Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Deer Season

Follow-up on infrared cameras. I went to Bass Pro shops yesterday - the effective range of an infrared camera is about 10 feet, compared to flash cameras with ranges in excess of 30 feet.

I'm headed out later today with my 7 year old, his first time to "hunt" in the stand with Dad. This will be a great weekend.

Safe hunting everyone.

Gator

Here are some pictures from my dads infrared camera.

Here is a deer hubby got in "83" It went into the Missouri Big Bucks. I don't remember what it scored, 156 I think.

I saw a beautiful buck yesterday. It actually came out about 40 ft. from my ground stand. It was a 10 point, perfectly symmetrical, long tines and about 17 inches wide. It looked straight at me from about 25 ft., turned and went over to check out a scrape. I watched it work over a mesquite tree creating a rub. Then it walked away.

Beautiful animal but the rack just didn't have the mass I want. Also, when it turned sideways to me I saw that it's belly was perfectly straight with no sag. It couldn't be over 2.5 or 3.5 years old. I think I saw it last year. and I'm looking forward to seeing it next year. Hope it survives.

DD,

You demonstrated great personal restraint on the 10 pointer. Did you see any of those pesky hogs?

Gator

Dan, I didn't see any hogs. Also, it wasn't that much personal restraint. All I could think of was "Man, he's pretty. Just think what he will be like in a couple of years.".

Also, I'm coming to grips with the idea that I enjoy hunting more than I do killing. That's real mixed emotions for a predator. I told the Rancher next to me about the deer. He's going to start sitting out with his video camera to try to get some pictures of him. I have one almost as nice on my game cam. Of course, that's the problem with game cameras. They tell you what shows up at night.

DD,

You are right - it's more about the hunt than the kill for me too. I just put my 7 year old to bed. I told him I had a great time hunting this weekend – his smile was so big and bright that it made my weekend.

I would love to see some pictures on the 10...

NWW, that’s a nice deer hanging on your wall.

Gator

Thanks Gator.

I saw several deer last evening in my archery stand. I havent hunted for few years. It was nice to see the deer again. There was a doe about 15 yards but it was too dark by then. Thats ok no shot equals less work and I still enjoyed it.

We saw one buck opening morning. He was a small 6 point and too small to be interesting. Especially on the first day of the season. It was cold out and there is some evidence that the rut is underway. That little guy had just one thing on his mind!!!

The next morning we came around a bend in the road and there was a hog rutting around the edge of our road. He was 50 yards away, 125 pounds and down wind. It would have been an easy shot, but we passed on him. No point wasting a day of deer hunting cleaning a hog.

When I first started hunting, I shot the first buck I saw. That took three years of trying. Than a few years later, I shot the second buck I saw. Then one year I went hunting with a guy from work who had about the same luck I'd had deer hunting. We talked about it and decided to hold out for better deer. With two sets of eyes, we spotted allot more deer. We stuck to our word and let all the little bucks go. By the end of that season, I'd shot the best buck of my life to that point and seen more bucks in that one season than in my entire life before then.

It's easy to say, but was a hard lesson to learn. Don't shoot the small ones and you'll see more big ones.

Hunting also turned into something more for me after that. Before it was a frustrating battle of disapointment and wishful thinking. Now it's all about enjoying the outdoors, seeing the animals and enjoying the time it takes to find quality animals.

Now that I have a wife who is just getting into hunting, I find it's even more fun working towards getting her an animal. She gets so exited when we see something, and what's realy amazing is how quickly she can spot an animal. She spotted every deer and hog we saw over the weekend first except for one doe that I saw first. She's just an amazing woman!!!

She never even hesitated about passing on the hogs we saw. There were three of them over the entire weekend. Some we could have shot easy, others would have taken some effort. She knows that it will take effort to get a good buck and doesn't want tow waste any time with hogs that we can shoot year round, or killing a small buck early in the season. If she doesn't have one by mid December, than she'll take what comes along, but until then, we're having allot of fun!!!

Good luck everyone,
Eddie

Eddie, that sounds great. I dislike people that shoot at every thing they see just to be killing it. People around here get that way sometimes, not my hubby, he takes his time like you do and enjoys seeing everything he can. I grew up in the city and wasn't around hunting until I met my husband, he has taken me out several times but with no luck. I have seen deer just couldn't get a clear shot. Then one year I thought I would try to go by myself just to show him I could, I saw a nice buck, at least an 8 pt. problem was he saw me too, we stared at each other for what seamed a long time then he walked off. I waited for him to come back into site, but he was running so I couldn't shoot. So I walked back over where I saw him go and started looking for him again. I found him in a thickett, or I should say he popped up right in front of me from a thickett. LOL At any rate I didn't get the deer but I had a fun story for the guys when they got home, and they hadn't seen a thing. LOL

Well any one have a deer this year? Our season opened Sat., so far we have 2 buttons and a small doe. Hubby got a big buck this morning, when he gets here I will take pics and show you.

