Knowing More About Core Areas

June 21, 2010

Knowing More About Core Areas

There has always been a lot of confusion about the term core area. Basically a core area is where a deer beds, feeds, and waters throughout most of the year. A mature buck will use this area throughout most of his life. A core area should not be confused with the term home range, which is everywhere a deer goes throughout the year, and for a buck that includes areas he visits on a transient basis during the rut. During this period he may leave the security of his core area and venture much greater distances to locate receptive does. Although a buck may leave his core area during the rut, studies have proven that it is rare that he will venture from his home range even to locate hot does.

One of the only elements that may make a buck leave his home range is when a younger buck’s home range includes mature bucks that live on the same area. When an older-age class buck consistently has run-ins with subordinate buck, the younger buck realizes that the only way he will get an opportunity to breed an estrous doe is to leave his home range or leave that older buck’s “core area”. That's when a hunter may get to see really-big buck in sections of land where you've never seen them before.

Over the years, my success with taking mature bucks (remember that in some areas like New York a mature buck may only be a 120 to 125 class buck), can be directly linked to having a basic understanding of a buck’s core area. Any hunter who consistently takes mature bucks understands the importance of locating and hunting buck core areas. The more you learn about buck core areas the more success you will have in taking older deer.

While most hunters that classify themselves as trophy hunters has heard the term “core area” many times, there are a lot of hunters who are not familiar with the term. As I mentioned above, over the years I have heard a lot of hunters misuse the term “core area” and confuse it with the term “home range”.

Defining a Core Area to the Nth Degree

Core areas are places occupied by whitetail bucks outside of the rut. When they are not seeking out receptive does or struggling with predators, deep snow, lack of food etc. A buck will spend the majority of their time feeding, watering and traveling within the boundaries of a recognized range. This is the best way I know to describe a core area. Some might add slightly more to that explanation – but the truth is a core area is nothing more than what I described above.

I’m often asked “just how big is a core area”? That is a loaded question as no two core areas will ever be the same size. There are just too many elements that dictate how much deer dirt each individual buck will use as his core area. The most significant factor is will the area have enough bedding cover in relation to the location to food sources and watering areas.

Most times that I have jumped mature bucks during the day I have found them to be in cover within rock throwing distance of a currently available primary food source where he has established a small core area. When a buck has to travel long distances from his bedding area to his feeding areas his core area will be much larger. This is often true of bucks that live in what easterners term big woods – that are found in Maine and in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. Deer that live near or on farmlands or in suburban areas do not fit into this category.

As most hunters know, during the summer months and into very early fall, whitetail bucks hang out in bachelor groups and stick close to home. They spend the majority of their time bedding, traveling and feeding within their core areas and extended home range. Once the bachelor groups start breaking up, however, this changes.

Core Area Relocating

During the times that bucks begin to test their position within the herd (pecking order), by sparring with other bucks this competition is often the main cause of the bachelor groups breaking up. This isn’t a secret but there is an observable fact that is not as widely known.

Some hunters and researchers feel that when bachelor groups breakup the bucks simply move off short distances and take up residency there. While I find this true in some cases, some biologists suggest that bucks will relocate long distances from their summer areas.

When mature bucks are visible when they are in velvet they have a tendency some say to become a lot less visible once they shed their velvet. Most believe that the bucks simply go into a more reclusive fall lifestyle. The fact is, however, the bucks have just relocated and established their core areas from where they originally had been spending their summer time. Again, this can mean that the core area is relatively close by or even miles from where they had lived during while they were in velvet.

You can take this to the deer bank, most of you have had experienced how highly visible bucks during the late summer and into September turn into less visible bucks as fall progress. This is especially possible as I mentioned above, if a buck happens to be a subordinate member of the bachelor group.

When a young buck of 1.5 to 2.5 years old starts to get intimidated by a mature buck of 3.5 or 4.5 years old – he begins to get the message that it is time for him to relocate – especially once the playful pushing and shoving of late-summer turns into more staid early-fall pushing and shoving and sometimes even fighting. The smaller bucks within the bachelor group take only so much mistreatment by the mature bucks before they instinctively understand it is time to move off and establish their own core areas.

Core Areas Do Change

It is also important to understand that bucks do not stay within the same core area all year especially during the big chase period of the three rut cycles. Contrary to what you have read, heard or believe, a whitetail buck will suddenly decide to relocate during the early fall transition period and take up residency in a completely different area. Often, this is where you’ll find the majority of the buck’s rub-lines and scrape-lines.

Tom Indrebo, who has written a book for my publishing company Woods N’ Water Press titled Growing & Hunting Quality Bucks, lives and hunts in one of the most trophy-rich areas of the county which is Buffalo County, Wisconsin. Along with operating a trophy-hunting deer camp called Bluff Country Outfitters, Tom has spent thousands of hours observing, recording and video taping mature whitetails bucks. Tom is a valid deer expect who knows all aspects of deer behavior, biology and management. He is very savvy about bucks and their core areas.

