1/24 fighting

[SwampChicken]

Spent the day here in East TN putting boots on the public dirt doing some post season scouting, pulling cams and looking for sheds. It was to my surprise that I saw several bucks throughout the day still holding headgear. I was even more surprised to see this 10 pt and 8 pt. having an intense fight, which I caught on Video, that lasted about ten minutes until the 8 defeated the 10. I also caught another video of a good fight on 1/21 but it was pretty foggy out for that one. The audio on these coverts is top notch

 

[BSK]

Any time bucks are in hard antler, they will spar. It's part of their social dynamic.

And if bucks had lost antlers already, I would be worried.

 

[SwampChicken]

Any time bucks are in hard antler, they will spar. It's part of their social dynamic.

And if bucks had lost antlers already, I would be worried.

I just moved here from the lowcountry of SC half way through last season. It's become apparent that deer are simply different in this part of the country...

 

[BSK]

I just moved here from the lowcountry of SC half way through last season. It's become apparent that deer are simply different in this part of the country...

Two very complicated factors drive deer behavior. First, is localized conditions. Like any animal, those genetic factors that increase survival and reproductive success in those local conditions will become predominant in the local population. Those factors may be VERY different than deer not far away living under different conditions (i.e. say mountain deer versus deer living in nearby bottomlands). Second is individual animal health. Take two groups of deer from the same area, give one group more resources than the other (making the first group healthier) and the two groups will display different behavior and even reproductive timing. This second driving factor in deer behavior is very important, as it can be used to assess local deer health. When is peak breeding? When do bucks shed their antlers? How much rubbing activity do bucks participate in during the rut? All of these behaviors/timings can be indicative of the local population's health. However, how do you determine if local differences are caused by differences in herd health or differences caused by genetic adaption to localized conditions? That is the tricky part!

 

[TheLBLman]

However, how do you determine if local differences are caused by differences in herd health or differences caused by genetic adaption to localized conditions? That is the tricky part!

I suspect you are a trickster!

Do bucks REALLY shed their antlers EVERY year?

 

[BSK]

That's a trade secret I'll never tell!

 

[redblood]

Any time bucks are in hard antler, they will spar. It's part of their social dynamic.

And if bucks had lost antlers already, I would be worried.

Well then i should worry. I video of 27 bucks in a one group in crops fields. Shot on Thursday. About 2/3 had shed one or both sides

 

[BSK]

Well then i should worry. I video of 27 bucks in a one group in crops fields. Shot on Thursday. About 2/3 had shed one or both sides

That's a sign of excessive stress, either rut stress or nutritional stress, or both. In Middle TN, bucks should hold their antlers into late February, March and even early April.

If I see a mature buck losing antlers in mid-January into mid-February, that's understandable, as they experience the highest rut stress. But if lots of bucks are losing antlers in January or early February, I get worried.

 

[Tom Collins]

Thats good stuff.

 

[redblood]

our deer density is off the chart no doubt

 

[Andy S.]

Good photos, thanks for sharing. I have gotten photos of buck sparring in last week as well. SW TN.

 

[DoubleRidge]

I just moved here from the lowcountry of SC half way through last season. It's become apparent that deer are simply different in this part of the country...

SwampChicken....great pics.. ..how high are your cameras mounted from the ground? And how are you installing them? Heard of guys using one climbing stick or even small light weight step ladder.....with goal being to prevent people from seeing the camera on public land.....or to prevent mature bucks from shying away from the camera site.....I've never tried this camera height before and I'm curious about your technique....thanks.

 

[SwampChicken]

I use one climbing stick with an aider to get it around 12'+ off the ground. The deer seem to be much more tolerant of the cameras at this height and if another hunter walks by, which is extremely rare for my camera locations, they probably won't spot it. The tricky part is getting the camera to angle down correctly as I don't use any screw in methods to the trees. In this instance I had a piece of a stick wedged between the camera and the tree to get the field of view I was hoping for. A branch at a 20-30 degree angle or a spot where a limb has broken off works as well, it all just depends on the tree.

 

[BSK]

I use one climbing stick with an aider to get it around 12'+ off the ground. The deer seem to be much more tolerant of the cameras at this height and if another hunter walks by, which is extremely rare for my camera locations, they probably won't spot it. The tricky part is getting the camera to angle down correctly as I don't use any screw in methods to the trees. In this instance I had a piece of a stick wedged between the camera and the tree to get the field of view I was hoping for. A branch at a 20-30 degree angle or a spot where a limb has broken off works as well, it all just depends on the tree.

Oh boy, do I ever remember the days of wedging sticks behind my cameras to get the right angle! Although they're not the cheapest in the world, these adjustable screw in camera mounts are the BOMB! Over the last few years I've picked up enough to cover most of the cameras I'm using:

Slate River Stealth Game Camera Mount

The Slate River Stealth EZ-Aim game camera mount is simple and easy to use. Mount your camera in seconds to a tree & take the perfect angled wildlife shot.

www.trailcampro.com

 

[DoubleRidge]

I use one climbing stick with an aider to get it around 12'+ off the ground. The deer seem to be much more tolerant of the cameras at this height and if another hunter walks by, which is extremely rare for my camera locations, they probably won't spot it. The tricky part is getting the camera to angle down correctly as I don't use any screw in methods to the trees. In this instance I had a piece of a stick wedged between the camera and the tree to get the field of view I was hoping for. A branch at a 20-30 degree angle or a spot where a limb has broken off works as well, it all just depends on the tree.

Thanks.... appreciate the information. I'm not as worried about people either..more so the deer noticing the camera....plus I still have some older cameras that work well but they are not black flash....I can tell from many still images that certain deer do notice the camera.....and recently, after reading so many comments on here, I have started experimenting with the video mode ... Videos so far have been very interesting....but one mature doe in particular clearly spooked when the camera came on ...she exited stage left in a hurry....so I'm hoping elevating the camera will help with this... (With certain trees and certain elevations I've had to use a stick before even with a low level set up). Thanks again for the information.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Oh boy, do I ever remember the days of wedging sticks behind my cameras to get the right angle! Although they're not the cheapest in the world, these adjustable screw in camera mounts are the BOMB! Over the last few years I've picked up enough to cover most of the cameras I'm using:

Slate River Stealth Game Camera Mount

The Slate River Stealth EZ-Aim game camera mount is simple and easy to use. Mount your camera in seconds to a tree & take the perfect angled wildlife shot.

www.trailcampro.com

Nice....I'll check them out....thanks

 

[redblood]

2 good prospects for the upcoming season. Nothing like seeing a mature buck this time of yr, knowing odds are good you will meet again