2021 Deer Chatter/Pics/Excuses

[Hodrod]

Well, persistence paid off this morning, and I finally got to see a buck I had on camera for the last couple years in person. He’s got 13 points but should’ve been a 14, because he had already broke one off. He came in and left before shooting light, but he came back in and presented a 20 yard broadside shot. He only ran about 30 yards into tall Johnson grass and piled up. The Carbon Express XT4 broadheads shoot great, but they don’t leave a blood trail at all. I’ve never tried mechanicals, but from what I’ve read, that’s the ticket for getting blood. As thick as my place is now, I need a blood trail.
I’m pretty sure this buck is 7 and weighed right at 280 on the hoof. He gross scored 158.5”, and I’ll be honest that I misjudged his score from game cam pictures and overestimated him. However, my overall management goal for my place is to only shoot mature buck, and he definitely meets that criteria.

Last year….
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June 2021
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Well, persistence paid off this morning, and I finally got to see a buck I had on camera for the last couple years in person. He’s got 13 points but should’ve been a 14, because he had already broke one off. He came in and left before shooting light, but he came back in and presented a 20 yard broadside shot. He only ran about 30 yards into tall Johnson grass and piled up. The Carbon Express XT4 broadheads shoot great, but they don’t leave a blood trail at all. I’ve never tried mechanicals, but from what I’ve read, that’s the ticket for getting blood. As thick as my place is now, I need a blood trail.
I’m pretty sure this buck is 7 and weighed right at 280 on the hoof. He gross scored 158.5”, and I’ll be honest that I misjudged his score from game cam pictures and overestimated him. However, my overall management goal for my place is to only shoot mature buck, and he definitely meets that criteria.

Last year….
View attachment 226687
June 2021
View attachment 226688
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Great Rack........congrats
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[Hodrod]

Congrats RM!

Work has been hell so i haven't had time to post. Opening morning i saw 13 deer one being a beauty of a 3 year old i watched for 30 minutes. View attachment 226746

I told my daughter we'd go that evening so i passed on every doe, including at 5 yards. I hate cleaning multiple deer a day.

Picked her up from school and rushed to our spot. 6 1.5 year old bucks beat us there. We eased in knowing we would bump them out. Had deer within 15 yards most of the evening but i was waiting on a mature doe. My daughter has never been with me when i killed a deer so that's what we were out to do. She'd mentioned wanting to kill a deer this year and i wanted her to see one die before it was her choice to pull the trigger. 645pm 3 does came in from behind us and i shot one at 6 yards. She ran about 50 yards and fell over. We tracked the blood and she watched me some as i gutted it, discussing where hamburgers come from. One of my most prized deer kills. View attachment 226748

She tested positive for covid Sunday so we're all taking it easy this week. So far, so good. Just slight fever, headache and tired.

Great looking young lady....hope she recovers from Covid soon.....

 

[Okie4570]

Congrats on the deer down retrieverman and Makeithappen!!

 

[kirk1978]

Well, persistence paid off this morning, and I finally got to see a buck I had on camera for the last couple years in person. He’s got 13 points but should’ve been a 14, because he had already broke one off. He came in and left before shooting light, but he came back in and presented a 20 yard broadside shot. He only ran about 30 yards into tall Johnson grass and piled up. The Carbon Express XT4 broadheads shoot great, but they don’t leave a blood trail at all. I’ve never tried mechanicals, but from what I’ve read, that’s the ticket for getting blood. As thick as my place is now, I need a blood trail.
I’m pretty sure this buck is 7 and weighed right at 280 on the hoof. He gross scored 158.5”, and I’ll be honest that I misjudged his score from game cam pictures and overestimated him. However, my overall management goal for my place is to only shoot mature buck, and he definitely meets that criteria.

Last year….
View attachment 226687
June 2021
View attachment 226688
View attachment 226689

Great buck, congrats!!!

 

[kirk1978]

Congrats RM!

Work has been hell so i haven't had time to post. Opening morning i saw 13 deer one being a beauty of a 3 year old i watched for 30 minutes. View attachment 226746

I told my daughter we'd go that evening so i passed on every doe, including at 5 yards. I hate cleaning multiple deer a day.

