A few habitat pics I thought you might enjoy

[Native Hunter]

Steve! A BOONER!:)
I am so happy for you! An to give God the glory is only fitting! You are a mentor to me in many ways Sir! Your success always puts a smile on my face! Congrats!

Man that means a lot to me Jordan.

 

[Bill]

Buck of a lifetime for sure. I’m really happy for you! Your son and you have had a few good years. Must be doing something right.

 

[weekender21]

Wow, what a giant! So cool. It’s really interesting how far and wide he was roaming trying to find that last hot doe.


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[ghilliehunter]

Beautiful buck! Congratulations Native!

 

[chummer]

What a great story. Amazing how these deer disappear for weeks and show up when you are waiting for him. Great job.

 

[DrDirtNap]

Heck of a deer Native! They just get bigger and bigger for you ! Congratulations again!

 

[Native Hunter]

Heck of a deer Native! They just get bigger and bigger for you ! Congratulations again!

I was just trying to hang in there with you this year because of that brute you killed...

 

[Merle Hawggard]

One of the most awesome bucks I've seen.
Congrats again Steve, you definitely put in the work for him.

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[Hoytvectrix]

What a buck! I'm so happy for you that you got him. It's impressive that you held onto hope for so long. You're definitely setting a good example for other hunters. Congrats!

 

[Native Hunter]

I posted my son's nice buck in the "live from the stand thread" but wanted to get it here also. He got this one early in the season and made a great double lung shot at a little less than 200 yards. We thought this deer was 4.5 but our taxidermist felt he was a 5.5. He knows deer so well that I trust his judgement. Son and I sure had a great season hunting together.

 

[BenA]

2 great bucks off the same property in one year, and y'all do it every year. I'd say you have mastered the formula to big buck success on small properties. Thanks for sharing that formula with all of us. Maybe we can learn, implement and pass it on as you have.

 

[SWIFFY]

Wow! Huge congrats to you and your son Native! Im impressed! Ive always told people the main ingredients to killing the biggest bucks around are patience and self-discipline. Appears you have both and it paid off huge! So so happy for you!

 

[Mortenson]

Great bucks for you and your son, N.H.! Looked at your pics many times. He really is a monster. You've been piling up the success and it makes me want to start reading on page 1 of your thread again.

What makes a buck like yours add 50" in one year? Obviously genetics, but is it also a case of getting into the right feed bag during the right time frame? The largest racked bucks I knew of this year had far and away the smallest bodies, while very large bodied hulking mature bucks have substandard racks. Seems I keep seeing that on many years, exceptions of course.

I like the 1st pic in your post #728, your buck and your son's behind him? What was the biggest key, in your opinion, in getting the monster back to your farm - your plots, or your native grasses, low pressure sanctuaries, the x factor? Thanks again for sharing... very happy for you guys.

 

[Native Hunter]

Great bucks for you and your son, N.H.! Looked at your pics many times. He really is a monster. You've been piling up the success and it makes me want to start reading on page 1 of your thread again.

What makes a buck like yours add 50" in one year? Obviously genetics, but is it also a case of getting into the right feed bag during the right time frame? The largest racked bucks I knew of this year had far and away the smallest bodies, while very large bodied hulking mature bucks have substandard racks. Seems I keep seeing that on many years, exceptions of course.

I like the 1st pic in your post #728, your buck and your son's behind him? What was the biggest key, in your opinion, in getting the monster back to your farm - your plots, or your native grasses, low pressure sanctuaries, the x factor? Thanks again for sharing... very happy for you guys.

Thanks so much Mortenson. I really appreciate your comments.

I now think this deer had been coming back to my place regularly but avoiding cameras. He never was a camera hog like some other deer that I've known, and I think the time came that he didn't want his picture taken anymore. Three days before I killed him, I put up a camera in a new location but close to the other cameras. In the wee hours of the morning on the day I killed him, I had his picture on that new camera but not on any of the others that he knew about. I didn't know this until I checked cameras after I killed him, but this made a light bulb go off in my head. So, yes I believe he was definitely a roamer, but my place remained his home, and he was coming back for food and rest as needed.

I think the fact that we have good cover and hunt carefully may be the key to him liking the place. Once I mow shooting lanes and get plots in around the first of September, my movement on the property is extremely limited. I basically only go to cameras that I have near plots and don't go near anything I consider a sanctuary. As people start running around on 4-wheelers, scouting, shooting, building stands, and creating all kinds of human disturbances on nearby properties, the remoteness of my land from that becomes attractive to shy bucks. They can cruise around, eat and get recharged, and feel safe - and they are safe until they make a slight mistake - like crossing a shooting lane too slowly or using them for travel routes.