I was bushhogging this morning and kicked up the same 3 deer twice: a 7-pt, an 8-pt, and the fattest doe I have ever seen. They only moved about 50 feet, far enough not to get run over by the tractor, and stood there looking in every other direction in case there was a real threat nearby. The second time I was on foot and they were barely any more concerned. I'm gonna have to hunt while bushogging.

Ohio youth season is next Saturday & Sunday. I hope to be out guiding my son.

Well, it wasn't as BIG as hubby made it sound, but a nice 7 pt. We took this one to the locker plant to be made into summer sausage.

Dave ask me to post this pic. I know he would not want any of you to drool on your keyboard and short out your computer.

Thanks Eric, I tried for about 30 minutes and then yelled for help.

I have 3 pictures of this guy but this one is the best. I expect he is just about totally nocturnal.

If I ever decide to sell my land he ought to add about $200 per acre.

OUCH! Put my little buck to shame, but like you said he only comes out at night, I think they know their horns are coveted and stay hid. How else would they survive to pass on there genes.

Chris, I am totally a trophy hunter. However, I'm not sure I will ever pull the trigger on what I consider a truly magnificent animal or the best of the breed.

I had no idea that sucker was on my land and I doubt that I would shoot it.

Hi New_Water,

Tell your husband congratulations on a nice buck. One that size would make a fantastic first buck for my wife!!!!

Dave,

That's a very nice buck. One like that will be even better next year and with him breeding, you guranteed to have quality bucks on your place.

It's a myth that big bucks are strictly nocternal, they have just learned how to avoid being seen during the day. Sometimes you have to get withing five feet of a buck like that for him to move, they know that if they are in thick brush and don't move, they will never be seen. They have also found areas to move around that they are safe and can avoid contact with humans.

Big deer are very smart and it's what makes hunting them such a challange!!!

Thanks for the picture,
Eddie

That's a fine buck there Dave! Just looking at his backline and his belly, I don't think he is very old and anywhere near his potential!

The game camera's are alot of fun and I enjoy messing with them about as much as I do the hunting. I have a new one sitting here beside me that my uncle ordered to put out this weekend & I just bid on a Sony camera to put together another homemade trailcam. My wife likes this little "addiction" about as well as all the others I've had...ponds, fishing, golf, hunting......

On your camera at the feeder, if you will take a weedeater and knock all the tall weeds down between the camera and the feeder, the flash will extend farther and give you better/crisper pics. Weeds and brush tend to "gobble up" the flash on the cameras.

Ross, I think you are right about his age. I see him as about 4 1/2 YOA.

Yeah, I definitely need to use the weedeater. I hadn't thought about it shortening the flash range. I also have a problem in the settings. During normal daylight, everything gets pretty washed out and whitish looking. I have it pointing North so, it's certainly not getting the full sun into the lens.

Eddie, I agree that an awful lot of them aren't totally nocturnal. Maybe they are just good at patterning me.

Our gun season starts this Saturday up in the Catskills of New York State. I just started using a trail camera this past fall and it has really opened our eyes to what is out and about when we are not around. I have shots of bear cubs, wild turkey and some nice size (For us up here in NY where the Whitetail is king) white tails. They don't compare to the big boys you Texans have but are great hunting.

While bow hunting a few weeks ago I got a shot of this one with the digital camera that I keep in my back pack.
Who can notice the comedy of this photo? Look closely.

I'll tell you the story in a few days.

Tuzz

I hate to say it, but I don't think it's your settings. Alot of cameras have this problem with washouts/whiteouts. I have a couple Moultries that get about 10-15% washouts to some degree each time. It does seem to be getting better as the arc of sun is less overhead this time of year. If you will look at the picture properties you will likely see that the "overexposed" pics tend to have a longer shutter time than the ones that look good. It's a matter of the camera not reading/sensing the light level correctly most of the time.

Also, there is a great little FREE program to use with these gamecams. It's called Picasa2 from Google. You can DL the photos directly into this program and crop, zoom, lighten, etc. Very neat program.

DD, nice deer - game cameras are great, they have patience I dont have (plus night vision).

Tuzz, looks like someone pulled right on that shot, was it at that deer or another one?

Gator

You'd have had him, Tuzz, if he hadn't climbed down out of that tree at just the wrong instant.

The best rack of my hunting career I took with a bow. This 11 point and I surprised each other on a trail. I got the drop on him, took careful aim at his vitals, and shot through his right front knee. Like 2 feet of error at a 15 foot range. :rolleyes: Fortunately he went down long enough for me to get off a better shot.

My wife asked me if I was working as an enforcer for the Deer Mob.