This morning I got up and found my Morrel buck target knocked apart. The sections were knocked apart and facing backwards or on the ground. The stakes holding them in were bent back. My first thought was a Bear tore it up, this has happened to several other of my back yard targets over the years. When I went to the target to put it back together I found the ground covered in Deer tracks. The bucks side material was torn away and the foam parts for the head/neck area and hind quarters had numerous gouge marks in them. I do have a second Deer target about 5 yards behind this one (a Doe) that wasn't touched. I have been Bowhunting in NJ for almost 40 years and know what happened. But this is only September 15th. not the Rut.
I set up a trail camera on it and now will see if it happens again.

Bmott

That would have been hilarious to see!!

I have had the same thing happen to my buck target. I leave it up year round right on the edge of our woods. I can home one day last year to see it almost knocked into pieces. The head and whole body was leaning backwards...and there were scrapes all over its headand gouge marks, from some other deer's tines.

It's interesting anyways. I bet it happens at night. Anyways...looks like you have at least one buck in the area. That's a good thing.

I had a buck do that to mine for about a week last year starting at the end of October. Sometimes he would knock it down twice each day. One day he came in knocked it down while I was hunting for him, he came in from the other side of my yard from where I was sitting. It was a decent 6 pointer when I finally seen him in the yard one night. If he made it through the gun season last year he should be a nice size deer this year I would think. It would be pretty cool to actually see them do it!

a Jealous stud

now that would be funny to see

I haven't had it happen to me yet as I don't really live in an area where the deer are likely to travel through frequently. However, my neighbor up the road has his targets smashed yearly. I don't know why he just doesn't bring them in before each season.

They get mine every year.Always at night.

I was hunting in Iowa last year and the outfitter I hunt with leaves 3D targets up for us to practice on. One morning we are leaving and see a small 6 point buck out in a field eyeing one of the decoys. When we came back in later in the morning there was blood all over the ass end of this decoy and looked like a good blood trail leading away from it. I bet that deer couldn't another doe the rest of the season. Man, I that had to be painful.