Large Bachelor Groups
 

I am able to spend a lot of time in the woods because my camp is located just outside my work. Because of this I witnessed something that nobody else seems to ever seen before.
One night in the fall while riding 4-wheelers with some family and friends around midnight. We were climbing a hill into a open field and as we approached the crest of the hill, we smelled this very strong over powering urine musk smell. it was horrible smelling. When we broke the crest and entered the field, we all still swear that there were at least 75 to 80 deer in the field as our headlights shone on them. And to this day, we swear that each and everyone of them was bucks. We never told the story to anyone from fear of nobody believing this sighting. Well, one afternoon on my land, a few years later, I walked out back at lunch time to look around my treestand for buck sign, hadn't seen any up till this time. Standing under my treestand was 15 deer, all 15 were bucks. The next day, I started seeing buck rubs and scraps throughout the property. Because I never seen this before, and having the other experience on the 4-wheelers a few years before I felt I had seen something of nature that is very rare. One night I decided to share this experience in the local bar with some other local hunters from around here. As I expected, they all laughed, and most had never even heard of bachelor groups. The few that had heard of them, wasn't of this magnitude. Well standing nearby listening as I told the story and nodding his head as I spoke was the landowner of the field I spoke about. He approached the table and said that him and his wife had spotlighted that same field each season for years and over a ten year period, twice they had witness the same, with that many deer and all were bucks. This obviously slowed down the laughter. Now after years of studying rubs and when they start appearing, I'm convince that there is a certain day, one day, out of all the others, that the bucks meet, to determine the dominate buck, or as they say, the pecking order. Because I am in the woods 365 days a year, I was one of the few that was able to witness this act of nature. Has anybody else ever seen bachelor groups of this size? I read on groups of 6 to 8, hanging together, for periods of time, but we're talking 50 to 75 or more, meeting only one night in the fall, just before the start of the rut. Any input?

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

The most bucks I have ever seen together at once was 4, now that is only in person, I have seen some footage on TV of 10-12 bucks together, I can imagine this would be an occurence seen on the fenced in operations because bucks can not migrate to greener pastures. Out of curiousity where are you seeing this?

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

I have seen as many as 13 bucks together in a very rural area and in a corn field in July or August. That's about it.

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

Duke what state are you from?

I had a neighbor tell me he saw 7 together in our feild.

Bowhunting I had five around me.

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

I am in Steuben County in New York State. Steuben County has the largest reported deer take in the state. I am also in the town of Canisteo. The largest reported deer take town in that county. I think the figures last year was 5.8 bucks per square mile reported taken last year. Both these pieces of property are approximately 2 miles from each other. On top of the hills here at 2250' elevation. Steep ravines into the valleys surround us. Farmland and hardwoods. No, not fenced in ranch land.
We took nine bucks and 12 does on my 40 aces alone this year as of yesterday.
Today is the last day of muzzleloader and late bow.

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

Now I know where all the bucks go after the opening day of the season!!

:)

Sorry, I could not resist a little friendly ribbin'. :)

No, I have never seen that many bucks together at any one point that it would, seriously, explain why there is a decidedly small amount of bucks in any given area at one time or another during the year.

I think that I would feel like I was daydreaming.:)

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

The most bucks I have ever seen together has been 12-15. Most of these, though, were smaller bucks....racks of spikes to 3-4 pointers. Nothing bigger. I think that we all need to go to Pennsylvania to hunt. The way it sounds, nobdy needs fenced in areas there. Sorry, had to put that in.

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

I'm 48 years old riding 4-wheelers. There was me and my wife on mine. My brother (who's older) and his wife on his. His daughter and her husband on theirs. And a friend and his wife from a nearby camp on theirs. We were hauling 12 packs visting other camps. Maybe that explains our sighting that night. But it doesn't explain the landowner and his wife's sightings twice and my own sighting during working hours at my own property. Hmmmm.. Maybe that explains why I only seen 15 bucks that day. I was working and not enjoying myself. LOL

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

So whats the date of this observation?

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

It sounds like your buck herd needs thinning .
Ican be reached by e-mail ... ;)

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

The 15 bucks on my property was one week before gun season opens, at high noon. Gun season opens here the third week of November. Bow season opens 4 weeks prior to that, the middle of October. All through bow season I scouted and did not see any bucks or any buck sign. Everyday I checked. Then like I said, one week before opening day gun, (which rut starts early November here) there they were all together at a 5 intersection cross roads under an oak. Actual rut here in New York State can vary. This year on top of the hill, I recorded it as November 9th , one day after the full moon. Last year I recorded rut starting November 27th. The large group in the field we saw riding 4-wheelers in the fall a few years ago was Halloween weekend. Which brings it close to Nov 1st. Again the rut season or pre-rut depending on the moon that year. That night it was pitch black at midnight, so no moon or what they call new moon. The landowners sighting's again were in the late fall because he was spotlighting for opening gun season. So I would say first or second week of November.

