Progression of an Old East Texas Buck

[corps2010]

ahh the joys of east texas trophy hunting Lol !
if you don't get lucky during the rut i would hunt hard late season especially muzzle loader season the woods are settling down not a lot of hunting pressure and the old boys get hungry and hit the corn in daylight

Been there and done that too. I went as far as hiring a mulcher to clean up a little bit of cutover for me and I ended up planting a 4 acre food plot and building a 27 paneled feed pen. (overkill I know but it's nice to have a dozen deer inside the pen and no hogs cleaning your corn pile out). I planted late October hoping he would come in a few mins early or stay a couple mins to long, but he never did. He was in there nearly every night for almost two months straight and would always show up after dark and always be gone before daylight. Even at his age last year, he was very aggressive with any buck that came in the pen and he kept a known 7 year old (close to 200 lbs) at bay from the corn pile any time he was inside the pen. He ended up breaking a left g4 and half his left main beam just past the g2.

[Chance Love]

Pretty sure in that first pic he's older than 5. Betcha he's 9 or 10 this year. Good luck man.

[SEA PRO 210]

He's a Dinosaur for sure

[RMW]

Is he swimming across the lake or walking around it? Curious How far would he have to travel if he walked around the lake? Nice history on this old bruiser.

[Pineywoods]

Very cool. Hope you get that old fart.

[corps2010]

Is he swimming across the lake or walking around it? Curious How far would he have to travel if he walked around the lake? Nice history on this old bruiser.

I'm not real sure to be honest. If I had to put money on it, I'd say hes walking around the north end of the lake between the main body of water and the highway. From one camera to the other, in a straight line it's 2.21 miles. If he's walking around the lake, it's 2.43 miles. (and you know he isn't walking a straight line around the lake, so it could be double that distance very easily.)

[deerwatcher51]

Good luck, I hope you get him this year.

[corps2010]

Pretty sure in that first pic he's older than 5. Betcha he's 9 or 10 this year. Good luck man.

Here's a few more pics of him from 2014. And I agree with you he could possible by 9 or 10. At a minimum, he's at least 8.5 this year. I've got a lot bigger deer on camera, but nothing would tickle me more than to kill him with a bow first week of October in the spot I have the daytime pic of him from this year.

Most people would be amazed at how small of a bedding area these older bucks have once they reach a certain age too. He's literally bedding on a small hardwood knoll that's in a 15 year old pine plantation that they just thinned this past February. ( I hope it doesn't relocate somewhere else). He's got thick nasty lake bottom, 40 yards from his bed to the East, a drainage behind him to the North that's full of Swamp Chestnut Oaks "Cow Oak as my dad calls them lol", thick pine plantation to his West, and a 2 year old clearcut 75 yards to his South. His main bedding area is around 7-8 acres or so in size. He's in a position where it's virtually impossible to get right ontop of him with the way he's bedding without blowing him into the next county.

[GarGuy]

I called him ten earlier. He was dang sure every bit of seven in 14. Great thread.

[Passthrough]

Good luck! That deer was older than 5 in first pic IMO

[texasdeerhunter]

You think your wife will let you out of the house to hunt any this year? You can't kill him sitting on your couch...

[corps2010]

You think your wife will let you out of the house to hunt any this year? You can't kill him sitting on your couch...

Nah I doubt it. She'll prolly put her foot down after hunting just about everyday last year and the year before. Maybe I can make myself get off the couch long enough to give myself a fair chance of killing him this year.

[jshouse]

I know the feeling sir, good luck, great looking old buck

[8pointer]

AHHHH! he is younger this year than in 2015! Ten year old stud right there. He very well may just get killable as all get out this year. we have had that happen several times when deer got really old.

Check out the age thread i posted a couple days ago.

Agreed. It's crazy how some of the really old bucks show up more frequent once they get really really old. It's almost like they want to get shot. I've got a similar deer I'm after this year again.

[Bowhuntinonly]

Cool buck hope you get him, is he wide enough or do you have antler restrictions?