Scouting & Pics
|
Scouting & Pics |
August Scouting logs and on the spot pictures -- by Robert Hoague
| Scouting
For Deer Season 2001: a Photo Journey In August
SCOUTING IN 2001: July | August | September | THE HUNT: 10 Pointer on opening weekend | 2001 Deerhunt |
Scouting In: July | August | September |
|
|
Scouting
& Pics : August 2 - 
Does
are a breed all to themselves. For one thing, they can be more aggressive
than a lot of people think. The lead doe keeps outsiders in check with
threatening postures, or a quick strike with a hoof, or a toe to toe boxing
match -- with young bucks, certain does, and even fawns. Here are the pics
& details of a 
Thumbnailed
Pics of the deer I saw today. A nice new buck, or at least I don't remember
seeing him before, is developing some tine length. A couple of bucks are
drinking water. Some does and fawns pass by. A yearling doe is near my
corral. And the day ends with the last, low but strong rays of sunlight
shining on a group of deer.
The
July 23 Big Boy buck returns and hangs out to give my camera (and you and
me) some eye candy. I get the best pics of him so far. My project for this
week is to find the exact routes that these Big Boys use to come and go
to my food plot. I put up a Buckshot35 game camera on a fence line crossing
about 200 yards from the Rolled Wire area. Hang out with me here on Bowhunting.net
and we'll look for an area or two where we can intercept these bucks when
the season begins in 8 weeks.
Real
daylight was still a ways away when I saw the shadowy movement of a large
bodied deer. He stopped right in front of me. His rack was visible, even
in the low light. I looked through the camera's eyepiece and adjusted the
stops until I could make the buck out. He was broadside ... and close.
Then he walked over to the edge of the woods and stopped. He turned his
head. 
The
bucks are still in velvet and the does are raising fawns, surely they are
not thinking about the rut. But the proof is in what you see. If you've
been watching my day by day deer pictures you've had the opportunity to
see the very earliest phase of the rut. Several bucks are already showing
dark hocks. A few does do, too. And today you'll see a series of pics I
took yesterday morning of one of the 
Most
of the year the bucks have have been solo. Recently two young 6-points
and 8-points are buddied up. Today at noon I was headed to the red Barn
to eat lunch but I got a surprise before I even got in my truck. A buck
was 40 yards away and hadn't noticed me yet. I quickly hid and took it's
picture. I recognized the buck as a 6-point that a few days ago had developed
a web fork on the end of it's right antler. Now a 7th point had grown there.
I focused on the new point and took a pic, and noticed a second buck in
the viewfinder. The 7-point walked back to the other buck and they browsed
around and hung out in the shade of the wood's edge. It's a positive sign
when bucks start pairing and grouping up. It is actually one of the early
phases of their rutting ritual. 
It
started early today, at the first half way decent light the big Boy 6 buck
came walking up with a big 9-point. I got the first picture as they stood
still, watching a handful of other deer. The light got better and I zeroed
in on this new buck. My first thought was that it was the big 
Find
it here.
