Has there ever been much of this done to monitor deer movement in different regions of the state? We all have our own theories and stories of this buck and that buck, but have they ever been tracked? I could only find info on tracking panhandle mule deer, other than the bucks in Mississippi.

I read about one in Missouri, it traveled an incredible distance. If I remember right it was hundreds of miles. Mostly traveled at night and laid up during the day.

There were some incredible almost unbelievable ones that would cross the Mississippi multiple times, summer and winter 40 miles apart, but in the same area each year. One would think it would vary by region and terrain in texas, but I think it would be interesting.

https://www.deer.psu.edu/the-life-and-times-of-buck-8917/

"As we have shown from multiple deer (male and female), deer that survive the rifle season have a special hiding place.
Usually on the top of a ridge where the prevailing wind from the west will let them know danger approaches, and where they can quickly jump off the side of the ridge and escape.
During the rifle season both male and female deer reduce their home range to about 100 acres during the daytime hours of the rifle season."

You are correct. Years ago there was a monster buck in our Louisiana woods. He bedded down during the day in a drainage ditch about 400 yards north of our property. He was on land that nobody hunted. We’d see him every now and then as the sun came up. We could not go to him and he never came our way in daylight. As far as I know, he must’ve died of old age.

The old ones are wily. If it wasn’t for the rut, we’d never see some of them.

Radio collars have been used in numerous studies to track deer movement, including this one that specifically focused on the role of hunter pressure. I first learned of this study in Deer and Deer Hunting magazine, which in my opinion is best at reporting on deer research.

Link

In my opinion, it's the limited way in which most Texans hunt deer that's the reason why such studies are less common here. Still, I see value in how these studies show that during any given hunting season, even entering an area can greatly impact deer movement over the next several days.

I remember reading an article years ago about a radio collard buck that would swim the Mississippi River every day. Twice.
Bedded down on the Missouri side and roamed on the Illinois side.

Saw deer swimming across the Tenn river at Pickwick yr ago. The wide part south of the locks.

True. Shot these two, one 2023 season and the other 2021 season. Never seen live or on camera by anyone until they stepped out during the rut on does.

This one, shot 2022 season. Younger deer, saw him a few times prior to season and had him on camera. He was also shot during rut after he broke off a doe he was chasing. He wasn't as stealthy or cautious as his older role models.

Find an area that has the habitat and travel characteristics that we all know to be good. Feed it to create an area that does will be in the habit of hitting. Hunt the rut hard and no telling what you'll see. This year I'm not using a camera.

We all agree I’d say that they travel great distances during the rut, and annually from spring, summer, and fall, but how far? I’ve been wondering about it more. How much does it really matter what my management and feeding program is if the mature bucks that I’m hunting in the winter are 14 miles from there the rest of the year?

"The answer is out there."

Link

The findings by the MSU Deer Lab probably explains why some bucks show up often, while you might be lucky just to get just a photo or two of others. My experience has always been the ones you see far less often are the ones that grow to be the oldest. Once they feel uncomfortable and/or some food source plays out in their current core area, they make the long trek to a more distant one. I would also gamble that quite often, their more distant core areas see little or no hunter pressure, which is why the more mature bucks don't mind making the long trek to reach them. They start hearing shots, ATV's, and truck doors slamming and decide it's time to move back to safer grounds. Only a week or two of the rut is enough to get them to hang around before moving out.