Who got a pass?

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by MooseRiverTrapper

How far do you think these mature bucks are travelling? Killed a 176” this year and had velvet pics of him 14km away as crow flies. Solid bush deer.

That varies a lot in my opinion

Some keep a really tight home range within 3-4km or less. Others I have found out to that 15km range like you experienced. Most I would say 5-6km ish is probably common.

But all that said there is bucks in my area that I have no clue on their range and really just know they randomly appear in certain areas during the rut. I rarely get them on camera and even after checking out numerous surrounding locations in the area I have no clue where they go. So they may have a much larger range

There is a reason I call some old bush bucks phantoms because they just appear and disappear at random and you just can’t figure them out

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by MooseRiverTrapper

How far do you think these mature bucks are travelling? Killed a 176” this year and had velvet pics of him 14km away as crow flies. Solid bush deer.

Too me that seems really far away...congrats on the big buck!

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by MK2750

I always thought that anytime after the 20th was ideal right up until the last day. When I finally decided to join the trail camera crowd my thoughts were proven correct with big bucks actively roaming hard into December.

That all went out the window this year however as the last 2 weeks were pretty dead on every camera I checked so far and the cell cameras. There was the odd buck but they were cautiously creeping around their home areas, no strange bucks cruising through with their noses to the ground and heads in the clouds.

What I did learn from cameras is just how awesome the pre-rut is and the myth of a complete lock down on or about mid month. I have been running cameras for 3 or 4 years now and from mid October to about November 5th is incredible for deer movement. It slows down a bit as they adjust to the influx of hunters but that seems to be short lived as activity picks right up again until about the 15th or 16th. Activity after the 5th is most certainly more common in the bush around bedding areas. I use to sit out the first of the month mostly still hunting/scouting for the end of the month. I now believe that the first week of November is the probably the best time to get a big buck if you know his core area. The last week of October as well if it is open.

Mid month it did slow down but there still was some awesome activity where ever there were does. On normal years I believe the big bucks do rest a bit after the peak and start to wander hard on or about the 20th but not this year.

My theory on this was the low doe activity. They didn't have to browse much during the day as it was warm enough that they were not burning calories just to stay warm. They instinctively preserve fat when possible with low activity. This of course makes them very easy for a buck to locate as they are hanging around bedding areas all day. Bedding areas are generally hard to hunt as they are in thick protected areas.

Like you I’ve always liked the last 10 days which are suppose to be cold with hopefully snow but this year was the exception as it was beyond warm for November and could only imagine some deer were pretty hot with them winter coats on.

Banking on the bucks roaming near the end of the month is key for me because I don’t have trail cameras and know the individual deer I’m hunting.chances are though the last few days of the month if it’s cold with snow the bucks will return to there home base and will be out in the open grain fields feeding in the daylight.

[58thecat]

Well thank you for the pass...I got a 160 class buck that frequents our birdfeeder now...motion camera picked him up a few times...next year buddy...no pass!!!

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Completely agree with everything you just wrote and I have definitely seen different personalities. Nothing with deer is the same across the population

I also agree some bucks don’t seem to care about breeding. Some seem very focused on self preservation as a priority rut or not. Others are well just different or maybe as politically incorrect as it might sound gay for all I know but they definitely lack drive. Some are also very shy and seem to avoid conflict

There definitely is a difference in drive and some bucks don’t seem to roam at all. My theory is they have lower sex drive and just breed the does close by

Exceptions do every theory and observations are out there

[Curtsyneil]

I think that if you have a poor buck to doe ratio and or opposite you see a lot of different things during November. Bucks in my area do not travel or roam miles to find doe’s they stay in there home range and let the doe’s come to them. I’ve seen it multiple years now. It’s not cause they lack sex drive or there just too old to breed they adapt to there surroundings and learn how to stay alive and breed without ever leaving there core area. Every bucks attitude is different for sure.

[Rvsask]

Originally Posted by whitetail Junkie

How close in days were the 2 bucks killed?

I’ve always thought/believed that some deer are unique in behaviour as I’ve seen it with my own eyes.I saw the same buck one year come out every evening with its ears back and try to ass poke every other deer in the field and I saw a doe one year kicking other deer in the field...really mean individual’s...lol

From deer habits/activity I’ve seen over the years I swear some bucks don’t even rut and breed..I don’t know if they are infertile,lazy,to old,have mechanical issues with there junk...lol...maybe the one you guys got with all the fat was one of them.

