Finally found one to chase this year

Joined
Jul 2, 2019
Messages
14
Location
MI
What a monster... He's still got another month to grow too! Hopefully he sticks around until bow season comes around. Good luck to ya
 

wthunter

FNG
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Messages
40
Location
Iowa
What a monster... He's still got another month to grow too! Hopefully he sticks around until bow season comes around. Good luck to ya

You would be surprised. I've had some old mature bucks be finished growing by the second or third week of July. On the flip side I've had some that didn't look like much after the second week of July put on a ton of growth. I usually just look at the bulbs at the end of the tines and color of the velvet. You can tell when they are about to be done. Ever since I started running cameras earlier in the season, I have been surprised at the variability of antler growth and development between deer.
 
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TravisIN

TravisIN

WKR
Joined
Oct 8, 2017
Messages
974
Interesting development. This deer was across the road from my house most of the summer. Very regular. That property is basically a pasture and a tree row. I knew the odds of actually hunting him were very low. Especially since he has quit showing up. Wellll I just checked cards on my main farm that is over two miles away and close to 400 acres (I share it with the owners and their family and the pumpers that work the oil wells. It’s just a permission spot honestly glorified public). And in the smack dab in the middle of the farm he appears. He still a long shot to even see but the fact that he is on that farm that I know extremely well at the time of the year when the mature bucks show up on that farm that stay there through the fall definitely gets me pumped. The day is obviously wrong, it’s two months off. Aug 2 is the date of the pic. I literally was just texting my buddy about how my next card pull should show me who’s gonna be around. It’s always August when I get the big boys. I just can’t believe he showed up here of all places. He had to cross a lot of obstacles to get where he is now. Me and the neighbor share all our info and over the years we’ve only had a handful of bucks that we have “shared” and our farms touch and are connected with thick woods. Needless to say I’m pumped and rambling. The story continues for now
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wthunter

FNG
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Messages
40
Location
Iowa
Very cool buck Travis! He is a stud for sure. His mass in unreal.

I often wonder how many ghost deer I hunt. The ones who show up during the summer but then disappear right before the season starts. When I am sitting in a treestand days on end after a specific deer I often think they are several miles away and I literally have no chance of killing.

I have two farms a couple miles apart and I will get the same deer on camera. Depending on the terrain, I don't think it is all that uncommon for whitetails. I have other bucks who stick to a very tight home range. I hope it is the opposite for me this year....my farms are light on nice bucks this year. I am hoping some big ones move in this year.
 

Ccg2009

FNG
Joined
Oct 13, 2019
Messages
36
What’s the status of that deer? Is he yours yet? Good luck. What a beautiful deer
 
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TravisIN

TravisIN

WKR
Joined
Oct 8, 2017
Messages
974
Like I was afraid of he’s vanished. We got ehd pretty bad this year and have lost a ton of bucks. The property I have is permission and I share it with several hunters and no one has mentioned seeing anything big. They’ve always been honest so I don’t think they’d hide it. They usually aren’t on mature bucks and kill two and three year olds. I’m trying to hunt down this guy now. Unless that other buck shows back up it’ll be him or nothing. My two weeks off starts Friday!!
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Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
8,819
Location
Shenandoah Valley
I wouldn't give up on him. I have lost several bucks from camera only to suddenly have them show back up. I think the older ones get suspect of cameras and start to dodge them. Some I would hardly get pictures of, show up only in the background while others triggered the camera, til the rut when they weren't paying attention.

Good luck.
 
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