LAST UPDATED: May 8th, 2015
It looks like that last week of October when the temps gold cold really brought the big guys out to hit the scrape lines. I put my Cuddeback Capture out in Mid-October in an area where scrapes usually open up and sure enough one did about 5 days after I put my camera out. It looks like I’ve got two really good shootable 10 pointers, one scary looking 2 1/2 year old 6 point, and a nice 2 1/2 year old 8 point that I have quite a few pics of from this year and last year when he was a dink 1 1/2 year old buck. It’s really good to see that we have a few shooters running around this farm as I didn’t get any good buck pictures during the summer, which is mostly attributed to lack of food on this farm. However this area still held quite a few doe groups which I’m sure is what brought these guys out of hiding.
Unfortunately a few days ago we found a nice roadkill buck on this property with his rack cut off so I’m hoping its not one of the two big guys as I’ll be back hunting this farm now that I’m home from our trip.
This first buck looks like a 3 1/2 year old deer to me. He has good shoulder depth, but his backend is pretty small and he still has a tight stomach which indicates that he’s a younger deer. If he makes it another year this guy is gonna blow into a 160-170″ buck for sure. He’s probably pushing 150″ right now as it is and will definitely warrant an arrow from me if he gets close enough. It’s also very possible that we saw this buck a bunch of times last year as a 2 1/2. We had one good 9 point that was in the 120″ range running around last fall that had very similar coloration and shape to his rack. It’s hard to tell without more pictures or matching up sheds, but it certainly could be the same deer.
Now this is definitely an older buck. He is at least 4.5 if not 5.5. I believe this is the camera shy 10 pointer I’ve gotten photos of the past two seasons, but without a head-on shot it’s hard to tell. He’s got really good mass and long, arrow straight brows that are characteristic of that particular buck. If you look at this chest where his neck meets into his body and how deep that is, along with his slightly sagging stomach, large hindquarters, and “short” looking legs you can tell he is truly a mature deer. I’d love to get a look at this guy!
Here’s the scary looking 6 pointer. We’ve traditionally had some really big 6 point bucks on this farm over the years (3 year olds and older) but haven’t seen those particular genetics in a few years until now. He gets a pass this year, but next year he’ll be a candidate for the wall.
And this is a buck I’ve nicknamed ‘Scar’. Very original, I know. But it’s like the bad lion brother from The Lion King. You know what I’m talking about. Last year we had some pics of him when his side was all torn open, but obviously it healed and he made it. A good 2 1/2 year old buck that should be P&Y next year despite his complete lack of brown tines. Again, he’ll get a pass from me this year but next fall he won’t be so lucky. Notice how dark his tarsal glands are – this buck is in full rut for sure!
I’ve got two more cameras to check this weekend that have been out since Mid-October so I’m hoping to get a few more buck photos, hopefully a few more of these 10 pointers and possibly some other big bucks that seem to show up out of nowhere during the fall.
All of these images were taken with my new Cuddeback Capture trail camera, which still had plenty of battery life after being in the woods for nearly a month. I’ve said it multiple times that for $200 you’ll be hard pressed to find a better trail camera right now. We have them in stock and ready to ship here at Bowhunting.com so get them out in the woods while you still can, now is the time to get some good photos!! Click here to buy now.
