Been a weird year

[Beardendy88]

This has been a pretty weird "preseason" for me so far. Mainly due to the fact I've only had one good buck on camera. I know just because they ain't on camera doesn't mean anything but its different from last year where I had many buck pics. Hopefully it is just due to the amount or rain we've had and the Availability of green foods. I really haven't been running my cameras like I should as well. I went on vacation in June, checked my camera before I left and came back at the end of July and I never turned it back on !!! I've also had cattle destroying my mineral licks which has never happened. I get plenty of does on cam with healthy fawns but honestly no bucks on cam is aggravating. Ready for September 28th!!

 

[Boone 58]

:cool:

 

[deerhunter10]

ive heard a lot of people say that. ive seen a whole lot of big bucks but I don't run cameras. I go out a few times a summer in the evenings and just see for my own eyes. which I really really enjoy. but im sure they are there! just a little bitty space your really seeing with your camera so you never know.

 

[Beardendy88]

ive heard a lot of people say that. ive seen a whole lot of big bucks but I don't run cameras. I go out a few times a summer in the evenings and just see for my own eyes. which I really really enjoy. but im sure they are there! just a little bitty space your really seeing with your camera so you never know.

Your exactly right. I think with the amount of rain we've had and how great soybeans, corn and hayfields look they would rather eat on the greener things than corn and mineral licks

 

[EastTNHunter]

There is also an enormous amount of browse and undergrowth that is lush and green right now, instead of being wilted and heat-stressed. Deer can eat anything, anywhere right now, and don't have to move a whole lot to do it. Ag crops are not even needed at the moment.

 

[BSK]

Beardendy88,

The problem could very well be climate related (the wet summer we've had). Or the problem could be "real." But I wouldn't worry either way. Every so often, on a given property, I'll see a really strange summer pattern that just can't be explained. But the problem rarely persists through the hunting season.

 

[Beardendy88]

Beardendy88,

The problem could very well be climate related (the wet summer we've had). Or the problem could be "real." But I wouldn't worry either way. Every so often, on a given property, I'll see a really strange summer pattern that just can't be explained. But the problem rarely persists through the hunting season.

Like deerhunter10 said, it's only a 90 ft radius I'm looking at. They are there because I see them in the hayfields about midnight when I get home but your right sometimes you just can't explain what they do.

 

[J-WO]

The past 2 years I haven't gotten any "Big" buck's on trail cameras during pre-season,but as soon as opening day comes we've started seeing them sporadically. Keep your chin up,they're most likely around there somewhere!

 

[MattR]

The summer pics aren't too big of a deal to me. Some places have them in summer, then come winter they are gone. Some places its the other way around. But since its out of character for your area I get the concern. Hopefully it turns out good for you. It will be interesting to see the difference this year because of the weather.

 

[BSK]

The summer pics aren't too big of a deal to me. Some places have them in summer, then come winter they are gone. Some places its the other way around. But since its out of character for your area I get the concern. Hopefully it turns out good for you.

Over the last decade, it's normal for my property to hold 12-15 summer resident bucks, of all ages, from yearling up to a mature buck or two. Yet last year, I had a grand total of 4 yearling bucks as summer residents. To say we were a bit freaked out would be an understatement! However, once the acorns began to fall and especially once the rut approached, bucks flooded the property. By the end of the year, it had been one of our best years for individual bucks using the property (39 different bucks photographed during the season), almost all of which did not show up until after the hunting season had begun.

 

[MattR]

The summer pics aren't too big of a deal to me. Some places have them in summer, then come winter they are gone. Some places its the other way around. But since its out of character for your area I get the concern. Hopefully it turns out good for you.

Over the last decade, it's normal for my property to hold 12-15 summer resident bucks, of all ages, from yearling up to a mature buck or two. Yet last year, I had a grand total of 4 yearling bucks as summer residents. To say we were a bit freaked out would be an understatement! However, once the acorns began to fall and especially once the rut approached, bucks flooded the property. By the end of the year, it had been one of our best years for individual bucks using the property (39 different bucks photographed during the season), almost all of which did not show up until after the hunting season had begun.

And you had a good year last year right? Its crazy how different year to year, a single property can be. My family's place in east tn has lots of nice bachelor groups in summer time. But come hunting season, they are gone. Pf course maybe if I could give them a reason to stick around it would be different but I dont have the time to be able to work something I can only hunt 3 times a year.

 

[BSK]

And you had a good year last year right?

Yes it did. We killed 5 bucks, which is considerably more than usual, although we didn't get a chance to kill any of the oldest/largest bucks.

My family's place in east tn has lots of nice bachelor groups in summer time. But come hunting season, they are gone. Pf course maybe if I could give them a reason to stick around it would be different but I dont have the time to be able to work something I can only hunt 3 times a year.

Honestly, there's very little you could do. I do not believe bachelor group members "leaving" the area and returning to their normal fall range occurs because of any problems with the property habitat-wise. This break up of male social groups and dispersal of bucks is normal deer behavior.

 

[Hunter 257W]

I've only got 1 picture of a buck this entire Spring and Summer myself. However, this is in an area where I've never run a camera before. What i find mysterious and discouraging is that I thought this was THE prime spot around the area. I have always got bachelor groups of bucks before on other parts of the property - none of which I have cameras set up on this year. Bottom line, I changed too much in my camera setup/locations to draw any conclusions as to whether buck numbers have really dropped in the area or not.

I keep telling myself that having all does has to be a good thing when the rut arrives. Also, I don't have to worry about "my" bucks wandering off if I don't have any bucks.

 

[BSK]

Don't put much stock in what you're seeing on trail-camera right now (or any time during the summer). What you see now, and where the bucks will be in a month, can be two completely different things. It is normal buck behavior to leave their summer range and move to a fall range that may be just hundreds of yards away or could be miles away.

 

[MattR]

Yea I think I'm just going to start sticking them with tracking devices in the summer. Lol, just kidding. I just have wondered where they go during the fall since I was a kid. During the summer we would always see a group of 5-6 nice deer during the summer. I guess those poor guys probably end up dying of natural causes because no one hunts within a couple miles of my old house.

 

[BSK]

Yea I think I'm just going to start sticking them with tracking devices in the summer. Lol, just kidding. I just have wondered where they go during the fall since I was a kid. During the summer we would always see a group of 5-6 nice deer during the summer. I guess those poor guys probably end up dying of natural causes because no one hunts within a couple miles of my old house.

They split up and all go in different directions. They only gather together in summer because the bachelor group behavior has biological advantages.

 

[Beardendy88]

I talked to my neighbor today and he has 12-14 bucks on camera. And some I know so I think they must go hang out and different farms each year cuz last year he hardly saw any.

 

[BSK]

I talked to my neighbor today and he has 12-14 bucks on camera. And some I know so I think they must go hang out and different farms each year cuz last year he hardly saw any.

I have no doubt that is exactly the case. Many bucks move around a lot more on a seasonal and annual basis than was originally assumed.