Attachment 42408
Sounds about right. And there's definitely a shift in that home range come fall. There's a 7 1/2 year old deer I have been getting photos since he was recognizable in 2016. All these years, i've NEVER seen him in velvet. But every year, come mid-October, he suddenly appears and sticks around into the winter. In the fall, i've gotten pics of this particular deer on trailcams 1.75kms apart.
i wonder if northern deer travel further than southern deer. most studies maybe being done in AG country rather than the big woods? just a wondering...
In the area four of us hunt is a sprawling parcel of land that is quite large, roughly 35 square kilometers. Now, we're not the only ones that hunt this area but from stand to stand it's our coverage.
In our trail cam photos over the years we have outlined several "ranges" of bucks and they always seem to stay in their zone year after year. We have had a few oddball though. Last year for instance we had two different bucks that were on all 4 cameras in a rotation, thats a heck of alot of travel. The buck I was lucky enough to harvest was traveling between my area and the area of another group that was 11km away as the crow flies, 11km!
To sum it up, non ag deer move more as the ladies and food are more spread out but really, a deer do what a deer do.
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Very interesting thread, I would also like to know how far moose and bear roam in their home ranges, there seems to be very little studies done at least in Canada.
My mother used to work with the tagging crew in the park years ago. The data coming back considered a cows home range about 5 square miles and 25 square mile for that of a bull most of the year. During the rut bulls would expand their ranges to over 60 square miles.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilroy
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That’s a lot of walking!Quote:
Originally Posted by oaknut
Sounds right. A few years back I shot a buck on a neighbors property that was a regular on my camera 1 1/2 miles away.
When I was working in the bush it wasn't uncommon to have an ornery bull run down the road ahead of you for 10 kicks. They would take their lane and should you try and pass the stink eye would make you think twice.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Menard
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Hmm this is interesting. I set up camera 1 on September 18th and I got images of the big buck there for a few days. Then, on October 12th, he shows up at camera #2. Then on the 20th, I have an image of him at camera 3. Then yesterday, I got several images of him at midday then in the early evening back at camera 1. The deer chow there has been gone there for a month. Must still be a lingering odour. At any rate, I may have found one of his favourite haunts which is a funnel with a swamp on one side and a rock ridge on the other side. I shot a 6-pointer there last year, maybe I’ll get another there this year.
A friend of mine had a gas station west of Deep River. One day while pumping gas he saw a bear with a bright colour cross highway 17 heading toward the Ottawa River. He called MNR Pembroke to inquire about the tagged bear. He was directed to MNR in Huntsville. Turns out the collar had a GPS tracker that signaled each day. The biologist sent him the daily rout map for the bear. It was a large male and it had left the Opeongo Lake area, crossed the Park, swam the Ottawa, made it as far as LaVerendrye Park in Quebec. It then turned around and returned to Opeongo .......total time travelled ....10 days! I know I was impressed! LOL.
I have got that exact same set up on the south end of my place, a high ridge with a swamp below it where the deer funnel through. I pretty well know mature bucks sit on top of that ridge during the day, absolutely no way to easily sneak up thereQuote:
Originally Posted by Sam Menard
without getting winded, when they make their way down in the evening they have the advantage of picking up thermal scents if your down there, even on a stand.
During our black bear hunts over the past 8 years in Burks Falls we usually see the same bears, on the trial cams, at different bait sights over 400 acres. We have seen whitetail do the same thing....Not so much for moose. They seem to roam more than bear and deer. Whitetail, to me during the rut, focus on a small area that is holding receptive does and stay in that perimeter
Pretty much what I do, hunt over a small food plot which is being frequented by a couple of mature does, hope it gets cold/snow to bring them in and wait the bucks out. Normally the spike horns ,four pointers come under the gun first, to get a big guy its hold onto the last of the rifle or await the December hunt with bow.Quote:
Originally Posted by huntnmachine
is that when they go in full Rut ? second week of gun ? in 60 and area I mean.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilroy
I have bucks showing up over night, around 3am, and this week had 2 fighting in front of cam. I gotta find a pre rut trick to bring them in during the shooting hours.
To be honest the colder later season is what is better up in my part of 60. After the rut is over the big guys I think are more venerable because they need to put some calories back into their system and more likely to be out during the day hours.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ata83
I read a US study, where they put radio collars on deer and studied their movements. They concluded the home range for a doe is about 100 acres and 700 acres for a buck. This may not apply to Ontario's northern deer...where they move to deer yards in early winter.
My buck has been travelling back and forth from one camera to the other over the past couple of days. The distance is about a mile each way. Somewhere along the way, he broke a brow tune.
Even during summertime, those numbers are very small. Normally when we speak of "home ranges", this is the deer's summer range. Deer can migrate many miles to deer yards - but this is not their home range. The numbers I've seen are 2-4 square miles (640 acres to the square mile). During the rut bucks run well beyond that. Bucks I see every day leading up to the rut show up once every 3-4 days, but I also see a lot of bucks I've never seen before. The bucks are moving and are frequently in areas they are less familiar with - which is what makes hunting the rut special.Quote:
Originally Posted by hollywood
Interesting observations werner I see bucks showing up around my place at the start of the rut I have never seen before. Mind you right nowQuote:
Originally Posted by werner.reiche
with 3 camera's out I do not yet have a single image of a buck this entire year. I may have complicated matters by baiting for bear this season.