I was running feeders and cameras today for the first time in a long while. Driving the Ranger around the lake dam and these guys were bedded on top, they jumped up ran in front of the ranger. I got to see them as they ran about 300 feet or so. Best I could tell they are bigger this year already than they were last year. The tall narrow one is freaking heavy, it looked like he was carrying thirty pounds of mass on his head, lol. Sorry these pics are from last year, I've not seen these bucks on camera this year but I'll post some current pics of them if I get some.
The one in the pic background wasn't with the other two that I saw today but I know he did survive last season. Here is the buck that was in the background in the previous pic, he wasn't that big, had one side messed up: I did see a third buck further down the lake dam but it wasn't that one, he was bigger and also bigger than last year. I only got a glimpse of him as he skirted the edge of the timber and got out of sight before I got to him but it looked like he is a monster this year.
Looks like you're going to "need some help" there covey. Always remember and never forget........................ "elkguide - has bow - does travel!"
They were massive last year. Can't imagine what they're now. I love that tall and narrow one with all the extras.
Ha, yeah..I don't know, they always look bigger running away anyway and I didn't get a lot of time to study them but they sure looked better than last year. Now watch after saying that I'll get pics and they'll all be 110" deer.
I love the one with the "messed" up left side, he do that again??????!!!! Please say yes, and please kill him and please send pics!
I don't know, I know he survived season and through shedding. I hadn't run the feeders and cameras over there since early may and the batteries died in the cameras before I got back there this time so the last pics I have of those deer are so early development that I don't know what's there now. That's why it was kind of a shock and nice surprise to see the ones I did yesterday first hand in daylight. It was like instant gratification, lol. The buck with the big split main fork you asked about only survived last year through the good graces of the neighbor who let him walk on the MO side because of the point restriction. He's legal for me in KS which is his normal range but I wouldn't burn a tag on him I don't think...maybe with a rifle.
I also have a lot of history with that tall narrow/heavy buck. He's 6 years old this year and I've watched him since he was 3. The first year (three years old, 2013) I saw him on camera he had a funky split and horizontal left brow tine and a lot of junk with a drop tine so I named him Gnurley. Year two (four years old, 2014) he lost most of the drop but still had some junk, the left brow straightened up some. Late that season he got hurt and had a nasty gouge in his right rear ham, he favored that leg badly and got really skinny poor and disappeared completely, I was pretty sure he fell to infection or yotes from being weak. Last year (five years old, 2015) he appeared again pretty early in velvet to my surprise and made me very happy (posted his pic here then). The remainder of last year he stayed infrequent and I didn't get many pics of him out of velvet and all on the extreme west edge of the property. His wide 8 running mate showed up quite a few more times over summer and fall but he avoided cameras or stayed on the neighbor. Then they all shed and I couldn't make any positive ID on him a few others. The two neighbors to the west and then the third to the southwest (this one has a big alfalfa hay field) together own about two sections of completely uninhabited land that's mostly old overgrown coal mound ridges and outlined with crop fields. I'm sure he moved over there to shelter when he got hurt badly and probably focused on that afalfa over winter to recuperate. There's no telling what all is running around over on those properties, I've seen some giants back around those fields over the years. A few have been taken out but much of it is pretty inaccessible. I'm not 100% sure I could shoot Gnurley if I had the chance. I passed a dozen shots at him that first year as a three year old as he chased does around the sawtooth oak field around my favorite stand. It made me a little sick when I saw him sickly from that wound and then he disappeared. 2013: (couldn't find his better pics) 2014: Early last year 2015:
