Illinois Trail Camera Bucks 2014

 A look at some of the bucks we got on trail cam on our lease in Illinois during the 2014 season.

Trail Cam Pics - Most Bucks Still in Velvet

I pulled a couple camera cards today and found that most bucks still seem to be in velvet. I gotten pictures of 2 large 8 points and one smaller 8 that are hard horned but everything else has not started to rub out yet.

I am seeing a number of spotted fawns and plenty of doe activity. Though all of the recent buck intel is about to all go out the window, having plenty of does around is key to seeing a testosterone driven buck. The bachelor groups of bucks will be splitting up as their testosterone levels increase. This is what causes the velvet shedding process to start and bucks become increasingly less tolerant of other bucks.

Here are some of the better photos from today's cards.

First Trail Camera Pictures for the New Season!

Well, I have gained access to a new track of land for the 201302114 season and the first trail camera photos are really looking promissing! In just one week there are already hogs, deer and turkeys turning up. A few bigger bucks have just started to come out of velvet this week.  Have a look at some of these!

 

 

 

Recent Hog Trail Camera Photo's!

I just pulled some trail camera cards and found a pile of sows and pigs using the area again.

There was a massive live oak acorn crop this year at this property but there were so many deer, hogs and turkeys using this hammock that they just wiped them out. Also, the woods have really dried up and this pushed the hogs back to the creek swamp. I just recently got my feeders going again and the hogs area starting to show back up. Not much for shooters on the camera but I'm sure they are around close.

I'll be offering some reasonably priced hog hunts coming up so if your interested in doing some hog hunting in North East Florida, leave me a comment and I will get back to you.

Here is a link to my guiding site where you can get some more information on both guided hog and turkey hunts...... http://guidedturkeyhunting.com/

 

I'll be posting a lot more photo's in the up coming weeks and hopefully a few new bow hunt video's.

 

Best of hunts, Larry Stephens

Florida Bow Hunting Report 10-18-12

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Thurs., Oct. 18, 12

Major Feed Time: 1:50 AM    (MINOR 8:00am)
Wind Direction: SE 2-5 mph
Time Hunted: PM: 6:50 -8:45 AM
Weather: cloudy 
Humidity: upper 60's%
Temp.: 67 AM
Barometer: 29.9
Moon phase: 2 days past New Moon

Yesterday afternoon I scrambled over to the huntin' club which is an hour plus drive. I was able to get climbed in time to hunt about 50 minuted or so. Unfortunately, There was no deer activity to be seen. All the corn was gone at the stand but I had carried some in to charge it up.. I pulled the trail camera card and reviewed the pics back at the truck. There was some good buck activity early in the week while the corn was in good supply but had petered out by the time I got there. Most of the activity was even in the daylight. Strangely, there was no doe activity on the camera.

Here are a few pic's from that camera:

 

I bought a new trail camera yesterday while at walmart. It the the Bushnell 119420cw.

I will get it in the field ASAP and see how it performs.

I hunted the pond stand this morning but had the same result as the PM hunt......no deer. However, the trail camera had 51 pic's on it. There were a pile of different deer at the stand overnight including the big 3.5 year old 5pt and another spike that I have seen one time before.

Here are some pictures from that camera:

best of Hunts,
Larry S.

Florida Bow Hunting Report 10-16-12

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Tues., Oct. 16, 12

Major Feed Time: PM
Wind Direction: NE 5-7 mph
Time Hunted: PM: 6:00 -7:15
Weather: mostly clear
Humidity: 69-85%
Temp.: 75-84
Barometer: 30.0
Moon phase: 2 days past New Moon

Well, I just don't know what to say! I am thoroughly disgusted with both my videoing and my shooting.

I hunted at my property this afternoon and on the way in I decided to charge up the feed in front of the stand and pull the trail camera card. I know better than to walk in front of the stand before the hunt but it is usually not a problem. It caught up with me tonight. I always approach from the side the deer NEVER come in from so I expect a shot before the deer ever get to where I have walked. