Well, I can honestly say this year I was the lucky one – a deer magnet if you will.
You know that hunter who’s always in the right place at the right time? The one they call ‘the deer magnet’?
I have no real explanation as to why some guys have all the luck some years while others struggle just to catch a glimpse of Cervid. Some seasons, it seems, I am that lucky hunter while other years I have been on the losing end.
This year was my year!
From the very first day of this deer season I had a gut feeling I was in store for something marvelous. First chase of opening day and a dandy 4-point yearling strolled out to me at the end of a lake I was watching. He got to within 10 feet of where I was sitting and never even knew I was in town. I knew this little buck well from photos I had seen on my trail cam, and I had no intention of raising my rifle on him; especially first thing on opening morning.
I sat there quietly and enjoyed the sight of this young lad as he disappeared up the hill behind me…man, these are the moments I live for.
The following day, we hunted the top of one of our favourite 2000 ft. mountains and I watched in amazement as yet another 4 point buck bounded his way to within 50 feet me. It was a different forkhorn this time. This guy was bigger and sported a slightly larger rack, yet I let him pass hoping other hunters might do the same if they saw him.
Call it what you want, but choosing to pass on first year bucks is something I do in the best interest of our (recovering) deer herd. I have hopes that by letting these yearlings walk they will, one day, grow up to produce a damn fine progeny; seeding the deer woods with quality genetics. We have gone home empty-handy several years as a result…but so be it.
Ok, so they say some guys have all the luck. By the end of the first week of deer season I had seen, by far, the most deer of anyone and two bucks to boot, while the remaining four members of my gang saw scant few deer and no antlers at all.
It’s just luck I tell myself, as we prepare for our annual luxury trip to Fairmont Kenauk in Montebello, and surely it will run out eventually.
First day of the hunt at Kenauk and my deer numbers are going sky-high. On one chase alone I had 8 deer come out to me including two more bucks; one a spike and the other another forkhorn. Man, I’ve now had 4 bucks make an appearance at close range and I still haven’t raised the rifle.
The boys were getting a little ticked at this point. I chased, I sat, I stalked and it didn’t matter, the deer were all around me it seemed like I was the Pied Piper or something; leading the mice out of the town. Was it something I was wearing?
To be honest it was a bit weird…and somewhat of a burden to carry.
The final day of our season arrived and I promised my 81-year old father that HE would sit in the hotspot where the 8 deer had been all over me the day before. I explained that I would take the post he had and put him in my special ‘hotspot’, with hopes of sharing the wealth…
The chase was on!
I could hear the chasers(doggers, as some call them) on the radio commenting on the fresh buck sign from the day before. I watched the knoll in front of me with another more watchful eye over in my father’s direction with finger’s crossed.
Today has to be HIS day, I thought.
Surely if the big buck which had been making all the rubs and scrapes were around, he would appear and practically run my father over in his hotspot. My poor Dad had seen but 1 whitetail all season long and he deserves this chance at a nice buck.
But alas, as irony and my fate as deer magnet won out, I heard the rustling of leaves on the knoll above me and the glimpse of antler caught my attention.
OMG, here sneaking down the ridge, was one of the biggest set of ivory white antlers I’d ever laid eyes on!
“How could this be?” I thought to myself. “This isn’t the hotspot, the oldman is supposed to see this deer over there!!” A small but persistent wave of guilt come over me.
Finally, instinct took over as I picked out a semi-clear window in the brush I figured this majestic beast would step into. And as my continuous knack for doing everything right won out, the deer stopped into the very spot I had chosen; as if on cue.
Within seconds it was all over and the most beautiful 10-pointer I had ever seen was down and as I walked up to this magnificent beast I knew this had to my destiny this year, and I just couldn’t fight fate. As much as I tried to share my good fortune as deer magnet with others, it simply did not work.
This deer was a very special animal indeed and not your run-of-the-mill whitetail. He sported an almost perfectly symmetrical 5X5 crown with long sweeping main beams and even showed signs of piebald pigmentation along his lower legs and hooves. Two hooves were half white and half brown. It almost looked like the old fellow was wearing white slippers!
Yes, some guys have all the luck and this year was my time. The way things go, next fall lady luck may shine out of someone else’s arse. Man I hope so, I’m not sure I handle the pressure any more. It’s like the weight of the world and extremely tiring to be so popular…
How can one member of a hunt party see 5 bucks during the season, and the rest of the guys see none? I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure…
Anyhow, enjoy these images of one magnificent whitetail buck that wouldn’t have been possible without the other guys in my gang – Rathwell Morrison, Ken Campbell & Jim Bindon.
Next fall, it could just as easily be someone else who plays deer magnet, but just in case, I told the boys I would be leaving my rifle at home….
