Ghost Bucks

[erussell]

Interesting article on Bucks with nerves of steal.

A famous Michigan study documented what happened when hunters were allowed into a one-square-mile enclosure over a seven-year period. The area held an average population of 26 whitetail deer per square mile, 20 percent of which were antlered bucks. The deer had never been previously hunted. The results were astounding. In the first hunt it took six experienced hunters 124 hours just to see their first buck. Think about that the next time you aren't seeing deer on a spot you were sure held plenty of animals. You may not be wrong about the spot. Your hunting methods, or lack of luck, may be another story.

http://www.bowhuntingmag.com/tactics/disappear_0926/index.html

[nyantler]

LOL.. I made mention of this in a thread many months ago... making the point that these individuals were actually looking for deer... imagine if they were just sitting in a stand waiting for deer to come by?

[erussell]

LOL.. I made mention of this in a thread many months ago... making the point that these individuals were actually looking for deer... imagine if they were just sitting in a stand waiting for deer to come by?

I have had small bucks do this to me before, where I walked right by them while they laid there like a statue.  Makes me wonder how many monsters I have been walking right past. Need to get some good binos, slow down and study the terrain a little better I guess. My problem is I get tired after 4 hours of still hunting and the eye's get strained and I get careless. My buddy told me he knew of a giant buck that use to live in a thick median on interstate 81 every yr during gun season. He just happend to spot him when he was looking out the window while his wife was driving one yr. He said he use to take a special trip every yr to see if he was there and three yrs in a row he was. He didn't see him again after the 3rd yr presumably he was harvested or got blasted by a 18 wheeler    The ones with a few seasons under their belt are almost impossible to kill. I especially like the part where even a group of drivers can miss a few bucks because they know thier own back yrd so well.  One of my other buddies was in a drive with 15 guys pushing a 50 acre lot with a deep depression that ran right down the middle of the property and onto the neighboring property. my buddy was positioned about40 yrds from the depression and could hear deer running but couldn't see anything then he caught a glimps of antlers bobbing up over the lip of the depression. mHe ran over and couldn't see anything the deer was gone. Thier was a light snow so he followed the tracks back and thier was a bed in some thick briars that he could lay in. the deer laid thier so he could see around himself and drop into the depression to escape unseen. I can only imagine howmany times he had done that. They gave it a week and tried it again with my buddy posted on the lip of the depression and he never came through the jig was up and the buck had moved on. ;D

[nyantler]

if 15 guys enter the woods together.. I guarantee that any decent buck in the area will know they are there before they get where they are going... that is just to much scent and too much noise and movement to escape the senses of most mature buck...