Pressured Deer Are EASY To Pattern

[JW]

I forget. 161 or 163 i think. I have a few bigger.

Ya never showed me ur Daddy's deer.

[GarGuy]

Ya never showed me ur Daddy's deer.

I have a bunch of deer in storage since i sold my house. Need to get them all out and take a few pics.

[GarGuy]

Also, I am having a hard time reconciling how these bucks are staying in groups during the rut. You seem to have many sits where you see MULTIPLE mature deer but they're usually there for the corn and not the does. Do you think any bucks are actually following the does to the sanctuary and then just camp out until hunting pressure eases up?

They arent following does in. as a matter of fact, when the pressure gets on, there are probably 7 bucks to 1 doe on camera in the santuaries. By late November. the primary and secondary ruts are finished here. Mature bucks will roughly tolerate each other for the security of he santuaries. Most of the young buck will move out though.

I think you hit on a key point that hasnt been talked about though. At least 3 out of 4 came in AFTER another mature buck. I think that other deer helped draw them out. As a matter of fact, even on camera, the really big deer almost always show up after another mature deer was in the corn. Most people never see this because they shoot the first mature deer that show up without knowing Ol Big was watching from the brush and about to claim the spot.

[Mexico]

Awesome stories as always Steve! Thanks for sharing!

[hog wild]

Lots of knowledge to be learned from GarGuy about east tx deer. Thanks for the info GarGUY!!

[GarGuy]

Dads "Sleeper" buck

We had an amazing spot of private property that belonged to my cousin for many years. Sadly, he sold it recently. We would have bought it had we known it was even a possibility but someone made him an offer he couldnt refuse.

Anyway, it was set up perfect. There was a giant National forest clearcut behind it and no access. The private land had heavy woods with lots of whiteoaks and a 10 acre pie shaped field that bordered the massive thicket and separated it from the acorns. There was a creek and over grown fence row that crossed it making an amazing travel route as well as cutting off all visibility of the little field. The fence row gave a perfect approach and the stand was on a pond dam just inside so we could get in and out of the stand without any eposure.

I ran a feeder year round in the field and we planted it in food plots every year. Unlike any other pot I have, Mature bucks would use this place in broad daylight and frequent the feeder as well. Every year, Dad killed a good deer there and I took several youth hunters there for a nice mature buck that we didnt want to use a tag on.

Back to the hunt... opening day of rifle season rolled around and we had a heavy horned ten with a couple of kickers on camera that we knew was old. I dropped by dads for coffee before daybreak and he was ready to go. I came in from my hunt about 1030 and dad wasnt home. That was a urprise because he rarely missed breakfast. About 11, i decided i better go check on him and met him on the road. He said he had killed that ten pt about 1030 and it was the only deer he saw.

I jumped in the truck with him and we went back to get him. There lay the deer 50yds from the stand and 125yds from the feeder or woodline. Dad said thats where the deer was when he saw him and he immediately shot. The mornings throw from the feeder was cleaned up. I strongly suspicion that Ol Dad took him a several hour nap, woke up, and that old ten was out there. He refutes that story but..... heck it dont matter, I was thrilled!

[bollomb]

Dads "Sleeper" buck

We had an amazing spot of private property that belonged to my cousin for many years. Sadly, he sold it recently. We would have bought it had we known it was even a possibility but someone made him an offer he couldnt refuse.

Anyway, it was set up perfect. There was a giant National forest clearcut behind it and no access. The private land had heavy woods with lots of whiteoaks and a 10 acre pie shaped field that bordered the massive thicket and separated it from the acorns. There was a creek and over grown fence row that crossed it making an amazing travel route as well as cutting off all visibility of the little field. The fence row gave a perfect approach and the stand was on a pond dam just inside so we could get in and out of the stand without any eposure.

I ran a feeder year round in the field and we planted it in food plots every year. Unlike any other pot I have, Mature bucks would use this place in broad daylight and frequent the feeder as well. Every year, Dad killed a good deer there and I took several youth hunters there for a nice mature buck that we didnt want to use a tag on.

Back to the hunt... opening day of rifle season rolled around and we had a heavy horned ten with a couple of kickers on camera that we knew was old. I dropped by dads for coffee before daybreak and he was ready to go. I came in from my hunt about 1030 and dad wasnt home. That was a urprise because he rarely missed breakfast. About 11, i decided i better go check on him and met him on the road. He said he had killed that ten pt about 1030 and it was the only deer he saw.

I jumped in the truck with him and we went back to get him. There lay the deer 50yds from the stand and 125yds from the feeder or woodline. Dad said thats where the deer was when he saw him and he immediately shot. The mornings throw from the feeder was cleaned up. I strongly suspicion that Ol Dad took him a several hour nap, woke up, and that old ten was out there. He refutes that story but..... heck it dont matter, I was thrilled!

That ol buck has some mass on him don't he! Great story as always. Keep them coming I really enjoy them all

[Dustinb09]

Amazing thread! Enjoy reading and learning through your experiences! You have taken bucks that most dream of! Keep it up I keep checking to see if you've posted another one.

[GarGuy]

That ol buck has some mass on him don't he!

Yep almost 40 inches.

[Capt.Bryan]

Well i certainly have a case study going on that question. Two of my best spots stayed under water for over a month and much of the browse died. Some of my best deer may have even drown. They pushed up onto a long, skinny hump for two weeks. then teh next flood came and it went under also. they had at least 3 miles to swim cross current to reach dry ground.