Outdoorsguy(AKA Deer Magnet)
P.S. A special thanks to Bill Nowell & Celyne Fortin of Fairmont Kenauk and Denyse Murphy of Tourism Quebec.
(The look of an exhausted but very proud deer magnet)
Wow
A deer magnet, eh?
how do I buy one of them magnets?
congrats Jeff
Congratulations Jeff, dandy buck, nice big rack!!
tks Barry!
He is a dandy for sure, but still not quite in the same calibre as your big one, I’m affraid.
Any luck this year?
Outdoorsguy
Nice! So you did actually bathe in doe-in-heat! I have a buddy like that; he could sit in the median of the 401 and get a good buck every year. And no, it’s not about preparation and attention to detail in his case.
I let many go by early in bow seasons over the years, but now I fully understand the “bird in the hand” theory. I am not as patient, and my story likely would have ended at the second fork horn, but I would have been just as proud.
Nice story magnet man!
Well johan, I have always been fortunate to see deer but this year was ridiculous…and although I do have my Tinks scent bomb out on every chase, I dont believe they all came to the scent.
I did get a good haircut recently..that may have had something to do with it..hehe
Outdoorsguy
Wow Jeff, what a buck. Congrats on the deer of a lifetime.
I had a season like that a number of years ago. No matter where I went, or what I did, the deer were everywhere I was. Like you said, there’s no rhyme or reason for it, it just happens. I froze my butt off one morning in early December that year, and finally put my tag on a nice buck. You should remember the story…
tks sureshot-dave and YES…I do recall that season very well, it was either the same year I took my personal biggest buck or the one after…96 or 97?? And your story was published too if I recall.
So, if that cycle holds true then your next ‘Deer Magnet’ year could be coming!
Outdoorsguy
0ur gang got 6 buck’s nothing big.We had doe tag’s but decided not to take any.
I shot a 6 point . Still hunting looking for the big lad.
Sounds like deer numbers are up in your area too, Barry? That’s great to hear..it was a real treat seeing all the young ones around this year!
Outdoorsguy
Holy jumpin’ Jeff that’s a beautiful big buck!!! I love the clean symmetry of it. Congratulations!! Way to think positive you lucky dog!
Nice pictures too. After that hunting marathon I bet you’re looking forward to going back to work to rest up.
And of course we realize you couldn’t have taken anything smaller, you have your lofty position in the hunting community to uphold. Nasty little fork horns tempting you like that…… tisk tisk.
Very nice indeed! Great story and buck.
I won’t bore you with my story of the 8 that committed suicide this morning ……………..yet!
Ahh, come on Rick let ‘er rip! I’m getting tired of talking about myself and all my great luck…blah blah..of course, I still
haven’t mentioned the part of my story where we found the broken main beam from my buck from a previous year, that had been shot
off by another not so lucky hunter. The deer had a split in its ear where I suspect the bullet went thru. The funny thing is, the broken
main beam from my buck we found almost looks like it could be from two falls ago and to be honest the points are a bit longer but the main beam is shorter.
There’s no doubt though that it was from the same deer..
Congrats btw Rick..send me a pic if you can.
Outdoorsguy
Hi guys,
Message to Barry Scollan!! Please help me understand!!!!!!!
So……. you already shot a 6 pointer and your gang shot 6 bucks already, and your still hunting???? How many bucks do you guys need to shoot before you are happy??? When do you say , enough is enough??? How about keeping some for next year?
Randy
mornin jeff back at the worlplace would rather be deer hunting was a hell of a two weeks off on the first week it was deadly silent but by the wednesday one of my hunting buddies had a 6 pt buck barrell out of the bush at full gallop he shot 2 times and missed out of the corner of my eye i caught the buck heading up the back of the field at lighting speed i took aim and at 160 to 200 yards dropped it with 1 shot he was around 170 lbs all the rest of the first week was quiet but the 2nd week was the so called joy week on tuesday night 10 minutes before dark i could hear 2 bucks fighting in the bush right in front of me all of my hairs were standing up i had my gun trained on ther are where the noise was coming from it started getting darker and darker but the noise stopped and i could here something walking . Jeff it was like a dream a massive 10 pt buck with a very wide rack walked out 15 yards in front of me i counld’t get a shot off right away as limbs were in the way but he walked right out in a little clearing it was like time stood still he glared up at me in the tree, our eyes met i said sorry boy but your mine with one loud bang it was over.I waited till dark my other hunting buddy came over we started to look for him and in 10 feet there he was a monstous buck.. The feeling of pride and respect for the animal came over me it was undescribable but i knew the work was just about to begin the, bye the way gutting and the moving by hand yes no four wheeler,yup had to drag this boy atleast 100 yards, nonethe less it was a night i slept like a baby , who said deer hunting wasn,t a workout is crazy
mike jones said; “yup had to drag this boy at least 100 yards…none the less it was a night i slept like a baby ”
hehe…sorry Mike, had a chuckle a little over that one…you know, ‘back in my day’ we dragged deer a mile and more back to camp! Geez, I sound like my oldman now.
