What we know about deer social classes of deer - article
09-09-2011, 08:23 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 417
What we know about deer social classes of deer - article
Okay, I've stated it is an aricle, so there is no need for any of you who don't liketo read my stuff to open this threa, and there is no need to be negataigve or derogatory.
If you don't like to read what I write, please be civil - and think about not posting at all. Please - I am asking you.
This is an excerrpt from the book The Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual. It is copyrighted and according to Fedearl copyright laww it cannot be copied, printed or respubliched without written permission of the author. I give permissin for it to be published here.
I sincerely hope it helps some of you. Again, if you have questions - feel free to ask here or e-mail me direct at [email protected].
Social Structure
The deer herds in each area are usually made up of a doe and her female offspring, and their female offspring, etc. As long as there is available habitat, and there is not a lot of competition for home ranges, the young females usually remain in the area where they were born. With death from natural causes and hunting there are often available home ranges for the young deer to occupy. Individual deer may defend their home ranges, but any one group of deer does not defend the habitat. The deer in these areas do not move as a unit, nor does the action of one deer determine the actions of the other, therefore the herd does not act as a cohesive unit.
Both bucks and does may make excursions outside their home ranges, but they usually do so only to find a new home range, or during the rut. One and a half year old bucks are generally driven off the home range by their mothers when they are, usually before the rut. However, some young bucks may stay on their mother's home range until their second year, when they leave to find their own home range. These young bucks often end up on home ranges in less preferred habitat. There is generally little interaction between individual non-migratory deer herds because of the physical constraints of the habitat, and because newcomers are unknown and rarely accepted.
Sex, Social Class and Antlers
For years whitetail hunters have believed that bucks, particularly older dominant bucks, are warier and react differently than other deer during the fall hunting season. Hunters often complain that they do not see as many bucks during the hunting season as they did during pre-season scouting, and that the trophy bucks they saw during scouting sessions seem to disappear during the hunting season. This lack of buck sightings is often said to occur because bucks leave their home ranges or become "nocturnal" during the hunting season. But is this really true? Do some bucks really pull a vanishing act during the hunt? In order to explain how these factors affect buck movement and reduced sightings we must first define them. When we talk about older dominant buck movement during the fall we are talking about the differences between: 1. bucks and does, 2. older bucks and younger bucks, 3. breeding bucks and non-breeding bucks. We are also talking about: 4. fall as opposed to summer 5. the breeding season, 6. hunting pressure, 7. an increase in other human related activities.
Sex and Social Class
According to European researcher Anthony Bubenik most ungulates (hoofed animals) have five maturity classes. These can be defined as: kids, pre-teens, teens, prime age and seniors. Each of these classes can generally be separated into male and female groups. Wildlife researcher Brown used four social classes in reference to white-tailed deer defined as: immature, subdominant floaters, group core members and dominant floaters. American researcher John Ozoga combines these terms into what more clearly defines the social hierarchy of male whitetails. These social classes are: kids (1.5 years old); subdominant floaters (1.5-2.5 years old); fraternal group members (2.5-4.5 years old that have not reached maximum body and antler size); dominant floaters (alpha or dominant breeding bucks 5.5-9.5 years old); and seniors (bucks past their physical prime, often non-breeding 8.5 year or older bucks). He further divides the fraternal group members into primary group members (3.5-4.5 years old) and secondary group members (1.5-2.5 years old).
Antlers
Ungulates include animals that produce horns or antlers (such as deer), and those that don't such as horses. Generally speaking the horns or antlers of individual species are larger on males than they are on females, causing males to look different than females. This difference in appearance causes the males to be more susceptible to injury and death due to predation and to hunting pressure. Because of this increased predation and hunting pressure males that carry antlers learn how to avoid predators, usually at a young age.
Antlers are shed yearly by male animals, making it difficult to distinguish the males from the females while they males are not carrying their antlers. The absence of antlers makes the males less conspicuous and therefore less susceptible to predation, giving them a better chances of survival throughout most of the year. However, because antlers are used as a means of expressing dominance, and are used to attract females during the rut, they are often present during the rut, making antlered males highly conspicuous and susceptible to predation and hunting.
Prime age males often carry the largest antlers which makes them conspicuous and highly susceptible to predation. Senior males, even though they are not breeding, may still carry large antlers, making them also susceptible to predation. Because their advanced age does not allow senior males to escape as easily as younger males they are extremely vulnerable. Both prime age and senior males must become "smart" to avoid predation and hunting. The older the animal; the less likely that it will participate in the rut, and the more likely it will choose secluded home ranges, travel at night, and limit it's movements to avoid predation and hunting pressure.
In the case of the heavily hunted white-tailed deer, which is prized for large antlers, the males either learn to avoid hunters, or they are shot at and may die. Each year that a buck survives teaches it more about when and how to avoid hunters. Because of this older whitetail bucks are smarter and warier than younger bucks. These infrequently seen older, trophy quality, whitetail bucks usually belong to the "dominant floater" or "senior" class.
