Here in SW Missouri after the orange clad warriors make there way into the woods, bowhunting the second season gets tough. I have been hunting hard and only seeing small bucks. Actually for the first time in a long time, I have actually been seeing more bucks than does. But not the big one yet. I have a camera set 10 yards from one of my stands on the side of a steep ridge. Its on a deer path thats beat down to dirt. Here are some of the bucks from two weeks of pictures. I have just a few more days left to get that big 8pt. Where he is standing he is literally about 10-15 yards open shot from my stand. I have set in the stand a few times and all the deer I have been seeing are not even on the path. I have a bunch more pics of does and smaller bucks on the same path.

Almost forgot, I also have video of 4 more bucks from the same stand including on real tall 6pt. Its crazy. Just cant seem to see this big one.

I guess, keep hunting it, he should come back by. Anyway, what do you think, 120 or 130 class 8pt?

Chris
SW MO

those are some nice deer....what time did that 8 point come by? good luck

I zoomed in on the pic a bit, 9:35am before the time changed.

I guarantee I was here at work when he is walking right by my stand.Almost makes a guy sick!

nice,will be close on the score

It's frustrating when you get pictures of big bucks so close to your stand during daylight hours and you're not in it. A buddy of mine last year late season was hunting a big 130-140 class 9 point. He hunted almost every evening for weeks from the same stand, the one evening he missed to watch his son play basketball he had a picture of him at 4:00 in the afternoon 20 yards from his stand. Thats when trail cams can piss a guy off.

As for the size of your 8 point, it's a nice deer but I don't think it's going to make 120 class. It's a younger deer without a lot of mass or tine length. I'd say in the 110's, but still a good buck in my opinion!

Paul

Maryland has gone just plain stupid with their seasons. Like this year, we've had a 3 day youth hunt, then a 3 day either sex muzzleloader hunt and then a 3 day doe only muzzleloader hunt. So for 3 weeks in a row you have guns going boom Thurs, Fri and Sat. I mean, it's a pain trying to hunt with a bow, having to carry and wear orange and hear boom boom boom in your woods. Then they let it die down for a couple weeks and do it with the regular firearms season. Then a couple weeks off and late muzzleloader. It's just a real pain. I'm thinking of moving to some bow only public land.

To get my bucks to come in I hang scent waffers (like 10)and grunt like hell!

Mix it up. Don't approach the stand from the same direction and time. Keep em guessing. And, obviously, don't hunt the stand if the wind is wrong, and don't overhunt the stand. You'll get him.

I heard you can bait in Maryland too! That kind of sucks, I use scent and grunt but is just not the same as putting a pile of apples or whatever to attract them. And I think its the touching of there noses of an infected deer that transmits CWD from eating out of a troughs or from piles.

I guess I am just partial to bowhunting, so I want all other hunters out of the woods. ha ha I know thats not right though. Our youth season ended yesterday and I hope the kids had a good time. Lord knows I will take mine someday. But what makes me sad is the fact that bow season really does end when the firearms starts. Yes our season runs until Jan 15th here in MO but it gets tough to down a whitetail buck after the deer have been spooked to hates and back. I just wish they would move firearms out of the rut and go statewide with our antler restriction. We have a "4 points to one side rule" in some of our counties but not state wide. That would make me feel better about future hunting. But most of the guys, and I am guessing 85% of hunters are still under this shoot anything mode.

Booney, I am afraid thats what is going to happen to me. I am sure getting this buck will be tough.

Good Luck to all!