I love when July comes around, not because of the heat or the lack of rain, but because this is the time of year when people begin to pull cards from their trail cameras and are placing bucks onto their “hit” list. I love seeing what my fellow pro and field staff members are finding on their trail cameras, it makes me envious of what bucks are moving through their properties. I must admit that I cannot complain, the 300 acres I will be focusing most of my attention onto has not been pressured by another hunter in almost ten years. Yes the land owners rifle hunt, but they have their set stands and have certain days they are allowed to hunt. I am happy to claim the land as my own for bow hunting, it is an amazing feeling as I am usually forced to hunt public land here.
There is a large number of deer on the property that I hunt, their patterns and bedding areas are easy to predict and vary, as we all know, depending on the time of year. But it seems that I am only capturing does or very small bucks on my trail camera…and I am not talking an 8 pointer 2 year old who has the potential to turn into a Boone and Crocket monster, I am talking small spikes or deer who are simply not showing any growth. But the does….oh boy are there does. I have counted fifteen in the field during the evenings, all near where their major bedding area is located and where my trail camera is near.
I may have does…too many does but this provides me with the opportunity to harvest a few and make sausage, jerky and provide meat to my family and friends who do not have the opportunities to hunt as I do. My “target” doe of this year is a doe I am calling “Split Ear”, for as you can see by her picture she has a large split down her left ear. She has provided me with over 100 pictures of just herself. Get outside, hang those trail cameras and get ready for bow season! Happy hunting everyone!
