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Deer disappear

preachermantom

preachermantom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2002
Messages
8,004
Location
waverly,tn,USA
This buck I killed on New Year's Day I had a picture of in October. Disappeared for all that time. Doe brought him through when I killed him. Where did he go??? lol
How long of a space have you had between either having a photo. Or actually seeing a deer and then harvesting?
 

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A given percentage, and it's different in different studies, of bucks have a separate rut range from their normal fall range. They will leave their fall range a few weeks before the rut begins, travel to a new location sometimes miles away, spend 6-8 weeks there, and then return to their fall range once the rut is over. I definitely see this on trail-camera. Buck is on cam until mid to late October, then gone and doesn't show back up until mid to late December.
 
The deer in my profile pic wasn't seen on camera or on stand for an entire season. Killed him late season that year on a green food source.
 
preachermantom said:
This buck I killed on New Year's Day I had a picture of in October. Disappeared for all that time. Doe brought him through when I killed him. Where did he go??? lol
How long of a space have you had between either having a photo. Or actually seeing a deer and then harvesting?
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2.5 years. Got a pic of my profile buck on a salt lick at noon in mid august. Didn't see him again until 2.5 years later on Thanksgiving Day, when I shot him, 200 yards from where I'd seen him before. Kept up to 10 cameras out during that 2.5 year period, and put In 20-25 sits each year in the general area. Never saw him until I shot him.
 
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huvrman said:
2.5 years. Got a pic of my profile buck on a salt lick at noon in mid august. Didn't see him again until 2.5 years later on Thanksgiving Day, when I shot him, 200 yards from where I'd seen him before. Kept up to 10 cameras out during that 2.5 year period, and put In 20-25 sits each year in the general area. Never saw him until I shot him.
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Wow 2.5 years and all those cameras! How did that rascal not get caught on a camera or you in your stand? Great buck too…love that drop tine!
 
2019, never got a single picture of this one until the morning I killed him. Then I had him in two cameras on my property about a half mile apart as a crow flies. I actually thought he was a different 8 that I had seen earlier. The other 8 i had gotten tons of pics.
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I'm 2009, had a wide 8 that I was after, he disappeared in November. I heard someone killed a deer fitting the description about a mile from me. Then I saw him again during the late bow season. I got drawn on him, he was following a little doe fawn, but I got busted by a doe behind me just before I had a shot. I killed him in late December when the second rifle opened back up.
 
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It happens pretty often to me. This buck had been regular on cam as a 10pt since 2019. But in 2021 he flat disappeared on Halloween. He was on cam from 830am until around 930pm somewhere on the property, which wasn't abnormal for him. My place was inside his fall core. But I didn't see him again until November 6th 2022, a year & a week after he disappeared. His rack didn't change much but he had an old arrow wound with entry in left shoulder and exit behind and below right shoulder, as you can see in middle two pics. Apparently somebody shot him and somehow he hid for an entire year to heal up. My place is surrounded three sides by 10,000 acre state forest public hunting and the state had made a 100 acre clear cut around 6-8yrs prior just a couple hundred yards off my line. I suspect that's where he disappeared to. Either way I was happy to see him back. He was comfortable on my place and was all over it all times a day and I arrowed him from the ground on November 11th. Both bases measured over 6" and last circumference measurements were still 4.5".

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This buck would show up last few years in late winter. He always had a really tight basket rack with good mass. He'd stay until early spring then disappear again. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get to hunt him because my place just wasn't where he'd traditionally spent fall. Until this year. He showed up October 21st and had exploded! Rack didn't change much in character but it doubled in size and mass and added some character. I was excited to hunt him as he was all over the property but before I could get on him he lost his entire right beam in a fight. I had him inside 20yds and let him walk, then had him in 30yds next day and passed again. Perhaps I should have shot him because he abruptly stopped showing up on cam 28th of November. If he survived I suspect I will see him again soon or maybe next fall. If not there will be others.

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Ski said:
It happens pretty often to me. This buck had been regular on cam as a 10pt since 2019. But in 2021 he flat disappeared on Halloween. He was on cam from 830am until around 930pm somewhere on the property, which wasn't abnormal for him. My place was inside his fall core. But I didn't see him again until November 6th 2022, a year & a week after he disappeared. His rack didn't change much but he had an old arrow wound with entry in left shoulder and exit behind and below right shoulder, as you can see in middle two pics. Apparently somebody shot him and somehow he hid for an entire year to heal up. My place is surrounded three sides by 10,000 acre state forest public hunting and the state had made a 100 acre clear cut around 6-8yrs prior just a couple hundred yards off my line. I suspect that's where he disappeared to. Either way I was happy to see him back. He was comfortable on my place and was all over it all times a day and I arrowed him from the ground on November 11th. Both bases measured over 6" and last circumference measurements were still 4.5".

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That is a great buck! Unbelievable he can disappear for that long. Glad you got him!
 
Ski said:
This buck would show up last few years in late winter. He always had a really tight basket rack with good mass. He'd stay until early spring then disappear again. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get to hunt him because my place just wasn't where he'd traditionally spent fall. Until this year. He showed up October 21st and had exploded! Rack didn't change much in character but it doubled in size and mass and added some character. I was excited to hunt him as he was all over the property but before I could get on him he lost his entire right beam in a fight. I had him inside 20yds and let him walk, then had him in 30yds next day and passed again. Perhaps I should have shot him because he abruptly stopped showing up on cam 28th of November. If he survived I suspect I will see him again soon or maybe next fall. If not there will be others.

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He is a stud! Hopefully he is still alive and you get him. Do you think he broke off fighting or just shed it?
 
Ski said:
This buck would show up last few years in late winter. He always had a really tight basket rack with good mass. He'd stay until early spring then disappear again. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get to hunt him because my place just wasn't where he'd traditionally spent fall. Until this year. He showed up October 21st and had exploded! Rack didn't change much in character but it doubled in size and mass and added some character. I was excited to hunt him as he was all over the property but before I could get on him he lost his entire right beam in a fight. I had him inside 20yds and let him walk, then had him in 30yds next day and passed again. Perhaps I should have shot him because he abruptly stopped showing up on cam 28th of November. If he survived I suspect I will see him again soon or maybe next fall. If not there will be others.

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Ohio deer im assuming?
 

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