__________________________________________________ ____________

Is it true about the fences in PA? I only live 25 minutes from the PA border !!! Maybe I can skip across there someday.

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

Hey Kevin, This year I had help. I advertised in a hunting lease sight, looking for a hunting buddy. No fee's just a modest donation such a 12 pack of beer, the thanksgiving turkey, a bushel of apples, help with my food plots next year, etc..... . Hunting in the New York States Deer hunting capital. Number one county and number one town in the county. I was swamped with replies. I had 3 groups from Mass out for various seasons. Some for more than one season. I had guys fom Buffalo, NY here. And some from the state of Virginia. I received a lot of nice gifts, some in the mail yesterday infact. I met alot of expert hunters and had a lot of help from them with my deer. Some stayed in my camp and some took local motels. Maybe you can come next year.
I'm putting more food plots in this spring. You want to help?

We did put a dent in the population this year around here. But from what I hear down town, nobody else had any luck. Must be we treat them deer right !!!

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

I see a large bachelor group every year, usually around the middle of august until the start of bow season the end of september. The group will usually have between 10 and 15 bucks from spikes to wall hangers. When they come out of the woods, it's almost always in order of size, smallest first, largest last with some discrepancies.

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

Interesting rocky, thank you for your reply.
I know of bachelor groups, where they run together until rut season.

Still am looking for some reply about a meeting, a one day or night meeting, to determine the dominate buck. Or a realistic expanation of why they were there grouped together in such large amounts with no does in the same field.

It was a sight I'll probably never see again. So was hoping others may have.

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

Hey Duke,If you are looking for help with your food plots this spring I think I can get you some help. My uncle, cousin and I are looking to go downstate this year to find some land to hunt and are willing to help if you can point us in a direction of some decent land to hunt. We went to 8W this year and only shot 1 doe in 5 days. Didn't even see anything else except for at night. So maybe we can work something out. Oh by the way we are from 5A and just looking for a place to get a way for a week or so. Thanks.

upstateny

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

i have seen something like this before. at this guys house that is friends with my father. he had 27 bucks at a feeder in his backyard. these are totally free ranging deer and under real hunting pressure. outta the 27, 4 were really big and the others were medium to small sized.

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

Steuben County is a hot spot. Your county was #1 in deer take last year as well as buck take. Bucks per square mile you were #3 with 5.7! Alleghany coutnty was first with 7 per square and Yates came in at 6 per square. Nonetheless I'm a good farmhand myself and always looking for a good swap hunt.

I have never seen anything like the bachelor club you're talking about. That's insane!! I do however remember seeing a picture on these boards of what looked to be like something you were talking about. Can't remember where it was, but it was remarkable. I'm in Cayuga county in NY btw.

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

[quote]ORIGINAL: NY Bowhunter

Nonetheless I'm a good farmhand myself and always looking for a good swap hunt.


I can't find Cayuga County listed either. Is that in New York State? Just kidding.

Happy Hunting.

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

Here's from the New York State DEC 2002 report on their web site. They failed to mention Yates County in the top five. I would write them and have that corrected.

In New York State, Steuben County had the highest deer take in 2002, with 23,002 deer, including 8,176 bucks harvested. Allegany County was second, with 20,873 deer, including 7,292 bucks, followed by Cattaraugus County, with 19,788 deer, including 7,001 bucks. Chautauqua County, with harvests of 13,034 deer, including 4,546 bucks, and St. Lawrence County with 11,623 deer, including 5,664 bucks, rounded out the top five counties in the State.

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

Sounds awesome!!!! I've never seen anything like it but has anyone ever seen that video footage on the Outdoor Channel. I can't remember whether it was a commercial or the intro to a show but it's video footage of about 40 bucks running by and a lot of them have HUGE racks. But they just keep coming out of the woods and runnign by. Come to think of it I think it's a commercial for a supplement or something. Lots of bucks though.

RE: Large Bachelor Groups
 

Hey Upstate, write me an email. I have a natural gas pipeline rightaway running through my property, 70 feet wide, 2000 feet long. I disc'd and planted last fall with Biologic Trophy Blends of clovers. I also tilled 3 other smaller plots in various area's that I want to enlarge this spring and have another half acre I want to plow and seed , maybe with buckwheat. About a mile away as the crows flies, is the largest biologic research center in the north east. Look up NorthCountryWhiteTails.com. They are my neighbors. I need to trim and thin my apple orchard too. My son, my helper is leaving for the military in Feb.
Any help gets a spot hunting next fall.
Behind me a half mile is another 300 acres of biologic research going on. I'm in the middle of them. You should see the mature bucks around here now.

email at [email protected]