Seeing multiple deer together on trail cam pics.

Maybe I’m thinking too much here, but here’s something that just occurred to me last night when I was going through some trail cam pics.

I rarely, if EVER, get pics of more than 2 deer together. And the vast majority of the pics I get with even 2 deer in them are doe/fawn pictures. Outside of last year when I had a doe and twin fawns as frequent guests at one of my mineral lick sites, I have only ONE picture of a group of 3 deer, a smaller buck and two larger does.

I have NEVER had pictures of multiple larger bucks together. All my bucks, larger and smaller, are running solo or at most with 1 other deer and it’s always been a doe.

Is this unusual? From the trail camp pics i see on this and other sites, I get the impression that catching groups of bucks is quite common, but I almost never get groups of even 3 deer, much less 4-5 in one shot.

Just wondering about what others have experienced. My property is east of Hinckley, so in east central MN, just to give you an idea of the deer density we’re talking about in the general area. It’s not the glory days, but it’s not as bad as the north and northwest areas.

Grouse

As you pointed out, deer density will be a factor. But for me here in south/central WI, I see the bucks together until about the end of Aug. My experience has been the most mature buck around the property will be in the vicinity, but not always “in” the group. About the time the velvet begins to dry up and drop, most will begin to spread out, with a few of the younger bucks still being together.
A good indication of early rut activity is when those small bucks hang in the thick crap when doing some early spar rattling. Usually don’t see that until late Sept.
I have most of my cams covering trails, bottle necks, and other routes to see their movement. I really don’t care to know that I have deer eating in my plots, thats a given. Its more important for me to know which trails they are using. Based on that, I get a lot of single deer shots opposed to group pics in the field.

Now this year, more than ever, I have a buck and doe (often with fawns) running together since late June. In comparing pics from 2010 to now (YTD comparison) many more buck/doe combinations Vs 2 or 3 bucks only. I have no clue what that means??? But that is my observation so far in 2015

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I do get multiple deer in pics often, but my cams in the summer are on food plots for population surveys and we have a pretty high deer density, at least on our property. As Randy said this time of year when the velvet goes away the bucks break up. I still get 4, 6, 8 deer in a food plot, but they are mostly does.

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Grouse,
From all my experience all across South Dakota, and when I hunted Houston Co. in SE Minnesota…. That is unusual from what I have seen.

Deer use numbers for safety.And its only small parts of the year when they prefer to be alone. I see bachelor groups of bucks every year until about the time the shed velvet. And groups of does during the summer and fall. One recent picture I had 4 does and 6 fawns all in the same frame..

I would bet your findings is more a deer density related or a lopsided deer herd structure (#buck to doe ratio) than unusual deer behavior.

Camera location may be a big part of it. When I’ve seen multiple bucks or bachelor groups it’s generally been in feeding areas. Sometimes as late as early Oct. Whether seeing them that late is coincidence or the particular individuals have already sorted out the pecking order. I know yearling bucks and does may loosely hang around their mother doe during year #2.

You’re also at the southern end of the deer gauntlet or trifecta: Hunters, Wolves & Winter. You like the odds of the mature deer but there’s a few more obstacles and challenges to get to year 2 1/2 compared to their “Southern” counterparts.

Mid West Wisconsin on our Farm we see numerous bucks together all year long besides the Rut season. Here is a pic of three Bucks the third you can only see the horns behind the one Buck this was just this week.

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Tom’ post is basically what I’ve been seeing a lot of. Talking pre-rut of course, but that’s exactly what I NEVER get, multiple bucks or even multiple adult deer in one picture.

I’ve moved a camera up to a post on the edge of a clover plot and set it for time lapse mode, so we’ll see if I get more deer in a food plot together.

I suspect that the comments are right about it probably being more about overall deer numbers than about a difference in behavior. I would LOVE to have groups of multiple bucks, but sadly I only have one even decent sized buck roaming the property.

Grouse

I just pulled 6 cards yesterday when I stopped by my farm. What a difference in 2 weeks.

Bigger adult deer are more nocturnal and fur is filling and and getting dark, does running away from bucks, deer more skittish, most of the 2-1/2 and up deer are almost velvet free, little guys are still with does and summer looking raggy pelts

This guys last daytime appearance was 9-2-15 at 7:39am. Every other night he passes by here between 9:40pm and 12:15am

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It sounds like somethings going right Grouse with a decent number of younger ones showing up and it sounds like there’s a forming of maybe a small bachelor group growing too, it means a decent rising population it sounds like. A clover plot or anything else they like to eat is where the main traffic of all the deer, all year long will be for the highest average numbers. Just like the alfalfa and soybean fields here they feed in those fields 365 days a year at some time of day, especially winter where its easier to feed on the alfalfa pawing the deep snow, secondly feeding on small bush browse, the outer limbs. See what your trailcams say late October to see if theres any other small bucks showing up. I’ve shot deer late season next to the season closing and their bellies were full of small limb browse with just some alfalfa, earlier its all alfalfa but they do eat alfalfa regularly just like they should with clover.

Small bachelor groups will mostly stick together all through the hunting season as will the does with their fawns until a buck pushes a doe in heat away from her fawns and to him. Early season you may see a bigger buck close to the younger ones and vice versa but he will be by himself the closer it gets to rut. The younger ones will hang around and watch the bigger bucks and even try to take a doe from an older buck but its not real successful. Even a few big bucks might be seen in a timber relatively close to each other looking for the does the others are chasing, but they tend to be by themselves and close by their does protecting them, concentrating on their does rather then fighting other bucks but always checking their back trails for other bucks looking for their does.

I arrowed a buck one time seriously tending his doe. He was constantly checking his back trail for other bucks that might be following her. He heard a sound not coming from me and pushed her into a rock recession hiding her and stood there looking for another buck he was sure was following his doe and I arrowed him. Anyway Grouse I got off track but its easy to do when season is coming. It does sound like you have a rising deer population of younger does and bucks and a clover plot is a good place to find them, because the does will be there feeding and feeding their fawns and in another month the bucks, young and older will be hot on their trails. And a guy should remember that not all does come in at the same time, November, the late dropped fawns will come in as late as February and that’s a sign of a very healthy deer heard, I seen a fawn one winter that still had its spots in mid January that I grunted out of a raspberry briar trying to get a buck to come in. They will look for and chase does until they drop their antlers if theres enough food for the bucks to feed on so winter doesn’t stress them.

Just to clarify what I posted in my above statement is with the number of big does being seen I think the population is coming up, I could be wrong but I think its positive. The visual numbers of whats being seen in not many deer being seen together but with the numbers of breeders on camera its looks positive to me. Unless theres very heavy hunting in that area keeping the population down I think it looks positive. Here theres a few areas where theres very heavy meat hunting and the population stays low, especially where theres intense buck hunting where they shoot anything that walks. I didn’t want to confuse anyone saying that the population was already good. With the amount of activity around the clover fields I think theres an upswing in population, but I could be wrong, just my 2 cents. It would be interesting to see whats showing up on your cameras at the end of October Grouse.

And so it begins nothing serous yet first pic they are kinda sorta testing each other when they notice Old Man showing up time to take a back seat and leave

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Got a new record for my one plot with 9 deer in a half acre at one time. All does and fawns. I have had as may as 22 in the 4 acre field, but this is a new record for a small plot. Was good to see. Unfortunately the pics are on my lap top that I left at the farm.