The aggressive hunting styles we studied in Chapter 2 have been the daily regimen for hunters since 1958 … that I know of. I’m sure they were for centuries before that. Some of you may not remember back to 1958. There were few deer and much shorter seasons. Here in North Central Texas, where I hunt, our first deer season ever was in 1958 and was only 5 days long but did include one week end. It was years later and with much longer seasons before mature bucks were able to pattern hunter movements! Fast forward to today: Ninety day plus seasons — yes — the mature bucks have figured hunters out! Mature bucks live in every part of the deer’s range in the United States. Why do they die of old age? What can I do to see him during hunting season? Let’s get into the skin of a mature buck and maneuver through the orange barricades (hunters) in one of only two ways available to a deer. To move, or not to move! A fawn buck is around 6 months old when he hears his first rifle shots of deer season. The first lesson a fawn buck learns is to identify human predators. He learns very quickly: If it looks like a human, smells like a human, and walks like a human — it will kill you! I dare say that 99% of a fawn bucks first impressions, regarding people, form while observing aggressive human behavior. I allow for 1% of their impressions forming while they observe sleeping or otherwise docile hunters. During a fawn bucks first hunting season he will learn very little in the way of reactions. The sense of how to, or how not to react to being hunted — except how to run like the devil — will not be developed until later. If a 6 month old buck survives until his second hunting season he will be one and a half years old and will be a juvenile buck. The juvenile buck will quickly add reaction to his knowledge. He will learn if he runs like the devil the two legged demons can’t shoot him and if he lies down or stands absolutely still the two legged demons can’t see him. By the end of his second hunting season, assuming he is still alive, the move or don’t move reaction is ingrained into his brain. Moreover he is beginning to realize that the don’t move choice takes less effort and he doesn’t have to put up with the excruciating pain of loud gunfire nor lead chasing after him. However the juvenile buck lacks patience to put his knowledge into practice, he wants to run. Besides he likes to stay up early and play in the meadows. Many juvenile bucks are hung on the meat pole, because they are moving during the time when hunters are most prepared to take them. By the time the juvenile buck finishes his second year of education he learns that from dawn till eight or nine o’clock in the morning is a, no-no when it comes to traveling. By a buck’s 3rd season, age 2 1/2, he has reached the stage I refer to as a, young mature adult. He has finished his high school education and developed some habits and reactions regarding hunting pressure. Young mature bucks still like to stay out early and play in the woods, however he has learned to vacate the medows before daybreak. Wherever he is when the one eyed beams fill the woods he will bed down and he has developed the patience to lay there until the two legged predators leave his woods. A young mature buck will get caught by rambling two legged predators, many times on his way returning to his day time home. He knows it will be hard lying in some make-shift bed until the woods are safe enough to return to his sanctuary but he has developed the patience to do it; and do it he will! From here on you’re going to hear the word sanctuary many times. By the time a buck has reached maturity, he has found a favored placed where he can live during daylight hours, without being disturbed. Man calls this place a sanctuary. To a mature buck it is simply his favorite place; defined by him as a place that predators cannot reach undetected and has food and water. By age 3 1/2, a buck's 4th hunting season, he is a senior citizen and has survived all the scary close calls that he cares to endure. He has earned the title of Mr. and is the class of buck we all dream of seeing. With reverence I will here-to-fore referee to him as, “Mr. Buck!” Mr. Buck has learned he doesn't have to put up with orange donned hordes, one eyed beams or two legged predators! Mr. Buck has learned if he beds anywhere but in his sanctuary he risks a rambling still hunter kicking him out of bed. So, he simply returns to his sanctuary well before daylight. He has lost all desire to stay up early and play in the meadows, or the woods for that matter. Ever year aggressive human behavior has been reinforced upon him, until by the time he is a senior citizen he is not likely to forget how hunters act; unless that is, he develops Alzheimer’s! We have covered the 3 periods in a buck's life most hunters are concerned with. Juvenile bucks who are usually killed during their second hunting season. Young mature adults who have survived and developed enough patients to fit their life style into that of the hunters that pursue them. And senior citizens who don’t want to mess with hunters … period. In role playing we can learn much. The Ideal role to play would be that of a mature adult buck. Chances are he will never be shot and will die of old age some where within his home range, probably within his sanctuary. There’s not much to be gained, by playing the role of a juvenile and getting shot right away, or of Mr. Buck the senior citizen, who will die of old age soon! In Chapter 4 we are going to play like we live in the skin of a middle age buck. We have studied how aggressive hunters move and hunt and now we will study how the middle age buck moves in response to those hunter movements.