Texan_Til_I_Die

I'm so jealous. Come on tropics, we need one of those spinners in the Gulf!

That's exactly what I was getting at. Does the OP think he's looking at a mature buck? I don't think that deer is anywhere close to mature yet. Now some of the intensive trophy management plans will call for removing X number of bucks every year, and if this buck is the runt of his age class, then he might be a candidate for removal. But in 99% of circumstances you'd probably want to let that buck walk unless you're strictly meat hunting. In that case, I'm sure he'd be plenty tasty.

That looks about right to me too. The last deer appears to be oldest, unless one of the others is really old and headed downhill.

Been there, done it, still have the scars. BTW - You also need to be really careful about taking a leak after you've been handling peppers. Don't ask me how I know.

71 days over 100 so far. Looks like we'll get at least another 10-15, maybe more. This is the biggest pond on one of the ranches I hunt. When full, it's about 3 acres. Now it's about 10 feet across.

I don't see anything obviously wrong with that deer, unless all of the other bucks in his cohort (age class) are noticeably bigger. What do they look like? BTW - What do you think the deer's age is?

I've seen this happen way too many times when people use taxidermists who do it as a sideline. I only use people I've used before or shops that have been in business a long time. Good luck, hope you get it worked out.

Mine are getting boring. I've been seeing the exact same deer for the past 2 months.

Very nice. Can you get a moose tag? I think I'd snag one if it were available.

I feed a pelleted protein supplement that has trace minerals added to it and since I started that, the deer pretty much ignore those things like Deer Cane and Buck Crack. They've even stopped licking the trophy rocks, which had always been one of their favorites.

Believe it or not, it's not too early to start a mock scrape now. In fact, if you have the chance, I'd say to do it earlier than October. Be sure to choose your spot carefully. Most people put them under a branch that's too high for the deer to reach. Remember that a deer, even a mature buck, isn't very tall. Wear rubber boots and gloves when you set it up and when you go back to check it.

Beautiful pics. Thanks for posting these up.

I am officially jealous. Someday, I too will make that trip.

You should have some good hunting over the next several years. Might be a good time to think about putting in a food plot or two.

Yep, I like to hunt gate openings. Deer are just like any other animal and will usually take the path of least resistance.

I'm down a small house and a pretty nice car right now. I just can't wait for it to dip below 10,000 which I think is inevitable. Saw Robert Reich this morning on CBS. He was Clinton's Sec of Labor and is a big Obama supporter. He said the odds of a double dip recession happening over the next couple of months was 50/50. I find it amazing, and disturbing, that he would admit to that possibility. To me, that makes it seem like the chances are far worse than 50/50.

Yep, hard to tell when they're that young. Generally, the "shoot the spikes" argument comes into play when you need to reduce the overall deer numbers and then the spikes will fall more into the same category as the does. Removing the spike means you've removed another mouth.

You haven't missed much - no one has gotten banned recently! :death:

I just bought 8600 lbs bulk for $1000. That works out to $4.30 per 50 lbs. SO much cheaper than buying it by the bag.

I thought vacations were for deer season! :pop: Have fun.

Not to mention the effect this heat and drought is having on the wildlife. My trailcam pics are showing about a 25% (so far) fawn recruitment. By the time this is over, it may be even lower. Normally its closer to 75%. But on a good note, I did manage to snag 8600 lbs of corn over the weekend for only $1000. Maybe that combined with the 200lbs per week of protein I'm feeding will keep a few of the deer alive.

Really! I find that very odd. I assume there are the usual trespass laws regarding private property, so how do the owners retrieve their errant dogs if they (the owners) don't have permission to enter the property?

Surely there are laws on the books that state what will happen to the owners if they fail to control their dogs and keep them on the property where they have permission. If you see the dogs "trespassing", get pictures (preferably video) with correct date and time stamps and take those to the proper authorities. I would assume your local game warden would be the correct place to start. Repeat this EVERY time you see it happening. It may take numerous attempts, but sooner or later your neighbors will get the message. As to letting deer walk, well it's true that a lot of the young bucks with good potential will get whacked by a neighbor, but a few may slip by. And remember if you shoot a buck just because you think the neighbor will shoot it, well......then YOU ARE that neighbor.

Texan Til I Die 52 Oct 1 - Jan 15

Wait for it...............wait for it...............YOU'RE A MORON!