I save pictures from my cell camera every season of the nice deer that survived the season that will be great deer for our area the next season. I had a nice 10 point 2 years ago and a really mature 8 last year that I had pictures of during and then after the season in February. I never saw either of them following year for whatever the reason and we are nowhere near a highway where a vehicle could kill them. Between predators, getting hung in fences and not surviving the cold weather due to stress from the rut, I think we lose more deer than we realize. I don`t think we have a road hunting problem but that doesn`t mean I`m correct. I have also been on a few places where we have seen a buck for at least 3 seasons. My son killed one last year (5- or 6-year-old buck) and I killed a buck that were had been watching for at least 3 years (at least 6-year-old buck) when we hunted near Priddy. I`ve never had a buck that was recognizable just disappear for a year and then he shows back up the following year either. The hunting pressure around us never makes the bucks go nocturnal either. Even if they did there are enough cameras that one would eventually capture him.

many bucks will really tighten down their winter range during hunting season. They find a place that is safe, feeds them, and is protective of weather or predators, and they hunker for the winter.

Deer movement is not something any of us will understand, as each deer is unique in its movement and home range.

We killed a buck on our place last week that we hadn't seen since pre-rut 2021. We had a history of him in 2020/2021 (maybe more), and then he disappeared. For him to show back up 3+ years later, old, white face, is not the norm for us. We aged him a about 7.5 yrs. We typically see about 60-70% of our mature bucks (4.5/5.5 yr olds) disappear pre-rut never to be seen again.

More deer die than we realize. In the last couple years I know of five 4.5 year olds (supposedly the age class with the least mortality according to a study I read) that all died of natural causes. These are just the 4.5 year olds deer that I know for a fact died and did not just move elsewhere or "disappeared" that may have died.

Deer do leave and return to territories. I shot a 7.5 year old buck a few years back that we had camera pics of at 2.5, 4.5, 6.5, and 7.5. I couldn't tell you where he was for those two years we did not have him on camera. Another deer was present for his 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, and 7.5 seasons. Maybe he was there all along, but this was a buck that was daylight active every single day throughout the entire season the years we had him on camera. Seems unlikely he would be on property and never visit a feeder or get a trail pic taken of him.

Some deer do change territories from summer to winter - two years ago I shot a buck I had three years of history with however he only came on to the ranch each season post rut in December and would leave in Feb/March. I could not tell you where he was during the other months. We have others we get pics of all summer and every summer, but will go to their winter ranges in October.

Some deer tighten their territories with age. One adventurous 2.5 year old was seen over a 1200 acre spread, by the time he was 4.5, his territory was down to 300 acres.