OK,.. I was walking the dog without my camera and ran head on into 3 macho bucks. They stood there at 40 yards and checked us out as we walked by on a berm. After walking the dog I quick grabbed my camera and went back. Of course I could only find one. I'm sure the other two were laying in this junk somewhere. This one was just out in the open. He finally got up and hopped behind the bush to the right of the picture and was still standing there with a doe when I left. I'm sure the others are still there. Just shows you where a deer will call home and hide out. These deer spent the day in this field. The large trees in the background are about a 10 yard deep hedgerow. The other side of it is 1/2 acre homes of suburbia. This deer finally got antsy but not before I snapped a dozen or so pictures, most of which were blurry.[&:][:@]
OK, he's bedded in the first picture. He gets up and trots 15 yards and hides in the second.

You can see I moved between shots trying to get a better angle on the dude and see if I could see the others. He just laid there 40 yards away.. There was one slightly bigger and the other was slightly smaller 8 point.

jeese!!! is there any way you could hunt those bucks???

Wow!!! Is there any way to hunt these monster deer? Man, oh man... I am jealous!!!

If you shoot one of these deer he's probably going to run over and drop dead in someones lawn in front of a bunch of tree huggers. Incidently, all of Maryland is tree huggers. Anyway, the cops patrol this place daily/nightly keeping an eye on the schools. It has been a hang out for kids in the past. They've run them all out but still check on them. There are in fact two schools not 100 yards behind me when I took these pictures. I'm on the edge of the parking lot. A few years ago a deer did run into an arrow in my neighborhood. He ended up dropping dead between a guys air conditioner and his house. There's a guy around the corner from me that got nabbed about 6 or 7 years ago for sneaking in and trying to hunt in front of the cops. I understand they got him before. There is one piece of private property about 25 acres adjacent to this. I've met the people who were tree huggers.... but were complaining about deer damage to their yard. I ran 40 across their lawn one day while walking through their woods. The lady almost fell in a pond getting out of the way.[8D][8D] I think I'll go see them.

Wow! You've got some great looking deer hanging around David ,it's alway's nice to get a look at what hanging around your area pre season.

nubo

There is just something WRONG with this picture.... Beautiful deer, BIG DEER.... Suburban Maryland... Tree huggers complaining about the deer.... H-E-L-L-O!!! Can't tree huggers understand the long term effects from overpopulation of deer?

David, your killin us with those pictures brotha!

It really is a shame about Columbia. There are sooo many deer in and around Columbia but there is no way to hunt them. The whole area is chock full of tree huggers and even Howard County in that area is really against hunting. There is no public land available and most land owners will tell you no. If you find someone who has owned land for maybe 30+ years they might say yes. I had a few spots between Columbia and Clarksville years ago but they are developments now. There was a farm that I hunted off of 108 but the owner was sued by a hunter who injured himself and that ended that. Needless to say, that area is badly overpopulated and it's only a matter of time before something gives. When, I don't know.

Dave:

While you're checking on the 25 acres, don't forget the property you used to hunt down from Austin's. That place is LOADED with deer as well.

So many deer, so little time to hunt them. And we owe it all to those 'tree huggers' who protect them.

I cannot believe the number of big bucks you have been seeing David. They are phenomenal! I need to walk my dog by Ellicott City!