Ok, got that out the way…Congrats man! Send me the pics if you like, and we’ll see if he compares to my 10-point! In guess in retrospect, had you known the big 10 was coming out to you, you might have passed up on the 6-point?
Outdoorsguy
Way to go! nice buck Jeff! Sounds like a great year even if you hadn’t seen him. Better yet, it sounds like the population is on the way up.
I myself, missed a nice big buck opening morning – no doubt to haunt me for the next few years. He was across a pond behind some trees at about 170 yards. Didn’t know I was there! lol I saw bucks on 3 consecutive days starting with that one. The next one was trying to hide behind some trees in blowdowns, but I just saw his shoulder from behind a tree and when I stepped back to look at him, he looked back then took off. No chance whatsoever, but we did successfully chase him to a dam where one of our lady hunters got him.
The Wednesday, I had another buck hide behind trees with absolutely no possible ethical shot. He took off so I can called trying to lure him back, but instead, 3 does and a fawn came exploding from the same direction he had come. I let them all go then close by, one of our rookie hunters bagged his first deer. I helped him track and field dress it (1st one is free in our camp 🙂 so I took pride in that considering I’m on of the ‘veterans’ now.
Basically, the rut was on that first week. Very quiet the 2nd week – it was like the bucks were indeed laying low from exhaustion. I ended up letting 6 does/fawns walk for next year. Still have meat for the freezer and plenty of memories burned into that bank, but I sure wish I could replay that buck opening morning although, it’s not up there with the ‘replays’ as some other episodes from over the years! lol
Oh and the bonus is that now I have a buck tag for muzzeloader/bow season in a week. muhahahahaha
Cheers,
Keebler
Hey Keeb, I’m sorry to hear of your somewhat bad luck this fall..oftentimes that is the case for me too but this year was the exception. And as you say, great to see numbers up and you’re getting some meat anyway, but I know what you mean about a deer ‘haunting you’.
My haunting dates back to 1983..only the 3rd year of my hunting career when a absolutely gaint 12 pointer strolled out to me at less than 100 feet! The buck was so huge and dark in colour this inexperienced 14-year old truly believed it was a moose and put his rifle down….dooohh!!! By the time, it dawned on me it was a giant whitetail buck, the deer was out of sight and being taken down by my late uncle. At least we got the deer but that provided little solace to me at the time…hehe..the 213 pound 11-point the following year eased the pain a little.
It is these hauntings and other missed opportunities that keep us coming back year after year.
No good head-cam footage this year??
Outdoorsguy
Message for Randy
We are a large gang of land owners and we are spread out over a 5 mile area. The buck I shot was
part of the 6 the gang got. We saw lots of other bucks and does that we watched and let go.
We had tags left over. The second week two of the gang went out if by chance to see a monster.
We definitely are not hurting the deer population in our area .
As a farmer and a hunter know a little bit about conservation.
You young guys are spoiled! Dragging a deer 100 yards? When i was your age we had to drag our deer for miles, uphill, and we liked it! We had to drag them so far that by the time we got to the road we had it half eaten……
Great hunting stories.
Yup..there’s my oldman again!
Outdoorsguy
Back to you Barry,
You still did not answer my question !! When is enough enough?? You shot a buck, and your gang got 6 bucks. I’m sure that your freezers are full of venison, why the need to shoot more deer??? Why do you feel the need to fill all your tags?? As a biologist , I have issue with hunters who feel the need to just keep shooting as many deer as they can , big or small , just because they still have tags to fill!!! It hurts everyone and gives hunters a bad name!!
Randy
Randy if you are indeed (and I strongly doubt it) a biologist you are one piss poor one. Your reading comprehension is none existent. and your assumptions without facts is reprehensible.
I know Barry and many of his as he stated LARGE group. They hunt the Richmond area on his own land. I have witnessed in access of 20 deer in only one field of the hundred or so fields these hunters hunt and there are many similar fields.
To say they just keep shooting as many deer as they can is totally erroneous and shows your anti hunting agenda.
Hey Jeff, I think my street meat post ended up in your spam box (has a link). Feel free not to post this one though.
Hey Rob, geez, good to hear from you man..and sorry about that. For some reason I’m getting hundreds and hundreds of spam messages each day now and haven’t got time to go thru them all.
Please send-in the link again and replace the “@” with AT…I’ll fix it up.
I wondered what happened to you as it’s been a dog’s age…hope all is well, and my apologies if other messages of yours went missing.
