There is a part of me that based on the photos, and my personal sightings still believes he is "not old." 4.5ish. So I've always wanted to let him get another year of age. If he lived in the middle of a 10,000acre ranch it'd be a no-brainer for me. ....that said, given the fact that I've already flung an arrow at him we know what my trigger finger says, no matter what my brain tries to tell me.

He's been a hard deer to hunt because I didn't know he existed until November 1. No camera pictures, no sightings, no nothing. So no pattern, no idea of a core area... I don't know where he does/doesn't live/travel/eat/sleep. All but one of the pictures I have of him (about a dozen total) were on my 10 acre property, likely because I have created A) food; & B) predictable travel lanes through my place. So while I have "hunted him" I really don't know how effectively I've hunted him. I've hunted the general area where he has been seen. At one point I got to within 40 yards of him. Unfortunately (fortunately?) I thought he was at 52 and my arrow cleared his back by 3-4".

I can't really tell if that right drop is there or not, and every other pic I have of him is from the left side.

At the very least through rifle season I am going to stop hunting him. But I'm going to keep running cameras like a mad man. If I can maintain my intestinal fortitude I'm going to try to stop hunting him this year entirely and hope that he stays inside the "safe zone" offered by my place and my adjacent neighbors to each side (40 acres to my E, 10 acres to my W, 200 acres to my S). He's not in an area where he is likely to be seen from the road, so unless he wanders I'm crossing my fingers that he stays safe.

If I kill him I really want it to be as a double drop, and I also really want to see what he could blow up into next year. Plus it'll make next summer SOOOOO MUCH. MORE. FUN. trying to pattern him, learn about him, narrow it down and make a game plan. Right, wrong, or indifferent I think I'm going to stop hunting in that area altogether until January (antlerless only) because if I see him in range I doubt I'll be able to save me from myself.

I've been blessed enough to hunt on large ranches where this type of plan might work. So, for the record.......



I think you're nucken futs!!!!!

aren't drop tines not guaranteed to occur every year? Don't some deer have them one year but not the next?

There are no guarantees in deer. But from what I've seen/heard they tend to stick around if they are of this size/bigger. Little kickers move around, and maybe they'll be gone next year, but I think it's a risk I'm going to take at this point.

...and let's face it, the odds of me getting him killed even if I try in the next 30 days aren't exactly great. I've got to travel at least 2 of the next 3 weekends, and work is getting busier... So it's not a completely selfless pass. It's also a realization of how hard I'd have to push in on him to attempt to get it done (and the increased likelihood that I screw it up and shove him out of my place and into a more dangerous area).

Good and bad. Pulled a camera today that has had very limited activity and got a series of videos of Deuce. On November 22. That is the day he *poof* disappeared on me. I have ZERO pics of him after 11/22. Good news? That is almost 2 weeks before rifle season so maybe he wasn't rifle killed. Bad news: He could have been killed in a myriad of other ways although I haven't heard anything about it locally.

For whatever reason, November 22 was the day the rut ended here. And I don't mean, it seemed like it was over, I mean ENDED. Like I was getting pics of 6-8 different bucks per day, tiny, big, little, medium.. and then I got exactly 0 buck pictures between 11/23 and 12/20. None. Not on food, not on scrapes, not on random travel corridors. I haven't checked every camera, but I've checked many of them. So I'm hoping the bucks just retreated back to a sanctuary and rested and relaxed.

Now on to the fun videos. (I still think he's relatively young)







...kinda pretty, eh?

Hopin he reappears! Sucker is not an old deer. Should get bigger.

Damn man he really does look like he is probably a 4 1/2 year old buck in those videos. I can't imagine what he could put on if he makes it until next year. Hell of a buck.

I Yo-Yo back and forth almost hourly on excitement for what he could be in 2016 and crippling anxiety that he is dead/will be dead before then.

I think I'm giving myself an ulcer.

I agree that he is just reaching maturity. Could be an even more amazing buck next year.

Unless you are high fence, there is a very small chance you see that deer next year. Smoke him.

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Unless you are high fence, there is a very small chance you see that deer next year. Smoke him.

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Hate, hate, hate this mentality. But you're right.

Un-educated / non management practicing neighbors on low fence ranchers are the reason why we ultimately got a high fence property. Tired of seeing yearling or 2 1/2 year old deer being shot.

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I Yo-Yo back and forth almost hourly on excitement for what he could be in 2016 and crippling anxiety that he is dead/will be dead before then.

I think I'm giving myself an ulcer.

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Not that this will help any but we lost one this past weekend that we decided to let go at least another year. He crossed the fence and that was it. If I'd have known that was going to happen I might have done it myself the week before.

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Unless you are high fence, there is a very small chance you see that deer next year. Smoke him.

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Hate, hate, hate this mentality. But you're right.

Un-educated / non management practicing neighbors on low fence ranchers are the reason why we ultimately got a high fence property. Tired of seeing yearling or 2 1/2 year old deer being shot.

