Just looking for some opinions here. The buck in the picswasregular to a corn pile everyday for about3 weeks,up until Sept 9 (Daytime Pic), then he disappeared until Oct 3 (Nighttime Pic).There are 5 other raghorns running with him and they have never missed a day to the corn pile, he was the only one that took the month off. Any speculationas to whatcould cause the drastic pattern change? To me, he doesn'tlook as muscular or fat in the second pic (I know he doesn't have 3 weeks of corn in his belly).....his coat looks shinier....and just looks arun downto me. Whatdoall you deer doctors think?

Looks to of lost some weight for sure. Might of got the craps from eating rodent turds with that corn laying on the ground like that. Get it up off the ground a bit.

I would say that he has lost some weight but he certainly doesn't look unhealthy.

I don't know where you live but if you are up North this would be my thoughts.

I bet that he was sitting around getting fat and happy in the first pic since it is late summer and now that the rut is geting near he may be starting expand his territory a bit and looking for hot does. That takes a lot of walking around.

BB, I live in lower AL...at least that is where school is keeping me for now. Rut doesn't come in here until late Jan. to early Feb.....basically after season goes out, so I doubt he's roaming the territory too much this early...but anythings possible I guess. The bucks haven't even lost there velvet, which is typically caused by increased withtestosterone levels isn't it? If that's the case, I would expect that may cause him to start acting like a teenager, but I don't know....all I know is that he was gone.

MoTown....like the angle you took...I imagine I would get sick if I had to eat my Cheerios with rodent crap.....astute observation. I guess the rat poop would be a little more concentrated in this scenario as opposed to beneath the white oak tree. Today was the last day for corn....season comes in the 15th, and there's a 10 day period that you can't bait.....I won't be hunting until Nov. anyhow[:@]..War Eagle Doctor D.!

To tell ya the truth I think it is the angle of the pic and difference in light. His leg dose look smaller in the second one but I think that is because he is at a different angle. He is alittle more streached out in the second pic. As for pretending to know what deer do when they are on there own in the woods I have no idea, he could have went on a diet in prep for the rut so he had that nice tight body all the girs are looking for. Maybe he got sick, or run off by some dogs, I dont know maybe he just didnt like the bait pile.

To me it looks like the same deer in close to the same shape, just a different angle.

YEP MAYBE HE WANTS TO BE IN SHAPE !

Lighting, distance and angle he looks no worse for wear. Just changing shades because of the different seaons coming along.

Yep, I live just South of Birmingham. Definetly not rutting around here yet. There goes my theory.[8D]

I'll tell ya this. He certainly knows how to pose for the camera. I mean, you couldn't have positioned him any better yourself if you tried.