Originally Posted by
WVCritter
Do you think older bucks are smarter than older does? I say they're the same but the difference is there are more older does because everyone is after the bucks. My point is if there were as many older bucks in the woods as does, they wouldn't be all that hard to hunt.
I don't think it's so much a matter or age or smarts as it is a matter of being exposed to danger and learning that certain situations are dangerous. In areas where there is no doe season, old does don't associate bait with danger. In areas where they've been shot at over bait - and survived - they're more wary the next time. Since bucks are nearly always harassed from the time they're young, many quickly learn the signs of human hunting pressure and avoid it. If they don't they're harvested before they're mature.
Simple logic, and many hunters' (including my own) experience bears this out.