……for long periods of time during the season?

We just got our deer count back and it is 180 degrees from what we were expecting.

During the season there were times we never saw any doe's during hunts…just all young bucks and didn’t fill all our doe tags.

The survey showed a greater number of does by 3 to 1. The explanation we were given was the bucks must have been chasing does away from the feeders when we were hunting.

That just didn’t sound right. I’m wondering if there is something wrong with that count.

I have seen it happen. So, in my experience, yes.

I believe that they do. Just this past season, I witnessed 4 or 5 does at a feeder. A buck comes in and chases the does back into the woods. Then they pop out of the woods and he chased them across the pasture and back into the woods, not to be seen again that weekend.

I think they absolutely do. I had the same experience as TBAR, I would have 7 or 8 bucks at a feeder and no does so I limited my doe harvest. The two does that I did take were taken when no bucks were at the feeder.

Yes. Most times they don't even "chase" them. I've seen many does and smaller bucks leave when a bigger buck simply hops in the pen with them.

Absolutely

Yes. I've seen this often.

The deer count using a "survey" method is not an accurate live count...just a count in time and the results refer to other surveys more or less than the last survey. When they do a survey they use only a portion of a herd. Surveys only use maybe only 40 to 60 % of the whole herd which can not represent all the deer causing a misrepresentation of the whole herd. However, a survey is probably the only way to get a number for a large area. An areal survey, with brush, counts only about 40 % of the whole herd. A spotlight survey over a route tells us that the herd is growing or not and calculates out a density for the area. Only a "Census" count is most accurate and even that if the procedure used is not following a proven process could also be off but more accurate than a sensus. I only count our herd by census.

I`ve seen smart bucks come to a feeder and just wait for does to show up and then chase after them. At some point in the season, does just stay away from feeders up to a point to avoid being chased by the bucks. In late December and early January they get back into a more normal pattern. Just my observation.

My young bucks and does always yield to the more mature buck when he comes in (no pens), but they'll usually hang around the periphery until he leaves. If he stays for a while, they'll just move on to another feeder with less competition. However, the buck chasing I see is always rut-related. Usually, the doe runs off, buck chases, she gives him the slip in the creek and then comes right back to the feeder for a few more moments to chow uninterrupted. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Now the "chasing away" that I do see, is usually perpetrated by the matriarch biddy does (you know, the ones that ruin your hunt and blow like it's their chosen profession) and it's usually against an outcast or competitor doe. I've watched this happen for hours on end. IMHO, the meanest critter in the woods is a WT doe.

If you only hunted feeders and you're basing your sightings/counts on what you saw there, then yes, I fully believe the survey is pretty factual.

My bucks dominate my feeders, especially during the season. Most of the time when the feeder goes off, all you will see initially is bucks. Only after they've had their fill and drifted off will you see the does come. So the big bucks eat, the young bucks eat, and then 30-60 mintues later the does may make a pass. Since my does tend to group, you may not see the group at a given feeder that particular day. So you may see 8 bucks and no does, and think you have no does, while the groups of 3, 4, 4 and several singles are off eating something else. What I saw is 8/0; what I have is 8/14.

Interestingly enough, I have three feeders, and one is in a large pasture with only oak/elm tree cover and terrain. This one mainly gets visited by does. One that is in a brushy pasture gets visited mainly by bucks. One is in an broad open pasture but up against an area of thick brush and sees both bucks and does. This suggests to me that the more cover you have, the safer bucks feel about going to a feeder.

I watch them everyday for hours. I wouldn't use this last season as any kind of gauge for anything. Very warm, constant food, no very defined rut and a prosperous year for coyotes, made for very odd feeder visit patterns. I have a lot of deer here and it's common for me to see 20+ at my feeder area at one time. There were several days where I never saw one because of the constant food. No hunting pressure in the area or here.

All of the above is likely to happen. In our case we don't see as many does due to next door neighbor feeding deer, but he does not hunt. They have a safe haven there. All low fence area.

Noticed similar actions this year on multiple HF ranches, we know what we have based off year round cameras and two flights every year(spring and late summer) on each ranch.
Last season was not the norm, and should be relatively discarded for most hunters in what they believe should’ve taken place.
That being said, yes, bucks will try to push does back into the brush or away from feed when they are hot. Then there is of course a pecking order established in each herd or pasture. This gets thrown off when bucks start traveling looking for the girls. Could have multiple bucks pushing does at one feeder site and leaving them alone at another because they aren’t receptive yet, or a multitude of other reasons.

Does are and have always been few and far between at the feeders on our ranch. Buck and exotic pressure, keeps them away. The exceptions tend to be new to year corn feeder locations tucked into deep thick bedding areas. The doe find them first and will hit them hard until the other animals start picking up on its location

Last year was not normal in many different ways, including those that you mention. I hope it is not the norm going forward.

My experience has always been that hogs will cause both bucks and does to vacate a feeder they can access.