The End of Bachelor Groups by Grant Woods
It’s early September and deer season opens soon in most states. Many hunters have spent some time during the past month scouting and thinking about stand placement.
Bachelor groups are relatively easy to find this time of year and it’s tempting to place stands based on these observations. That may not be a good strategy. About the same time bucks shed their velvet many summer forages and crops are maturing. These factors can results in significant changes in the bucks’ behavior (specifically their tolerance of other bucks) and preference of food sources.
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This doesn’t mean that most bucks leave their home range. Rather, it means they often change the portion of their home range they are using.
I rarely place stands where I see buck bachelor groups feeding during July or early August. Instead, I scout during that time to see what bucks are in the area where I hunt and then place my stands near where attractive food resources will be when season opens (especially any energy rich foods such as ripe grains, nuts or fruits).
The bachelor group of bucks will most likely split up before season opens. Then they will all be seeking energy rich foods as the day length becomes a bit shorter and their hormones trigger a need to store fat and prepare for winter. Scout now to determine what bucks are living where you hunt and also the local food sources to anticipate new stand locations once the pattern shifts.
Growing Deer together,
Grant
