I realize some folks are too young to remember the days when we didn’t have trail cameras. Yep, that was even before cell phones. Sigh. It’s amazing how any of us survived back then, much less had a clue as to what types of deer we had roaming our hunting properties at any given time.
Well, the advancement of scouting cameras these past few years has taken buck hunting to new levels, and provides us hunters with in-depth insights into deer behavior. Case in point: A 10-point buck that showed up on our trail cameras here in central Wisconsin this summer.
I first learned of this buck’s existence in early July and immediately named him “Crabby” because of the way his G-4 tines formed crab-like forks. (By the way, I typically hate naming deer, but on this property it’s necessary because there are so many deer of the same antler configurations — big 8-pointers,10-pointers, etc.)
The landowner and my good friend, Cory Johnson, and I immediately placed this buck on the hit list. This deer — easily in the mid-130s for gross score — is upper end for the 80 acres we hunt. We watched this deer develop all summer. Neither of us had seen hide nor hair of him the past two weeks leading up to our bowhunting season opener.
We had been tag-teaming the best stand locations the first three days, and neither one of us had a close encounter with a deer older than yearling. That changed yesterday afternoon when Cory headed to the woods solo. I couldn’t join him due to an appointment in town, but I did offer my buddy some advice: Hunt the spot he had spent so much time preparing earlier this year.
I was just about to sit down to a heaping bowl of my wife’s famous venison chili when my phone pinged. Five simple words changed the course of this evening:
“Tagged out. Crabby is dead.”
These are the kinds of moments that will forever be etched in our minds. Hey, it’s deer camp 24/7, 365 in our house. It was time to put everything on hold and join in the celebration.
JOIN THE CAMPFIRE AT THE SATURDAY NIGHT DEER CAMP!
Deer & Deer Hunting invites you to our new Saturday Night Deer Camp, only on Pursuit Channel.
Saturday Night Deer Camp is a primetime block of shows kicked off each week with the award-winning Deer & Deer Hunting TV. Hosted by Dan Schmidt, Gordy Krahn, Mark Kayser and Steve Bartylla, the show is in its 14th season and covers everything related to deer hunting, from tactics and strategy to gear, biology, great hunts and more.
Following DDH TV, you can watch Destination Whitetail, The Given Right with Kenneth Lancaster and then Land of Whitetail. These four shows make Saturday Night Deer Camp your must-watch viewing this year.
Check your local listings for Pursuit Channel. It’s also available now on AT&T U-Verse, Channel 1644, among other networks.
Saturday Night Deer Camp: It’s all about the people, the places and the camaraderie that make hunting a lifestyle. Only on the Pursuit Channel!