I completely agree with your comments.Big bucks in pressured area's are not curious,they will always err to the side of caution.Yes I know the rut does a lot of them in,but less and less with every additional year of age.

old momma is always the smartest

I once shot a big doe that was in a group of about a dozen or so.

After dragging her up a hill and starting to field dress her, I gagged (took a big breath of steam from the cavity.....mmmmmmm!) and spooked the rest of them that had come in to watch (I didn't know they were there).

As I was finishing up, I looked around and saw seveal of them sneaking back up towards me.

I believe a mature doe is at least as wary, if not more so, than a buck. A mature doe has looked after numerous offspring in her time and does not miss a trick!At no time of the year does a doe let her guard down the way a buck will.Just my thoughts.

There is no doubt about it, old does are very wary and sharp. But, old bucks very seldom even show themselves. How many times have you sat on the edge of a field in the evening and had does and fawns come out to feed and the only bucks to show were 2 1/2 and younger? I still believe that except for the rut, old mature bucks are the sharpest. I think its because a lot of people pass on does and not on big bucks so they have more to fear and take even less chances than does. In the areas where I hunt, a lot of the older bucks are mostly nocturnal until about Oct. 20th or so, when they can't stand it any more and start leaving their beds earlier in the evening to check on does already out in the fields.

i had gotten within ten yards of a young doe in a white shirt and shorts in a corn field and they jsut stood thier so it comes with age and the shots dont really scare any animal that much

During shotgun season this year I only had an antlerless tag. One afternoon 3 does and a 130-140 class 8 point came walking through about 50 yards off. Since I coulnd't shoot the buck [:@]I waited for the doe to walk out. I swear this deer just wanted to get shot. My first shot went high when she took a few steps I then hit a tree with my next 2. After all of this 2 of the does ran off, but the one I was shooting at just ran TOWARDS ME with the buck. Once she closed into 30 yards I dropped her with one shot and the buck just very slowly walked about 15 yards from me just kind of looking around and just kept going on out into the field.

Also while bowhunting 2 does came by and after I shot one of them it ran off and piled up the other one just ran with it and stood over it. Was very wierd to me. It just kind of hung out around me for about 45 minutes before it finally bolted.

last year i shot a buck that was following a doe and the same thing happened, a doe didn'tmove until i got half way up the hill. i thought it weird too