They were killed 8 days apart, one this past Sunday, December 3, the other the weekend before. The day before, the 2nd, my son who killed the buck on the third rattled in four bucks between 2 and 4 p.m. the last of them was a big shooter that came hard like a race horse across open ground as soon as the antlers were smashed together. Unfortunately for my son who is just a teen the buck took some low ground when he could , only showing his antlers until he cut my boy’s wind and it was game over. Fortunately for him the next morning he killed the buck he had been hoping to kill all along. lol

I find very late in our season to be the best time to have a chance at a big mystery buck that is covering some serious ground trying to find one last doe.

Great thread!

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by Rvsask

They were killed 8 days apart, one this past Sunday, December 3, the other the weekend before. The day before, the 2nd, my son who killed the buck on the third rattled in four bucks between 2 and 4 p.m. the last of them was a big shooter that came hard like a race horse across open ground as soon as the antlers were smashed together. Unfortunately for my son who is just a teen the buck took some low ground when he could , only showing his antlers until he cut my boy’s wind and it was game over. Fortunately for him the next morning he killed the buck he had been hoping to kill all along. lol

I find very late in our season to be the best time to have a chance at a big mystery buck that is covering some serious ground trying to find one last doe.

Great thread!

Yaa thats alot of fat on a buck still even if it was the one shot in november....

I tend to eat abit more than the average guy to keep myself alive in the winter months and maybe that butterball buck was just that kind of guy too

Congrats on the success!

[Smokinyotes]

Instead of whitetail season being November 1-30 I’d prefer Nov 10- Dec 10. Saw a ton of bucks after Dec 1 that were still rutting hard.

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by Curtsyneil

I think that if you have a poor buck to doe ratio and or opposite you see a lot of different things during November. Bucks in my area do not travel or roam miles to find doe’s they stay in there home range and let the doe’s come to them. I’ve seen it multiple years now. It’s not cause they lack sex drive or there just too old to breed they adapt to there surroundings and learn how to stay alive and breed without ever leaving there core area. Every bucks attitude is different for sure.

Interesting perspective...some of the areas i hunt this could be the case and i dont know it...alot of times dad and i hunt the spots with the highest doe concentration in hopes of a rutting buck coming out with them as they feed but maybe he has always been there or is there but doesnt show himself because like you say lets the does come to him in the bush that he rarly leaves in the daylight.

I know the smart/elusive bucks will stand or bed just within with the bush if they are with a hot doe that is out in the open feeding and keep an eye on her without exposing themselves.unless another buck comes up to the doe its highly unlikey he will step out until its dark.

[Rvsask]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

Instead of whitetail season being November 1-30 I’d prefer Nov 10- Dec 10. Saw a ton of bucks after Dec 1 that were still rutting hard.

Our season ended today. Ironically this evening I passed the best buck I’ve passed all year and I hesitated on it. He was tending a doe. He’s lucky we’re meat rich.

[MK2750]

Not sure about an actual pass but I encountered many bucks in the past few years. It is more of a would've, could've and probably should've in most cases. These are all from this season.

I didn't target this particular buck but have a couple of stands in his core area and several cameras. He is a home body and quite predictable. I am very confident I could've. I will be very disappointed if he is not around next year. He is alive as of a day ago and looks to be in good shape for the winter. He lives in the territory of a small pack of 5 wolves so he will have to be careful. The wound on his shoulder is from his main rival who lives in a thick swamp about a mile away. It is completely healed now. My cameras are on video mode so at the time of there pictures he had a bit of a limp. IMO he is 4 1/2 years old and should be a brute if the stars line up.

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[MK2750]

This is his nasty neighbour. I would've but got side tracked hunting another buck. I passed this buck 2 years in a row. He has a real mean streak that makes him vulnerable. I grunted him in twice. I have several videos of him being an absolute bully. He is a brute body wize but hasn't changed rack much in the last 3 years.

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[MK2750]

To give you an idea of the last ones size, this is a 3 1/2 year old under the same tree. I love this buck with his splits on the left side and hope to see him grow up. He is very cautious and actually runs if you grunt at him. Probably from living with an idiot but I think he is a smart one.

