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Question about bucks leaving the area?

buckfever321

buckfever321

Member
So here's what I have...

In June I put out cameras and immediately started getting pictures of a really nice deer. I had him at 60 yards last year but couldn't close the deal so I was excited to see he was back. I had him on camera through June, through July, no pictures in August, several pictures in September, and several in October. I got the last picture of him on the 24th of October.

I started vacation on election day and have hunted this area several times since trying to get a crack at him. Only I haven't laid eyes on him. I think I've seen every other buck in the area 3 and 4 times but this guy has vanished. I'm 99% sure he is no longer on the property. I've never really ran into this problem before so I figured I would ask you whitetail wizards. If a buck moves out like that right before the rut, what are the odds that he ends up back in the area sometime this month? Have any of you ran into this situation and had a buck show up again?

Right now the only thing I'm holding onto is the fact that he never stepped in front of a camera during August and showed up again in September. Maybe he is still around, just out smarting me.
 
I never see the same buck twice all season on my little piece of paradise, even yearlings. Now figure that one out
 
Regarding individual buck movement...and combined with several years of observations via the trail cams that we run on our property and frequent communication with neighbors who also runs cams quite a bit...it just depends on the buck. :D I am fascinated with the travels of mature bucks and it sure seems to me that each one is different. In my opinion, some bucks are roamers and some are home bodies. Some move on and off a given property seasonally with amazing consistency. In fact there is a buck right now that we haven't had a picture of in about 10 days now...but I would bet that he will be back, large and in charge, in about 5-8 days. He has had that pattern for at least 4 previous years.

Definitely, bucks can disappear and then reappear. Time will tell, but unless someone bagged him, I suspect that you will see him again.
 
This is a tough one, the fact that he was around in October several times bodes in your favor. If they were daytime pictures that's even better; if they were nighttime pictures way past shooting hours then that highly decreases your odds in my opinion. But, most likely he will make a loop through seeking does eventually if you have a good bedding area.
I have a similar buck on camera, he has showed up multiple times in October, in daylight on November 2nd and I saw him on the 3rd. He vanished since and I have no doubt in my mind that he'll be back because there is a huge doe bedding area nearby. It's just whether I want to spend a week waiting on the one time he passes back through. I have mostly hunted other spots, simply because he's the only shooter there and other places I hunt have better age structure of bucks, so I feel my odds are better. It's all an odds game, it may be a low percentage, but it's high reward. I think it's pretty much the same as your situation and it can make for some long days in the woods. I'd say your best odds would be to setup on the downwind side of the best doe bedding area and try to catch him scent checking for does. It may be a long shot, as it is in my situation, but you might get lucky. These bucks follow no rhyme or reason right now, but all it takes is one hot doe for him to pass through. I hope you can connect!
 
A buck will travel 10 miles a day during the rut. Imagine yourself going on a 10 mile walk today and there are pretty women everywhere, some that only want to fulfill your dreams. What are YOUR chances of making it home tonight??? :p:oops::eek:
 
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Goes both ways. I had a big 12 show up last Oct 25 thru Nov 8. Only had him on camera late in the night but saw him with my own eyes midday. I haven't seen him since and he may never come back!
 
One thing that we all agree on are that all mature buck will act different. Some will be home bodies and others will wander to different locations. The thing that makes bowhunting so great is that any second our season can be over. We can kill bucks that we have history with or one that we have never seen before. One think to think about if we do kill a buck that we never have seen there might be a hunter miles away that is saying my buck has left the area and you just killed him:)
 
meyeri said:
This is a tough one, the fact that he was around in October several times bodes in your favor. If they were daytime pictures that's even better; if they were nighttime pictures way past shooting hours then that highly decreases your odds in my opinion. But, most likely he will make a loop through seeking does eventually if you have a good bedding area.
I have a similar buck on camera, he has showed up multiple times in October, in daylight on November 2nd and I saw him on the 3rd. He vanished since and I have no doubt in my mind that he'll be back because there is a huge doe bedding area nearby. It's just whether I want to spend a week waiting on the one time he passes back through. I have mostly hunted other spots, simply because he's the only shooter there and other places I hunt have better age structure of bucks, so I feel my odds are better. It's all an odds game, it may be a low percentage, but it's high reward. I think it's pretty much the same as your situation and it can make for some long days in the woods. I'd say your best odds would be to setup on the downwind side of the best doe bedding area and try to catch him scent checking for does. It may be a long shot, as it is in my situation, but you might get lucky. These bucks follow no rhyme or reason right now, but all it takes is one hot doe for him to pass through. I hope you can connect!
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I've got him during daylight a few different times in Oct. This is a wooded crick bottom with a lot of CRP nearby and plenty of bedding all along the crick. So there is plenty of bedding but it's spread out all over hell so we'll see.
 
Ishi said:
One thing that we all agree on are that all mature buck will act different. Some will be home bodies and others will wander to different locations. The thing that makes bowhunting so great is that any second our season can be over. We can kill bucks that we have history with or one that we have never seen before. One think to think about if we do kill a buck that we never have seen there might be a hunter miles away that is saying my buck has left the area and you just killed him:)
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Funny you say that... Had that happen this morning. Buck I'd never seen before cruised by. Would have been a shooter but he broke his entire right side off just after the brow tine :(
 
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