The split brow tine 12 (I think he is a 12, the first two pictures), is the one I am kicking myself over. I was going to hunt that morning (the timestamp is an hour forward, it was actually 6:23 and I think shooting time was 10 mins away anyway...). I would have at least seen him with my eyes if I went instead of bagging the hunt due to family stuff.
Oh Well.
Did shoot a yote from the stand which is always a plus.
He visited this night in late October and did not like the foam target buck at all...
Does make me wonder, though, if the Old Dudes are really all that crafty, or if they just happen to keep unusual hours and that's all it takes?
That said.. I got out real briefly last Thursday night for one last go, and ended up driving away right at sunset. Saw a LOT of deer on the way home in that first 30 minutes past sundown.
Up in MN (and CO & WY) we were always permitted that last half hour, and frankly, on a cloudy day it was too dark well before it got too late. But insofar as the deer adjust to hunting pressure, the biggest difference is that here you can at least see what you're missing out on. At least some of the time.....
I always see deer in the 30 minutes after sunset. They move a lot in my area during that timeframe. But having said that, grunt or rattling 30 minutes before sunset will bring them looking also. Shot a buck last year doing that same thing.
That big split brow buck I posted was well away from bedding, on a travel route. He was freshening that scrape. Does were mostly visiting it.
This year was weird though. With the acorns and warm weather, I didn't see the really big deer much in shooting hours, on camera at least. Besides the one or two odd days they were cruising midday during the rut.
Hoping for a weak acorn crop and some cold early season weather next season.
My feeling is those big deer are in the thick stuff. You wont catch them cruising the open hardwoods all that much unless they are chasing.
Im going to adjust a bit next season and hang a stand in some THICK swampy area that I know big deer use. I have seen them in the past, antler tines way up above the thickets cruising through, steam from their breathing rising on a cool November morning.
I already have a stand close to bedding area, that's the one I shot a buck out of last season.
Steve - looks like you got a great baiting set up there, getting lots of critters! Really cool.
