Buckstopshere

Just out of velvet...and they are already "feelin' it."

And here is the other. All three are on different properties, miles from each other. Really looking forward to the season!

This guy is one of two on the top of my list.

I will pass him early, if he looks like that. But I'm sure he will be broken up in no time, ...all the junkyard bucks around here. My trail cams tell me we are at about a 1-1 ratio bucks to does. But last week of archery...if he looks like that, he would be in trouble.

This guy showed up at the licking branch bouquet on 9.2.17. I don't think those spindly tines are going to last too long. We are minerally-challenged up here at 2,400 feet.

Kind of blurry...but finally got all three fawns in the same frame. Seen them all summer, but they are never in the same frame. Good to see with so many bear and yotes after them. Three fawns are rare to see around here. I've only seen it a couple times before.

Here is a blondish yote last winter at an old buck carcass. I think he is howling.

And that right antler is coming out of the deer's head the same way. Looks like it's at 90 degrees from being up and down like they normally are. Strange.

Here he is, coming into the branch. Check out his G3 tine...crooked. I'm naming him "Crook" for that reason.

Yep...that's how attract bucks. I took those branches off another active scrape, about 5 miles away. This guy came in today...to the same branch in the background. He would be in trouble if he comes by me in hard-horn. My wife said he is too big and too pretty to eat. Women (no offense met to the gal hunters on the site!.)

Wonder what caused this, an accident, or genetics? Looks like each pedicle is rotated to the side, so the antler grows sideways instead of up.

I would say that I have two mature ones too. And we did have the drought...but we had a tremendous mast crop last year and with the scant snow cover, even though a long, cold spring...they wintered well. What seems weird is that the bucks seem to have fewer points! I know it sounds strange...and not the first time i sounded a bit crazy...but that is the way it seems compared to recent years of thousands of trail cam pictures.

Could be. Here is another shot of him, little more light on his back quarter. This buck has an abrasion on his left hind. He's had it all spring-summer. Just a guess, but maybe the possible scar on his face and the abrasion...or the cause of different hair growth could be related (maybe rife round on a previous season...edge of his face mask and through the edge of his side?)

Seems like I am getting more different six points on camera this year than any year I can remember.

LOL! Ha...that is too much for even my wild imagination to contemplate. Maybe up in your neck of the woods...but then it is Allegany County.

One can only hope. In this photo he is right where I passed up on a dandy 8 pt. opening day of 'loader season in December. The wind was blowing and the snow was going sideways. I had him at 40 yards...and he was with two other dandy bucks and two small ones. But I was tagged out and hunting does. I watched him for a time...thinking...he will be all the better next season. Now, I can't be sure it is the same buck of course. But in my area, next to the Pa. border, bucks like him are on the rare side...just the way I'd like to cook his backstrap.

This guy came wandering through all alone at the end of July. Usually, these older bucks are grouped up at this time of year.

Good buck with a telltale kicker on right base. Will be easy to watch his development with this unique sticker.

That would be very cool indeed if he turned into a buck like that! What do you think that buck scored hard-horn? Did you get any trailcam photos of him then? What do you figure his base circumference was hard-horn? And how in the heck does a buck like that make it through the hunting season? Must have a sanctuary.

It's a Browning Strike Force cam and good (lucky) lighting. Not sure how old he is. Probably have a history of photos of him over the last couple years, but will have to wait for his rack to take shape.

Black and white photo I snapped of the Luckey and Boylan bucks side-by-side 30 years ago at a whitetail seminar. These were the original mounts. One item of note is that the Boylan buck had very dark brown antlers while the Luckey buck was typical white.

The boys of spring.

Good to see the new crop of fawns on the ground.

Boylan shot the buck near Canaseraga, which is in the Northeast corner of Allegany County. The Luckey buck, was also shot in the northern part of Allegany County, near Fillmore more in the western corner of Allegany County. So the two bucks were not living too far from each other, maybe 16 to 20 miles. But, they were living in two different prongs of the Genesee watershed. The Luckey buck was in the western Genesee valley, while the Boylan buck was shot in the eastern headwaters where it runs down to Dansville, and then into the Genny. Both are very fertile areas, benefiting from the over harvesting of timber in the uplands to the south and the resultant erosion of humus and topsoil.

Congrats Colton on your First bird!