usahoe18

I've been seeing some young small bucks out running does here in the Piedmont of NC. When will the big boys start running them? Do the younger ones start first?

georgiahick

seems to me like the younger start about a week earlier than the more mature.....but thats just MO

RockinChair

If it is just the beginning of the chase period, the bigger bucks are probably still doing the majority of their activity at night, give them some time and you'll see them during the daylight hours. Also think of it lke this, a 1.5 year old buck (as im sure is the age of the young bucks you are referring to) is lke a 13 year old boy who just hit puberty. He hormones are flying high for the first time in his life and each and every doe he comes in contact with he believes he has a chance with, just like the teenager, he hits on every doe comes across. Now a mature buck is more lke a gentleman, he knows how to treat hte ladies, he has more experience. Since he has been through the rut before he knows the ins and outs of the process a little bit better. For example there are two does: Sally and Daisy, and the big buck scent checks them both the same day. He can tell that Sally is roughly only TWO days from coming into heat, and that gets him pumped up, while he finds that Daisy is a week or so away. So he'll focus the majority of his attention to Sally knowing that shes just about to peak in her estrous cycle, before moving on to the other does that are closer to coming into heat. Basically the younger bucks do chase a little bit before mature bcusk, simply because they are inexperienced, and go about their business the wrong way. While that shooter buck knows how to treat a lady! I hope this analogy helped, because if it didn't, i just spent a lot of time for nothing haha.. Best of Luck and HAPPY HUNTING!!

James Vee

While I am by no means an expert, I tend to disagree. I believe that it is the big boys that have a tendency to know when the first does are about to come into estrous. The young bucks might be going through the motions, but don't have a clue as to what is about to happen. It is the big ones that get the ball rollin.

StillHunter90

I have noticed the same thing with the smaller bucks first then the bigger ones later in the season. BUT, like posted in one of the posts above I think the big bucks arent fully rutting yet so they do most of their chasing at night and are by no means out of the picture. Then when they get a little more hot for the does they start to slacken up a bit showing themselves more during daylight hours.

IndyHunter83

+1 for RockinChair

USAF_hunter

The reason you see the young ones cruising is because the mature bucks are locked down with does already. Give them a few days to come off does then it's on.

RockinChair

USAF makes a good point as well, if you have a good buck to doe ratio, then the mature bucks were the first to get to the hot does, and will have them locked down for a few days. This is the result of the mature bucks basically doing there job in the biological process-- fighting, scaring, just intimidating the younger bucks so they can breed the hot does to pass on better genetics.

Jimmy S

It is impossible for all mature bucks to mate with all the does.
Under the right conditions, the young bucks can account for 50% of all does that are mated during the entire rutting period.

bhunter50

I feel, in cooperation with what I have heard from Charlie Alsheimer and others, that the young bucks do the chasing first. the big deer that I have seen are slowly getting perturbed by this and will soon be having none of it and will start the action themselves. saw a big buck run another young buck off the does just a couple days ago, but didn't chase them himself. IMO. I have seen many more younger deer, 1.5 2.5 year olds, chasing the does. the hogs are soon to take over though!