For most, it would be foolish to believe that every velvet buck you see or capture on camera in the summer will still be around come fall on your hunting grounds(unless you have access to large pieces of land). Once the velvet starts peeling not to long afterward the bachelor groups break up and a lot of the bucks leave their summer range to their fall range (especially true with drying beans fields). There have been a lot of instances where I had watched some bucks on "my" lands and buddies of mine had watched deer in their certain areas all summer, but then were saw a mile or more away during hunting season (I am not talking about the rut either). I guess I am saying the only trail cam photos you can really count on are photos taken during the season.
You are correct sir, but even as your deer leave others may pass through. The regulars may disperse but someone will be hanging around, especially if you have a good food source or a decent travel corridor.
I have often seen the largest bucks of bachelor groups stick together into the first couple weeks of October and still be holding to their summer patterns if their preferred food source has not changed. This was the case when I arrowed a 10 pt which was still running with an 8 pt on Oct 4th. I had watched these bucks all summer long on the same alfalfa field. Two smaller bucks had also been part of the group during the summer and through most of Sept.
That's definetly true. I'm fairly sure that's true of one of my spots. I couldn't say this year, though. I've gotten zero pictures and haven't been there to glass at all but, it seems logical. For the most part, it's agricultural fields. The property is 440 acres and I would say that 400 is crop fields. It would seem logical that they would be there eating the beans and corn during the summer, but when the fields are harvested, there really is no food there anymore. The timber that is there is softwoods, mostly maple and cottonwood. I've not seen an oak tree yet. So it would seem to me that once the crops are gone, so would too be the deer. They do some bedding there because of the cover, and it's a HELL of a rut spot. But I don't think they feed there at all during the fall/winter. This is a spot I really intended to do some glassing on this summer, but life was pretty busy this year I just didn't have the time. So I have no idea what's there, this year. I had my camera set up but got 0 deer pictures. There are, however, lots of raccoon and groundhogs.
It is a good chance that those bucks were not ones that relocate to a fall range from their summer range. There may not have been much competition for food, bedding and breeding rights.
Scott It really depends on the given area I suspect. Our bow season starts early so most bucks are still roaming their summer area. The couple guys that I know who use them either have spreader feeders or use a " big " pile of bait for the cameras. They bow hunt over these spots. They have very good luck targetting certain bucks on their trail cams. The one guy that loves a big pile of bait has shot two 160 plus and two 140 plus in the last 4 years. His boy had an oppertunity of shooting the big 4X5 a couple years ago but passed since it wouldn't stop walking. Another guy and his boy have shot 140 - mid 150s bucks over their baited trail cam spots also in early season. The tactic does work pretty well here for an early season buck. It also works pretty good all season long and really well in late season. Tim
I see a lot of the bucks that have dispersed show back up during the rut when one of the local does goes into estrus.
Just finished reading about the field and stream buck in NA, and something similar was mentioned a few times in the article. The pictures of the deer they are killing are not on their cams, they are from several miles away. I know that is an every year occurance...but the more I see and hear of it, the less excited I get about 6 or 7 shooters together on our gas line around this time of year.
The big old ones we have on trail cam often have us hunters patterned, more than most guys want to admit, they seem to disappear when in reality they are in the area all along, holding tight till after dark etc. The old bucks, 4.5s and older really get this figured out. The reason many guys kill bucks that they never get on trail camera is because they are killing them much later in the season during the rutting movements. Big bucks travel well out of their core area and overlap into new grounds that they are not as familiar with when it comes to patterning hunters. I personally believe from my experience and killing several old bucks that I have actual visuals and or trail cams of, is that they really dont move too far, the big ones are just flat out careful, have great hideouts established and tolerate very little intrusion and when intruded on they have more than one escape route, especially in the big woods I hunt them in. I see bucks stay in the general area year around ... minus the deep snow level months in Jan/Feb, bout it.
For my area, food sources change too much and properties are too small. The land I hunt offers very little in food sources during the summer, but fall brings (hopefully) acorns and mast and along with it, the deer.
You really need to write a book What I got on trail cam is all that is in the area, I might just stay home, LOL
