The Ides of July...Already

It's the 14th of July and I can say for sure that these bucks are way behind on antler development. I can't quite confirm whether or not they'll pack it on in double time or if they'll just be weak this year. There are plenty of soybeans and from here on out the health should pick up. There are a lot of bullflies, mosquitos, and ticks, which are never a good thing even for deer. Hopefully the next two weeks will turn up some of the bigger bucks in the area.

I went out for a drive after a BBQ lunch after church. I went out and pulled down three cameras and two stands in preparation for the upcoming archery season (that is if the Minnesota Government ever gives in and reconvenes after this 'Shut Down' that we're presently in. You aren't able to purchase hunting/fishing licenses right now among many other things. Anyway, I pulled down the three cameras from the Little Hill, northwest of the landing, and southeast of the landing. I moved all these out to the fields south of The Hill. I put one in Tweeten's Island, one in the southern point by John's Pond, and one in John's Island. Each of these cameras is nearly a mile from each other and all are 3/4 of a mile from the road. This is perfect. There are beans on either side of all three cameras. With a little encouragement, we'll have plenty of pictures in the next 6-8 weeks. This will be the time to see just how much the big boys are behind.
I've got my new Hoyt Alphamax all set up and ready to play some music.  I just got the Fuse Pilot M-Series 3 pin sight set up on Steph's Hoyt. We'll be shooting in no time.
On the drive home, there were at least a dozen deer right by the hill in the northern-most beans. That was super encouraging. It lets me know that my other two cameras may need to be adjusted as well. After I turned west by Orville's mailbox, I saw a lone bigger deer out south a half mile. I brought up my binoculars and decided to pull out the spotting scope. I could definitely see antlers, but he was barely beginning his G2s. On July 10th! I think it was the buck that I picked up the heavier four point shed from this spring. That would mean he is a four year old this year. When Crazy 8 was a four year old on July 16th, he was 80% grown! I don't know what to make of it. It's strange. That buck should've been a 130's deer this year. He'll be lucky if he has time to make 120. I'll keep watching I guess. After he walked west I decided to cut him off on my way up to the Tweeten woods. When I got up there I snuck up on a doe and her two fawns playing. It was pretty neat to watch and capture on video. Eventually this four year old buck came into view. He didn't stay very long and then headed south into the willows. It will be very interesting to see what shows up this year. That site should show Scabby 10, Splitbrow, Pencil, Chippy, Wide Heavy 8, and possibly Mr 140. All of these bucks will be on the Hitlist for 2011 as they will all be 4 1/2 or older.
I'm not really sure who will show up in the southern point area. It could be a crossover area, or it could reveal something totally different. I think Bullwinkle could show up there. John's Island should be home to a few. Hopefully Curly, Skyscraper, Whitey, The Contender, and a few other younger bucks could show there faces. Zach Johnson left the cabin after me, but passed me as I was filming the fawns. When he got out onto the highway, he said he saw a big bucks out towards the Swamp (I'm running out of cameras!). So I'm sure there will be another bachelor group out there again this year. I need to avoid the cranky neighbors and utilized the permissions I've been given to capitalize on these photo opportunities. The beans are ripe enough to eat. So watch the deer start to pour out there. They still are getting over a rough winter. Hopefully they'll lift the feed ban soon.