Grew up in north Clarke Co.....we had deer enough...you could go sit what we termed the "oat patch" in the late 70's and early 80's and unless a weather event had things a little off then you would see exactly the same number of deer every sit...does and little ones and whatever. Let's say that number was 11. Day after day 11. Then you look away and look back and there's a bigger, darker deer...number 12. Reach for the rifle, confirm legal horns, get him centered up and squeeze one off.
Next day maybe 3-7 deer come out. Day after that 11! No doe shooting on these spots allowed the deer to be at ease. We always had deer to watch until the 10 day doe season. You could get 2 of the 11 and then things were sketchy the rest of the year.
Hell yes to the 4th power yes they will go nocturnal! Especially in areas where there is more to eat than just that hubcap sized food plot with a feeder in the middle of it. Killing old does is HARD! Just think how much death they have seen in 5-6 years at your average club.
Firat year we were on DMAP in Washington County 1992 of 30 does we killed..Over half aged more than 5 yo...that's a lot of whistleblowers gone! the 2 buck we shot aged at 8.5 and 7.5 and weighed a staggering 135 lb each.