Pine Hill Farm

[Brian662]

Luke, around here if you had summer bucks on camera that have a fall range elsewhere...you can about set your watch to them showing up Nov 8-12 looking for the last hot doe. I would assume the same will happen for you, maybe the dates would be a little later though.

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

Luke, around here if you had summer bucks on camera that have a fall range elsewhere...you can about set your watch to them showing up Nov 8-12 looking for the last hot doe. I would assume the same will happen for you, maybe the dates would be a little later though.

Thanks for the insight Brian. We never held many summer bucks on our old property so didn’t know what to expect. I had 3 mature bucks and 4-5 young ones here all summer. The big bucks left and couple young young ones and the does moved in. Been missing my boys and hope to see one soon! Been hoping it happens like you say.

 

[Newbie]

I'll second what Brian said. I had the same exact experience the last couple years. Had some nice deer throughout the summer, but once late August hit, velvet came off and acorns started dropping they all but disappeared. I didn't get a single photo of most of those deer for a solid 2months. In the second week of November toward the tail end of rut activity every single one of those deer passed by a camera on my property, many during daylight hours.

I was told this a few years ago but really in the last 2 years was able to observe it at my own place. So far this year it seems to be following trend so far. If I get a few back in the next 2 weeks I will be convinced to completely shift my hunting approach from last weekend Oct/first week of Nov to the second 2 weeks of November.

I was thinking of this last weekend and was reviewing trail cam pics from the past few years and Nov 8-16 seems to be the trend for the best buck on my property here (obviously this will change depending on location). That is definitely a couple weeks after conventional wisdom in my area.

That is a really long winded way to agree with Brian said and I'd keep your hopes up to see a mature buck toward the latter half of the season. It is definitely something to keep in mind over the coming years to see what seems to be the trend on your personal property.

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

Man what a detailed explanation Newbie! You certainly do pay attention to the details. Thank you.

That really does help keep me encouraged. I was so excited that I had done a great job seeing all the positive feedback with the deer in the switchgrass and food plots and then they disappeared. It hasn’t helped that they’ve been constantly working the fields with equipment around us every week too, there hasn’t been a break as far as peace and quiet goes in a while.

Please guys, keep me informed if you think that’s been the case for you. That can help me apply a strategy going forward as well between hunting and what I think could be more important food wise and cover wise. It kind of seems like maybe it’s a good thing to have them disappear, and come back when there’s less pressure. Granted, they’re on someone else’s property but I know it’s not hunted SUPER heavy. I’ve never been a gun, hunter, but my gut instinct told me to apply for shotgun and muzzleloader tags. Glad I did. If that holds true, gun season here is in two weeks and I can shoot a long ways in this open ground :)

 

[Newbie]

Take it with a grain of salt. It’s just an anecdote from someone who’s certainly not an expert. It is a theory that seems to be holding water in my area lately though.

I’m running a few cams on another piece of land I’ve been exploring over the past season. Last time I had him on cam was Aug 11 in velvet. He returned almost 3mo later and was all over my cams for about 3 days in dark and light. This area is a bit different than where I live and I think it may pattern a little differently from a calendar date perspective, but nonetheless, he returned to his summer zone during rut after a long absence.





I also have a hunch the “prime time” in my region has been pushed back a bit. All the old timers will tell me end of October into first week of Nov. However, the last few seasons here have certainly shown more mature deer daylighting closer to mid November. Perhaps with the warmer weather seeming to stick around a little longer in the past few years has pushed back the conventional advice? Again, nothing more than some novice observations but I’ve been hearing many people complaining that action seems to be a little lackluster considering the time of year.

May be an interesting thread in and of itself. I don’t mean to hijack your land tour. I hope you see him come back to your place soon!

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

Take it with a grain of salt. It’s just an anecdote from someone who’s certainly not an expert. It is a theory that seems to be holding water in my area lately though.

I’m running a few cams on another piece of land I’ve been exploring over the past season. Last time I had him on cam was Aug 11 in velvet. He returned almost 3mo later and was all over my cams for about 3 days in dark and light. This area is a bit different than where I live and I think it may pattern a little differently from a calendar date perspective, but nonetheless, he returned to his summer zone during rut after a long absence.
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I also have a hunch the “prime time” in my region has been pushed back a bit. All the old timers will tell me end of October into first week of Nov. However, the last few seasons here have certainly shown more mature deer daylighting closer to mid November. Perhaps with the warmer weather seeming to stick around a little longer in the past few years has pushed back the conventional advice? Again, nothing more than some novice observations but I’ve been hearing many people complaining that action seems to be a little lackluster considering the time of year.

May be an interesting thread in and of itself. I don’t mean to hijack your land tour. I hope you see him come back to your place soon!

Man you didn’t hijack at all! I enjoy meaningful conversations in my realm! So many guys act like because they get pictures of big deer, it makes them great hunters. Pictures and harvests are vastly different! I’m living in it right now. I walked away from bow hunting in 2012 after shooting the biggest buck of my life because I thought I’d never top it and we also had to sell our land.

