ORIGINAL: BetterBirddogs
What are the chances of a deer of that magnitude being on my spot and me not even knowing. I have literally hundreds of pics of many different bucks that I can readily identify when they show up. I was just really surprised to find those sheds from a buck I didn't know was there.
It can happen and happens more than you think.Mature deer tend to head back to their core areas this time of year. I would say he left your area during the rut or could be extremely nocturnal. I hope the latter is not the case for you. I would find this guy in the summer because I think you best chance to score on him would be the opening week.
I'm not sure on what state you are from, but judging by the mass I would not guess him over 4 1/2. People will try and say that there is no way you can judgea deer by his mass. I tend to differ. Where I'm from the bucks really don't start putting on great mass until the are 4-5 years old. I use this with many other factors when I field judge a buck. This deer should put on some inches and a lot of mass this year.