What would be considered good buck habitat?

Thicker the better

Have as many does in one area as you can get.

That’s not habitat.


Early successional vegetation on 30% or more of your property, maintained by fire and/or fall discing, hard mast producers on at least 10-15% of the property, and the rest in various stages of timber growth.

Outside of the rut prime locations are areas of isolation away from the main concentrations of deer…..Think of an older man with about 7 kids that just goes out to the shop to get away from everything……There’s a number of different factors that create these kinds of places……For example, big blow downs in open hardwoods or along creeks are ideal places, they love some structure….also isolated woodlots…..islands in a swamp……urban areas……etc……Your large areas of NWSG understory and other prime bedding are mostly used as nurseries. That’s not to say that bucks won’t use the same areas but I’d imagine that its heavily influenced by the degree to which the does have those areas maxed out…..

During the rut they move into the areas with good doe concentrations and hang out in high traffic areas where numerous trails converge like a stripe below a dam waiting on bait fish to pass by……Staging areas just off of main food plots where does are coming into the plot from several directions are prime locations for them to hang out.

Might not be but it sure helps.

Any habitat that they manage to live through a 3 month gun season.

That about covers it , especially if he lives through 4 of those seasons.

A place where they don’t get killed at 2 years old

Within a short walk of a corn pile