Anyone else who has a link to send-in please give me the heads-up so I can go looking for it.
Outdoorsguy
Randy if you are one like rick says. can you explain what the caring capacity is in ontario for whitetail deer. i know the guy that issues the tags does not know . if the mnr is going to give out tags then i am going to fill them, because i would rather eat venison that beef, why because i can feed my family for a lot less than beef. (hold on you guys i know what your going to say ) yes deer hunting is expensive but if you take the meat you get off your grocery bill and your vacation time you will still see that it is pretty cheap to feed yourself . i myself with a family of 5 need at least 2 deer sometimes 3 to get us by.
Look what the cat dragged in…hey Chessy, how you making out?
Outdoorsguy
Randy
I don’t understand why you feel the need to make something out of nothing. Read my earlier post. It is self explanatory. We do not keep shooting just to fill our tags!
@ jeff. long long story.. daughter missed big buck on opening night at 70 yards with slug gun 🙂 then she missed a hard shot through some real thick stuff with 44 mag on sunday morning in the park . we did not see very much sign in the park other than moose ( if i was man in charge the number of hunters per bull tag would be greatly reduced) we managed 2 deer all week i shot a spike on thursday at 1 67 yards free hand god i love bushnell and browning . 270 short with 4200 elite at 12 power put him on his butt in the neck . ( it was if i hit him he goes down if i dont he runs free ) he will be some good eating .. in total we saw 6 does 4 fawns no bucks or rutting activity (scrapes or rubs) but we seen 9 moose 3 red wolves and a rat snake my son videoed pulled a steve Irwin. the group including my daugter and son had a good vacation .(why she miss i think she is in love boys on her mind. but i think she likes to hunt more than boys but is twitterpated over them )
;0
;0
@Randy
go play in traffic , take up knitting or go read 50 Shades Of Grey
do something usefull
@Jeff
I was up at the cottage on the Quebec side dogging for the guys, but really grouse hunting ;).
One chase we pushed out 11 does and fawns, no bucks, and on Saturday we pushed out over 30 deer.
They ended up with 9 bucks for the two weeks (I’ll apologize to dopey in advance)
no one had a doe tag, too bad but it would have been too easy to fill them.
The thing I don’t understand, at our deer camp near Dacre on the Ontario side, we’ve had scrapes on the ground since mid October, but in all the dogging I did on the Quebec side, I didn’t come across one scrape. Is it because the population is so high they don’t need to get a territory. I’ll tell ya, if your a buck over there, and you can get “a date” you must be one ugly buck
OK guys, there is no need to attack me, you are all just completely missing the point!!! And no, I am not a anti-hunter!!! I am an avid hunter. I hunt with bow , rifle and muzzleloader.. We are 8 guys in our group. During our week of hunting this year we shot 5 deer, 3 bucks and 2 does. We also got 1 with the bow, so that makes 6 deer in all. We are all happy with our season, and we all decided that we shot enough deer and we all decided to stop hunting!!! We still have 2 tags to fill and we could go back with muzzleloader and bow , however, we do not feel the need to do so . And, here is the point that everybody is missing. We are 8 guys and we shot 6 deer. ITS ENOUGH!!!! Lets keep some deer for next year. The bucks will have bigger racks and the herd will be in better shape!!!
Jeff, I would love to hear your input on this. !!!
And Barry, you say that you are now looking for a big lad.!!! Why shoot 6 small bucks then decide that you want to shoot a big one. If you want to shoot big bucks ,then let the small ones go by. Let them live longer and they will all become big bucks !!!
All I’m saying guys is this,lets just show a little restraint out there and think about it. WHEN IS ENOUGH, ENOUGH ???
Randy
Hey Randy, I believe the reaction you received was a normal response from someone who felt like they were being attacked, and in this case, on their own land. I’m sorry, we do tend to get a bit defensive around here and there is good reason for that. We have been attacked in the past and continue to feel the need to defend our right to hunt and practise conservation.
I can see now that you are a hunter yourself and I think your heart is in right the right place, it was simply your approach that required a bit of fine-tuning. Trust me; I can be accused of getting my ‘hackle up’ as well from time to time. I think what needs to be addressed here is what conservation practises are best for each individual deer woods, because there exists huge regional disparities depending where you hunt.
In my own deer woods in QC’s Laurentians, for example, I would never ever think of harvesting even the number of deer that you and your own gang had taken this year. In the mountains where we are, no gangs have ever shot the numbers you guys are used to. I know for a fact there would be scant few deer left if that happened. In areas closer to town where the numbers and density are much higher, as in the case of where Barry(& others) hunts, there is the possibility of stronger harvest numbers without hurting the overall health of the herd.
