Sometimes it's better to be lucky

[TheLBLman]

I know, I know!

I can't believe how many older and mature bucks I got on camera moving from 9 AM to 11 AM. I would bet it is the majority of trail-cam videos. And I have no idea why sudden movement pattern change.

I suspect, you now have better trail cams (faster triggers, greater triggering distance, plus video mode) than in times past. This can account for some of the observed increases.

But mainly, bucks moving during mid-day have a tendency to take different routes than most other early morning/late evening patterned movements. Often, they are actually chasing a doe, cutting a diagonal (running straight toward the doe they see, rather than "trailing" her exact path). Then, they are doing a lot of scent-checking, often traveling downwind of many trails and/or scrapes where we may place our cams.

Bottom line, we are more likely to just miss getting pics of bucks doing their mid-day rut movements. But now having better cams, we pick them up more.

Go sit on stand all day during much of the rut, and you may be surprised how many bucks you see that never step in front of your cams, and/or, they may be moving so fast your cam doesn't get anything but a blank pic.

 

[TheLBLman]

One unappreciated thing effecting mid-day buck movements is mid-day wind vs. early morning & late evening lack of wind. You will SEE more bucks visit scrapes at night, during early mornings, late evenings, in part because of the lack of wind.

Most hunter/managers position the bulk of their fall cams over scrapes?

But, during mid-day, we typically have stronger wind velocities, and the bucks checking scrapes become more likely to scent check those scrapes from a greater distance, often beyond the trigger range of our cams, and often from behind where we had the cam pointed!

Also regarding the wind, I believe rutting bucks are more likely to venture off their regularly beaten paths under the cover of that wind. As much as I sometimes hate the noisy leaves of the young beech trees, their beginning to "rattle" in the wind (typically @ mid-to-late mornings) seems to trigger wandering buck movements. Note how much rattling beech leaves can sound just like walking deer, often causing a hunter not to "hear" the deer walking nearby, too!

 

[tree_ghost]

Congrats on a dandy BSK!

 

[BSK]

I suspect, you now have better trail cams (faster triggers, greater triggering distance, plus video mode) than in times past. This can account for some of the observed increases.

But mainly, bucks moving during mid-day have a tendency to take different routes than most other early morning/late evening patterned movements. Often, they are actually chasing a doe, cutting a diagonal (running straight toward the doe they see, rather than "trailing" her exact path). Then, they are doing a lot of scent-checking, often traveling downwind of many trails and/or scrapes where we may place our cams.

Nope, this is a completely new pattern of movement timing. Not only have I used/evaluated for the manufacturer just about every trail cam on the market, I was running some of the same video cameras last year as this year, and placed on the exact same tree. This is a brand new movement pattern. I strongly suspect it is because of the huge areas we had timbered last winter. We've always had pockets of timber cut, but not anything like what we had done last winter. Normally, we would have around 5% of the property cut every 3-5 years. last year we had over 20% of the property cut in a single operation. HUGE difference habitat-wise.

It will be interesting to see if this later movement pattern repeats itself next year. But I have to admit, I will probably try to stay in stand longer next year after what I saw this year.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Nope, this is a completely new pattern of movement timing. Not only have I used/evaluated for the manufacturer just about every trail cam on the market, I was running some of the same video cameras last year as this year, and placed on the exact same tree. This is a brand new movement pattern. I strongly suspect it is because of the huge areas we had timbered last winter. We've always had pockets of timber cut, but not anything like what we had done last winter. Normally, we would have around 5% of the property cut every 3-5 years. last year we had over 20% of the property cut in a single operation. HUGE difference habitat-wise.

It will be interesting to see if this later movement pattern repeats itself next year. But I have to admit, I will probably try to stay in stand longer next year after what I saw this year.

The more timber you cut leaving good cover, the later you'll see deer on their feet in the mornings and the earlier you'll see them in the afternoons. At least that's what we've experienced over the years. 20 years ago we had nothing but hardwoods. We now have about 30% of our property in great cover and continue to add to that. Sightings and camera photos show a lot of midday movement starting just in the last few years. Before that - Zero

 

[deerfever]

I just seen this picture, that is a dandy! Congrats on the great Buck!

 

[BSK]

I just seen this picture, that is a dandy! Congrats on the great Buck!

Thanks so much. I was extremely pleased.

Until another buck showed up that makes him look tiny. Well, I'm still thrilled with the buck, especially because of the history with him.

Maybe I'll post the video of the new buck after season is over. Too many people know where my property is! Actually, he isn't "new." I got pictures and video of him in 2018, 2020, and now 2021.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Until another buck showed up that makes him look tiny.

Did you have a chance to kill him? If so, why didn't you?

