lots of pic on cam but no bucks!

14356 Views 15 Replies 5 Participants Last post by tator, Sep 14, 2010

chesterflick

Discussion Starter · Sep 5, 2010

hello, this is my first post to the group. I have been hunting for 3 years and have never had a kill. Last year I saw deer where I was hunting but never pulled the trigger(bow)
I am hunting a 25 acre wooded are this year surrounded by farms of one description or another. I live in Chatham County NC and the season opens on Sept.11 and I am set to go.
@ weeks ago I put out a trail cam and to my surprise I had over 200 pictures on it. The only thing in the pictures wher LOTS of does,fawns and maybe 3 spikey 4 point type bucks. For some reason I dont want my buddies saying He got a 4 point..giggle snort giggle.
Are there bigger bucks around not interested in the corn? Or will I be surprised when I see big boy walk out on opening day or is it more likely that it will only be during the rut that the bigger bucks come in.

I also want to know if I should take as many does as I can?
This area is well populated with dear. The owner has desribed the deer population as "heards".

Any tips or ideas will be greatly appreciated and I know that this year I will get my first deer

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G

· #2 · Sep 5, 2010

first off welcome to the club

i wouldn't worry about what your buddies think.

i also, if the area has to many does, have no problem taking a couple for the freezer within the law. but to kill just to kill is an issue. crop damage culling, feeding friends and neighbors, are good reasons to take few out.

if the does are there the older bucks will find them. wiser older bucks will lots of times avoid bait piles while the does and young bucks won't leave them alone.

just remember if you shoot that little buck he won't grow up to be a big buck, its your call if it with in the rules.

chesterflick

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 5, 2010

Well again I have been hunting for three years and last year was the first year I really saw any deer. I had 3 or 4 chances to shoot but I declined, for whatever reason. My wife says I am not able to kill the animal.
The Idea for hunting is for food. I am not going to be killing and then leaving them lay there.
I was wondering more about thinning out the does. Can you kill to many and never get a buck in there.
The owner of the property wants me and my hunting partner to take as many as we can
I also want to be able to hunt without the use of corn or any of the other attractants. I want to learn the signs of were deer are and where they are going.
The place I hunted last year had lots of deer but only when I put out corn. Once the corn was gone so where the deer.
My hunting license allows me 6 deer all of them can be does and only 2 bucks allowed.
I was under the impression because I am on private property I could kill unlimited amounts.. Can anyone enlighten me on this.

G

· #4 · Sep 5, 2010

chesterflick said:
Well again I have been hunting for three years and last year was the first year I really saw any deer. I had 3 or 4 chances to shoot but I declined, for whatever reason. My wife says I am not able to kill the animal.
The Idea for hunting is for food. I am not going to be killing and then leaving them lay there.
I was wondering more about thinning out the does. Can you kill to many and never get a buck in there.
The owner of the property wants me and my hunting partner to take as many as we can
I also want to be able to hunt without the use of corn or any of the other attractants. I want to learn the signs of were deer are and where they are going.
The place I hunted last year had lots of deer but only when I put out corn. Once the corn was gone so where the deer.
My hunting license allows me 6 deer all of them can be does and only 2 bucks allowed.
I was under the impression because I am on private property I could kill unlimited amounts.. Can anyone enlighten me on this.

most states the state sets the bag limit. so you'll have to check with the fish and game in your state. i suggest doing what the landowner wants within the law or you could loose the chance to hunt there. to learn to hunt without bait is real simple. stop putting bait out then go learn the deer in your areas habits and capitalize on them. see simple. haha. it takes a long time to figure deer out and just when you think you got it something proves you wrong. lots of knowledge and opinions here. cruse some of the older posts and you may find some helpful info. also under the home page team members have written articles that may help.

pluckit

· #5 · Sep 5, 2010

I hope you don't mind my posting my opinion about all of this buck doe stuff.I got just as excited and breathless with my heart feeling like it was beating so loud the deer would hear it when the last doe I shot was approaching my stand as I did when I shot the fellow that was sporting this rack.The only difference was the old boy was tough as hell to chew and the doe wasn't.