Buck Habits
While dominant floater bucks generally participate in the rut, they learn to move at times and places where they are unlikely to be seen by hunters. Senior bucks (which may produce extremely large or heavy antlers) on the other hand, do not participate in the rut and may remain in secluded areas or become primarily nocturnal in their movements. Some younger bucks may also not participate in the rut due to low social class, low testosterone levels, or other factors. I know of several evidences of these non-breeding bucks. Wildlife researcher Valerius Geist reports observing a buck that did not participate in the rut after it was beaten in battle by an older buck. Researcher John Ozoga observed a non-breeding buck that showed unusually high levels of the female progesterone hormone. During my own studies from 1993-1996 there were fewer sightings of subdominant bucks while the dominant bucks were engaged in rutting activity. A twelve point buck that I observed for five years did not participate in breeding activity and was rarely seen during the last year of the study. This leads me to believe that any buck that does not participate in the rut is less likely to be seen during fall hunting seasons.
Because bucks look different they are forced to react differently than does in order to survive. It is also safe to assume that the older the buck is the better it becomes at avoiding predation, hunting pressure and contact with humans. Because predation and hunting have the ability to affect deer health and security they can be considered as "Predatory Behavior Factors." Deer are subjected to predatory behavior throughout the year, however, they are subjected to hunting pressure primarily in the fall. Because of its seasonal nature I refer to hunting, and its associated activities that affect fall deer movement, as the "Hunting Factor." Both these factors, because they have the ability to affect the health and survival of the deer, may cause a decrease in buck sightings during the fall. There are other factors that can cause an increase in buck sightings during the fall, which I will describe in the following chapters.
God bless,
T.R.
If you don't like to read what I write, please be civil - and think about not posting at all. Please - I am asking you.
This is an excerrpt from the book The Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual. It is copyrighted and according to Fedearl copyright laww it cannot be copied, printed or respubliched without written permission of the author. I give permissin for it to be published here.
I sincerely hope it helps some of you. Again, if you have questions - feel free to ask here or e-mail me direct at [email protected].
Social Structure
The deer herds in each area are usually made up of a doe and her female offspring, and their female offspring, etc. As long as there is available habitat, and there is not a lot of competition for home ranges, the young females usually remain in the area where they were born. With death from natural causes and hunting there are often available home ranges for the young deer to occupy. Individual deer may defend their home ranges, but any one group of deer does not defend the habitat. The deer in these areas do not move as a unit, nor does the action of one deer determine the actions of the other, therefore the herd does not act as a cohesive unit.
Both bucks and does may make excursions outside their home ranges, but they usually do so only to find a new home range, or during the rut. One and a half year old bucks are generally driven off the home range by their mothers when they are, usually before the rut. However, some young bucks may stay on their mother's home range until their second year, when they leave to find their own home range. These young bucks often end up on home ranges in less preferred habitat. There is generally little interaction between individual non-migratory deer herds because of the physical constraints of the habitat, and because newcomers are unknown and rarely accepted.
Sex, Social Class and Antlers
For years whitetail hunters have believed that bucks, particularly older dominant bucks, are warier and react differently than other deer during the fall hunting season. Hunters often complain that they do not see as many bucks during the hunting season as they did during pre-season scouting, and that the trophy bucks they saw during scouting sessions seem to disappear during the hunting season. This lack of buck sightings is often said to occur because bucks leave their home ranges or become "nocturnal" during the hunting season. But is this really true? Do some bucks really pull a vanishing act during the hunt? In order to explain how these factors affect buck movement and reduced sightings we must first define them. When we talk about older dominant buck movement during the fall we are talking about the differences between: 1. bucks and does, 2. older bucks and younger bucks, 3. breeding bucks and non-breeding bucks. We are also talking about: 4. fall as opposed to summer 5. the breeding season, 6. hunting pressure, 7. an increase in other human related activities.
Sex and Social Class
According to European researcher Anthony Bubenik most ungulates (hoofed animals) have five maturity classes. These can be defined as: kids, pre-teens, teens, prime age and seniors. Each of these classes can generally be separated into male and female groups. Wildlife researcher Brown used four social classes in reference to white-tailed deer defined as: immature, subdominant floaters, group core members and dominant floaters. American researcher John Ozoga combines these terms into what more clearly defines the social hierarchy of male whitetails. These social classes are: kids (1.5 years old); subdominant floaters (1.5-2.5 years old); fraternal group members (2.5-4.5 years old that have not reached maximum body and antler size); dominant floaters (alpha or dominant breeding bucks 5.5-9.5 years old); and seniors (bucks past their physical prime, often non-breeding 8.5 year or older bucks). He further divides the fraternal group members into primary group members (3.5-4.5 years old) and secondary group members (1.5-2.5 years old).
