My phone showed 4am. There were photos from the cell cameras. With one eye open, I started scrolling and saw one of the big bucks. He had been in the same spot days earlier and had made a 5 hour loop. I had 3 hours to get in my stand. I took two steps away from the truck and the world erupted around me. The only thing louder than the crunching of deer running, was the beating of my heart. Several deep breaths later, I started back on the trail to the stand. A few more steps and another deer jumped and ran. Had it been the buck? I wasn't far from where we had been. I passed by my camera at 5:05am; three hours since the buck had been there. Don't Do Rodents There is something about hearing mice scratching inches from my face that...
I skim the hunting Facebook groups for photos of amazing deer during hunting season. My favorite are those of successful female hunters. I love the photos of incredible deer that are what (almost) every hunter’s dreams of taking. This past season, I found a female hunter with an incredible buck and a fantastic name! Erin McGraw grew up fishing and did not start deer hunting until just a few years ago. She shot her first deer, a spikehorn in 2019 but took a year off due to the birth of a baby. In 2021, Erin and her husband hunted but were never able to be in the right place at the right time. “It was a great year to practice still hunting,” Erin exclaimed, “It was a really cool experience to get more familiar with the woods around...
In December 2021, my grandfather passed away. Weeks before, I jumped him when I came bursting into his house to tell him and my Grammie that I had shot a buck and had completed my Grand Slam. He laughed at my overzealousness but hugged me and told me how proud he was of me. We made a deal hours before he passed away that he was going to deliver me an 8 point buck since I have yet to shoot one. I held on to that belief all through the year. Dad and I obsessed over trail cam photos throughout the summer and fall, we had three really nice bucks showing up. They all seemed to be nocturnal, but they were around. Fast forward to the start of the season and my morning kicked off pretty well by taking a nice doe in the first hour. I had...
All over social media, there were posts about the rut; has it started in your area? have you seen any chasing? how do you know? what's the moon phase? As much as I would have loved to have had some concrete answer to those questions, I had never seen proof that the rut was on. Until that second week in November. Hubs was out hunting on the 10th and I was in charge of the kids and making our way up to my parent's house to hunt on the 11th. It was windy and cold and I had opted to stay in and not hunt that evening, but wait until the next day. I was holding the baby and watching the leaves blow across the lawn when I saw a doe emerge from the bushes around the pond (see down pointing arrow.) She paused and...
If you do not follow me on Facebook, then you don't know that Dad totally schooled us in how to shoot a big buck. Did some scouting, brought his gun, right place, right time, incredible buck! (Mom's flip phone doesn't take great pictures) So, that leaves Hubs (who has a doe permit) and I (who does not) to attempt to get a shot at one of these big bucks! The competition is on!
There is no snow on the ground and the temperatures have been in the 50s instead of the teens or 20s. As a result, our deer herd is having a great time getting lots of food without the worry of snow, freezing temps or that coyote that is (still) around. Dad still has the trail cameras out and we are getting some encouraging pictures. I didn't bother copying the ones of the coyote, but he is still around and solo. But these are always good to see and it means that we will need to change things up for next season if we are going to outwit this deer. I believe he is about 3.5 or 4.5 years old and knows how to avoid hunters. I can NOT get over the size of his neck! And the next generation of big bucks: From the side, his...
I had called Dad mid-week to check in and he told me that we had a big buck by the Sky CondoOne of the 8's? I eagerly asked No. Bigger If I could have driven up that night, I would have. But I had to wait until Friday to put the memory cards into the computer and look at what Dad was talking about. This is, BY FAR, the thickest deer we have ever seen on the camera. He is clearly all rutted up because he has no neck! It also looks like his E2 is broken on his right side. He was on the camera a handful of times over the past week. I am ready to put in some time Wed, Thursday, Friday and Saturday in hopes that one of us will get a crack at this big...
This could be the best season ever when it comes to trail cam photos of the deer around the Sky Condo. Hunter or not, how can you not love and respect these great animals?! I can not wait until deer season...
I was so excited when I looked at the trail camera pictures from the past week. I finally was able to figure out that the deer I had been studying was (and is) the same deer. Here is my proof. Note the time and position of the deer. YEAH! Mystery solved. I am looking for one deer, who is probably 3.5 or 4.5 years old. I have pictures of him from last year and this year. He is smart, stays nocturnal for most of the season but likes to come back to the same areas. I know that no matter who sees him (us or the nearby neighbors) he will be shot at. I just need to formulate my plan of attack and be smart about it. Finally, some peace of mind... ... And then, there were two. The...
