Well, the game cameras were a HUGE let-down this week. We checked the two cams we had on the farm yesterday (set over corn on opposite sides of the farm) and had more than 2,000 total photos.... out of those 2,000 pics we captured a grand total of 1 legal buck Last fall we captured over 30 different bucks visiting one single scrape on this farm and saw more than a dozen bucks feeding on the farm through the summer.... the crops are there and nothing has changed, but the bucks aren't around. The legal buck we did capture on cam is a decent 8 point with some great brows... we aren't sure but we believe we have photos of him from last year... Last Year: This Year: Notice the slightly longer G3's and the large G1's along with the angle of the brows. If it is the same buck, it looks like he may have damaged his left main beam earlier in the summer as it has a funky curve to it. Also, we got this doe on camera... she looks to have a HUGE belly compared to every other doe that we have captured... almost looks like she is pregnant but that would be incredibly late.
Jason, that buck looks like he may only be 2.5 years old. If he makes it to next year he will likely be an absolute slammer. That crook in his rack is pretty cool looking. That doe does have a big old belly on her. I have a picture of a doe that looks the same. I can't imagine a doe that still hasn't dropped yet, but with as many does as we have you never know. Maybe she went to late January-early February before being bred. If she is pregnant it's doubtful the fawns will make it.
I would say that's him. It's amazing what kind of antler growth they can get with just one more year of maturity. That buck is only 2.5 yrs old IMO, and he is a dandy.
Nice buck, sorry you aren't seeing more. I have the same problem with my elk pics right now, but you never know what you are going to see during the hunt!
Thanks guys Ryan, if it is the same buck, he did put on some bone but last year was also the first time that corn was left standing throughout the entire winter for the deer which should have helped out with the rough winter we had. Bry, thanks, and he is borderline for the "hitlist". Depends on what we see before season starts. We had another wide 7 point on camera a few weeks ago that looks to be another 2.5 year old buck. Funny thing is that we had about a dozen different 1.5 year old bucks on this farm last season that we all close to the size of the one above. Its still early so we aren't loosing faith just yet, it just might mean that we leave this property alone until later in the season.