I think select harvest and trying to practise our own Quality Deer Management (QDM) is a tricky thing and fine balancing act, as there are both personal decisions and wildlife management decisions to consider, and not all areas are created equal. Hey, I could have lashed out at you and your gang for taking 6 deer, when perhaps 2-3 animals would have sufficed as far as freezer meat goes, but I would never impose my own beliefs like that, besides your hunt area can most likely handle the take.
In the end, we are out for the same thing in my opinion. We thoroughly enjoy all aspects of the sport and wish to ensure the same for the future. How we achieve that goal varies from place to place and from hunter to hunter. I know a lot of the guys here personally, and I know how much they truly care about the future of our sport and deer woods. To be accused otherwise will hit a chord every time, and then you may be in for a fight.
Hunters’ today have learned how to adapt and defend and protect what is rightfully theirs, and yours. If you peel back a few layers of the onion you’ll find that we here are all respectful and conservation-minded, yet how we achieve those goals can vary greatly for the reasons mentioned…and geography has a lot to do with it.
Randy, I can tell you that the response to your question “When is enough enough?” would have been much different had you not used such an accusatory tone. Adult men don’t usually like to be scolded for activities they carry out on their own land. Perhaps we can approach this differently next time as I’m sure you’ll see we have a lot more in common than you realize.
Outdoorsguy
Outdoors Guy
We had a very successful hunt this year. Most importantly, my 17 year old son got his first deer. It was a proud moment.
I appreciated your excellent response to Randy.
Hunting mom, that is terrific! Please pass along a huge congratulations for me!!
Taking your first deer, as we all know, is something you never forget…ever! All those inner most feelings come flooding out…excitement, stress, fear, apprehension, elation – it’s a roller coaster of emotion and a learning experience all in one.
And, like falling in love for the first time…it only happens once.
Outdoorsguy
Hunting mom. it is always a great day when your child shoots his first deer … tell him congratulations
Hunting mom, Congratulations to your son on his first deer.We have young hunters in our gang male and female.
Jeff excellent response. You hit the nail on the head.
Sorry Jeff but I still think Randy is a butt head! He attacked other hunters and their ethics without any justification.
Based on his own admission I know for a fact his gang took twice the deer per hunter that Barry”s group harvested. So who is the greedy ones here? Which gang needs to look in the mirror and ask “how much is enough.”
Why question other hunters for taking 6 small deer when they are venison lovers?
Why question other hunters for continuing to hunt for the “big” guy just because they love hunting? They are not out there just to improve their overall kill numbers.
Barry and his gang are mostly farmers who support the deer throughout the year. They live on the land and know their deer. They know how many and which ones to harvest to ensure a healthy future for their deer hunting.
How large of an area do you hunt Randy? I can assure you Barry and his cronies hunt a far more vast acerage. Their impact on the population of deer is far less than yours and yet you feel justified to question their ethics? Give your head a shake your brain is stuck!
I feel better now! LOL
Jeff when do I get to see your buck up close and personal?
Hunting mom congrtas to your son and you for being a great mom!
Don’t worry Rick, I will be paying a visit to your shop in near future..to, at least, have it scored and perhaps even to have the mount down. Still working on wifey for that one..she says one in the basement and one in the garage is enough and I say, Hey what about the bedroom!
Outdoorsguy
@Hunting Mom
what a feeling eh, I remember my son’s first deer, it’s something he and I will remember forever
@Randy
sorry if we hurt your feeling, but anyone that goes on a hunting site and starts lecturing people on how many deer is enough, deserves what they get. As Jeff mentioned, in his area and in my area, the numbers of deer per acre is low, so taking a lot of deer is almost impossible, it’s not very smart either. But not knowing the circumstance of another hunter, it’s pretty bold of me to state when they have taken enough, for all I know, they may be culling the herd because they have nuisance deer, and being farmers, that is very possible. So really what I’m saying, is I mind my business, you mind yours, and we all get along 🙂
Geez Iggs, sounds like you should be joining the ‘cottage gang’ next fall..that’s one heck of a pile of deer action! Even more action than parts of the Ottawa Valley I’d say.
Too bad about the $280 license but whatever, its only once a year..right?!
Outdoorsguy
Jeff, all the action was does and fawns, and they can’t shoot them, so really, it was a lot of wasted time. However sitting in the fields in the morning and in the evening was very productive for bucks, but they don’t need dog men for that
Yes..true, but just having the numbers like that is a good sign, and terrific for future of the herd in that area.
Outdoorsguy
Just a little message to Randy.
Some of our gang have hunted this ground for 40 to 50 years.We watch the deer in the spring to see how
they wintered. We see the does and fawns over the summer in our hay fields and crops. As Rick said
we know our deer.We don’t need some one like you running off at the mouth saying enough is enough.
