2 $$ (bucks)
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Ron, I had 3 , but they dried out, will be starting over:laughing:
Eddie, What camera did you go with in 12v? And you are so right on Moultrie, I can't think of one good thing associated with that brand, (in my experience)
Couple of photos. One at the feeder with a decent 3 year old buck. The 2nd is 40 yards behind the house.
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The deer up here are turning brownish-black now for winter camouflage.
Do they do that in Texas?
Ron, they will darken some what. I don't know if it is an actual "color" change, or just a richer dark color from the extra hair density. I have seen older deer that appear to get lighter, or in human terms, grayer.
So far I have only seen the young bucks have already shed there velvet. The older bucks should be there by now, but the last two I have on the cam, still have the fuzz on. I suspect nutritional reasons caused by the intense drought.
So far I have only seen the young bucks have already shed there velvet. The older bucks should be there by now, but the last two I have on the cam, still have the fuzz on. I suspect nutritional reasons caused by the intense drought.
jinman
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My guess is that this deer season in TX is going to be a good year. Last year the deer had plenty of acorns and few showed up at feeders. Yesterday, my wife was talking to a neighbor who said that they had 17 deer at their feeder the previous evening. She said she couldn't believe how many there were and counted them twice to be sure.
Probably a lot of them driven from their normal habitat by the fires to places that haven't burned. Lot's of automobile encounters and damage around here when the deer get goosey every year.
jinman
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Well, we haven't had a lot of fires close-by. The closest was 7 miles and mostly grassland, no woods to speak of. I just think that because of the low "harvest" last year and lots of food during last year's rut, that we have a glut of deer this year and they are hungry. My neighbor's house is literally in the middle of the woods on a rocky hillside. The wildlife are not exposed like they are at my feeder. With our lake for water and safe environment, it makes sense that wildlife are plentiful. I could be wrong, but I don't see the fires as any major contributing factor.
Jim, I agree 100% for at least our areas. Bottom line is, as you said, they have little in the way of sustainable food. this drought is of historical proportions.
Good article here (full article)
Hunting Forecast, 2011-12 | | TPW magazine | October 2011
Whitetail excerpt:
WHITETAILS
Unless you started reading this forecast in the middle, you have heard as much as you will ever care to about 電rought, 渡o forb production, 渡o fawning or nesting cover, 渡o rainfall since September, 澱elow-average antlers and so on. It痴 a grim forecast if you look just at range and habitat conditions. But there痴 more to a deer season forecast than the habitat and game conditions.
Biologists refer to antler development as a three-legged stool: one leg is genetics, one is nutrition and one is age. Genetics is beyond the scope of this forecast, and probably the hardest to delineate across a landscape, anyway. Nutrition gets more ink from year to year because changes in rainfall are so visible, as they certainly are this year. Itç—´ a given; wildlife is stressed.
But often overlooked by the nearsighted is the age factor the third leg of the stool. With quail, everyone looks to the current yearç—´ hatch to determine hunting prospects. Not so with deer. A whitetailç—´ body is considered mature at 4ï½½ years, although antlers grow until about age 7ï½½. Conditions at birth also factor in. David Veale points out that the 2007 South Texas fawn crop was an excellent one, and got off to a healthy start in life. Out of a large class, more will survive. Those that did are 4ï½½ this year. Look back at last season, too. Because of excellent range conditions, deer didn稚 have to move around to find food, and the harvest was lower than usual. More carryover. Terry Turney compiled the Hill Country reports and quotes Derrick Wolter saying, é„* lot of deer did not get shot, and there should be some nice, older bucks in the mix.
In the Trans-Pecos, Jason Wagner speaks of hunters reporting seeing many 4ï½½- to 5ï½½-year-old bucks last season. Mike Miller reports for North Texas and quotes James Edwards as saying of last season: æ“¢ewer young bucks are being reported in the harvest. Landowners have seen better quality deer over the entire area. Management is helping. David Sierra reports that in the post oak region of East Texas, antler restrictions are bringing more older bucks into the harvest. The younger bucks that were allowed to walk last year are a year older now.
There can be no disputing that body conditions and antlers will be below average this year, as Charlie Newberry in Henrietta and Ralph Suarez in Ballinger and practically every wildlife biologist contributing to this report mention. Itç—´ statewide. Current range conditions, though, when coupled with low harvests of a large age class, indicate that there could be a lot of bucks in the 4ï½½-year age class and older out there looking for food this season. And where will they look? Oh, to own a feed store!
Good article here (full article)
Hunting Forecast, 2011-12 | | TPW magazine | October 2011
Whitetail excerpt:
WHITETAILS
Unless you started reading this forecast in the middle, you have heard as much as you will ever care to about 電rought, 渡o forb production, 渡o fawning or nesting cover, 渡o rainfall since September, 澱elow-average antlers and so on. It痴 a grim forecast if you look just at range and habitat conditions. But there痴 more to a deer season forecast than the habitat and game conditions.