In those early years I passed a lot of bucks. I’ve hunted and managed property a long time. Specifically bow hunted. I have two young children now and a wife who wasn’t raised in a hunting family. Now all the sudden, here we are again and now we own OUR own land after busting ass for the last 10 years.

I’ve been asking myself some very hard questions the last couple weeks. Every time I come home after skipping hours with my family. Days. Empty handed, but staring at pictures of big deer on my trail cam app and showing them. Why am I doing this? To continue to “one up” my last best buck? To “manage” a healthy deer herd? To capture great footage???

I didn’t start hunting for those reasons. I did because I loved being in God’s creation. To experience the high’s of a harvest and then reap the rewards of bounty with my family. Now, I’m raising kids to see it as I do currently and that’s a struggle man. It’s taking all the fun out of hunting. I want to experience the thrill with my family but putting a stipulation on if I shoot a 160 or a big healthy doe that doesn’t jeopardize a mature buck’s pattern. I just don’t think I wanna play that game raising my kids. My wife and them will grow to rebuke hunting if that’s the common result.

I just need more land. More, more, more. Planters, drills, seed, new bow, cameras. WHAT IN THE WORLD! What’s happening to me?! We aren’t guaranteed another day, hour or minute….

Sorry rant over! I’ll kill a big one by next week. Or a basket 8. And I promise at the end of that judgement call, I’ll be equally as happy. With my family in tow!

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

I’ll post pictures of the 3 bucks that left me. I could obsess but I’m letting go and not going another season empty handed for my family’s sake.

Here is “Tiny”:

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

Here’s “Saturday”:

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

Here’s “Tatonka”:

 

[Newbie]

Man you didn’t hijack at all! I enjoy meaningful conversations in my realm! So many guys act like because they get pictures of big deer, it makes them great hunters. Pictures and harvests are vastly different! I’m living in it right now. I walked away from bow hunting in 2012 after shooting the biggest buck of my life because I thought I’d never top it and we also had to sell our land.

In those early years I passed a lot of bucks. I’ve hunted and managed property a long time. Specifically bow hunted. I have two young children now and a wife who wasn’t raised in a hunting family. Now all the sudden, here we are again and now we own OUR own land after busting ass for the last 10 years.

I’ve been asking myself some very hard questions the last couple weeks. Every time I come home after skipping hours with my family. Days. Empty handed, but staring at pictures of big deer on my trail cam app and showing them. Why am I doing this? To continue to “one up” my last best buck? To “manage” a healthy deer herd? To capture great footage???

I didn’t start hunting for those reasons. I did because I loved being in God’s creation. To experience the high’s of a harvest and then reap the rewards of bounty with my family. Now, I’m raising kids to see it as I do currently and that’s a struggle man. It’s taking all the fun out of hunting. I want to experience the thrill with my family but putting a stipulation on if I shoot a 160 or a big healthy doe that doesn’t jeopardize a mature buck’s pattern. I just don’t think I wanna play that game raising my kids. My wife and them will grow to rebuke hunting if that’s the common result.

I just need more land. More, more, more. Planters, drills, seed, new bow, cameras. WHAT IN THE WORLD! What’s happening to me?! We aren’t guaranteed another day, hour or minute….

Sorry rant over! I’ll kill a big one by next week. Or a basket 8. And I promise at the end of that judgement call, I’ll be equally as happy. With my family in tow!

Those deer are absolute beauties! And would tempt anyone who enjoys the thrill of a hunt and successful harvest.

BUT, I’m responding to this post for a reason. This is the best post I’ve read on this forum. It’s something that has been on my mind as well. Here is a text exchange between myself and my brother in law while we were sitting in our respective stands last week (both of us are married and have young kids at home). He’s a highly accomplished bow hunter, one of the most dedicated I know.



Pardon the language, but you get the gist. We were both outside doing something we deeply enjoy during the best time of the year to do it - and both were thinking about what we were sacrificing at home. Family is everything. Sure, I’d love to tag a trophy but I’m not going to miss out on the more important things to do so.

I shared the deer above to illustrate my hunch that they do return to their summer range during the rut. I didn’t even bother hunting that deer despite it being the biggest I had on camera this year. My wife even encouraged me to go out there to hunt! But I knew the time involved wasn’t worth it when I have a 7mo old bowling ball of a son at home who wants to drool and spit up on me all afternoon.

I’ve skipped hunts this year to dress up in silly costumes on Halloween, to clean the house, just to hang with the little guy. I’m in the same headspace as you sir.

I’ll continue to work on habitat management on the property because it’s something I truly enjoy & hope to share with my son some day. But truthfully, I don’t care if I ever tag a “big buck” here. I love watching my wife get excited to get out and hunt. My father in law has spent 3X the time hunting my property this year than I have. I believe my brother is coming to rifle hunt here this year which will be his first hunt in probably 10 years. That’s what it’s all about to me. I love getting outside and working on our land and having the opportunity to enjoy that with others, regardless of what the outcome is.

I think the hunting industry and social media have bastardized this hobby into a giant competition that no one can win. At its purest, it’s time spent with friends and family and enjoying the bounty together if successful.

Your post was a breath of fresh air. I hope this mindset continues to be permeate the industry.

PS. “Saturday” had my palms a little sweaty just looking at that pic