Survivors

Kind of a crazy end to my season down North Florida way... faced the ultimate tease to my self-imposed 2 buck limit filled a month ago by my harvest of "Irma".

MORNING AND EVENING the last TWO days of our season I had "MeLikey" and "Chief Osceola" come out TOGETHER less than 100 yards from my house. Actually filmed the shared footage from my daughter's playroom and muted the sound as somehow audio from the "Investigative Discovery" show my wife was watching just didn't seem the perfect match for the capture.

Though it was a strange feeling giving such an open pass to a couple of nice bucks, I also can say it was a joyous feeling to watch darkness fall as season officially closed with the cadre of promising bucks firmly (if but for a moment) safely planted on my soil!

 
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You'll be happy with your decision next fall....
 
You'll be happy with your decision next fall....

Agreed. Both of those bucks will look GREAT next year!


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MeLikey will probably be incredible next year.

Do you supplement feed?
 
MeLikey will probably be incredible next year.

Do you supplement feed?
Outside of fall plots and a few clover spots, not really Telemark. When hogs show up in the area I put corn in a feeder placed within a corral trap and deer take full advantage of the free offerings, but I'm lucky if I can bait the pigs for more than a couple of weeks without bears setting up camp and making me stop.

Tried planting a couple of acres of sunflowers for summer feedings a few years back but didn't e-fence and the deer ate them to the dirt after just a few inches of growth.
 
Any salt/mineral licks on your property?
 
Do have two stumps ( one on east and one on west side of my place) that I keep mineral blocks in so that I have an idea of deer around throughout year. Not sure how much they help the bucks though. While bucks visit them occassionally, they might do so a few times throughout summer while does visit far more often.
 
As for whether or not anything I've done on my limited acreage (112 total / about 5 in plots spread across the property) I sure don't think I'm hurting them, but at the same time had some nice ones that inspired me to get back into hunting the first year we moved / before I offered any blood, sweat, and tears to the equation. Recorded the video below before doing a single iota of plot work / mineral spots. Think my biggest blessing is being on relatively good soil, especially as FL goes, and having my place butt up against a 4,000 acre lightly hunted quail plantation -- lightly hunted because the corporation that owns the plantation owns at least 3 or 4 more nearby and they're more favored because they have housing on them whereas one next to me doesn't.

 

Now that’s a pretty buck...
As narrow as he is, it would take him a good while to meet antler restrictions here. (13” inside spread)

Another year and those kickers will go wild.

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You guys certainly have some great bucks to look forward too for next year. This guy made it. Our season ended dec 2. This is easily the best buck seen on the property in the last few years. Hope he decides to stay! We have a few does left too. We don't shoot any does but I'm in an either sex zone up here and have watched as doe numbers have declined every year so I was happy to see these ladies too.PICT2477.JPGPICT2481.JPG
 
Well, gotta scratch an up and coming 8 off the list for next year. Found him dead right up against the property line. None of the neighbors have mentioned missing or not recovering a buck, so maybe hit by a car? The nearest road is a couple hundred yards away. He should have been right around 3.5 years old.
I watched this buck tending a doe for a day and a half the second week of December. They stayed JUST out of range or I may have taken him.
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We lost this one on the tail end of the rut to car impact
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Two good ones down in one year. Painful.



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That stinks. Never like finding them Dead and not knowing why or how.

I forgot to post this at the time but I stumbled over this while tracking my sons deer this fall. Its old and he would have been a dandy. I can't ID him and even browsed through 10 years of pics to try and find a match. No clue about him
 

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This one got hit by a car running off of my place back in November. Totaled a coworker’s car. Had lots of pics and I was hoping he would be something in a couple years.17B3F138-70A9-4FC9-A956-35CA9D6770AA.jpeg
 
This thread bums me out. The pranksters who hunt my uncle's place almost certainly killed the two nicest bucks there during archery season. They didn't even bother to follow up the bad shots. :emoji_angry:
 
It's too bad slimy slobs ruin hunting for ethical hunters ........... and it's image for the non-hunting public. Actions of slobs reinforce the negative opinion of the non-hunters toward hunters ( though that view is often not well-informed ).

Cars kill a number of good bucks in every state that has deer. It's always a shame when it happens. The best that can come of it is if someone can use the meat.
 
Those are two beauties N. MO. I can't help but notice the apples still hanging above buck number 1. That tree looks like a tough old survivor too!
 
Found a camera on a piece of public land I scouted today. I’m going to end up reporting the guy because he has cut down numerous small trees, left beer cans and liquor bottles under his permanent screw in step tree (illegal to damage trees on this property), and was baiting which is also illegal on this federal land.

BUT.... I got 2 month’s worth of pictures off the guy since I always carry a card reader in my bag.
All 4 of these survived the season.

Uniform 8-point
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HEAVY 8-point
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Half shed, short racked, 8
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And a thin crab claw 8-point (before the brow time broke off)
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You gotta love free intel. Now to email the federal wardens that have jurisdiction...


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