If you are a hunter as you say you are you would not be attacking other hunters on something that’s a
no brainer.
Hey Rick,
A buddy of mine got a 11 pointer up Pakenham way.
He likes your work so i gave him your number.
Hi guys.!!
Jeff, thank you for your response, it was constructive criticism and much appreciated. As for the rest of you , take a pill and relax.!!!!!!!!!!!. My intentions were to get a civilised discussion started on the subject of ” when is enough, enough?” when it comes to shooting deer. Its my job, its what I do!! But instead , all I got was verbally abused and attacked by a bunch of hot heads!!! But, that’s ok, I have thick skin. Living in the Yukon toughens you up!! I guess hunters in Ottawa just can’t take a little criticism anymore!! So…. I guess we will just forget about it guys!! I wanted to sound like a concerned hunter but I guess it did not work!!!
I gave a seminar in Pembroke today in front of 55 hunters and , I brought up the subject of ” When is enough, enough”. We had a spirited and civilised discussion for over 1 1/2 hours. It was great, and best of all, I did not get attacked and verbally abused like I did on this blog!!!
I was born and raised here in Ottawa. 6 years ago I took a job in the Yukon. Every fall I come back
home for 4 to 6 weeks to do some Bowhunting with familly and friends and to spend a week in Deer Camp for the rifle season. Sometimes I even stay for the muzzleloader season. I also give about 8 to 10 seminars during this time, all on Quality Deer Management and ethical hunting. We are just trying to change the mind set on hunters out there concerning ethical deer harvesting. Again, its my job, its what I do.
Oh…..and Rick Poulin, I really AM a biologist, and a very good one. !!!!
Anyway, I am leaving in about an hour to go back home . I guess I ruffled a few feathers on this blog, sorry guys!!! Maybe I will try again next year when I’m back in town. If I do …..please let cooler heads prevail lol.
Randy Carlisle
Senior Wildlife Manager, Yukon Territory , Yukon.
we have the mnr to control the so called deer harvest . so what you are saying is the MNR does not manager our herd for us, you say they are selling tags just for money . Tell us something we already don”t know. If the wildlife manager can not manage a province is deer numbers how the heck can you . shooting bucks will not hurt the deer populations at all including the big ones as 30 % are bread by 1.5 year old bucks. most guys let them walk, those bucks are the ones doing the breeding . Yes in some areas our deer herd is hurting bad but OVERALL it is good and that is the only thing the MNR looks at, they look at the forest not the trees
Randy:
In the future, you may wish to consider a different approach when initiating discussions and debates. The individuals who contribute to this blog are very knowledgeable about the subject (far more knowledgeable than me) and have the wisdom that comes with experience. You would have had a better outcome if you had tapped into that knowledge and wisdom in a respectful manner.
Best of luck in your future endeavours.
congratulations of the deer jeff. i forgot to post that …..
gosh, tks Chessy…looks like my Elite 4200 pulled thru for me..as did yours!
Outdoorsguy
Outdoors guy, you mean your magnet pulled through for you….!
okay, I gotta say that I am jealous of your job Randy…..!
Yeah, you’re right Johan..nothing to do with the scope, it was all magnet this year!
You’re jealous of Randy’s job of getting crap from us? Or his other job..hehe
Outdoorsguy
OK, so some big mouth comes on here and takes cheap shots at contrubutors, without any facts, and then tries to defend himself when what he said was rude and obnoxious, then tries to claim he’s some expert in an area famous for it’s moose hunting not deer, then claims he had a “spirited and civilised discussion for over an hour and a half” and then announces that he’s some wildlife manager. Big deal, he obviously doesn’t know how to deal with people, and is probably one of these bullheaded rude wildlife managers that give hunters in his district a hard time. So to you Randy, I say, don’t let the door hit you on the @$$ on the way out.
Oh and I can just imagine what his “spirited and civilised discussion for over an hour and a half” was like…..not welcome in Pembroke again either?
😉
just to change it up
earlier in this thread I mentioned that I was doing some dogging in Quebec, and we pushed out over 30 deer one day, but in all the walking I did, no buck scrapes, anyone have any idea why no scrapes, at our hunt camp near Dacre there were buck scrapes everywhere
Iggs, my first thought was that there may not be a lot of mature bucks in the area..sounds like those hunters take out a lot of the younger bucks each fall. I have read that much of the larger rubs and scrapes and overall activity is carried out by the older bucks, and the yearlings dont bother with much of that.
