A lesson in buck genes.. behavior.. and mock scrapes

Okay.. this is pretty cool. Many of you might recall some success I had last year over a community mock scrape I started and took 2 good deer from last season.

This year.. I learned a few new tricks.. more about genes.. behaviors.. and even a little about myself as I evolve as a hunter.

Below you will see some trailcam pics taken over the scrape this season... and unlike many articles I've read in the past.. the 1.5 yr olds did not further expand their home ranges the following year... instead they just grew more bone.. heavier.. smarter.. but continued to visit the same mock scrape I started this year.. like it had become part of their memory and thus... a place they visited... some quite often.

The difference 1 year gave them in age turned several into nearly nocturnal animals... until only the breeding season... and even then.. mostly nocturnal.

The buck below is "Skittles"... a solid 2 yr old last season who I hoped would blossom at age 3... he did not... added another point.. and A LOT of weight... but still an Illinois buck who at age 3 measures no more than 110" or so on his head. You can see him pass by me in Bowhunt or Die.. episode 7 at just 7 or 8 yards after visiting my scrape.. the same he visited often last season.





The buck below is my "Stud 2" (he never earned a cool nickname)... I saw him more than any buck last season visiting my scrape.. he even gave a buck secret away that I used this year effectively. As you can see... he was a stud at age 1... and at age 2 he DID blossom... a magnificient 2 yr old... nearly P&Y already.. wow. I hope he sticks around 2 more years... cause he's not the norm. The interesting thing about him at age 2... about 50 pics of him this year.. only 1 during shooting hours... only 1.





And I have 2 other bucks that have come back to this mock scrape... just a year older. Amazing to witness this... it has been the best part of my season.

 

The 1.5s stick around huh? Dang, even the deer in Illinois are inbreeding. I thought it was just the humans.

Good info, Mike, thanks for sharing. Stud 2 is just that...a stud.

 

No... not all the 1.5 yr olds from last year stuck around.. but several did.

 

I'd like to know what you're putting in your mock scrapes, Mike. It's a tactic I'd like ot use in the coming weeks.

Good thread, BTW.

 

Interesting write-up, Duke. Don't take this the wrong way but how do you know that both of your "stud 2" pics are the same buck? I always have a hard time with that.

 

My thoughts exactly. I didn't look long, but nothing in those two pics makes me think they are the same buck.

 

Details.. you have to pay attention to the details.. although it helps I have dozens of more pics to compare and many seasons under my belt as a shed hunter.

Here... notice brow tines.. beam lenghts compared with tine location... even left side G-3 which slighlty bends forward.. his only tine that does so..

Even facial features.

 

The 2008 pic, that buck's left brow tine is curving inward to the right brow (which you can't really see). In the 2010 pic, that same brow tine appears to be straight or even curving the other way.

Like I said, I have a hard time determining if a buck is the same from pics from different years....unless he has something very unique.

 

That first buck is a tank! He's gotta be 200lb+. Care to give up the buck secret stud2 taught you?

 

Great thread, how did you catch these guys in the daylight over these scrapes?

 

Great read Mike.

My buddy and I are fortunate enough to have gained access to some land where we're finally able to monitor the deer as they age. It's neat to see how some deer will completely go off the grid, while others behave much, much more predictably.

I'm still in Chapter 1, but we're also starting to see what a big scoring buck looks like as a yearling or a two-year old . . . and also what a low scoring buck looks like as a two year old.

This year, I think I'm gonna pick up a variety of scents, and start tinkering with scrapes over the offseason. You and Troy have piqued my interest enough to give it a try.

I'm still going to harvest the lion's share of my summertime camera pics off of my homebrew minerals, but I'm actually going to lay a few traps in my stand sites with community scrapes, just to see how that goes.

 

Nice read Mike I'm going to pick your brain next year. I have a perfect spot for mock scrape and want to try it.

 

I'm not saying he Isn't but It's hard to believe a 2 year old can be that big.

I've been watching for last years 1.5 year olds as well and so far I haven't gotten any pics of ones from last year over my mock scrapes. These mocks are a blast aren't they?!

 

Very interesting stuff, Mike ...and this pic looks like an AWESOME painting ...

 

Finch.. I love you.. but no its not. I have dozens of pics.. I'll post you another tomorrow with more time.

Pay no attention to dates or years on my pics.. I never set those.. its 2009 and 2010.

 

A trail I did not know previously existed but was faint... a cog in its wheel was a tree that had fallen over.. steering the deer away from my stand due to higher waters in the cattail marsh.

I promptly removed the tree last spring... the deer once again utilize the trail.

That buck helped me out tremendously.

 

Not sure I understand the Q.... the camera did... cause its a camera?

 

I just can't seem to piss you off, huh? Just kidding....that's not my agenda. I'm just trying to learn something here. :D

 

Why?

It's been proven time and time again that most 200" deer are a mere 3 yrs of age... some 4.

A whitetail can easily reach 120" at 2 yrs with the right genes... even bigger. JZ shot one last year near 130". They are uncommon though certainly.. thats why my interest is peaked with this one.

 

No prob.. I'll post those pics tomorrow though with more time.

But... notice only that the his right brow is shorter than left... beam coming off in same position on head... and I'll give you better tine pics tomorrow.

And look at his face... its identical... even his "just saw the unusual object on the tree again" look.