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I wish that's not the way it has to be, but like the movie "There are a Million Ways to Die in the West", a deer of this caliber / any deer is susceptible to various ways of demise. Poachers or trigger-happy neighbors are the most likely culprit, but you can't rule out hit by a car, hung up in a tree/ stuck on barbed wire, disease, leaves the area because too little/too much rain at the current area, devil worshippers (True Detective), or killed by an audad.

He's a free-range, low fence deer so I'm well aware of the dangers that await him. Small tracts of land too so he could easily travel 6-8 different property lines in a day without even breaking a sweat. Outside of the 3 weeks of the rut this year he seems to be a recluse. ...at least that's what I'm trying to convince myself. I run an obscene amount of cameras and have never seen him prior to him popping into a field on November 1. Then he was all over camera for 3 weeks. ...then he vanished. I think I have his refuge narrowed down to 2 possible areas. I don't think anyone hunts there but I don't know that. And there are definitely other hunters in the area. I had a buck walk through the back yard last year with an arrow in his shoulder blade so I know I'm not the only one. Plus whatever rifle hunters are in the area. Luckily our rifle season is only about 10 days and it was very hot almost the entire time this year so most of the deer were pretty nocturnal.

I've been lucky enough in my 39 years to see some pretty darn good deer. But I obviously consider this one pretty special. A once in a lifetime deer probably. And I'm willing to risk the chance he dies from an arrow/bullet/car/EHD/etc. before next year on the hopes that he somehow makes it. Because if he puts on a "normal" 4 to 5 year antler bump...?? well ****, if he does that I won't even know how to describe him next year. But while it may be absurd it's a risk I decided was worth taking for me personally.

I don't expect another hunter to pass on him given the chance, nor would I really expect them to. Hell, I took a shot at him and missed on November 3. But he and I were both all amped up on testosterone. Once I had a chance to calm down and start evaluating pics and videos I made a decision that all of my friends think is crazy. And I'm pretty sure they are right. The good news is if he can make it until December 31 then he's legally off the list as our buck season is over. ...then if he can hang on to his rack for January and not get killed during the "late antlerless" season I only need to stress over poachers, vehicles, and the myriad of other non-hunting related ways a deer can die each year.

What's amazing is he appeared out of the ether this year.

I applaud your choice. Just this weekend I was on a hunt with my sons and we had a very nice mature hill country 8pt buck and young 10 pt under our feeder, but was sent to take out an older 7. We killed the right deer, but it took some explaining to my son why we did what we did.

Hell, I've had trouble explaining it to full grown adults.

Shawn - how many cameras do you use? And on how many acres? ... I feel like I have an issue with too many cameras, but I have a feeling you have me beat.

I'm honestly not sure as I haven't inventoried them lately. To date I'm unaware of any that have been stolen although 2 of my older cameras have crapped out on me since the summer. I would guess I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 35-40. And aside from about 5 that stay in relatively static locations the rest rotate in and out of various places as I try to inventory deer or narrow in on a specific deer. I have a couple of smaller private places that I have permission on (from 5 acres up to about 250 acres) and then I have about 8500 acres on a nearby public wildlife area. I also move them a lot to keep them from getting stolen.

Oh, I also have 2 on the side of a mountain in Colorado right now that I hope will still be there early next Summer when I go back to check them (I actually have a local friend that checks them about every 6-8 weeks). They are helping me scout for elk right now.

How do you afford all of those batteries?!

He's a lobbiest attorney.

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How do you afford all of those batteries?!

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I'm guessing no rib, no trophies...

Wow! 35-40?
Well what's your favorite brand? Surely you have your go to?

I absolutely load up on RayovacAAs when Menard's plus then clearance and I've gravitated to cameras with really good battery life. Bushnell Trophy Cams mostly with a good smattering of Primos Ultra, Browning, and Moultrie. I can usually get a couple of months out of 8 AAs. And because I rotate and move cameras so much they aren't out 24\/7/365.

And yes, no rib, no trophies, and until recently no dog chemo.

A long ways to go until next year, but he lived through rifle season.

Outstanding! That'll keep you going through the horrible months without deer season

Where's that in relationship to where you have seen him before?

1/2 to 3/4 of a mile to the SSW depending on which siting/photo you're talking about.

Happy fer ya pal! Glad you got that to look forward to.

Mebbe you can find his sheds come March.

Im sure he will be furiously searching for those sheds.

Great! When does your 2016 season open?

Good to see he made it. I know how you feel. Between my cousins 160 acres and my abutting 175 acres we had a 10 pnt with a 5" drop tine w/ an estimated 20" spread make it along with a 14pnt typ at 22-24" . These were the two biggest we've had running on our places in years. We believe they went full nocturnal after thanksgiving. They only show up on camera between 2 & 3am

I'll definitely look for the sheds. Haven't quite figured out where he "lives.". I think it's to the west of the property where I have permission. I saw " a big deer " down there late last year and I've almost convinced myself it was him as a 3 year old. No way to know really.

Our season starts September 15ish.

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I'll definitely look for the sheds. Haven't quite figured out where he "lives.". I think it's to the west of the property where I have permission. I saw " a big deer " down there late last year and I've almost convinced myself it was him as a 3 year old. No way to know really.

Our season starts September 15ish.

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So that means he has.......~ 8 months to live!