Took a long drive yesterday morning and this morning because I figured things would be moving around pretty well... and I was correct. Yesterday morning I saw 16 bucks, almost all were chasing does. Twice I saw the same the following, which made me think that maybe the does are now becoming hot and more receptive to breeding.
Was driving logging roads and on a clearcut about 50 yards off the road I saw a buck with a weird looking rack. I started glassing him and noticed another buck, then a huge buck. All three were in a circle staring at the same little thicket where a doe was standing. The big buck kept the other two backed off a little and any advance toward the doe by the smaller two would result in a lunge by the big boy. The doe pretty much stayed right in the thicket but any attempt to move, she would be corraled back to the thicket by any of the bucks. I watched this for 15 minutes or so. Drove on down the road and saw the exact same scenario. Three bucks had a doe pinned down and would not let her take a step. The past few weeks anytime I saw a buck trailing, the doe would just run off as she pleased and the bucks would chase her or find another doe. This got me thinking that maybe the two does I witnessed were coming into heat and the bucks could smell this and did not want her getting away. Would this be accurate? Thoughts?
Was driving logging roads and on a clearcut about 50 yards off the road I saw a buck with a weird looking rack. I started glassing him and noticed another buck, then a huge buck. All three were in a circle staring at the same little thicket where a doe was standing. The big buck kept the other two backed off a little and any advance toward the doe by the smaller two would result in a lunge by the big boy. The doe pretty much stayed right in the thicket but any attempt to move, she would be corraled back to the thicket by any of the bucks. I watched this for 15 minutes or so. Drove on down the road and saw the exact same scenario. Three bucks had a doe pinned down and would not let her take a step. The past few weeks anytime I saw a buck trailing, the doe would just run off as she pleased and the bucks would chase her or find another doe. This got me thinking that maybe the two does I witnessed were coming into heat and the bucks could smell this and did not want her getting away. Would this be accurate? Thoughts?
