Official 2022 Fall Plots Thread

[Five Seasons]

I pulled some non-cell cams saturday that sit on my plots and was just overwhelmed with the amount of deer grazing. Just being hammered at night by doe and bucks alike. I am getting some solid buck activity here and there right before dusk and right after dawn so that will be my first week of october hunt plan before I leave the area alone till halloween.

my fall plot is super patchy but growing very well. I'm confident with better spring and summer mowing I wont have the thatch next year and it wont be so patchy.

 

[LET EM GROW]

1 hour ago, Robhuntandfish said:

Thanks - last year we did this spot and it looked like a putting green by season, they ate it to the ground. lol   This year we put in two other plots nearby here and as of this weekend still had a decent amount of growth to it.  

Makes you feel good when they do what they're supposed to do! lol 

[stubborn1VT]

Spread about 30lbs of fertilizer on my plot, since I had it.  Everything is growing ok.  Like most of you, I struggled with dry conditions.  Now about half of my plot is too darn wet.  Some parts are great.  Some parts are squishy.  Some parts are covered in standing water.  It'll be what it'll be.  

Trimmed out my natural blind in the hedgerow.  Paced out 35 yards in two shooting lanes and marked them with some ash branches that still had leaves on them.  Checked two cameras.  Big doe, medium doe, last year's fawns (one's a button) and 2 eight pointers.  One is 2.5 and the other is 3.5.  At least that's what I think, since I have pics of them from last year.  Also a small flock of hens and poults. 

I plan on hunting here at the house early season.  Partly because I still have some work to get done and partly because those bucks are hanging around.  I don't have any great bucks on camera at our family farm, yet.  Plenty of deer over there, so I'm hoping to take a doe or maybe two from the several hundred acres I can hunt in that area.  Hard to believe it's almost the best time of year!  Went to the apple orchard and got some cider, apples, and apple cider donuts.  Shot the Xbow.  Worked on firewood.  If I can just get a couple more jobs finished up - the rest of the fall will be MINE!

[land 1]

a button would be this years fawn

[stubborn1VT]

14 hours ago, land 1 said:

a button would be this years fawn

Not necessarily true.  When they are old enough to rub the velvet off their antler nubs they aren't this year's fawn.  I have pictures of this doe and 2 fawns from last year too.  First deer I ever shot with a Xbow was a 107lb button buck.  Was that a fawn too?

[LET EM GROW]

14 minutes ago, stubborn1VT said:

Not necessarily true.  When they are old enough to rub the velvet off their antler nubs they aren't this year's fawn.  I have pictures of this doe and 2 fawns from last year too.  First deer I ever shot with a Xbow was a 107lb button buck.  Was that a fawn too?

I am going to say an early born Button, yes. April Born. A button that has weeks or even a month more to his first growing season than the rest or a typical button bucks first 6 months... more food, means more body weight and probably a touch longer than normal "buttons" .. but im not a biologist either.. My best guess.    Ive seen some big doe produce some big offspring. 

[land 1]

1 hour ago, stubborn1VT said:

Not necessarily true.  When they are old enough to rub the velvet off their antler nubs they aren't this year's fawn.  I have pictures of this doe and 2 fawns from last year too.  First deer I ever shot with a Xbow was a 107lb button buck.  Was that a fawn too?

if it has just buttons this years fawn yes they will rub what velvet there is seen them rub trees , about an 1in nubs just poking out of the hair, fawn yes 107lbs is possible early drop, good food good gentics. I have never heard of a 1.5 button maybe some very small spike like 2 or 3in and small body...

Edited September 27, 2022 by land 1

[land 1]

ok just did a little research "Male fawns also know as Button Bucks" weigh an avg of 85lbs by November in North east,,,, so that being said 107lbs would be an x large male fawn but only say 20lbs above avg....

[wolc123]

As the site expert on button bucks, having killed around a total of 20, I would say that protruding antlers up to about an inch, is almost always still this year’s fawn.

The earliest that I have ever killed one, was mid-September last year, and that one weighed about 50 lbs field dressed.  I killed this one on January 1 of this year, that probably just broke 100.  It would have been heavier, but it was suffering from an antler goring wound to the chest.

 I witnessed that attack and I am not sure if that he would have made it thru the winter because of that.  No matter, as I got to him in the Holiday season with my ML, before the coyotes could, and the rest of the meat was good.  I discarded the pussy stuff around his brisket.  
 

