254 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 



numerous battles each breeding season if he is to maintain his leader- 

 ship. Just as soon as the leading buck becomes decadent and is unable 

 to defend his harem, younger bucks slip in and secure the coveted does. 



Oscar L. Barnum, forest ranger, stationed at Cedarville, California, 

 cites such an instance (California Fish and Game, vol. 16, no. 2, p. 

 184). His report, somewhat condensed, is as follows: On November 6, 

 1926, in the Warner Mountains of Modoc County, California, a band 

 of 17 deer (14 does and 3 bucks) were observed mating. "One buck was 

 a large seven-pointer, the second, a three-pointer, and the third buck 

 a forked-horn. The large buck was continually trying to drive the smaller 

 bucks away from the does. I watched them for about an hour and a 

 half. The large buck would chase the three-pointer about 100 yards 

 from the does, then look back and see the forked-horn with the does. 

 He would then chase off the forked-horn while the three-pointer would 

 follow back to the does. During the time that I watched them the 

 small bucks made nine covers and the large buck not one. The large 

 buck 's exertions were telling on him and he was nearly run down. ' ' 



The instance just cited is, I believe, a clear case of a "decadent" 

 buck being dethroned. The shooting by hunters of such "aged" 

 bucks accomplishes three things. It removes the decadent buck, per- 

 mits regular breeding to continue, and at the same time provides the 

 hunter with a valued trophy. 



However, a study of the breeding habits of mule deer has con- 

 vinced me that each season approximately ninety per cent of the effective 

 mating is accomplished by a relatively small number of dominant bucks. 

 It should be stated here that the number of ' ' covers ' ' that a buck makes 

 is not a true index of "effective" breeding. Repeated observations 

 have shown that young bucks, particularly spike bucks and, to a lesser 

 extent, forked-horns, tend to run with the does the year round, and 

 this has given rise to the assumption that they are more of a factor in 

 reproduction than they really are. Another point which should be 

 noted here is that a young buck tends to chase a doe for days when 

 she is "in heat" and will "cover" her as many as a dozen times 

 during that time. Contrasted to this, a mature buck usually "serves" 

 a doe once or twice at the critical time, and then leaves her and hunts 

 up a new female. Thus, while a spike buck may make as many "covers" 

 as a mature buck, the number of females with which he effectively mates 

 is decidedly less than it is with a mature buck. 



Another reason why spike bucks and forked-horns appear to have 

 a large part in the reproductive activities is the fact that these young 

 bucks are the ones that are abroad most frequently in the daytime, and 

 hence are the ones usualh^ observed in actual pursuit of does. During 

 the hunting season the larger bucks tend to hide out in dense brush 

 during the day and thus they escape the hunter's watchful eye, which 

 is fortunate for the deer of the future. This habit of the big bucks to 

 remain under cover carries over into the mating season, which follows 

 the hunting season. On December 7, 1927, even in Yosemite Valley 

 where protected, I found that during the late morning and early 

 afternoon the older bucks did not come out into the open meadows but 

 remained hidden in the dense azalea and cedar thickets. As soon as 

 the afternoon shadows began to fall, the larger bucks started to come 

 out into the meadows to feed, keeping, for the most part, well within 