In his book Tom places great importance on the role that food, cover and water seem play in a buck choosing his core-area location. Tom’s research has showed there’s often a big difference between summer core areas and pre-rut core areas of bucks.

The problem for most of us who hunt pressured areas of the east like New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and the like is that it is almost a sure bet that it will be very difficult to find a mature buck after he relocates. No matter whether you are hunting private land or public land the odds are that a big buck will relocate on property you don’t have permission to hunt! We all know the reality to that scenario. The only way to find a buck that has relocated onto private land is to try to get permission to hunt the land the buck’s has taken up residency on.

Reasons Why Bucks Move

As I said, at the top of the list on why a big buck suddenly decides to take up a living area in a new location are conflicts with older bucks. Other elements that will make bucks seek out new core areas is a change in their preferred food sources. Loss of habitat also plays a big role in the reasons why buck relocate. But very high on the list is pressure from humans. As any hunter who has consistently killed mature bucks understands, mature whitetail bucks will take only tolerate very little pressure from humans during the early fall and especially during the high pressure of hunting season. Simple scouting ventures are enough to warn any mature buck about what is to start and their immediate instinctive response it to move out of the pressured area. Sometimes they do not move far off, however, sometimes they move quite a distance away.

Just how much human presence is too much pressure for a mature buck to tolerate before he decides to relocate? I can guarantee you can take this to the deer hunting bank – not much at all especially in heavily populated or hunted areas. This is especially true with a buck of the temperament I described earlier in the book – you know the bucks I refer to as the type of buck that grew up being afraid of his own shadow. This type of buck leaves with the least amount of pressure applied to his area while a buck that doesn’t inherit the scary-cat gene is much more reluctant to relocate.

For the scary-cat buck it may only take more than one or two intrusions into his home range or a single incursion into his bedding area to alert the buck to abandon his core area. While a more relaxed mature buck may either tolerate several intrusions before relocating or simply adjust his travel and hiding routines and decide not to move at all. It is the mature buck that has grown up to be spooky of everything that turns out to be the buck that will be most likely to relocate the quickest when pressure is applied to his home range or core area.

The Importance of Water

Too many hunters pay little attention to one of the most crucial of elements when it comes to whitetails and their daily lives as well as their penchant on selecting a core-area location. Over the years I’ve seen times, especially in dry years, when whitetails have abandoned their core areas and established other core areas, all based on the lack of wanting to be near a reliable water source.

When I first purchased my farm it was during a major two year long drought. The deer were leaving my property and taking up residence on the neighbors 250 acre farm because he had several small watering holes as well as a couple of large ponds. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I had to give them a few reliable watering sources if I wanted them to feel comfortable enough to remain on my land. I built a good size pond that had several underground springs and also dug several pot holes with underground springs that afforded year round water even in dry years. If you have land you lease or own, this is a very important element to consider in order providing you resident deer with watering options that do not require having them leave your property to find them.

Keep in mind that it isn’t always dry weather that influences bucks to relocate to find water. Remember the tremendous flooding that occurred over much of the Northeast two years ago? The flooding wrecked havoc with several of my fields and low ground areas that were ideal bedding places for my deer. The extensive flooding forced the deer to find other areas abandoning places where they had lived on my farm for years. It didn’t take long to figure out that in this circumstance deer will seek higher dryer ground which helped me to pinpoint their new core areas quickly.

The Rut

One of the most instinctive reasons for a buck to abruptly depart from his core area is the breeding season. The instinct to breed can not only take bucks from their home ranges for long distances – sometimes miles, but also for several days or weeks at a time as well. This usually happens in areas where the buck to doe ratio is out of whack and the bucks have to search high and wide for receptive does. In areas there the ratio is more balanced the tendency to roam far and wide to locate hot does is much less dramatic. After the rut is finished and bucks have made it through the rigors of breeding, have safely avoided being killed by hunters and successfully dodged getting hit by cars as they cross roads in search of does, most mature bucks will return to their core areas they used during the pre-rut period unless they have found a more secure area that offers better food, water, security and less competition from other mature bucks.

However, once safely back in their familiar haunts, bucks will start traveling along the same routes they used during prior to the rut. Until they get comfortable with their core area again, a lot of times they will only move under the cover of darkness – for at least a few weeks anyway.

It is important to remember that it is entirely probable, that some mature bucks establish separate core areas during the four seasons of the year. Why some bucks do is an enigma not only to me but to a lot of biologists I have discussed this with. I suspect it is most likely related to the availability or lack of it of food, water, and cover though.

If you take the time to figure out where mature bucks prefer to feed, water and bed, and the routes they use to get to and from these destinations you will immediately improve your deer hunting success. The wise hunter learns all they can about a bucks core area. It has been one of the most overlooked and misunderstood aspects of deer hunting – hopefully after reading this I have set you on the right track about core areas.

Woods N Water | PO Box 10 South New Berlin, NY 13843 | 607-548-4011