Splitter In His 2013 Top Hat

[hortontoter]

Man I want to take this deer in an awful way. This will be the third season he has been in my area. And this looks like it will be his best rack to date. He doesn't seem to be much of a fighter at this stage of life, so I'm hoping his rack stays intact. I didn't get any real good shots of him in this last group of photos, but good enough to get me pumped up. Looks like he will be a solid 14 and maybe a 15 pointer this season. Nice tall split brows and one split G2 so far, decent spread and good mass. Still a good month to grow too. This deer would be my buck of a lifetime. The pictures are off kilter from a squirrel knocking the camera out of whack on the tree.

I've done as much as possible this spring to try to get a crack at this guy. I've repositioned my main stand and built my barricade to hopefully funnel him by me. Hopefully all my efforts are rewarded with a close encounter this fall.

[mrbb]

well I hope you get him this yr too, be nice to get some close up pic's of him, and a real score on that rack
and I hate to say it, pic's like this are why I love my Flash camera's over them IR's
But I am sure hewill be there, he has a track record to get by, and that's both a good and a bad thing LOL
best of luck
you can try adding a pressed food block to get some better pic's
tractor supply store sells them pretty cheap, and from all my experience with them last yr and this, deer love them

[hortontoter]

I agree Stan, this Bushnell Trophy Cam leaves a lot to be desired for photo quality. My cameras are almost always under a heavy leaf canopy and it makes the camera take IR photos even during most of the daytime. I get many photos that are mostly washed out due to my camera placement. Flash cameras do take better photos by far. But, even poor quality photos tell me what I need to know.

I will be placing one of the TS blocks along with a Trophy Rock nearby next weekend.

[Big_Holla]

Oh boy hortontoter he's turning into quite the buck!! Got some great character!!! Keep him happy and comfy so he will stick around!!!

[mrbb]

Well sounds like aplan, but if you keep a cam over a mineral site or even bait, them cheap ass Tasco's camera's wally world sells for 50 bucks work pretty good, and are a flash, flash is only good for about 15 ft, but again for a mineral or bait site, I been happy, you can see in the pic's I just posted too
not as good as a cuddyback, but for 50 bucks?? If it grows legs I don't feel so bad Lol

[hortontoter]

Oh boy hortontoter he's turning into quite the buck!! Got some great character!!! Keep him happy and comfy so he will stick around!!!

I intend to keep him as content as possible, Chuck. I hope my next card pull shows me some better shots of him. Here he was last July.

[Big_Holla]

Definitely thicker this year!! Man I have such high hopes for you with him hortontoter!!

[00buck]

nice would love to see him out of velvet early season would probably the best time to get him

[hortontoter]

Here he was hard horned in 2011 and 2012. I really haven't got a good photo of him out of velvet.

[hortontoter]

My secondary target was this buck last season, until he lost his brow tine. I have a hunch him and Splitter did a little combat. I haven't caught him on camera yet this summer, hope he is still around too. I remember people telling me on this forum I would be crazy to pass this buck because of the missing brow tine. I never had to make that decision.

[mrbb]

well I think I was one that said, brow tine missing or not, that's a shootter in my book, but then again, I pass on many bucks others would shoot, to each our own I say
and I too hope that one made it for you too, love to see how he turns out this yr!

[00buck]

holy sh*t i would shoot either of them for sure

[Big_Holla]

Yeah, fully mature buck with looong beams and several points.....yep I'd shoot him in a heart beat and say the broken brow was just added character!! Just goes to show what can show up in November!! Crossin my fingers he's still alive for you hortontoter!!

[hortontoter]

Got a couple more so so shots of him last week. He is adding more antler every week. He is for sure a 15 point and maybe a 16 pointer.

[mrbb]

well that is one great buck, with a lot of class going for it, plus you have the history of him
a great deer, I hope you tag him this yr for sure!

[hortontoter]

He is starting to keep me awake night. Watching him grow over the last three seasons has been interesting. Just knowing he has eluded me for two complete archery seasons. And also being able to survive two Ohio gun seasons tells me he is a cunning animal. He evidently knows where to stay during the pressure of gun season. I feel he has my number somehow also.

I'm confident that sooner or later we will cross paths. My worst nightmare is that one day he just vanishes. I guess I have hundreds of photos to remember him by if worse comes to worse.

The history, along with his teriffic rack, is why I keep letting the decent bucks walk by. As long as I know he exists it will be very hard to shoot a different buck.

[mrbb]

yes not knowing is always the worse, and second worse deal is, holdig out for him, after someone else killed him and you don't know
and worse yet is if you passed on some great bucks holding out
been there done that, NO fun for sure
if it was me, I would be working as hard as possible to find some folks with apple tree's
and start stock piling apples, and adding them as often as you could, to keep prime food there, and try to kill him openening day
he is a fine buck, and worth the extra effort if you can swing it
the fact he made it 2 gun seasons, is good, but could also mean he goes nocturnal , making deer like that very hard to kill LOL
best of luck for sure!

[hortontoter]

Yes, Stan, he has the habit of going nocturnal very early in the season. The apple idea is a good one. But, I don't want to shoot him over bait if I can help it. Some may feel using the Trophy Rock is baiting, and to some extent they are correct. But, from past experience deer usually find minerals much less appealing come October.

I've only passed one really good buck hoping to take this buck. To be honest, I don't regret it though. I've made this particular buck my own personal challenge and truely enjoy sitting in the woods just knowing that there is a chance he will show up. If and when I take him it will be bittersweet in some ways. Yes, I'll be thrilled to have taken him, but it will sure take the excitement out of card pulls on the trail cameras.

[mrbb]

well I have never been a fan of ghunting over a bait pile
so I get that, BUt I have never had a problem with putting, well for me building food sources to keep deer on the property
I guess food plots is baiting in some sorts
but having several acres to feed in and access to them 24/7
its not as easy as some might think
but it sure does pull and hold deer all season long
which is what I was saying more for you
if you can keep sweeter feeds on your lands, maybe he will come about more often, not so much hunt over a pile of apples
maybe down from it a 100 yrds of so ??