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Buck travel distance during the rut?

I have a question? Currently I am hunting patch of woods that mainly contains doe's, but I know of some really nice bucks on some land that I can't hunt nearbye. How far will a buck travel during the rut? Is there hope that some of these bucks will come to the woods I hunt? Since this is my first year of bowhunting I have been debating on taking a doe, but was thinking of leaving them until the rut so I dont spook the does out of the woods.

Jbering Look at it this way, how far would you go if you could only get it a certain time of year? If you have alot of does you're sittin on I wouldn't over hunt it. The bucks will come to the does, because they already know they are there. The bucks are bachelored up doin their own thing right now but what you don't want to do is go in there stompin around lookin for them. My advice is shoot a doe or two and get a couple under your belt. JMHO

JUSTHUNT1

Hot does can and will pull does many many miles. If you have does around you, bucks will be there sooner or later. Need to take out does as soon as you get the opportunity, you won't effect buck travel by taking out a doe or two and they get harder to shoot late in the year. Good luck

Excellent advice from Justhunt1.

50 miles one way and I like to never got back.

Had a buddy complaining about no bucks, only does last year. He shot a 158 ten pointer in the rut. Just don't hunt your does so much that they learn where all your stands are. The does WILL get bred, which means that the bucks WILL show up.

Don't hunt it but shoot a couple a does, huh?

a old article years ago comes to mind from Outdoor Life I think....back in the 60's maybe....a collard buck traveled 3 1/2 miles during the rut. I have know of Shed Antlers being found in one location.....and the buck killed that fall 6 miles away! (I think it was 6 miles anyway) I'd have to ask the guy....but he's in Wyoming chassing elk right now!

Bucks can and will travel several miles to breed does. Some don't and some do, but the does will be bred.

This is why it is so important to have a good buck to doe ratio. If you have a lot of doe and you are not trying to reduce the doe herd a buck will lock down with a doe and stay with her for days. He will not have to look hard to find a doe. This will cause their movement to be limited once in lock down mode. If you have too many doe you may never see that mature buck once he hooks up. After he is done with her he will look for another doe and do the cylce all over again. Less doe, more visability of bucks.

I know a guy who has seen as many as fifteen doe at a time while hunting on his farm. When it comes to the rut he can't seem to get on a buck. When I explained this to him he was dead set against shooting any doe at all. He wants to see more deer and he feels if he kills the doe the deer will die off.

Bucks can and do travel miles during the rut and cover 4000 to 10,000 acres....Ive seen the same buck(positively ID'd)over 3 miles from where he was first spotted......Jeff

i read an article many years ago (i wish i could remeber who wrote it to defend my postition) that stated he tagged some bucks to see how far the roamed from their home territory during the rut.....he found that some bucks would travel 20 to 30 miles from their home territory during the rut and he even thought they would go further if they felt they had to. that why you might not ever see a buck during the summer but during the rut you'll find yourself saying "i've never seen this deer here before, he must have been nocturnal"......he's probably from another city.

thats his study, ......seems to make sense.

i went 300 miles during my rut.....

I think that would be John Ozoga from WI.

The definitive answer is: A buck will travel just as far as he needs to to find a receptive doe and an abscence of a dominant buck.

Other than in a highly buck heavy kill area, the buck/doe ratio seldom exceeds 4:1. Unless does are going unbred (seldom seen) bucks today are pretty well taking care of business.

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