11pt

Hi everyone,
I shot a button buck a couple weeks ago. I'm happy about it, but I thought of an interesting question. Without getting into a discussion on whether shooting a button buck is desirable, sporting, ethical, moral, challenging, etc.....

Studies have shown that the greatest dispersal (and mortality) rate for whitetails is among yearling bucks. This is because the does actually drive them out of the area when they reach breeding age.....nature's little way of preventing inbreeding. So when you climb down and see that the doe you just shot is actually a buck and you feel that twinge of regretthat you just took another buck out of your area that you might have encountered in a couple years (don't get me wrong....still happy to get a deer with a bow)....what are the chances that that buck would have ever set foot on your hunting area sporting headgear in a couple years?

Howler

I wouldn't bet that a button buck wouldn't end up back at his birth place. Between the rut and hunting pressure, it would be very easy to see how it could happen. And who knows, maybe his momma was killed before she ran Jr. off!

TFOX

I have always heard that deer spend there whole life within a 7 mile radius of where they wereorn so I would say that definately a yearling buck would make it back to it's birth place,especially during the rut.

I may be wrong about this but I have always heard it,atleast I think I have.

farm hunter

Chances not good - Congrats on your bowkill.

BUT -if EVERYONE took a button - we would all agree that the "buck" population would suffer.

The Ocassional button buck shot is not a concern, but when possible - most management strategies advocate passing a fawn.

FH

cajun deer hunter

well I work in louisiana with the wile life and fisheries. our biologist said that when the doe runs off the yearling she is going in heat and he will probably return to his birth place that year. however when the rut is over he will join a bachelor group and follow them untill the next rut then the dominate bucks will run him off as well. there again back to his birth place. now once he becomes one on the dominate bucks in a group he will go to the best breeding area ( where the largest consentration of does are. may be at his birth place, may be 20 miles from there. they usually stay within 7-10 miles but we had a tagged deer make it 78miles before shot 3 years later. this is unusual but I guess nature is unpredictable.

gonzodemon

i have hunted on the same piece of land for over 20 years and i have watched numerous yearling bucks grow up on my property and live on it for many years. most died of lead poisoning (hahaha) of various calibers. but almost all were killed within a mile or so of where i first saw them as nubbin bucks. congrats on killin a deer. just keep movin on up the ladder and you will do just fine.

rybohunter

PA biologists actaully did a study on BB dispersal. You can probably locate the findings on the PGC website. I don't have time right now to do it, but I do believe there was quite a bit of distance that the average BB dispersed.