One was a deer that is four this year. He went from a 115 9pt at 2years old to a 150s ten at three. He was showing signs of being much better this year and was on that little island. i sure hope he made it.

My worry is that many of those mature deer will stay in neighboring property because of the browse issue. I think they will see deeer they didnt know existed this year.

Seems like it would be a good time to go in and hand seed some of these old areas that got covered in silt and vegetation is dead. What do you think garguy? Hopefully I will get to go down to my river bottom lease next week and assess the damage.

[Backwoods101]

Make Em Stir!

Years ago, toward the end of season, we would do organized drives in the many DCNF thickets. It was lots of fun with as many as 25 hunters on holidays but usually a dozen or so. We could often push really large blocks of thicket and this was one of those times that two groups of us joined up. It seems I was always in charge of placing standers and driving as I was usually tagged out by then. We would push the thick stuff shooting a pistol into the ground when we knew we had deer moving.

There was a lady with us that had a little boy. If I remember right, he was 6 but small for his age. Now this was a hunting family and its possible the kid is on this forum and 30 years old now. He had a little single shot 20 guage with the ejector broke so he only had one shoot. I put him in the best spot with his mother near by and told him not to leave that spot.

I went around and started the drive with 3 drivers. Within minutes we jumped a bunch of deer and we got them headed out. As we got closer to the end of the push, there were two shots about 10 seconds apart. A short time later there was a pistol shot ahead of me and when I got there a friend(dale) had a 16 inch 8pt that he had just finished off. Darn nice deer. I asked him about the initial two shots and he said he had only fired one and that he thought the kid had shot and turned the buck his way. I went on out and the boy was standing right where I left him. I asked if he shot and he said he had shot a big ten point but it ran off. He said that he saw some does and got ready, then he saw a big buck and was about to shoot when he saw a bigger buck coming and that's the 10pt he shot at.

He pointed where the deer was and a quick search revealed hair from the buckshot and a few flecks of blood that we trailed a short distance directly toward where the other deer was shot. I asked Dale if there was another buck and he said there was only his deer and a doe that came by him. Now we were faced with a problem. Dale had already tagged the deer yet if the boy had shot it first, it really should be his. I took the boy over to where dales deer was laying and asked him if this was the deer he shot. He took one look and said, " No Sir. The deer I shot was a 10pt. That is the first buck I saw but I knew I only had one shot so I shot the big one." I was a little surprised and didn't figure a 6 year old would really have counted points on a deer in that thicket so I asked how he knew it was a ten. He said," Well he had three up on the side next to me". That sure sounded like he knew what he saw.

We made another search while dale drug his deer out but couldn't find any further blood and in my heart I really believed he shot the same deer as dale. In the meantime, Dales brother had joined the hunt late and didn't know which way we were pushing so he had stopped at the other end and was walking to us through the thicket. We were waiting on him and he knew nothing of the events. Suddenly he yelled, "HEY HERES A BUCK!" I yelled, "How many points?" "TEN!"

That kid started saying, I told ya! I told ya! We tore through that thicket 100yds to the buck and he was a jaw dropper. Huge ten around 150. he looked like a dang donkey laying there. His Mom was driving a Honda Civic and we tied that deer all over the top of that dang little car and she headed to a store in Ratcliff that had a big buck contest going on. They drew quite a crowd. Another hunter asked who killed it and we told him the boy did. The hunter said," Its a d&mn shame that a kid killed a deer like that for his first deer." before I could put him in his place the kid replied," What makes you thing that's my first deer? I killed a five point last year and a doe the year before that!" I laughed till my sides hurt!

I cant remember that kids first name but his last name is Pyle and he grew up in a serious bowhunting family. I hope he is a GS member and chimes in here.

Love this one!

[GarGuy]

Several years back, Sam located a big ol 2 year old 8pt. He was crazy wide and young. He watched him all year and the next year he jumped to a clean ten about 21 inside. The deer was hanging out in a small plot of woods and one of Sams friends started hunting him that year. He actually neck shot him with a 223 and lost him in November. Around christmas, i saw him and knew he survived. The next year he was four and made a big jump in mass plus put on some kickers. we saw him all summer but noone saw him in season.

At 5 years old, my sister almost hit him crossing the road. She slid right up to him and he just stood there giving her a great look. Her description and location made it clear it was the same deer yet noone else had seen him even though Sams friend was still hunting a feeder on the same small spot.

Late in the season, some hogs moved in on him and said friend asked Sam if he wanted to go hog hunting. Sam tagged along and they walked all over the open part of the property. Near the edge was a thick pine plantation and Sam caught a glimpse of a deer ducking in and told our friend. Friend handed Sam the only gun between them and sam looked at the woodline through the scope. Just inside the pines was a huge buck looking between some branches. Sam told Friend that it was a monster. Friend said if he thought it was a shooter, let one fly. sam shot the deer in the point of the chest and the deer charged directly out in front of them and fell over. This was the first good look either had of him. They about fell over.

The deer was 5.5 and had the obvious entry and exit where Friend had shot him three years earlier. I told ya Sam was lucky!

Late that

[Aggiebow88]

what a deer!

[Hookem84]

i really do enjoy your stories thanks garguy

[JRL]

wowzers! Awesome stories!