I have killed several others in late November that were very healthy, well-fed and over 110 lbs, field dressed. Since I have now taken bb’s on two consecutive years, I am trying my best to hold off on another until at least 2025.

Edited September 27, 2022 by wolc123

[Lomax]

1 1/2 yr old stubby i took video of last night checking cams

they can still look like button bux though.  

[Robhuntandfish]

button buck my buddy shot in 2020 . Had to feel for the buttons they didnt even break the hide. 

[land 1]

yup lomax that  i would say 1.5yrold late drop last yr or whatever small body but his spikes are still  bigger then 6mo old fawn  buttons buck

[Five Seasons]

22 hours ago, stubborn1VT said:

Spread about 30lbs of fertilizer on my plot, since I had it.  Everything is growing ok.  Like most of you, I struggled with dry conditions.  Now about half of my plot is too darn wet.  Some parts are great.  Some parts are squishy.  Some parts are covered in standing water.  It'll be what it'll be.  

Trimmed out my natural blind in the hedgerow.  Paced out 35 yards in two shooting lanes and marked them with some ash branches that still had leaves on them.  Checked two cameras.  Big doe, medium doe, last year's fawns (one's a button) and 2 eight pointers.  One is 2.5 and the other is 3.5.  At least that's what I think, since I have pics of them from last year.  Also a small flock of hens and poults. 

I plan on hunting here at the house early season.  Partly because I still have some work to get done and partly because those bucks are hanging around.  I don't have any great bucks on camera at our family farm, yet.  Plenty of deer over there, so I'm hoping to take a doe or maybe two from the several hundred acres I can hunt in that area.  Hard to believe it's almost the best time of year!  Went to the apple orchard and got some cider, apples, and apple cider donuts.  Shot the Xbow.  Worked on firewood.  If I can just get a couple more jobs finished up - the rest of the fall will be MINE!

yeah the amount of rain lately needs to chill out lol. Not just for the woods, but sitting in the stands at my kids games or practice in the cold rain sucks haha.

[Five Seasons]

4 hours ago, land 1 said:

if it has just buttons this years fawn yes they will rub what velvet there is seen them rub trees , about an 1in nubs just poking out of the hair, fawn yes 107lbs is possible early drop, good food good gentics. I have never heard of a 1.5 button maybe some very small spike like 2 or 3in and small body...

I think there's always the exception. does with antlers, weird defects, injuries etc. But yes generally a 1.5 is not a button.

[land 1]

7 minutes ago, Belo said:

I think there's always the exception. does with antlers, weird defects, injuries etc. But yes generally a 1.5 is not a button.

agree theres always the rare exception, to just about everything

[Lomax]

1 hour ago, land 1 said:

yup lomax that  i would say 1.5yrold late drop last yr or whatever small body but his spikes are still  bigger then 6mo old fawn  buttons buck

Yeah good gene pool ha.  I call him Stubbs.  He was about 10 yards in that pic last night he came down and investigated while I was checking cams he’s done that a few times though that was the closest he’s got I think I’m going to use him as the weak buck decoy this year 

[wolc123]

3 hours ago, Lomax said:

1 1/2 yr old stubby i took video of last night checking cams

they can still look like button bux though.  

That was the name another site member gave to the 50 pounder that I killed last September.  His buttons hadn’t yet protruded though, he was talking about his legs in this picture:

One of Stubby’s butt roasts made for the best Thanksgiving for me ever last year, when my wife used it to stuff a second Turkey, that she cooked for my extended family.  
 

I never liked Thanksgiving meal much  (other than the “sides”) because I can’t stand the taste of turkey (it tastes like dry cardboard to me).  That bb roast came out of that bird done perfect, all the way thru:

 

 

[Lomax]

32 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

That was the name another site member gave to the 50 pounder that I killed last September.  His buttons hadn’t yet protruded though, he was talking about his legs in this picture:

One of Stubby’s butt roasts made for the best Thanksgiving for me ever last year, when my wife used it to stuff a second Turkey, that she cooked for my extended family.  
 

I never liked Thanksgiving meal much  (other than the “sides”) because I can’t stand the taste of turkey (it tastes like dry cardboard to me).  That bb roast came out of that bird done perfect, all the way thru:

 

 

I bet that button buck tasted good on thanksgiving  your plate of food and can of Genny are spot on

I like Turkey and all the other fixings and am thankful for that.  My wife is a great cook and turns cardboard into delicious moist white Turkey breast and we usually have some venison too.
I probably could shoot a dozen fawns a year if I wanted  and it was legal but I’m glad it’s not  

I have taken my share of little ones…just not my thing i would rather see them mature a bit as it’s more enjoyable to me to be patient and hunt the older wiser heavy ones that are a challenge.   
 