 

[BSK]

The more timber you cut leaving good cover, the later you'll see deer on their feet in the mornings and the earlier you'll see them in the afternoons. At least that's what we've experienced over the years. 20 years ago we had nothing but hardwoods. We now have about 30% of our property in great cover and continue to add to that. Sightings and camera photos show a lot of midday movement starting just in the last few years. Before that - Zero

Very interesting. In the past, during MZ season it wasn't uncommon to see older buck movement peak in the 7:30 to 8:30 range, but some continue out to the 9:00 to 9:30 AM range. But by gun season the "golden hour" would be earlier, in the 6:30 to 7:30 AM period. This year, the hottest period all season - MZ through gun - has been in the 9 to 10 AM timeframe.

 

[BSK]

Did you have a chance to kill him? If so, why didn't you?

I had already killed the top buck on the property (at the time). I've been letting others go after him. But now that rut is over, highly unlikely anyone will see him. He's one of those bucks that only uses our property during the peak of the rut.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Very interesting. In the past, during MZ season it wasn't uncommon to see older buck movement peak in the 7:30 to 8:30 range, but some continue out to the 9:00 to 9:30 AM range. But by gun season the "golden hour" would be earlier, in the 6:30 to 7:30 AM period. This year, the hottest period all season - MZ through gun - has been in the 9 to 10 AM timeframe.

Very cool data. This will sound crazy, but up until 2016, 7:40am was the time I could almost bank on not seeing a 3.5 or older buck after that time. That year I killed a very old deer at 8:35am. Fast forward to this year, I watched our biggest and oldest deer on camera for 20 minutes at 9:20am.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I had already killed the top buck on the property (at the time). I've been letting others go after him. But now that rut is over, highly unlikely anyone will see him. He's one of those bucks that only uses our property during the peak of the rut.

I know what you mean. All our target deer that showed up late October left around the first week of December. Also, some of the bucks that were here all summer but left us came back last week. Very interesting to watch

 

[BSK]

I know what you mean. All our target deer that showed up late October left around the first week of December. Also, some of the bucks that were here all summer but left us came back last week. Very interesting to watch

How fascinating and similar to what we see. Most of the 3 1/2 and older bucks left my place right around the first week of December as well, as they do every year. We still have a bunch of 2 1/2 year-olds, but that's it.

 

[BSK]

I know what you mean. All our target deer that showed up late October left around the first week of December. Also, some of the bucks that were here all summer but left us came back last week. Very interesting to watch

As a teaser, this is him in 2018, as a 4 1/2 year-old. This year, as a 7 1/2 year-old, he has lost some in his body, but gained dramatically in antler size. He is CONSIDERABLY larger and more massive than in 2018. And he now has 14 scorable points.

 

[TheLBLman]

This year, as a 7 1/2 year-old, he has lost some in his body, but gained dramatically in antler size.

I love seeing these post-mature bucks!
(Although you've yet to post his "fully mature" pic!)

Can't say I've ever seen one (in TN) that appeared not to regress in antler score at 7 1/2 from 6 1/2, although may gain some basal circumference.

Why do you think this particular buck has lived to become 7 1/2?

 

[dr]

Very nice!

 

[BSK]

Why do you think this particular buck has lived to become 7 1/2?

Very low hunter density in my area. 20 years ago, we would hear 200 gunshots opening weekend of gun season. Now, 6 shots all opening weekend would be fairly busy. This year was super busy at 8 shots.

 

[TheLBLman]

Very low hunter density in my area. 20 years ago, we would hear 200 gunshots opening weekend of gun season. Now, 6 shots all opening weekend would be fairly busy. This year was super busy at 8 shots.

I'm seeing a good number of bucks surviving to 5 1/2 or older, but mainly seems to be those with below average antlers when they were 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 ---- i.e., no one wanted to use a tag on them, and they were repeatedly given a pass by multiple hunters even as 3 1/2's!

Hunters' antler high grading has become my biggest complaint in my inability to manage for more average to above-average antlered older bucks.

 

[Mule deer]

Hunters' antler high grading has become my biggest complaint in my inability to manage for more average to above-average antlered older bucks.

We'll said. This is our biggest challenge, and it takes years to fix. This year was a real set back for us, I'm afraid. Our hunters didn't see the amount of deer/bucks that they are use to seeing due to the acorn mast. Therefore, the first nice 3 1/2 that showed up in front of them, got shot.

 

[BSK]

Hunters' antler high grading has become my biggest complaint in my inability to manage for more average to above-average antlered older bucks.

I've come to realize this is a problem. Worked with one large club to fix the problem and it's working. Took several years though. Each year I would take all of the trail-camera pictures and create a "Do NOT shoot!" pictorial of top-end 2 1/2s. Club went so far as to print out the pictorial and hang it in every shooting house. The difference in the quality of mature bucks has been dramatic, but again, took about 3-4 years.