Little Freak-Nasty Returns!!!

[WNY Bowhunter]

He knows how to avoid my trailcams it seems. Despite having two cams set up for the past 5 months, I've only managed to get pics of him on 4 occasions since the end of July. He just seems to have a move reclusive "personality" than the other bucks on the farm...

Edited November 30, 2011 by WNY Bowhunter

[132 eight pointer]

I hope he makes it just because you wan't him too so much. Still a lot of hunting time left but maybe his antlers will drop early like some did last year.

[WNY Bowhunter]

Still alive as of this AM!!!

[Skillet]

_{You get a crack at him with your ML?}

[SteveNY]

Still alive as of this AM!!!

Great news!

[WNY Bowhunter]

_{You get a crack at him with your ML?}

Nope, I saw him while spotlighting the farm on the way home from work this morning. Hopefully, he wanders by my trailcam down in the corner of the field. There was a beautiful 10-pt. out here the other night too.

Edited December 13, 2011 by WNY Bowhunter

[sampotter]

A lot of times bucks have a summer range, a rut range, and a winter range which can be the same as their summer range. I have some bucks that stay in an area all year, and others that I have when in velvet and then return in December. It took me awhile to figure this out. I read an article in NAW about a buck called "Moses" I believe. I think it was in WI. Anyhow, a guy killed this huge nontypical during the rut. Afterwards another hunter came forward with trail cam pics and sheds from the last 3 years! All of the pics were in velvet or the winter, none during Oct-Nov. The 2 locations were SEVEN miles apart! Stop and chew on that for awhile.

I found the article. I don't know where the pics went.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+legend+of+old+moses%3A+neither+hunting+skill+nor+accuracy+nor+the...-a0271893620

[WNY Bowhunter]

I read that story too. Individual bucks definately have their own distinct personalities. The buck in this thread had been like a ghost all summer/fall. I'd get a pic or two of him and then he wouldn't show up for another 3 weeks - month. He was part of a trio of two year old bucks and he was by far the least visible of the three. It almost seems as though he acts more like a 5 or 6 year old...

Edited December 14, 2011 by WNY Bowhunter

[phade]

Are your cam sets eye level?

See if you can tote a climber or a few sticks and set one up about 12-15 ft off the ground in an area he frequents. I've found a few bucks that way that seem to be hesitant of the cams.

[sampotter]

Good luck with that guy. Sounds like a real ghost buck in the making. Bucks surely get smarter with age, but I'm pretty sure most mature bucks were born a little skittish and the less cautious ones were picked off while being dumb, leaving nothing but the smarter ones to mature.

[phade]

I think he is killable assuming that you can access him.

Knowing nothing other than your cam history/neighboring land...the fact his rack was broken up badly most likely indicates that he's partaking in sparring and mating to some degree. That to me is a sign that he could make a mistake.

It's the ones who are night creatures and never show signs of busted racks that are worrisome. They are probably loners who avoid much of the rutting activity (some bucks, even mature giants, don't have the alpha personality). Add that to the standard old buck survial skills, and that's a low-odds combo for hunting.

Edited December 14, 2011 by phade

[WNY Bowhunter]

The whole thing with this buck and his busted up rack is throwing me off. To me, he's seemed like a very timid acting deer around the other bucks and very non-aggressive. By late July he kind of turned into a nocturnal loner and was only occasionally photographed with the other two bucks that were regular visitors to my trailcams. The several times that I saw him spotlighting through August/Sept. he was always by himself and didn't seem to associate with the other deer feeding in the cloverfield. I really don't know what to make of him? All I do know is that I'm very pleased to see him still alive and look foward to seeing what he's gonna be as a 3 year old.

Last year in Mid-October...

All busted up in early January...

[phade]

Interesting that he was busted up both years.

Maybe he turns into a rut-raging buck somewhere other than where you have seen him in between sightings as mentioned.

He's got to be breaking them somehow/somewhere.

[WNY Bowhunter]

He's certainly doing a good job at getting busted up. Last year he snapped his right G2 off sometime between when I got pics of him on 12/29 and 1/4. You wouldn't think that that would have been from rut-related fighting...

[SteveNY]

Sounds like all the other bucks are jealous and trying to break his antlers... They probably didnt let him play in any reindeer games either...