I have to go with the too much energy, and not enough smarts philosophy. I have had young deer run past me to get to a feed field while the momma took more time to check things out before stepping into the open. If the young deer had swung down wind first they would have busted me. Not from experience and smarts, just luck. Like young boy, young male deer seem the most energetic and reckless. I don't doubt older bucks hang back and watch the reactions or fate of younger deer before they come into an area.
I had a neighbor who was convinced that 1.5 and 2.5 year old bucks often shadowed mature bucks. Often they would appear in a field first, then the big boy. He often would see the younger buck, of different one sniffing the gut pile in the morning. This was from a farmer who watched his fields every night all rifle season, taking his deer with a long range shot from his back deck. Not my style, but he had a lot of hours logged watching bucks and does from that deck.