Seeing does vs bucks

[SE_Hunter]

After ready some of your posts it got me to thinking.

I know there a ton of does on my property but this time of year I tend to only see bucks and the does seem to disappear.

I hunt doe bedding areas when the seeking and chase phase begins I rarely see does. Only Bucks. Then in late November early December the does seem to all return back to there originally areas

Is this because the bucks are pushing them all over?

After late November, the bucks then disappear again and I rarely see them.

Also, once the breeding phase begins, how long until the mid-rut lull appears based on your experience? I don't believe I have burned out my stands because so far this year I have only hunting the same stand twice with 6 days in between. So I have been out a total of 2 times both of those being all day sits.

I know my area has a high number of does so I try to take a couple does each year.

Any thoughts?

Good luck hunting!

Iowa native...
SE_Hunter

 

[spltbrow]

I kind of have the same thing. All my does are gone also, and unfortunately my bucks seem to be gone to. My theory is that the bucks push them out and it seem to go in cycles because usually they will be back shortley. I hope.

 

[beararchery]

I think the does are spending their time on food? I have heard that chasing bucks will prevent does from eating by chasing them off food. So that could be why you see bucks before does. Does are in the fields and bucks are still cruising bedding areas for does.

 

[iatreehugger]

I think it also depends on how much quality deer management a person does (meaning the buck to doe ratio). We used to do no qdm 10-15 yrs ago and would see does all through the rut (there were a ton of does and not many bucks). After the ratio of bucks to does got closer together we started seeing less of those does during the rut...my theory is it used to be like a boy who got accepted to an all girls school...there really wasn't a lot of competition so the does had much less of a hassle keeping to their normal patterns until they were ready to breed. Now with that ratio much closer together there's a lot of pushing and shoving going on!

 

[jboswell]

I think it also depends on how much quality deer management a person does (meaning the buck to doe ratio). We used to do no qdm 10-15 yrs ago and would see does all through the rut (there were a ton of does and not many bucks). After the ratio of bucks to does got closer together we started seeing less of those does during the rut...my theory is it used to be like a boy who got accepted to an all girls school...there really wasn't a lot of competition so the does had much less of a hassle keeping to their normal patterns until they were ready to breed. Now with that ratio much closer together there's a lot of pushing and shoving going on!

Agreed, after we start whacking some does and get things more inline the does get more pressure this time of year and we see more bucks