Picked her up from school and rushed to our spot. 6 1.5 year old bucks beat us there. We eased in knowing we would bump them out. Had deer within 15 yards most of the evening but i was waiting on a mature doe. My daughter has never been with me when i killed a deer so that's what we were out to do. She'd mentioned wanting to kill a deer this year and i wanted her to see one die before it was her choice to pull the trigger. 645pm 3 does came in from behind us and i shot one at 6 yards. She ran about 50 yards and fell over. We tracked the blood and she watched me some as i gutted it, discussing where hamburgers come from. One of my most prized deer kills. View attachment 226748

She tested positive for covid Sunday so we're all taking it easy this week. So far, so good. Just slight fever, headache and tired.

Best hunts are with the kids, hopefully you all kick the covid soon! Congrats on the new hunting buddy.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Well, persistence paid off this morning, and I finally got to see a buck I had on camera for the last couple years in person. He’s got 13 points but should’ve been a 14, because he had already broke one off. He came in and left before shooting light, but he came back in and presented a 20 yard broadside shot. He only ran about 30 yards into tall Johnson grass and piled up. The Carbon Express XT4 broadheads shoot great, but they don’t leave a blood trail at all. I’ve never tried mechanicals, but from what I’ve read, that’s the ticket for getting blood. As thick as my place is now, I need a blood trail.
I’m pretty sure this buck is 7 and weighed right at 280 on the hoof. He gross scored 158.5”, and I’ll be honest that I misjudged his score from game cam pictures and overestimated him. However, my overall management goal for my place is to only shoot mature buck, and he definitely meets that criteria.

Last year….
View attachment 226687
June 2021
View attachment 226688
View attachment 226689

Awesome buck man! Try a Slick Trick. 4 blade (fixed) fly like a field point. Some models are (2) 1 1/16" blades some are (2) 1 1/8" blades.

If everyone used that broad head and made a decent shot, Jax would lose his job.

I can give ya a used head to practice and 1 to shoot a deer.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Way to MakeItHappen! Nice shot! Hope Brooke is feeling better ASAP

 

[dennishoddy]

Went to the stand today to fix a camera that was going nuts sending a pic every minute for the last 24 hours and to fix the spinner control in the feeder.
Cycled the power on the camera and it started sending pics like it should with actual motion. Stopped at Atwood's to get a new controller for the feeder.
Got it programmed and installed. It's throwing now.
Went across the road and put up a new blind. My farmer is working that ground now so the giant food plot will be put in wheat shortly.View attachment 225799

Edit: the game cam was still sending pics like crazy with zero animals, so went back over this morning and evaluated the situation. I'm currently using Spartan cell cams, the latest model.
In the pics I could see over the top of the feeder with some sky like a good pic should be if taken by a camera.
Evidently this game cam has a focal plane that looks up somewhat while still being able to detect motion below the focal plane. The area around the feeder looked like a feed lot with all the deer tracks with me never getting a pic of a deer.

Refocused the camera to point at the bottom of the feeder and did that make a difference! Deer on cam and about 30 raccoon pics so far tonight.
Coon cuffs coming to eliminate those corn robbers.
Problem solved!

 

[retrieverman]

Edit: the game cam was still sending pics like crazy with zero animals, so went back over this morning and evaluated the situation. I'm currently using Spartan cell cams, the latest model.
In the pics I could see over the top of the feeder with some sky like a good pic should be if taken by a camera.
Evidently this game cam has a focal plane that looks up somewhat while still being able to detect motion below the focal plane. The area around the feeder looked like a feed lot with all the deer tracks with me never getting a pic of a deer.

Refocused the camera to point at the bottom of the feeder and did that make a difference! Deer on cam and about 30 raccoon pics so far tonight.
Coon cuffs coming to eliminate those corn robbers.
Problem solved!

When I set up a camera, I always walk in front of it a couple times and check the “focus”. My biggest problem is growing grass triggering my cameras. Some days I get a couple hundred pictures of grass moving on windy days.

 

[dennishoddy]

When I set up a camera, I always walk in front of it a couple times and check the “focus”. My biggest problem is growing grass triggering my cameras. Some days I get a couple hundred pictures of grass moving on windy days.

I did too when setting it up. Caught me riding through on the ATV as well, but zero animals until it was focused way lower than I thought it should be. It's closer than I like so that may be partially the issue.

Congrats on the deer taken today retrieverman and Makeithappen!!