Bachelor group gone

[Thirty-06]

I have a salt lick and a feeder where one of my cameras are set up and it has been 17 days since I've seen my group of five 8 pointers. Have they gone elsewhere or split up? My feeder has been out of corn for two weeks just filled it up today hoping they come back! Any advice or knowledge?

 

[de novo]

My salt pics this week are way down. They usually hit the salt hard til September. Our crazy, cool summer may have them off schedule this year.

 

[BSK]

They easily could have moved to a new location.

 

[BSK]

My salt pics this week are way down.

Interesting. Mine went through the roof this week, although the were down dramatically the previous week.

 

[cecil30-30]

Last i checked they wasnt yours.

 

[Thirty-06]

Last i checked they wasnt yours.

This is true! They have been hanging around so much I figured I'd call them mine!

 

[Boone 58]

I notice that the bucks come and go a lot more than the does and only frequent my licks in large groups a few times each month.......weird.....more night than day shots toooooooooo!!

 

[BSK]

I notice that the bucks come and go a lot more than the does and only frequent my licks in large groups a few times each month.......weird.....more night than day shots toooooooooo!!

What you are seeing is normal Boone 58. Outside of big-time farm country, bucks don't have a daily circuit; they have a circuit that takes a week or two to make. That's why, on camera, you will see a big group of bucks show up all on one day, and then nothing for a week or two.

 

[Boll Weevil]

Outside of big-time farm country

BSK: Can you offer guidance regarding "big-time farm country." How do you qualify this criteria (just generally speaking)? What might be the ratio of tillable ground?

I don't yet know what to make of it but bachelor groups on my farm (even individual bucks) appear largely to stick around throughout the year and from year to year. To be clear I'm not complaining one bit, but have been reading up on the value of habitat diversity in this regard and considering what I can do to encourage this behavior

They seem for the most part, regular homebodies.

 

[W.Seay]

The last two weeks I've had over 3400 pics over a trophy rock!

 

[Hunter 257W]

The last two weeks I've had over 3400 pics over a trophy rock!

What delay do you have your camera on and how many pictures an "event"? That is a ton of pictures. My camera is set with a 1 minute delay and 1 photo per event and I get about 50 or so shots a week. Some of you guys just have tons more deer though.

 

[de novo]

From July 13-18 I had 3000 pics on a salt lick. Setting was 2 pics every 45 secs. The SD card filled up and it quit taking after 4.5 days. The bad news is I was patient and left it out for a full three weeks so I have no idea what was in the area for 2.5 weeks. Now I have a 16 GB card in there and will check it Friday.

 

[BSK]

Outside of big-time farm country

BSK: Can you offer guidance regarding "big-time farm country." How do you qualify this criteria (just generally speaking)? What might be the ratio of tillable ground?

I don't yet know what to make of it but bachelor groups on my farm (even individual bucks) appear largely to stick around throughout the year and from year to year. To be clear I'm not complaining one bit, but have been reading up on the value of habitat diversity in this regard and considering what I can do to encourage this behavior

They seem for the most part, regular homebodies.

By "big-time farm country" I'm talking about what you see in the Midwest, where 80+% of the ground is in agriculture.

Some areas see very little shifting around of bucks while other areas see a lot. Exactly why the difference is still something I have not been able to pinpoint. However, highly diverse habitat and very homogenous habitat appear to see the least seasonal shifting. It is locations where big sections of timber adjoin big sections of agriculture that seem to see the most shifting.

 

[W.Seay]

2 minute delay 2 shots each

 

[W.Seay]

I'm still getting new bucks over trophy rocks and the cameras have been running for 2 months

 

[BSK]

I'm still getting new bucks over trophy rocks and the cameras have been running for 2 months

That's interesting W. Seay.

 

[de novo]

I have one bachelor group of 6 mature bucks that show up once a week. Two are over 140. A big 11 stands in the middle of the salt lick and runs off every other deer that approaches for 30 mins or so. I have two different series of him doing this. All the other bucks including one bigger will have nothing to do with him.

 

[Hunter 257W]

I have been estimating my area at no more than 20% deer cover and about 80% row crops so that meets the definition of big time farm country. There is at most 350 acres of total woods in several thousand acres of row crops. The woods being 15 to 100 acres lots connected with fence rows. You'd think the deer would be easy to pattern and would follow the fence rows way more than they do.

 

[W.Seay]

I'm still getting new bucks over trophy rocks and the cameras have been running for 2 months

That's interesting W. Seay.

No doubt !! This specific property is pretty wild! We constantly run cameras and always gets photos of bucks that we don't know. The property is surrounded by several thousand acres with very very low hunting pressure.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I am seeing the same deer. Thirty-06, you should see some new bucks moving in by the first week of September.

 

[wobblegobble]

I've had to change cards 2x a week now because they keep filling up in 3-4 days the last 2 weeks!(8G CARDS) Each week there is a new buck that shows but zero groups this year.

 

[Thirty-06]

yeah i guess it makes since now that i look back at my pictures all the bucks show up on one day and its about every 15 days but just nervous and excited for bow season it cant come soon enough. but as far as pictures go i have my camera set up on 3 shot with 15 sec delay! you never know what your missing and i still get pictures of where its nothing but the body and the head is already out of the picture.