I hope this answers your questions, and let me know if you have any more. I sure feel that I learned a new lesson with that new camera location, and I continue to learn each year as time goes on.

 

[Booner21]

Thanks so much Mortenson. I really appreciate your comments.

I now think this deer had been coming back to my place regularly but avoiding cameras. He never was a camera hog like some other deer that I've known, and I think the time came that he didn't want his picture taken anymore. Three days before I killed him, I put up a camera in a new location but close to the other cameras. In the wee hours of the morning on the day I killed him, I had his picture on that new camera but not on any of the others that he knew about. I didn't know this until I checked cameras after I killed him, but this made a light bulb go off in my head. So, yes I believe he was definitely a roamer, but my place remained his home, and he was coming back for food and rest as needed.

I think the fact that we have good cover and hunt carefully may be the key to him liking the place. Once I mow shooting lanes and get plots in around the first of September, my movement on the property is extremely limited. I basically only go to cameras that I have near plots and don't go near anything I consider a sanctuary. As people start running around on 4-wheelers, scouting, shooting, building stands, and creating all kinds of human disturbances on nearby properties, the remoteness of my land from that becomes attractive to shy bucks. They can cruise around, eat and get recharged, and feel safe - and they are safe until they make a slight mistake - like crossing a shooting lane too slowly or using them for travel routes.

I hope this answers your questions, and let me know if you have any more. I sure feel that I learned a new lesson with that new camera location, and I continue to learn each year as time goes on.

I feel that deer here seem to have been doing a better job avoiding cameras this year. I use cuddeback with link so set them in July and leave them alone for the year but saw a lot of deer hunting that I either didn’t have pics of this year or very very few pics. I have historically set cameras in the near vicinity to stand locations. I think I may move them further away in the future.


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[Troubles Trees]

First of all, thanks to everyone for your comments in the live from the stand thread. I had this deer on camera early in the year but only one time after shedding velvet. It had been 79 days since I had got a picture of him but figured he was still alive, because at one time he disappeared for a month earlier in the year.

My son took a very nice 9 point on the third or fourth day of gun season and I kept hunting. I finally got some pics of two good deer at my 20-acre farm and hunted there a couple of days, but kept thinking about this deer. Finally, I went back and decided to spend the rest of the season on a hope and prayer. I passed several respectable deer – including a big 8 pointer in the 140 range.

This morning I was in the blind before daylight, and the day started slow. By 8 AM I hadn’t seen a single deer but finally saw a doe and fawn. I was trying to look in all directions and took my eyes away from the plot for a minute. When I turned back, I saw the rear of a deer cross the edge and enter the NWSG field. I believe the deer had just come and checked a scrape at the edge of the plot.

I thought to myself that I would at least get my gun up just in case it might be one I wanted. It was walking toward a shooting land so I focused my attention there. The grass was so tall that I couldn’t see anything moving in it. Suddenly he stepped out in the lane and stopped briefly. I saw it was him and pulled the trigger quickly. The shot was roughly 200 yards. I was shooting a 300 magnum, so the recoil kept me from seeing which direction he went, but I had faith I had made a perfect double lung shot. The blood trail though the native grass was very good, and in a few minutes, I found him about 50 yards from where I shot him. The lungs were a mess, so I don’t know how he went that far.

Gross score is 186+ and typical net is 174+, so we have a Booner.

PS: Just saw a trail cam pic today that a guy 1.8 miles away had of him 4 days ago, so I am very blessed. Another guy told me that he came close to running over this deer a few days ago about a mile from where I live. I give God the glory and thank my friend from NC who had been praying for me to get this deer.

That is truly a giant buck friend!! So happy and excited for you (as I wipe the drool off my chin)! Great job Steve, it isn't easy to pass on 140" deer to get a crack at something like this. That smile says it all. Congrats to you Steve!!

 

[H20fwler]

Awesome buck Native! Love the whole story....your sons buck is a dandy too. Great to see the years of work you have put into the place paying off.

 

[Native Hunter]

Mr Brows is still alive

Hard day cutting shooting lanes for next year

Another survivor

 

[trampledbyturtles]

Gotta ask,
Understand there is a saw for every job.
But what do u have going on?

 

[Native Hunter]

Gotta ask,
Understand there is a saw for every job.
But what do u have going on?

Today I was cutting shooting lanes. I only used the two 170s and the pole saw but took the bigger Wood Boss with me just to have in case I needed to cut a big tree. A guy needs to carry at least two saws just in case you hang one and need to cut it out.