GMMAT

Scenario:

Man jumps big buck while riding his ATV through a thicket. This occurs more than once over a period of 2 months.

What are the odds this deer packs up and moves FOR GOOD from his home range? I have no experience with this....as I hunt fairly unpressured deer. I honestly don't think I could pressure the deer I hunt out of their home range. I might make them avoid ME (i.e. they've patterned ME). I might make them go nocturnal (again...patterning ME)....but I don't think I'm going to "displace" them by simply bowhunting them.

That's my opinion. I could be wrong.

What say ye?

gutshot

I honestly don't think that getting jumped a couple of times will run the deer off.

HuntingBry

Jeff, displacement has little to do with pressure, and more to do with the deer's natural instincts. They do this to eliminate inbreeding. Once deer reach breeding age (usually between 2.5 and 3.5) the bucks will move out of the range their mothers live in. That's not to say that their new home range will not overlap with that of their mother's. A buck's range is much bigger than a does. Some buck's will disperse many miles and have completely different ranges than where they were born.

As far as the scenario you describe that is more bumping a deer from his range that he is comfortable in. That all depends on the buck. Some bucks will tolerate disturbance and stay put, but become nocturnal. Others will get bumped once and pack up and move to a new area.

buckmaster

well i can tell you my .02, i road my 4-wheeler all the time where i hunt a couple of years ago, and i mean all the time. took 4x4 trucks and chased deer....[:@](im goin to here it for that one) well needless to say the hunting sucked that year and last year was the worst ever...but you have seen the pics and stuff im getting this year just like i did last year but ive not put much pressure at all on them this year so hopefully they'll stay this time. IDk

Me and my neighbor were talkin that it problably had a lot to do with but he said it was the same for him when he used to hunt down there.

Well Jeff i dont guess imhelpin you and kinda just throwin my own problems out theresorry.

Fieldmouse

They will either adjust or get use to it. Think about trying to get a little shut eye then an ATV buzzes by and you have to wake up and look. It would piss me off if it happend often.

BowHunterJim

i dont think a deer would travel too far away and not come back for breeding,