Zack,

Some deer do stay within a few miles of where they were born and others move many miles.  There are several factors that determine if and how far a deer disperses from its place of birth.  Male fawns are usually forced to disperse from their mother’s home range.  If the doe dies before it is time for the male fawn to disperse, he tends to remain in the same area where he was born.  This is one advantage of harvesting does!

If the doe is alive and she forces the young male to disperse, the distance he will travel is influenced by the quality of the habitat, the local deer herd density, predator population, and several other factors.  As biologists learn more about deer by using GPS collars and other neat tools, we are discovering that deer are like humans in that each one is a unique individual.  The averages often quoted for home range size, distance of dispersal, etc., rarely closely represent a large percentage of the population due to the individual nature of deer.

Growing Deer together,

Grant