Biologists refer to antler development as a three-legged stool: one leg is genetics, one is nutrition and one is age. Genetics is beyond the scope of this forecast, and probably the hardest to delineate across a landscape, anyway. Nutrition gets more ink from year to year because changes in rainfall are so visible, as they certainly are this year. Itç—´ a given; wildlife is stressed.
But often overlooked by the nearsighted is the age factor the third leg of the stool. With quail, everyone looks to the current yearç—´ hatch to determine hunting prospects. Not so with deer. A whitetailç—´ body is considered mature at 4ï½½ years, although antlers grow until about age 7ï½½. Conditions at birth also factor in. David Veale points out that the 2007 South Texas fawn crop was an excellent one, and got off to a healthy start in life. Out of a large class, more will survive. Those that did are 4ï½½ this year. Look back at last season, too. Because of excellent range conditions, deer didn稚 have to move around to find food, and the harvest was lower than usual. More carryover. Terry Turney compiled the Hill Country reports and quotes Derrick Wolter saying, é„* lot of deer did not get shot, and there should be some nice, older bucks in the mix.
In the Trans-Pecos, Jason Wagner speaks of hunters reporting seeing many 4ï½½- to 5ï½½-year-old bucks last season. Mike Miller reports for North Texas and quotes James Edwards as saying of last season: æ“¢ewer young bucks are being reported in the harvest. Landowners have seen better quality deer over the entire area. Management is helping. David Sierra reports that in the post oak region of East Texas, antler restrictions are bringing more older bucks into the harvest. The younger bucks that were allowed to walk last year are a year older now.
There can be no disputing that body conditions and antlers will be below average this year, as Charlie Newberry in Henrietta and Ralph Suarez in Ballinger and practically every wildlife biologist contributing to this report mention. Itç—´ statewide. Current range conditions, though, when coupled with low harvests of a large age class, indicate that there could be a lot of bucks in the 4ï½½-year age class and older out there looking for food this season. And where will they look? Oh, to own a feed store!
The mother and twins here have decided the acorns on the big oak next to the house are their favorite food now. I got 93 trail cam shots of them last night from just before dark to after daylight this morning.
The mother has a new boyfriend hanging around too. I imagine she is getting ready to put them out on their own. You can see from the regular camera shot this afternoon they have no fear.
A lot of you guys have had concern over battery drain on your deer cameras.
I'm not promoting any brand but am happy to find that the little cheapo
6 MP one I got a month or so ago has taken over 650 shots, more than 240 just last night, and the 4 -C cells are still half full. All the shots were at maximum definition 2816 x 2112 pixels and just 15 seconds delay. I reduced them to 800 x 600 for TBN.
How many shots do you normally get on a set of batteries?
I'm not promoting any brand but am happy to find that the little cheapo
6 MP one I got a month or so ago has taken over 650 shots, more than 240 just last night, and the 4 -C cells are still half full. All the shots were at maximum definition 2816 x 2112 pixels and just 15 seconds delay. I reduced them to 800 x 600 for TBN.
How many shots do you normally get on a set of batteries?
Ron, I'd say I can get around 1500 on max. Mine uses 6 "D" size. Biggest limiting factor for me I think, is 75% are at night and use the flash, so I assume more battery drain.
Here is a couple more photos. 1st is 9 deer in the back yard again, get more as the country is baking away and there is little to nothing for forage. 2nd is a decent buck for here, with a broke drivers side antler.
Here is a couple more photos. 1st is 9 deer in the back yard again, get more as the country is baking away and there is little to nothing for forage. 2nd is a decent buck for here, with a broke drivers side antler.
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It is good a lot of folks are feeding them. They look a bit thin.
Here is one from last year showing the dark color in November. He is looking over into the next field watching a guy climb into a tree stand.
A bit thin is an understatement! We had a new doe with a fawn show up yesterday we have not seen before or got photos of, really sad sight. I could count the ribs on both of them, they were weak to the point the others bullied them off the feed, so today I put out "extra" rations in various places. Corn, Alfalfa hay, and 16% deer pellets and of course cleaned the water tank and added new electrolytes.
Ron, that buck seems to be thinking about that hunter "sucker" " your busted":laughing:
The Skat must really build up around the feeder and water trough with all those visitors. Do you just leave it or try to clear some out from time to time?
Up here the rain takes care of it if the dog doesn't eat it first!
The big oak next to the house has shed most of it's acorns so the deer are checking but not spending all night there as before. They have left a lot of skat. There was a group of 6 buck together along the edge of the woods watching me mow an 8 acre field a couple nights ago.
Do you consider the buck you have pictured to have "brow points"?
Do you subscribe to the theory that the bigger the pile, the bigger the deer?
Ron
I usually go with the standard rules, If it's 1" in length , it's a "tine" or horn, Texas game laws call it " a protrusion of the skin"
I take the size of the pellet more so than the pile size and of course the diet has allot to do with it, I have seen piles 10' long where the deer was walking and going, when they are just standing around you get the whole "bag of marbles"
