Bucks leaving during mid-September
I have noticed in the last few years that my bucks leave my hunting area two weeks before archery season begins. I have a salt lick that has been there for over 15 years. My game cam gets great pics of really nice bucks until mid-September.
I am not changing anything during this time period. I hunt two farms totaling over 200 acres. My lick is in the middle of these farms with great oak hardwood trees, plenty of water and browse. No crops are being harvested as one is CRP and the other is pasture.
I am very careful to scent my clothes, etc. when I enter the woods and only enter mid-day when checking my camera.
It is so bad I have wondered if my neighbor is baiting these deer just before archery...
Any ideas would be appreciated.