Just curious as to how far a mature buck can wind an estrus doe. I do know a hot doe will bring bucks from every which way. Your thoughts?

Within walking distance

My understanding of the estrus process is as follows:

Buckmakes scrape. Doe in estrus comes in and pees in it to show she is in heat. Then she pees on her trail and the buck comes along and smells a doe is in heat and has “marked” his scrape. Buck follows her trail until he catches up to her and then the dance starts. It isn’t an immediate mate and find another doe. There is a tending process that can last a day or two before the buck can mate the doe. And there may be multiple breeding attempts during this day or two.

Yes, a buck with no “mates” doe will react to scent and may come to check out the hot doe, but generally speaking the hot doe is going to be later by the buck she led by peeing in his scrape. The myth of old dominant bucks is really a myth as most older “dominant” bucks will
Only mate one doe a season and the younger bucks can breed with two or three.


So short answer is as far as the wind takes the scent.

Many hunters subscribe to the belief that bucks commonly and very easily scent check feeders and food plots from safe distances in order to avoid detection.

I don't tend to think there is too intricate of a ritual about pizzin in his scrape then leaving him a trail etc.

Deer's noses work like our eyes, a doe in heat smells to him like the current uber hot actress/model/etc. looks to us. He smells finds and persists. Ive seen a doe get bread by two bucks back to back and then number 1 came back for a second go all at 30 yards right in front of my feeder in a morning hunt. How does a bull know to breed a cow? they don't make scrapes etc. they smell and they know then they pursue till they get it done.

I dropped a hot doe one morning, and in the next 45 minutes 7 different bucks came in to check her. And that was back when I didn't think we had all that many deer, and certainly not in that small an area. I suspect some came quite a distance.

They really are incredibly stupid beyond basic sensory.

I too have shot a doe and had a big buck that refused to leave her. And then another buck showed up and the 2 fought. She was dead as a door nail, but carrying the estrous scent.

The more deer there are, the less the deer go though the traditional scrape and all of that. I believe bucks use their eyes in open areas before does are real hot and I think does will urinate when a buck starts pestering them and lots of times this determines if the buck stays for a while or takes off in pursuit of another more receptive doe. The does will urinate to advertise their receptiveness, but they will also urinate to let the bucks know that they are not close or that they are already bred.

Once during the late doe/spike season, 2nd weekend in January, a doe passed my stand at a good distance and I watched where she went until I could no longer see her. In the next 2 hours 7 different bucks followed that exact trail. I am sure the scent had varying degrees of strength from 1st to last buck, but they all followed it to the tea, so their smell power must be pretty incredible.

That would be cool to watch!

I too have pondered the same question. If a deer can smell as well as a dog then it is a long way. I used to have an old bird dog that would bust out of his kennel and go to the neighbors when his Brittney bitch was in heat. Neighbor lived 1.7 miles to the north. Thinking about that is what got me wondering about a deers nose.