Just a thought…
Outdoorsguy
This week’s Outdoors Column:
http://www.ottawasun.com/2012/11/21/magical-montebello-white-tail-deer-hunt
Outdoorsguy
no need to make scrapes if that many deer around…. do you know why they think deer drop there antlers??? , cause most bucks are physically depleted in the fall and mother nature has helped them shed there antlers so they can blend in better with the does making it harder for the predators to figure out which are bucks and which are not…. all i can say is thank god they don’t work at a candy store cause beer nuts are over a buck and deer nuts are under a buck
There aren’t many scrapes in my bush this year either but the numbers of deer seem to be there. When the population was at it’s peak they were everywhere and I would see active scrapes made near apple trees in full view of my windows. I have also seen little bucks making scrapes along hay fields many times but I do think the bigger lads spend more time staking a territory. In more remote areas is it harder to locate natural scrape lines, especially if you are only in that bush a few times a year? My place there seems to be natural areas for scrapes and over the years there always seem to be buck activity in those places. I cut an oak tree down two years ago and there were not many years out of 22 which there wasn’t a big scrape under that branch.
This year I set my cam over the first huge scrape I found after the first week of the hunt. I got pics of a doe in it twice, once leaving her scent but I think that buck was already on the meat pole because he never showed. I moved it over to a new scrape that was made last Saturday and I will see what’s cultivating the land when I gather the card this weekend.
Hey Johan, thats neat..you have some good rub/scrape experience there, Im impressed.
Actually, of all the trailcam work I’ve done over the years and hundreds of thousands of images, I still havent set one up over an active scrape. It would produce an interesting set of images. My feeling is too that some bucks make ‘diversion’ scrapes..which they never actually plan to return to.
Just a theory I have…
Outdoorsguy
http://shooterscenter.hubpages.com/hub/-The-secret-of-deer-hunting-scrapes
c/p Reading your scrapes
Lack of scrapes may indicate an out of balance buck to doe ratio. In an area where there are too many does or less competition among bucks there will be less scrape activity. Usually the bigger the scrape, the bigger the buck. There are times however a young buck will work on an existing scrape.Young bucks will make a scrape and not return, many times because of larger deer in that area.
Larger bucks will do a majority of the breeding and frequently create scrapes and revisit them regular using a winding trail. If you find a scrape in a high traffic area with many deer trails, it may be used by multiple bucks, this is a good hot spot to hunt.
thanks chessy, as I suspected, an out of balance doe to buck ratio
No expert here, I just pay attention when I walk. I used to walk in the woods every day, sometimes twice when the old dog was able so I just notice things. Cameras now you can tell what’s making the scrape which is pretty cool.
I suspect there are a few very happy bucks in that area now Iggy.
Oh for a man it would be like living in paradise 😉
I dunno…high doe to buck ratio sounds awfully stressful to me..think of how high maintenance that’d be!
Outdoorsguy
high maintenance, but it’s over in about 10 to 15 days then you get 350 days off, I don’t know if I’d like 350 days off
but the fifteen would be action packed, I think spreading it over a longer period of time is preferable
Paradise yes, likely mayhem along with mild chaffing but it’s short lived. Then it’s back to that little hummock in the swamp to rest, rejuvenate, and staying out of sight until next year.
Jeff, how old was that buck?
“…mild chaffing” good one man.
johan, I should be finding out from the government biologists later this fall how old that bad boy is. The oldest buck they’ve taken on that territory so far is 11.5 years old which I thought was unheard of.
I’m guessing he’ll fall in the 7.5 – 9.5 year range, but I could be wrong. The old boy I got in ’96 was around 8.5 -9.5 based on dental wear..and he had no front teeth at all left.
The buck this year had some front teeth but they were very old and brittle and basically fell apart when we tried to remove them. In the end, we cut out a section of lower jaw to give them for aging.
Another reason I think he’s really old is the section of HIS main beam we found in the area where he was taken.(about 300 yds away) The boys brought it out to me when they arrived at the deer. It was most of one side and clearly from the same buck..only diff was tine length. The points were longer but the overall beam looked a bit shorter.
We guessed that it was his rack from two falls ago and someone had shot the antler off, along with ripping part of the old boy’s ear in the process. Not sure if you can see it in the photo.
One thing he is lacking though is heavy mass…usually older bucks have very massive racks with shorter points and lot of sticker points, which he didn’t have..he’s all about length..hehe
Oh well, have to wait and see I guess..it’ll be an education for sure.
Outdoorsguy
mild chaffing hahahahahahahahahahahaha
is that what they call it
Jeff do they age your deer in Quebec for you, like they do in Ontario for bears, or is this something you get done through your connections?
Iggy, they don’t age whitetail in QC as part of the registration process, this was something requested by Fairmont Kenauk itself..each year they pull teeth from a couple of their biggest/oldest bucks just to get an indication of what is around. And for moose on their territory, they get the gov’t to age each and every one..all as part of giving a profile of the game on their land. I suppose because they are completely private they are able to do that
This is the fourth buck I have taken in Montebello over the years, but the first one they’ve had aged. The 12-point I got 3 years ago was a nice buck too but was not a particularly old deer.