[stubborn1VT]

7 hours ago, land 1 said:

ok just did a little research "Male fawns also know as Button Bucks" weigh an avg of 85lbs by November in North east,,,, so that being said 107lbs would be an x large male fawn but only say 20lbs above avg....

You can think what you want.  No friggin way is a fawn over 100lbs at 5.5 MONTHS old.  

[Lomax]

3 hours ago, Belo said:

I think there's always the exception. does with antlers, weird defects, injuries etc. But yes generally a 1.5 is not a button.

Well Stubsy did ask to be identified as a doe this year but who knows he she could just be insecure…probably turn into a Booner in a 5 yrs ha 

 

 

[stubborn1VT]

5 hours ago, Lomax said:

1 1/2 yr old stubby i took video of last night checking cams

they can still look like button bux though.  

I still have the buttons.  They were way less than 3", so I wouldn't call him a spike.  Very similar to the one in your pic.  

[stubborn1VT]

3 hours ago, Belo said:

I think there's always the exception. does with antlers, weird defects, injuries etc. But yes generally a 1.5 is not a button.

Thanks for letting me know.  Only been around whitetails for 40ish years!

[wolc123]

9 minutes ago, Lomax said:

I bet that button buck tasted good on thanksgiving  your plate of food and can of Genny are spot on

I like Turkey and all the other fixings and am thankful for that.  My wife is a great cook and turns cardboard into delicious moist white Turkey breast and we usually have some venison too.
I probably could shoot a dozen fawns a year if I wanted  and it was legal but I’m glad it’s not  

I have taken my share of little ones…just not my thing i would rather see them mature a bit as it’s more enjoyable to me to be patient and hunt the older wiser heavy ones that are a challenge.   
 

I do not intentionally target the button bucks, but the Good Lord had blessed me with about (20) of them, in my 40 deer seasons.  That has resulted from my standard practice of targeting the largest antlerless deer in range at the earliest opportunity.  

Not doing that, would result in unfilled tags.  In grossly overpopulated DMU’s (like 9F) where I do most of my hunting, a dead bb for the table beats the heck out of tag soup.  
 

For many years, those antlerless tags have been tough to punch at my spots, because the neighboring farmers hit them real hard, prior to October 1, with their nuisance permits.  Most of the deer, that they kill on those, end up feeding coyotes. 
 

The new early September gun season has changed that situation, so now I can be a little more selective with my antlerless tags.  
 

Oddly enough, I have never killed a doe fawn.  I did eat a couple,  and they taste the same as bb’s, they just tend to run smaller in size.  
 

The meat that comes from deer, less than 9 months old, is in a whole different class than meat from older deer.   It literally melts in your mouth, because it is so tender.  I save that stuff (vacuum sealed in the freezer) for special occasions.    I am very well stocked with that right now, with bb’s on two consecutive years (another reason I can now be more selective).  

 

When it is properly aged, I can’t tell the difference in the meat from 1.5 - 5.5 year old deer.  A 1.5 year old needs to age (at 33-48F) about (4) days to get past rigor mortis, and a 5.5 about (2) weeks.  I can certainly tell bb meat from any of that though.  
 

Deer under 9 months can be processed and froze immediately, but they also benefit a little, from a day of aging before freezing.  
 

When it comes to birds, turkey is my least favorite.  I am getting a bit more tolerant of chicken, as I get older.  I hated it as a kid, because it seems like that’s all our parents fed us.  
 

We raised meat birds and dad made us help butcher.  I had the grand champion at the Erie county fair in 1974.  When I moved out of the house, it was a long time till I ordered chicken at a food joint.  My favorite bird is ruffed grouse, white meat that actually has some flavor.  

[Lomax]

35 minutes ago, stubborn1VT said:

I still have the buttons.  They were way less than 3", so I wouldn't call him a spike.  Very similar to the one in your pic.  

Here’s another pic of stubs today I believe he’s 11/2 yrs old as he similar in size to this full grown doe.  

[wolc123]

9 minutes ago, Lomax said:

Here’s another pic of stubs today I believe he’s 11/2 yrs old as he similar in size to this full grown doe.  

Maybe “he” is really not a “he” but an antlered doe.  They say that they do exist.   Good way to save on pepper.