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Frank, the geriatric deer

BULL MOOSE":2xp1my57 said:
The other bucks are holding their horns behind him.

Has he always been fat every year, or is this the first year?
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I had a couple decent 10 points on camera last year that could be him, but I'm not certain I've ever seen him before this year. Definitely never seen one this fat regardless.
 
Southern Sportsman":1txiy5ie said:
Yep. The first small river rise we had this year I went into another farm just up river to pull a camera. I wore waders. Had to cross one drainage and got over my waders. I jumped deer the whole way. There are levees and high places they could retreat to, but they seemed content. This deer is a little different in that he hangs out where the low river bottom meets a piece of higher ground. But he would rarely have to move, and definitely wouldn't have to leave cover to get a drink of water even in the summer.

While on the subject, trying to figure out which way deer are most likely to approach an oak stand in the middle of a flat river bottom so I can hang a bow stand usually makes me wish I had a nice piece of hill ground with saddles and funnels and pinch points and such.
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Grew up hunting in the Ozark mountains in Missouri. Definitely a game changer when I moved to Tipton County and started hunting the river bottoms. I always just thought flat land sounded nice as I was dragging deer out. After having been here 5 years I take every chance I can get to find an area withreal ridges and valleys to help funnel deer.
 
Southern Sportsman":dz32ygfj said:
megalomaniac":dz32ygfj said:
Actually, your best way to kill him is to put cams on your water sources and figure out which one he is hitting during dry periods. I guarantee that deer is drinking way more than the average deer (which is why he spends 30min at a time on salt). You figure out where he is watering and you can kill him during legal hours. Boring to sit on water holes, but I really do believe that is your best way to hunt him without pushing all the way into his bedroom.

Like you know, forget typical rut patterns, he isn't participating in the rut most likely.
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I don't disagree with your logic. And in middle TN or the midwest or even some farms around here that just might work. But in Frank's part of the world, trying to pattern a deer based on water sources would be a little like trying to pattern shore birds at the beach based on sand sources. He lives in the river bottoms. From that camera, he can walk 30 yards, mostly in ample cover, and stand chest deep in water. And he has a mile+ of waters edge that meets cover. He's on the edge of a bottom that is flooded throughout the fall and winter. Foot prints will hold water for most of deer season. In fact that salt lick holds enough water through the winter and into spring for a deer to get a drink anytime. Maybe that's part of his affinity for it.
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This statement couldn't be any truer to the ground I hunt!! This past weekend the nephew and I got out for a morning squirrel hunt then moved cameras and loosened straps up on stands. We did quite a bit of walking/scouting (or tried), so much water in the bottom we have I could not pin point any defined trails or tracks.....I just started looking for rubs! lol

I would love to see more pics of this bruiser!! Even better would love to see a pic of him with you in it next season!!
 
Even testicles that have not descended into the scrotum can function on at least some level. If they are some what developed and produce enough testosterone, the deer will shed its velvet and display a polished rack throughout the fall.This could be why he has put on so much weight.
 
Dude I can't stop laughing he's so old and fat. Honestly from what you say, I don't think he cares about does. I think that happens. I'm still chuckling looking at his pictures.
 
Southern Sportsman said:
I had a lot of pictures of Frank this year. I named him Frank in honor of a guy I used to hunt with a lot. And, you know - "Frank the Tank." Probably the best deer I've ever had on camera. Definitely the best one I've ever specifically hunted. I never saw him in person. He would show up on camera every week or two. Always in the dead of night. Even in the peek rut weeks, he would stand in this salt lick for 30 minutes or more. Occasionally with does around. Sometimes with smaller bucks pestering those does. Frank didn't seem to care. And he definitely didn't seem to wear down or loose weight as the season went on. He made it through the season unscathed. Never even broke a tine. I'm afraid the diabetes will get him before next season, but it gives me something to look forward to come October. He would score plenty, and I wish I could have found out exactly how much. But I would really love to know what he weighs.

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Did you ever get a shot at this buck?
 
Antler Daddy said:
Did you ever get a shot at this buck?
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Nope. I never even got a picture of him within 3 hours of daylight. He showed up often, but only in the dead of night. I think he had some type of hormonal abnormality that made him so fat, but it also seemed to impact his sex drive. He never showed any interest in chasing does and never acted the least bit careless throughout the fall. He would stand in that salt lick for upwards of an hour. Does would come and go around him, and younger bucks would pester and chase them. But Frank was content standing around licking salt all night.

I never got a picture of him last year. I suspect he died in early 2020 from heart disease or diabetes.
 

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