Southern Sportsman
Well-Known Member
I've had a few hundred questions while you were on sabbatical, but since you're just easing back into posting, I'll keep it to one. I posted this last year but can't find the thread. I'd love to hear your thoughts on what was going on with this deer?
I had him on camera a lot last year. He showed up in mid-October. He was impressive but nothing seemed unusual about his body. I would get him on camera every week. Always middle of the night. I don't think I ever had a picture within 3 hours of daylight. The camera was over a well established salt lick and he loved it. Sometimes stood in it for 30 minutes to an hour and it was common for him to come to it multiple times in a night. You can only tell so much from still pictures, but he never seemed interested in anything resembling rut behavior. He seemed to ignore does and young bucks pestering does throughout November.
They are obviously supposed to gain weight going into the fall, but not like this. Fairly normal through November, but by December he looked like he'd been trough feed protein pellets all his life. He shed his antlers earlier than most and looked like a different species without them. I have a picture sequence of a button buck chasing him away from the salt lick after his antlers dropped, which just seemed weird.
I've never seen him again since January. I assume he's dead. But I've always wondered what would make an exceptional deer of seemingly normal health transform like this over the course 60 days.
I had him on camera a lot last year. He showed up in mid-October. He was impressive but nothing seemed unusual about his body. I would get him on camera every week. Always middle of the night. I don't think I ever had a picture within 3 hours of daylight. The camera was over a well established salt lick and he loved it. Sometimes stood in it for 30 minutes to an hour and it was common for him to come to it multiple times in a night. You can only tell so much from still pictures, but he never seemed interested in anything resembling rut behavior. He seemed to ignore does and young bucks pestering does throughout November.
They are obviously supposed to gain weight going into the fall, but not like this. Fairly normal through November, but by December he looked like he'd been trough feed protein pellets all his life. He shed his antlers earlier than most and looked like a different species without them. I have a picture sequence of a button buck chasing him away from the salt lick after his antlers dropped, which just seemed weird.
I've never seen him again since January. I assume he's dead. But I've always wondered what would make an exceptional deer of seemingly normal health transform like this over the course 60 days.
