How is it going? I was just wondering if deer stay in the same area there whole life and if so, do they stay in 10 acres 20 acres? I'm going to buy some land in Ohio and that is going to be a big factor on how much land to buy. Thanks for your time.
Do Deer......
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·well thats a tough question not easily answered.
does tend to be home bodies along with their sisters, nieces, and their daughters. the does will kick the bucks, male offspring, out of the area. their range depends on if their needs are being met in a certain area. food, water, cover. bucks will range twice as far as does but will spend 50% of their time in a core area. 200 to 600 acre area. once in a while especially during the rut, mature bucks may go on a long walk, miles, about outside their normal area and well out side their core area. if you can provide, food, water, cover, safety( in the form of some type of sanctuary that never gets hunted) you can hold deer in a relatively small area. several hundred acres.
now others may disagree but this is what i can gather from the deer management pros.
welcome to the club
does tend to be home bodies along with their sisters, nieces, and their daughters. the does will kick the bucks, male offspring, out of the area. their range depends on if their needs are being met in a certain area. food, water, cover. bucks will range twice as far as does but will spend 50% of their time in a core area. 200 to 600 acre area. once in a while especially during the rut, mature bucks may go on a long walk, miles, about outside their normal area and well out side their core area. if you can provide, food, water, cover, safety( in the form of some type of sanctuary that never gets hunted) you can hold deer in a relatively small area. several hundred acres.
now others may disagree but this is what i can gather from the deer management pros.
welcome to the club
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I agree pretty much with ronn on this one. Where you have high deer concentrations especially does, bucks won't have to travel too far to do whats on their mind during the rut. In periods of low doe numbers bucks may travel a couple of miles. In several Northern states especially the UP of Michigan deer do their annual migration to the wintering grounds, cedar swamps which can be many miles away. The push usually starts with the first snow drop.
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·oh yea i forgot about winter yards
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My buddy's camp is highly affected by first snows. If they get 8" prior to the start of gun season the deer have already past through their property heading for the swamps. Late season archery in the cedar swamps was always an adventure.
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I have no idea. Thinking they might stay around the same area giving the right settings for survival are there year round and predation is not a problem in the area. Food year round, great cover from wind and snow, fresh water sources etc.
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Im no pro but just a guess from a hunter.
I would say your females and their offspring use around 150 - 200 acres on average in my neck of the woods. They like to move around and browse while they feed.
I hunt one 47 acre track. It can hold the deer. Fresh water, nice cover, plenty of food, but the deer always seem to want to explore other areas that are close to this area as well. I have watched deer from the top of the ridge move down the ridge, cross the road and go up to the top of another ridge 800 yards away. I cant explain why other than the fact that they like to move while they eat. This was a group a does that I would consider their home turf to be the land I was on. I would see this group almost everytime in the woods, but just during that one hunt they covered almost 65 acres of land.
I would say your females and their offspring use around 150 - 200 acres on average in my neck of the woods. They like to move around and browse while they feed.
I hunt one 47 acre track. It can hold the deer. Fresh water, nice cover, plenty of food, but the deer always seem to want to explore other areas that are close to this area as well. I have watched deer from the top of the ridge move down the ridge, cross the road and go up to the top of another ridge 800 yards away. I cant explain why other than the fact that they like to move while they eat. This was a group a does that I would consider their home turf to be the land I was on. I would see this group almost everytime in the woods, but just during that one hunt they covered almost 65 acres of land.
agree with all the posts but would like to add all bets are off when does start going into estrous.this happens at different times and bucks can chase does all over hells creation.the bucks you might have pictures of may be long gone and you also may see ones from who no's where.thats what makes the rut fun you never no whats behind that doe.
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Matt, if you want to do it right pick up about 5,000 acres and you can do some serious deer management. You will be hard pressed to keep deer confined on small tracks and by that I mean <500 acres. You can do allot to help the heard and provide food and cover but they will still only pass through.
My brother bought 40 acres in an upscale urban area that he has allowed to grow up for cover and then cut in food plots. It is amazing how many large bucks he is able to attract but they seldom stay.
To aswer your question, buy as much as you can afford.
Off topic but:
I tend to disagree that bucks chase does all over the country. Yes some bucks do but I believe they are usually the smaller bucks. The dominant big bucks establish their territory with rubs and scrapes and wait for the does to come to them when they are ready.
My brother bought 40 acres in an upscale urban area that he has allowed to grow up for cover and then cut in food plots. It is amazing how many large bucks he is able to attract but they seldom stay.
To aswer your question, buy as much as you can afford.
Off topic but:
I tend to disagree that bucks chase does all over the country. Yes some bucks do but I believe they are usually the smaller bucks. The dominant big bucks establish their territory with rubs and scrapes and wait for the does to come to them when they are ready.
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