late season bucks?

2027 Views 20 Replies 13 Participants Last post by KTownKiller, Jan 8, 2020

philztoy

Discussion Starter · Dec 19, 2019

I was just wondering if anyone is seeing late season shooter bucks. I've got cameras out that send me pictures everyday. Since about mid gun season I haven't seen anything but small bucks on camera. This morning I got pictures of an almost shooter 8 point and a nicer 6. I was just wondering if anyone else is getting pictures of bucks moving again.

It is still muzzleloader here this weekend and then back to cross bow season. I don't know when or if the big boys come back out. I am sure they are out there.

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dbllungem

· #2 · Dec 19, 2019

Been watching this one the last week or so... Problem is, I'm tagged out for the year!

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robertyb

· #3 · Dec 19, 2019

Last night about 5 minutes before the end of shooting hours I looked out the kitchen window while at the sink and there stood a very nice 8 or 10 point buck out in my back food plot. I eased out the door and got my binoculars out of my truck and could tell he had 8 points for certain and maybe more but he did have both a high and wide rack on him. A small doe was harassing him some so I think she is near going into her 1st estrous but not close enough for him to really pay attention to her yet as he was ignoring her. I thought about my rifle just sitting there in the truck but I am in the City Limits with neighbors across the creek from where he was standing. Definite shooter buck though.

KTownKiller

· #4 · Dec 19, 2019

robertyb said:
Last night about 5 minutes before the end of shooting hours I looked out the kitchen window while at the sink and there stood a very nice 8 or 10 point buck out in my back food plot. I eased out the door and got my binoculars out of my truck and could tell he had 8 points for certain and maybe more but he did have both a high and wide rack on him. A small doe was harassing him some so I think she is near going into her 1st estrous but not close enough for him to really pay attention to her yet as he was ignoring her. I thought about my rifle just sitting there in the truck but I am in the City Limits with neighbors across the creek from where he was standing. Definite shooter buck though.

Sounds like he's had enough of the ladies!!!

I got two days left to poke the windbags outta one of the two big boyz here! I was gonna go in after them where they bed in a swamp, but the other guy that I was gonna team up with, has other commitments with a sick wife......figuring out something to do here to see some red snow today...!!!

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robertyb

· #5 · Dec 19, 2019

Maybe he has had enough but I think he is staking her out. I see a few bucks back there around the last week of Dec every year running young of the year does that are coming into estrous. Going to look for him this evening to get a better look if he comes back.

KTownKiller

· #6 · Dec 19, 2019

Good luck, man!

philztoy

Discussion Starter · #7 · Dec 19, 2019

dbllungem said:
Been watching this one the last week or so... Problem is, I'm tagged out for the year!

nice buck! good to see big ones coming out.

philztoy

Discussion Starter · #8 · Dec 19, 2019

good to hear there might be some young estrus does around. Glad to see good activity. I'm gonna go out and try this weekend and see if something decent walks out

ko4nrbs

· #9 · Dec 20, 2019

Still seeing bucks here. Several small ones and one big 8 point.
Bill

Gabowman

· #10 · Dec 20, 2019

Getting pictures regularly on the plots of two nice deer, an 8 and a 9 pter. Right AFTER dark!! Grrrr...….

Bowanalee

· #11 · Dec 21, 2019

I get a chance almost every winter for a good one. I'm usually bucked out by then. I don't see them near as regular as I do in early season up to about thanksgiving. Dec and Jan bucks are tough. Around here, they're in the creek bottom hedge thickets. Wild privet hedge is the only thing green. No crops or food plots here unless I plant one.

philztoy

Discussion Starter · #12 · Dec 21, 2019

Good tip on the creek bottome. I have a creek going through my property and I will concentrate any hunting around there. That is where most of my pictures are coming from. Most of my cameras are on the food plots which aren't what they were.

Thanks for the reports. I am trying to get out a little more if I can.

Old Vet

· #13 · Dec 22, 2019

6

Don't give up on good bucks just because the primary rut is over and the majority of does have been bred. After a month of running the bucks tend to return to their home range which in most areas is less than a half square mile. They are still watchful for does coming into season late and will take any opportunity that presents itself, but their primary goal is to rest and put back on weight before winter sets in hard. They are highly nocturnal so your best shot at them is the first and last hour of daylight.

Now that the rut has wound down here these four bucks have become regulars by my trail cam. They are hanging out in a large CRP patch adjacent to my property.

Deer Reindeer Wildlife Antler White-tailed deer

Wildlife Deer Antler White-tailed deer Antelope

Deer Wildlife Reindeer White-tailed deer Antler

Deer Reindeer Wildlife Antler White-tailed deer

Now all I have to do is hope one of them starts pressing daylight before the end of the season. Worked out last year. Had a nice 9 point start showing up again after the rut. He started getting closer and closer to daylight and finally on Dec. 22 with 20 minutes of shoot time left made that fatal mistake. He was worth waiting for!

Deer Fawn Wildlife

Deer hunting Hunting Deer Trophy hunting Wildlife biologist

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deermanct

· #14 · Dec 22, 2019

Nice buck

philztoy

Discussion Starter · #15 · Dec 22, 2019

wow. That is late season incentive! Thanks for the adrenaline!

SEW

· #16 · Dec 22, 2019

I’m tagged out. A close friend of mine, hunting 5 miles from my house has this on his camera. He’s hunting with a 200# Vortex. He’s seen this deer in the late evening twice recently. Closest was 80 yards. MLers and shotguns only from 26-28 Dec. NE Arkansas.

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WickedRidge400

· #17 · Dec 22, 2019

I have a feeder I built in my yard. I usually put out corn with a little BIG&J mixed in to keep all my visitors fat and happy. I was averaging 7-10 does an evening and 3 bucks. The bucks were smaller basket racked 5's and 6's with an occasional visit from a very nice 8 pointer and a very very nice 10 pointer which I shared the video with SEW and KTownKiller just to show them what my Jersey bucks look like in my yard.
In the last week and a half it went from 3-4 bucks visiting the ladies around the feeder each evening to ZERO!
I can only guess that all the ladies are bred and none have come into second estrus yet if they're not. One buck was working a scrape under my cedar tree which is 20 feet from the feeder. The scrape hasn't been touched in almost 2 weeks now.
I can guesstimate that most of the does are bred by my home, the bucks have settled into a more normal pattern of eating and resting after the rut wore them out.
I will be hunting every weekend from New Year's on. I'll post any pics of a buck I see or shoot, unless they've gone back to being nocturnal.

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Fletcher

· #18 · Dec 22, 2019

Good luck Wicked.

Michael McDermott

· #19 · Jan 8, 2020

philztoy said:
I was just wondering if anyone is seeing late season shooter bucks. I've got cameras out that send me pictures everyday. Since about mid gun season I haven't seen anything but small bucks on camera. This morning I got pictures of an almost shooter 8 point and a nicer 6. I was just wondering if anyone else is getting pictures of bucks moving again.

It is still muzzleloader here this weekend and then back to cross bow season. I don't know when or if the big boys come back out. I am sure they are out there.

Food is king right now. Figure out which direction they're coming from get in between betting and food for a nice evening sit, you can't go wrong.

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robertyb

· #20 · Jan 8, 2020

I shot this one Jan. 6, 2020. They are still around.

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