where were the bucks?????

[huntforme7909]

this past year spring thru late September I run 4-5 or more cameras on different salt licks travel paths etc....I am almost ashamed to say that all summer long and even up till I stopped running them that I had thousands and thousands of pics of does and not one buck !!!!!!! not even a spike.....I hunt the mountains and until this year I have always gotten plenty of pics of bucks and usually a couple good ones...don't know what the problem was this year....there was no food at all via acorn mass but the does were there....I was puzzled and even still stayed determined and knew that if the does were there the bucks would be eventually....well I was wrong...never did see a shooter...did finally kill a smaller one and two does one with bow and one with muzzleloader and the small buck with a rifle....but just wondering if there were any suggestions on what I may could have done different....I had cameras high on the mountain and low and mid way up.....all does....lol

 

[huntforme7909]

any suggestions will be taken to heart and be greatly appreciated incase gosh forbid we have another warm hot season like this one....

 

[huntforme7909]

come on guys ive been on tndeer long enough that I know someone has some kind of thought or input....will the bucks migrate further than does in search of food when there is none? because I had does....and plenty of browse during the summer months....

 

[southernhunter]

Sounds like a common problem this year. I ran my cams the same as I have been for 12 years. Worse year I have ever had as far as buck pics go. Maybe next year

 

[leader]

I think just an off year....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Vermin93]

I run quite a few trail cameras on our lease. This year I did not get a lot of 2 1/2 years or older bucks on camera. Daylight buck sightings on trail camera were few and far between. However, every decent buck that I got on camera during daylight was on one of the few colder days that we had this season. Unfortunately, I was not able to hunt most of the colder days. That's my only big regret of the season.

 

[redblood]

if you are in east TN, they were probably all shot on sight

 

[Hunter 257W]

I've yet to get even one shot at a any buck this year.

 

[mike243]

Sightings have been down this year,The smart asses with all the talk about the east Tn crowd shooting all of them is getting very old. we have more hunters than deer but your end of the state was 11 bucks for a long time and id bet a lot of the old boys still shoot as many as they want. Keep your negativity for some thing you can prove instead of a half ass theory!

 

[landman]

I'm seein were they killed the crap out of them today

70% where chasing does

 

[Tennessee Lead]

I'm seein were they killed the crap out of them today

70% where chasing does

Driving across the farm before daylight I drove up on a very good buck that I would have shot ifn I had seen him while hunting. Horns were past his ears.
He had a doe with him and he was pushing her hard.


Sent from the barrel of a model 70 at 3300 fps

 

[huntforme7909]

Thanks for the input. I don't feel so bad now.

 

[Poleaxe]

if you are in east TN, they were probably all shot on sight

I heard if your from Lewisburg your a fan of Bruce Jenner.

 

[redblood]

if you are in east TN, they were probably all shot on sight

I heard if your from Lewisburg your a fan of Bruce Jenner.

wow Poleaxe, I see what you did there. Quite clever. If I meet someone from Lewisburg, I will ask them. Now back to the topic at hand. If you look at the original posters request, he was seeking input as to where the buck #'s he has been hunting have gone. Based on testimony from east TN hunters and photos posted on here, I introduced the very real possibility that these deer were harvested by other hunters. I never contended that every east TN hunter refuses to pass deer (I am sure a hunter as skilled as you say you are is very discriminating), but they seem prone to shoot more than they pass. You may also noticed that he pleaded for input an I offered some. While you offered some wild fangled Bruce Jenner correlation .

 

[Cazador]

Just be patient. The new 2 buck limit will have an effect next year. You probably won't see any doe next year. There will only be bucks. WOOHOOO Happy days are soon to come.

Seriously. Just an off year for all kinds of reasons.

 

[stylishblueticks]

Plenty of bucks here in SE Tn. Just because you don't see them, don't mean they ain't there. No matter how many either you or your neighbors kill, there are always a few a little smarter than most that hunt them I challenge any of you bafoon, "trophy hunters" to try your luck on some of our South Cherokee bruisers. There are "trophy" class, fully mature bucks dying of old age up here. No corn, no "bait stations", no food plots, no QDM nonsense, just rough mountain country deer hunting. Hey Redbud, at least us East Tn boys eat the deer we kill. I think I read somewhere that you don't even eat deer meat or them tree rats for that matter. "Most" of us Southern boys wouldn't kill something that we would not eat.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[redblood]

Plenty of bucks here in SE Tn. Just because you don't see them, don't mean they ain't there. No matter how many either you or your neighbors kill, there are always a few a little smarter than most that hunt them I challenge any of you bafoon, "trophy hunters" to try your luck on some of our South Cherokee bruisers. There are "trophy" class, fully mature bucks dying of old age up here. No corn, no "bait stations", no food plots, no QDM nonsense, just rough mountain country deer hunting. Hey Redbud, at least us East Tn boys eat the deer we kill. I think I read somewhere that you don't even eat deer meat or them tree rats for that matter. "Most" of us Southern boys wouldn't kill something that we would not eat.

you read wrong my friend. I do eat deer and will kill a couple this weekend for the freezer. I do not rely on deer to feed my family and do not like deer meat as much as beef or pork, but I love deer jerky and utilize all the deer I kill (and process them myself). As far as squirrels, I kill more than any one person could eat. I keep the first 50 for a wildgame charity dinner we do each year and give the rest away to a man who loves them. No different than Hunters for the Hungry in my book. I also love Turkey hunting and turkey meat. As far as the coyotes and bobcats we kill calling each year.......well you will just have to hold those against me I guess. On a side note I have always believed the best hunters are the guys who can consistently take fully mature mountain bucks in tough terrain. The problem is, the mind set of many east TN hunters do not facilitate a situation where there are many of those running around

 

[muddyboots]

Simple answer is that just aren't many bucks using your property for whatever reason or reasons.

 

[Headhunter]

Deer are hard to figure out. One of my best places to hunt, it is private land, has basically ZERO buck sign. I don't use cameras, don't like them, my brother does, he has no pictures of bucks. There are many deer on this place. I am telling you, almost no buck sign, no rubs, no scrapes, don't see any before season and we hammer the momma does, we kill them. We saw over 20 different bucks on this farm this season, farm is about 200 acres. I have hunted places where the bucks were very visible in the early season and when November came around they would disappear. I believe bucks cover a lot of ground and depending can be hard to see.

 

[redblood]

without a doubt, useasonably warm season had an effect

 

[huntforme7909]

Thanks for all the great input from the ones being serious. On the other hand the ones that discriminate between west and east tn hunters is laughable to say the least.

 

[Oldiron]

I been hunting same property for a few years. Always just take one buck and one doe for my needs. My place has been a honey hole. But last two years some huntin bubbas has gained access to a mere 27 acre piece that borders a corner of mine. Three to four guys in two trucks been wearin it out. Deer sitings have all but become something that reminds me of the late 1970s when i was young hunter. I think were are going to put up a 250 long section of 8ft fence to deer for wandering over there and getting massacred by the gauntlet. Bluff and river at the bottom welding shop and house at the top. This should keep the deer im making fat from running that way and making these boy's day. They have florida tags, just rolling up here, no skin in the game and gouging us local folks of something we've been investing in for years.