Antlers
Ungulates include animals that produce horns or antlers (such as deer), and those that don't such as horses. Generally speaking the horns or antlers of individual species are larger on males than they are on females, causing males to look different than females. This difference in appearance causes the males to be more susceptible to injury and death due to predation and to hunting pressure. Because of this increased predation and hunting pressure males that carry antlers learn how to avoid predators, usually at a young age.
Antlers are shed yearly by male animals, making it difficult to distinguish the males from the females while they males are not carrying their antlers. The absence of antlers makes the males less conspicuous and therefore less susceptible to predation, giving them a better chances of survival throughout most of the year. However, because antlers are used as a means of expressing dominance, and are used to attract females during the rut, they are often present during the rut, making antlered males highly conspicuous and susceptible to predation and hunting.
Prime age males often carry the largest antlers which makes them conspicuous and highly susceptible to predation. Senior males, even though they are not breeding, may still carry large antlers, making them also susceptible to predation. Because their advanced age does not allow senior males to escape as easily as younger males they are extremely vulnerable. Both prime age and senior males must become "smart" to avoid predation and hunting. The older the animal; the less likely that it will participate in the rut, and the more likely it will choose secluded home ranges, travel at night, and limit it's movements to avoid predation and hunting pressure.
In the case of the heavily hunted white-tailed deer, which is prized for large antlers, the males either learn to avoid hunters, or they are shot at and may die. Each year that a buck survives teaches it more about when and how to avoid hunters. Because of this older whitetail bucks are smarter and warier than younger bucks. These infrequently seen older, trophy quality, whitetail bucks usually belong to the "dominant floater" or "senior" class.
Buck Habits
While dominant floater bucks generally participate in the rut, they learn to move at times and places where they are unlikely to be seen by hunters. Senior bucks (which may produce extremely large or heavy antlers) on the other hand, do not participate in the rut and may remain in secluded areas or become primarily nocturnal in their movements. Some younger bucks may also not participate in the rut due to low social class, low testosterone levels, or other factors. I know of several evidences of these non-breeding bucks. Wildlife researcher Valerius Geist reports observing a buck that did not participate in the rut after it was beaten in battle by an older buck. Researcher John Ozoga observed a non-breeding buck that showed unusually high levels of the female progesterone hormone. During my own studies from 1993-1996 there were fewer sightings of subdominant bucks while the dominant bucks were engaged in rutting activity. A twelve point buck that I observed for five years did not participate in breeding activity and was rarely seen during the last year of the study. This leads me to believe that any buck that does not participate in the rut is less likely to be seen during fall hunting seasons.
Because bucks look different they are forced to react differently than does in order to survive. It is also safe to assume that the older the buck is the better it becomes at avoiding predation, hunting pressure and contact with humans. Because predation and hunting have the ability to affect deer health and security they can be considered as "Predatory Behavior Factors." Deer are subjected to predatory behavior throughout the year, however, they are subjected to hunting pressure primarily in the fall. Because of its seasonal nature I refer to hunting, and its associated activities that affect fall deer movement, as the "Hunting Factor." Both these factors, because they have the ability to affect the health and survival of the deer, may cause a decrease in buck sightings during the fall. There are other factors that can cause an increase in buck sightings during the fall, which I will describe in the following chapters.
God bless,
T.R.
09-10-2011, 12:47 PM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Ohio
Posts: 7,876
Okay, I've stated it is an aricle, so there is no need for any of you who don't liketo read my stuff to open this threa, and there is no need to be negataigve or derogatory.
If you don't like to read what I write, please be civil - and think about not posting at all. Please - I am asking you.
T.R.
If you don't like to read what I write, please be civil - and think about not posting at all. Please - I am asking you.
T.R.
If you don't want to read what others write don't post stuff on the WORLD WIDE WEB. Get a clue as to where you are.
Seems to me your using the free web to sell your stuff and want to be treated as a paying customer.
See, the thing is, you post something and others post something, if your taking it personal then your taking it wrong unless it effects you personal as in financially (i have to think this is the case). What is happening on the WWW is people are publishing their thoughts for the world to read and decide on. If your stuff is right others will know and those who speak against you will be judged by them as nuts. For you to try and preempt their judgment is an insult many will see through quickly making whatever you say void right at the git go.
As for myself I never read past what I've quoted so your detractors win by default because of you. This isn't your own private journal.
09-10-2011, 03:42 PM
#3
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 417
I' already all over the WWW. I don't take much personally, and I don't think I've taken anything here perosnally, What I'vW donW is point out the fact that people aree rude - for no good reason, it sets a bad example for the youger folks, which yo may be one of.
And I dont'care what you think or the others who are rude. As I said - I'm here for those who respond in private, because they may be afraid they will be ridiculed - for actually wanting to learn - unlike you. It iswrong thehy hve to feel taht way, just because a few people are rude.
And I dont'care what you think or the others who are rude. As I said - I'm here for those who respond in private, because they may be afraid they will be ridiculed - for actually wanting to learn - unlike you. It iswrong thehy hve to feel taht way, just because a few people are rude.