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[MK2750]

There is several others in this one spot but this is the other major player. This buck is a wanderer. He disappeared mid month and just showed up on camera again a couple of days ago. I could've taken him during the first week as he was very active but then gone. I was glad to see him again for I feared he was harvested. You can see the bully in the back ground and a broken antler buck that hopefully learned to stay clear.

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I didn't hunt that last area hardly at all this season but I am hoping they survive the winter so I can focus on that one spot next year.

[DirtShooter]

MK2750 those are good quality photos. What cameras are you using?

[fishnguy]

Nice pics, MK. The accompanying comments are nice as well.

[MK2750]

Originally Posted by DirtShooter

MK2750 those are good quality photos. What cameras are you using?

Those are from cheap Amazon cameras. I use the GardePro A3 and Meidase P60 mostly. They are from the same manufacturer I believe as the set up is basically identical. I read somewhere there is Sony guts inside. Those are screen shots from video. The actual videos are awesome.

I have several other areas I hunt. I just have to get the pics from the videos to post them. It is a pain.

[MK2750]

Here is the local wolf pack. Thankfully there is only five of them and I think this pack may soon be no more. The old black alpha has a bad case of shoulder mites and is getting pretty sad looking. The Omega is as skinny as a rake this fall so they are probably hoping for some brutal weather to weaken their prey. The 3 younger looking ones look healthy enough but this group is not nearly as impressive as the others I have on camera. I have awesome videos of these guys. The black chased a deer right by the camera in the dark. He looked like a possessed demon. I know we are suppose to hate them but I do not. I had two different ones walk by my stands this year and it didn't even cross my mind to shoot them. I don't mind that people do but dogs are some of my favorite people.

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[58thecat]

Awesome pics and you got some decisions to make next season

That last pic of the wolves the one is eyeballing me

I must smell like venison pepperoni....

[Hoopi]

Hi, I am enjoying this thread. I am going to incorporate this knowledge into my strategy. But, to be frank, I shoot the first decent branch-antlered WT/MD deer I see. I am a big fan of Dr. Valerius Geist. Here is a podcast he did with Meateater that you may enjoy. He chimes in at about the 17-minute mark in the podcast. https://www.themeateater.com/listen/...valerius-geist

Hoopi

[DRhunter]

Great pics MK, those wolves would look really nice in a rug...

DR

[Big Lou]

Originally Posted by Hoopi

Hi, I am enjoying this thread. I am going to incorporate this knowledge into my strategy. But, to be frank, I shoot the first decent branch-antlered WT/MD deer I see. I am a big fan of Dr. Valerius Geist. Here is a podcast he did with Meateater that you may enjoy. He chimes in at about the 17-minute mark in the podcast. https://www.themeateater.com/listen/...valerius-geist

Hoopi

I quite like that Podcast and have listened to it several times over the last couple years. For anyone who hasn’t taken it in, it’s worth the listen at some point.

[whitetail Junkie]

Neat wolf pictures...the black one sure does look beat down and old as its got some grey in it the muzzle too.

I had a wolf in my cross hairs 2 years ago and same thing I couldnt pull the trigger on it and was thrilled to see one.

3 hours later I heard 2 gun shots from where I knew dad was sitting on the bush line .I trotted over there pretty quick to see the big buck he hopefully hit...nope the same wolf walked by him and he blasted it...hahaha.it was meant to be i guess.

She was at one point caught in a snare and broke free from it and had a bad infection around the neck so in the end it might have been a good thing dad pulled the trigger.

[MK2750]

I have another stand a few miles away from that first spot. From the pictures, my tree stand is tucked in the mature spruce in front of the camera and behind the deer. This camera gets nothing but does until the action starts in fall. The first buck showed up on this camera on Oct 26 just after the first snow. I counted a dozen or so visiting this scrape from spikes to 5s. I sat this stand several times hoping for a chance at two bucks (a 5 and a 4) They summer about 3/4 of a mile away. They travel together in summer and looked awesome in velvet. Both showed up but got a pass again this season. I need to get in and check the cameras in the area to see if they are still alive and kicking.

This is the 5

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This is the 4

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Both awesome critters that I hope to encounter again.