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Hunting Man

· #6 · Sep 5, 2010

When we don't get excited its time to hang it up. Sometimes those old does are way more smart than some bucks. That's a nice buck you got. Congrats.

pluckit

· #7 · Sep 5, 2010

Not too bad.My best to date.That was back in 1994.The spot I'm hunting now produced a number of 10 points and a 12 in the last couple of years so the prospect of bettering that one is good if I hold out for the big one.I don't usually do that but since I have resolved myself to shoot nothing but 8's or better and take the does and yearlings for the freezer it might happen soon.Now if I can let the does walk (yeah right) to see if the big one is following maybe this will be the year.I know there are nice ones there,I have them on video from my trail camera.

G

· #8 · Sep 5, 2010

pluckit said:
Not too bad.My best to date.That was back in 1994.The spot I'm hunting now produced a number of 10 points and a 12 in the last couple of years so the prospect of bettering that one is good if I hold out for the big one.I don't usually do that but since I have resolved myself to shoot nothing but 8's or better and take the does and yearlings for the freezer it might happen soon.Now if I can let the does walk (yeah right) to see if the big one is following maybe this will be the year.I know there are nice ones there,I have them on video from my trail camera.

the area is certainly capable of producing big and i mine BIG bucks.

pluckit

· #9 · Sep 5, 2010

Back when I harvested that buck you had to take your deer to a check in station.When they weighed it they told me it weighed 150 pounds.I haven't heard of deer in this area going much heavier than that.I might not be listening well though.Their scale might have been off also.I had to call for help to get it out of the woods.When my help arrived we both agreed that it lookd like it would weigh in in the neighborhood of 200 pounds.That won't happen to me again though.I have my own scale now so I won't have to second guess the weight.

G

· #10 · Sep 5, 2010

pluckit said:
Back when I harvested that buck you had to take your deer to a check in station.When they weighed it they told me it weighed 150 pounds.I haven't heard of deer in this area going much heavier than that.I might not be listening well though.Their scale might have been off also.I had to call for help to get it out of the woods.When my help arrived we both agreed that it lookd like it would weigh in in the neighborhood of 200 pounds.That won't happen to me again though.I have my own scale now so I won't have to second guess the weight.

i've seen some very big bucks taken from the area. 200+ pounds 160" class and bigger. heck a few years back there was a non typical that had like 255" there.

pluckit

· #11 · Sep 5, 2010

The ones in my videos don't look that big body wise but who knows.They get a lot of corn and soy beans to eat and they have the greatest body fat content of any deer I've shot anywhere else.

G

· #12 · Sep 5, 2010

they do get a lot of corn and beans. this year might not be so good though.

pluckit

· #13 · Sep 5, 2010

The corn seemed to suffer but the beans seem bushier and taller than last year.

su106

· #14 · Sep 7, 2010

welcome to the club i also hunt in nc we very rarely see big buck at the bait or on camera but come later on near the rut in the back swamps there are some nice bucks but i shoot doe i just like the meat so antlers are nice but i can't eat them good luck this year and with all those doe the buck will show up

pluckit

· #15 · Sep 9, 2010

That buck came from over by Six Flags Amusement park off of Central Ave. in Prince georges County.They chased me off that year,they said I was hunting on thier buffer zone property.Too bad.It was one heck of a good spot.

tator

· #16 · Sep 14, 2010

Back to the original post.. chesterflick-- one thing that i have noticed on my trail cameras is that does almost always lead the way. What I mean is that when you look at your pics, before you see any bucks on there, you'll almost always see does pics first. even during the off rut time. i have also noticed that bucks keep their distance from does sometimes... so you might be getting alot of pics of the does, but the bucks may be on the other side of the tree from your camera. also, bucks right now are in bachelor groups. They tend to use different trails that doe/fawn trails. These trails are generally smaller and harder to notice.
One of my trail cameras has a 30 sec time period it waits inbetween pics. you might be getting the does' pic, and then the buck walks through while the camera is in "wait" period. I sometimes see alot of LARGE hind-ends and you can tell they are not does.
Most generally the deer are there, take some does if you think there are too many.

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