A few pics and a ?

Bone Collector · Jun 12, 2016

I pulled these pics today off of a camera that I set out in a new area that I set a new tree stand in on my property. Mainly the same deer kept coming through, but then this guy shows up and I notice it appears he is shedding velvet...

This is a side view and it appears he may have had a run in with something. He came around for a few days, then disappeared, but I think i got another pic of him a few days after these, but he wasn't facing the camera so I couldn't be sure.

my question is, what is wrong with him? Is he sick, or did he maybe get into a fight with something? Why would he shed velvet so soon?

This dude showed up and I think i have pics of him from late May off another camera. I think this buck was a small 6 pt last year and got beat up and lost most of one side of his rack, making hi a 4 pt by the end of season. I think if it is him, he is 2.5 yrs old. I think he will have a weird rack. It looks like one side is growing fast than the other.

The worst part for me is I had a 14 pt and a 10 pt last year running around. I think they both got shot, but I am holding out hope that they are just lurking and haven't shown up yet. I know they can disappear when they get older, but I haven't seen the 10 pt since last November and the 14 pt since last December, so it is possible they were shot on one of the surrounding properties.

Sent from Tappy Talkie

Bone Collector · Jun 12, 2016

104 views and not a 1 answer. Where is BSK when I need him.

Surely someone has seen a buck do this before and has some insight.

gator-n-buck · Jun 12, 2016

Mike Belt · Jun 13, 2016

Don't know. Possible that just breaking through skin there might be some blood showing but I've never heard anything about that. Maybe he was sparring or rubbing and shed what little velvet he had??? On your last buck fighting and breaking antlers last year shouldn't produce an unusual rack unless he severely injured a pedicle.

BSK · Jun 13, 2016

On the first buck--bloody antler stumps--looks like he's had some type of traumatic injury to the head and antlers. Antlers might continue to grow and become HIGHLY non-typical.

Second buck, the differences from side-to-side appear to be just perspective (the way his head is turned).

As for the 10 and 14 point bucks, just remember that many deer/bucks have seasonal ranges. They may inhabit very different locations from summer to fall. If those bucks were only seen during hunting season last year, they may be bucks that shift from summer ranges "somewhere else" to your hunting property in fall. of course, being killed by a neighbor is also a possibility, but other options exist. For example, only 1/3 of the bucks I have to hunt on my 500-acre property each hunting season actually live on the property during the summer. The other 2/3s only show up in fall and during the rut. That type of seasonal range-shifting pattern is quite common across the MidSouth.

Bone Collector · Jun 13, 2016

BSK":22u06sek said:
On the first buck--bloody antler stumps--looks like he's had some type of traumatic injury to the head and antlers. Antlers might continue to grow and become HIGHLY non-typical.

Second buck, the differences from side-to-side appear to be just perspective (the way his head is turned).

As for the 10 and 14 point bucks, just remember that many deer/bucks have seasonal ranges. They may inhabit very different locations from summer to fall. If those bucks were only seen during hunting season last year, they may be bucks that shift from summer ranges "somewhere else" to your hunting property in fall. of course, being killed by a neighbor is also a possibility, but other options exist. For example, only 1/3 of the bucks I have to hunt on my 500-acre property each hunting season actually live on the property during the summer. The other 2/3s only show up in fall and during the rut. That type of seasonal range-shifting pattern is quite common across the MidSouth.

Unfortunately the 10 and the 14 pts seasonal range on my place is during the summer through the end of Oct. then they shift and i get a couple of other bucks that show up. Last year that was two 8 pts. one was art least 4.5 years old and his g2's were splitting so if he made it and shows up this year he may be a 10 pt or better. That being said, I didn't really know the 10 and 14 were there until around the end of June, earlier July last year, so i am hoping they pop back up.