Outdoorsguy
Coming back yesterday from Pembroke, I was travelling on a backroad and had to stop the truck to let a buck cross the road.
Well I was surprised. Nice size buck, with all of it’s antlers covered with velvet (full rack which I would say close to 8 -10 point maybe, hard to eveluate from a side view and antlers so puffy). Velvet like you would see in August. Really fluffy.
Never new that bucks kept their velvet so long. Guess he did not want to bother with territorial rights and get into a fight.
Someone has an explanation of this late condition for a buck?
Hey LG, what you most likely saw there was a very very old buck! I’ve always heard that often-times when I buck gets to a certain age they won’t even clear the velvet from their antlers in fall…I guess it’s a combination of old age and laziness.
I suppose there could be another explanation, but this is the most likely.
You, my friend, are very lucky…I have often heard of this but never actually seen it myself!
Rick..would you agree with this assessment?
Outdoorsguy
Outdoorsguy, I bet you’re right – an old guy who couldn’t care less.
On the opposite, I shot a yearling bull last year who still had velvet on his alien like rack. We figured he didn’t know any better plus, he wasn’t in a position to fight for anything 🙂
Maybe he was in one of those high doe to buck ratio areas and just didnt’ get time….
Would be cool to find sheds with velvet still on them.
I am noticing more rut acitivity in my woods in the last week, 4 more scrapes but all done by the same buck. These are 10 yards from the scrape that I have my camera on but still only have does in the pics.
Here is a rather interesting answer to The Large’s comment about the buck with velvet
funny too
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Late-Season Velvet
http://www.americanhunter.org/articles/six-deer-facts/
These bucks are called “cryptorchids”. This phenomenon usually occurs after some sort of injury to the testicles, or in some cases when the testicles may not extend down into the scrotum. The result is a reduction in testosterone production, and thus the normal antler growth cycle, which includes the antlers hardening and the shedding of velvet, is drastically changed. Cryptorchid bucks act differently from other bucks in that they don’t participate in normal buck activities like rubbing or scraping, as they lack the chemical stimulation necessary to express dominance. They will not participate in the breeding cycle. Also, the antlers, goofy as they are, continue to grow as the animal matures. Old bucks of this type often turn into what we call a “cactus” buck with a host of abnormal points.[B][I][U]
Some of these deer can grow very large in both body size and antler mass.
The antlers tend to continue to grow continually year in and year out.
Note:
If I may suggest if you encounter this while feeding deer just add a couple of little blue pills to the corn mix to help the poor bugger out
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I poached this off Adrian Hare’s Ontario Hunting Lodge forum
“..some sort of injury to the testicles, or when the testicles may not extend down into the scrotum”
Man, do you think LG somehow caused this in his Pembroke-area buck??
Poor bugger…the deer, I mean!
Outdoorsguy
I’m thinking he probably got them caught on a barb wire fence.
I had to cross a few fences while up dogging for the guys near the cottage and I just about got another unwanted operation done on me
Iggy, you may want to consider a protective cup during the season..hehe
Outdoorsguy
Wow, now that you mention it, a few years back I really lost it and got impatient with that yearling standing in the middle of the road and not moving. Had to get out of the truck and kick him in the ar_e to make him rejoin his mother. Guess when you wear size 12-13 shoes, it might just have knicked him (testicules I mean).
LOL
Thanks for the scientific observation iggy.
Guess that Buck will never have a prostate problem.
LOL
No LG, he won’t have any prostate issues..but because he’s different from the other bucks he’ll likely end-up in the land of misfits like Rudolf(red nosed raindeer) did..sad really.
Outdoorsguy
Iggy says:
November 26, 2012 at 12:55 pm
I’m thinking he probably got them caught on a barb wire fence.
I had to cross a few fences while up dogging for the guys near the cottage and I just about got another unwanted operation done on me
iggy, next time use your hands to scratch them, and leave the land owners’ fence alone.
LOL
Iggy beat me to the most likely answer to a buck still in velvet in late November – testicular damage.
OK Rick..but what if he was realllly old AND had testicular damage, what happens then?
Outdoorsguy
He gets his own parrish LOL
hehe…
Ok everyone, get your stories and photos ready, Im about to put-together a Deer Season in Review Blog post feauturing all your highlights of the season and any pics you’d like to send in..I already have a couple of photos send in, but will need more!
Outdoorsguy
the perfect deer; large rack AND actually chewable after not spending a month chasing does and fighting…
Iggy, remember, the only thing you leave in the woods are footprints….
Get those stories and photos sent in!
http://blogs.canoe.ca/outdoorsguy/hunting/2012-deer-season-in-review/
Outdoorsguy