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Whitetail Deer Stories
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The Home Page Whitetail Buck
The whitetail buck that is pictured on the home page of this site was a buck that I had watched and caught on my scouting camera for three years. The first year that I saw this deer was in 1999 when he was an average young 8 point buck for our area. This was a fun year from the deer stand even though I didn’t shoot a buck. This smaller 8 point was hanging around with a wide racked 6 point that I had also been watching. (This 6 point was the 8 point that I shot in 2000.) I sat for many hours watching these two bucks and had opportunities to shoot but knew that another year or two would make a lot of difference in their antlers. I got several pictures of both of these deer on my scouting camera.
In 2000 he was a decent 8 point and I got more pictures of him along with an odd racked wider 8 point that is featured in the story below. I saw this buck a couple of times during the season and I found one of his shed antlers after the season was over.
In 2001 I got a picture of him that is on the home page and I also got another picture of him on November 29. In this late season picture he looked like he had lost a lot of weight during the rut. This year he had an 11 point rack including two sticker points that came straight off of the front of the bases. The only times that I actually saw him this year was about 10:00 PM the night before the opening day of rifle season in our yard and then at 6:00 AM on opening morning again in the yard. I didn’t see him at all during the season but spent a lot of time hunting with my son after shooting a nice 10 point on the morning of opening day.
In 2002 I didn’t get a picture of him or see him at all. We had not been able to use our automatic feeders that year and our food plots had been planted with annuals that spring and were not providing much forage in November. I believe that in essence we had quit providing the extra nutrition for the deer and they went elsewhere to get it. I heard through the grapevine that two nice whitetail bucks were shot on a property across the hollow that had 20 plus inch wide racks. I did not see these bucks but have to think that this deer was one of them.
Wide 8 Point Whitetail Buck
After the 1998 deer seasons had closed we found a shed antler that had a rather odd configuration. It was half of a six point plus a short sticker point coming straight out just above the base. After finding the antler I went back to my scouting camera pictures from the fall and found the picture of this deer. In the picture you can see the odd shaped rack. I had not seen this deer at all during the season.
In 1999 I got several pictures of this deer on my scouting camera. This year he was still a 6 point but wider and the tines were longer. I could never tell if he had any sticker points and didn’t find any of his sheds. My buck sighting records show that I saw this deer three times during the season but did not want to shoot him. His odd rack was getting bigger and I thought that he had a good chance of growing an even bigger rack.
Scouting camera pictures in 2000 confirmed that he had grown a bigger rack and that he had picked up more points. I was able to harvest this buck with my compound bow on November 11. He was now a full 8 point with an odd configuration. The inside spread was 17 ½ inches and he weighed 130 pounds dressed. This has been the largest bodied whitetail buck harvested on our property in at least the past seven years.
We have tested several digital game cameras and have written reviews for them. Take a look at the Game Camera Review Page to see the cameras that we are using.
Leave the Whitetail Deer Stories Page and visit the Story Of Two Pennsylvania Bucks.
Read the Story of a Wide Six Point Vermont Whitetail Buck.
