Nothing again for me tonight. I will keep at it. I may be heading to eastern shore to chase sika deer this weekend, this will be a first for me. Have been wanting to do it for years!
I had one little 8 ptr right before closing at less than 10 yards. Fun to watch and just happy to see something. Sure wish I knew where all the does disappeared to?
I hàd 3 lone does over the weekend w/o fawns and one fawn (still spotted) w/ no doe. That coupled with the fact all the deer have taken to bedding on the ridge tops overlooking the valleys, rather than in the valleys themselves makes me believe the wolves and bears are having an impact on behavior. 2 times I had bucks walking with the wind at their backs rather than their usual into or cross wind routes. Not sure if this is due to the odd E/SE wind or if they are more worried about predators sneaking up on them from behind than they used to be. We moved a stand right before we left and in doing so discovered a yellow jacket nest in the ground that a bear had annihilated. We know it was a bear b/c we found his poop nearby. First time we've seen any bear sign, never got one on camera although the neighbor did in 15. Neighbor a mile south has had a wolf pair raising pups on their property since 14. We've never gotten one on camera but we have had the same bucks on camera so stands to reason they are learning about how to avoid big predators.
I am almost certain this is the same buck I had broadside at 60. He's really rangy with no chest or paunch so I think he's only a 2.5 yo! Mainframe 10 w/ split. Don't think I could bring myself to pass him next year as a 3.5 but holy God he's going to be a GIANT if he makes it to 4. What do you guys think... 115-120" right now? My buck last year was just under 100" and this one has at least another 10-15" on him. Sorry for the graininess on the first pic; I somehow managed to delete it from my SD card but luckily I took a screen shot pic from my phone to send to my dad. You can see it's the same buck due to the split brow. Also, the time/date is off. It's actually 09/05 @ appx. 2am.
I would agree with his neck and shoulders, it look like a 2 1/2 year old. That is definitely the kind of buck to pass
I agree. It will take willpower but I can do it at least thru this season. I KNOW the one neighbor will take him if he gets a chance. I'm hoping he sees one of the dozen or so basket 8s first. He shoots the first 8+ he sees every year; which is actually nice for us b/c then his season is done and he's no longer hunting the same deer. Neighbors, wolves, and bears Oh My. Speaking of Sitka deer Holt; here is that goofy 5 I saw this weekend: and this has got to be his brother: and last but not least is Piggy; not 35 yards from my stand broadside at 9:40 am...the day before Opening Day.
Good luck to you luck SOBs already hunting! I haven't been on here in awhile, but I've been staying busy. Finished up the hay bale blind this week and checked the camera at the house I just bought. Wasn't expecting anything, but this guy showed up several times, night and day. My stand is about 15 yards from where he was standing. He won't get a pass if he shows up. The blind also turned out okay. The material isn't what I wanted, but the deer won't mind. Planning on leaving it alone until November/December. https://imgur.com/a/5JIYb https://imgur.com/2qAEllF https://imgur.com/MuLOorQ
Judging by your other thread; I'm reasonably certain this will be the only time you'll be jealous of us all season.
Finally got one of my food plot stands hung and ready. Food plots are looking great despite drought conditions here.
Partially the reason for my jealousy...I have a 170" 10 pt showing up in daylight in a radish/oat plot behind my house, almost every evening for the past 2 weeks....If season was open right now I'd have him killed already...I'm hoping his pattern doesn't change by the time season opens here. But it probably will.
So what is everyone's realistic expectations as far as points go? Team 15 already has almost 400 pts...it's going to take some effort to win. Myself, I hope to contribute at least 200 points. I will kill a doe, probably either mid October or December. As far as bucks, my #1, a buck I call Triple X, will go 190" or so...but I have several other mature 150-170 class deer that I will shoot also. I won't shoot anything smaller even if mature until late season.
If we average a contribution of 125 points we would destroy last year's high score. Last year's winning team scored 1283 and change. For you non-math majors, that's less than 107 per teammate. Like I said early on in this thread- my personal goal is 150. I'd be satisfied with 125. Legitimately ecstatic with anything over 160.
I agree with dnoodles.. and let's call it "realistic possibilities", because with expectations, comes pressure; and I refuse to stress myself out over something I love. Anyone who knows me knows that I've killed more deer over the last 20 years than I can remember. I'll kill my doe(s) either early or late. As for a buck, it's too difficult to predict in the big-woods (no ag)/hill country/public that I hunt. Last year, I passed on four 125" or less bucks. I won't intentionally kill a buck under 135", but that's my personal choice. I hope everyone kills (or doesn't) whatever makes them happy. I'd like to turn in 200 points this season, but we'll see how it works out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The doe will be no problem for me, but the buck is not looking so good as of now. I going to take what ever buck I see that gets me worked up and is a great hunt. Not going to be picky this year due to limited hunting I will be doing. So you guys may only see 50 - 100 points from me, unless some monster shows up!
I'm hopeful to get a buck over 130"+ and a doe will go down eventually. I have several 8s on camera 130"+ and I have my big 10 which I would estimate at least 150". I have my inventory cam out right now over an attractant. I usually get a few more bucks that show up this time of year to get an idea about shooters. Last year I got too excited early season and shot a young 100" 8 point for the contest. I also shot a 130" with my gun. Now that I've shot a several 100-130" bucks over the past few years I'm going to try to hold out for larger. I get two buck tags and I can buy as many private land doe tags as I want so we'll see. I typically wait until it gets colder to shoot does. Something about dressing a deer and getting it processed in 80 degree weather I just don't enjoy.
Last year was my best year in the contest, I harvested a 163 inch buck and a doe and for the 1st time was in the 200 point club. I was feeling very optimistic about this season as we were seeing some great bucks because we had been passing on immature deer for a few years and trying to only shoot mature and I feel it had been working but the dreaded EHD made its way into the area so honestly I don't know how many of our good bucks has survived. We made a decision earlier in the year to remove our trail cams after Aug. 31 and let the areas be less pressured as an experiment this year but in retrospect with the EHD it would have been nice to know if our bucks are still alive. It has been hard to watch these animals succumb to that disease and has really affected my motivation. Opener here is September 30 and I'll probably be in a stand but I have a feeling it will be bittersweet.
I wish I could tell you guys that I have been hitting the stand hard and seeing lots of deer but the truth is we are having a strange heat spell. Temps are in the mid to high 80's with high humidity. This is supposed to break next week Wednesday so until then I'll be out of the woods. I hope to shoot a doe early on and some land I hunt is 130" minimum for bucks but, I have other spots to hopefully get some points for the team.
