Herd Management

Wh7y would a mature buck kill a mature doe? The two had been together for three weeks.

there are two aother mature does with the buck now. Are they in danger also?

Some bucks will get rough when breeding doe.......sorry for your loss....I have not ran into this yet but I have heard from plenty that have.

i have seen my breeder bucks make attempts to poke at a doe with their antlers while the doe is trying to eat beside him at the feeder, I think sometimes their is a dominance issue or the bucks just get a surge of testosterone and just feel they need to attack something, we can try and guess all we want but they are animals, and they are unpredictable, it is a rare happening, but it does happen occasionally.

This buck had the doe against the fence and was really working her over before I was able to get to him with a t-post. As soon as she got up he put her on the ground and finished her off.

WOW!!! That sucks! Sorry for your loss.

I've only seen it happen on my farm once . It was a younger buck and the doe got in a corner. Didn't hurt her but scared her and me! The buck wants to feel dominant and this doe apparently didn't show respect. She does now!

I personally have never had this happen... only because I have ALWAYS cut the breeder's horns off. I did this because of the stories I had heard of the breeder buck killing his does. There were times when I have used a year old for breeding and thought because of his age I could get by safely, but I cut them off anyway, and was glad I did. I've seen mature bucks and even those year olds blind side those does in the side, and if they'd of had horns, those does would have holes poked in them. I don't know how much it happened when I wasn't around, but it always seemed to happen when the does were close to me and the buck did not like that. I ''heard'' of one story of a buck killing every doe in the pen the same day.

Smokey, I would definitely say that those other does are in danger. I don't believe this is something that all bucks do, but this buck of yours has already ''proved'' himself.

I agree with Antlershed. I think these bucks just get so testosteroned up that they feel a need/urge to attack something. Bucks are beligerent to the does even in the wild. We've all seen what happens when a buck enters a field full of does...they scatter as he approaches. They know what that head gear is and what it can do.

I would without a doubt saw him off Smokey. Heck, rut ain't even here yet. Guaranttee he will only get worse in the weeks ahead! Don't chance it. It's a terrible way for a doe to die.

Good luck!

Like us, deer live in matriarchal society.(Yes dear,your right,im sorry,Im wrong,yes dear,etc)But unlike deer we aren't violent to the boss when emotional,scared,angry,etc.



The lead doe/hind makes all the safety,flight ,escape decisions for the group.

Stags/bucks once mature are outside of the family unit & only concerned by a couple of things.The groups safety is not his concern,its hers.

If the stag/buck is enclosed with a group & not happy & wants out of there,it's her job to find the way.

He will push her until she does, or is dead,then he will start on no2 then no3 & so on.

The smaller the enclosure the more often & greater the risk.A quiet relaxed buck/stag which is not pacing the fence if threatened,with somewhere to run should not do this.

If he continues to do this in a larger enclosure with cover & this is not the cause,should you breed him?

Temperament is heritable in deer.



I doubt this is because she will not "stand" for the buck,when ready she should stand for him.Unless she can see something wrong with him.



Cheers Sharkey

Yes, they are in danger with him.



Deer have had the same ritual for hundreds of thousands of years. They get the testosterone flowing in the fall(which is here) and they fight and breed. It is hardwired in them to do this. If they dont have another buck to fight, they will attack a female. Most bucks wont do too much to her, since she wont fight back, but sometimes he cant stop himself or his hormones. Yes, even in the wild it has been well noted that a buck will use his antlers on a doe, but she can usually get away and/or it is a short occurance, like he just wants to make a point that he is a badass.

Thanks for all the advise and coments. Appropriate action has been taken.