camera elusive buck

[wtnhunt]

Not positive, but think this buck was running with the buck i was after last fall. The one on the left in both pics I know made it through. The big 7 I was after disappeared, heard that the neighboring landowners father during the muzzleloader shot and never found a real nice 8 that may have not had both brows.

Had limited trail cam pics of him once the season started and i only physically saw the deer one time after season started. I passed him with the rifle late in the season last year, got a real good look at him and figured he was either a heavy 2.5 year old or may have been a 3.5. He was at least 16 inches inside last year with a weaker left side. I know he made it through, had pics of him in late January.

This year only a handful of pics of him. Most recent was November 15th. I did not think he was still around. He is definitely a shooter for me here if he is still around. Biggest concern is that deer are picking up corn somewhere, corn around here was all out by the beginning of October. Don't know for certain who or where, but could be someone baiting which is NOT legal here.

[wtnhunt]

Few more pics from last year

Day I watched him after an ice storm last year.

[Rhino]

Nice buck for your neck of the woods...good luck with him.

We've seen at least 3 big shooters in MO that have never stepped in front of one of our cameras yet. One big 11 point we watched in a bean field several times during the summer & still no pics of him. Happens every year. Then there are some we never see that suddenly seem to appear out of nowhere and get caught by a camera toward the end of the season that we never knew were there.

[fly]

Good luck with that 7! Dandy buck. The unicorn buck has vacated the area. Only got pics once in August. There are 2 shooters I've got November pics of. A 130 inch 8 and a 140 inch 9. Maybe something else will show up after this weekend's 4 day second gun season. I might get out once or twice with the gun, but looking forward to crossbow that starts Monday!

[wtnhunt]

Good luck with that 7! Dandy buck.

Don't think he is still around Frank. He was a real nice deer, was my target buck last year.

I think the deer he was with is the 8 I have pics of this year. He is nice this year if he is still around.

[fly]

I see - well, may whatever deer happens to be the biggest in your area rest upon the crosshairs of your scope!

[hoosierhunter]

I'm hoping I have s few "shy" Bucks fall out of the woodwork yet this season too! He's s nice 8, GL with him.

[wtnhunt]

Nice buck for your neck of the woods...good luck with him.

We've seen at least 3 big shooters in MO that have never stepped in front of one of our cameras yet. One big 11 point we watched in a bean field several times during the summer & still no pics of him. Happens every year. Then there are some we never see that suddenly seem to appear out of nowhere and get caught by a camera toward the end of the season that we never knew were there.

Funny how that works out. Have heard some people say that deer in this part of the country don't stick to the same place, I don't necessarily believe that. Sure the majority of bucks don't make it and yes they do travel. I am not 100 percent certain, but I strongly believe the deer(the smaller 8) I passed last year late is in fact the same buck in the pictures above(last two pics in the initial post). If a buck has a few does around and plenty of food and water and good cover, why would he not return.

Around the rut obviously have some "show up" that never seen before, but there are those you know are around that seem to manage to somehow skirt the cameras. I have watched several deer around the cameras, some don't mind them at all and others will make a deliberate trip around them. We rarely have any at the end of the season that we get pics of. Usually when crops come out and around the rut is when we get the "suprises". Both the buck I killed in 2012 and 2013 never had a pic of either that I could determine was them from late in the growing season to out of velvet up until the time I shot them. Had a few other shooter bucks though that I never did see that just disappeared, the big 7 above being one of them. Interesting where they might go, have had some that disappear and reappear later in the season too. We had over 200 pics between 4 different cams of my 2009 deer, he was all over and would vanish for weeks, killed him in late December on our late rifle season when our rifle seasons were still split. That buck was a mature buck and he was not at all worried about the cameras, those were all flash cameras too.

[Ravin R10 man]

A lot of it depends on the bucks "core" area, they will summer a lot of times with a few other bucks, then when they shed velvet, it trips a switch and they are GONE. Only way of seeing them then is if they follow a hot doe, and she leads him by. The other chance is if you have food available in late season, it can pull deer from a long way off, of course the weather plays a part at that time too. Snow and cold helps them to travel and find the food.

Just had an 8pt show up here that I have not seen either...2nd rut is kicking in and bucks are roaming agian

Edited December 7, 2014 by Mathews XT Man

[Ravin R10 man]

just got one cam out here...want to see just what kind of bucks are left or wander in

Edited December 9, 2014 by Mathews XT Man

[wtnhunt]

Got an 8 that is probably 17+ inches inside that just showed back up for a few appearances last Monday. Think the last pics we had of him were back in early November, over a month ago. He is a definite shooter for the girls, think my 13 year old daughter and i saw him a couple weeks ago but he was never in the open. Have had quite a few pics of that one. Had another smaller 8 i don't think we had seen before also following the doe. Still about 3 weeks of gun left here. Couple others 8's that were around that i would like to see if they are still walking. That big 8 in the pics above has not been on our cams again.