Sometimes though, I wonder about these big old mature bucks. Most folks seem to think they got old because they were "smart", that they "learned" how to do what they do, by repeated human contact. That negative human experience has taught them these things. Could it be that the opposite is actually true, and they were the naturally skittish ones to begin with, the "outcasts" and it was this trait that allowed them to survive, when their peers around them were killed off? Kind of a chicken and the egg debate, and ultimately unprovable in any case, but it is good food for thought. In all reality it is probably a combination of the two factors, that varies with each individual.
Fodder for another thread??? I AGREE with your assessment.
I think the longer a mature buck lives.....the more human scent he's subjected to.....and the less danger is associated with that scent (and what in the WORLD can have that deer associate "danger".....unless he's been shot, scared, etc...?).....the more tolerant he becomes. Why would it be the other way around? If he's smart enough to see a man walking in the woods and not associate that with "danger" (unless he's acting "predatory"????????)...then why would he AUTOMATICALLY associate a human with "danger" as he got older? What's prompting him to do this?
You're right.....it can't be proven EITHER way. From everything I read and from common sense.......ALL mature bucks are in transition to becoming completely nocturnal. We just catch them sometime (hopefully) in their journey (if we're lucky).
I'm not saying anything other than.....I think there's FAR less of them (Mature bucks).....and that's why there's far fewer of them killed. I'm not saying they're easy to kill. Sheer numbers dictate that isn't the case.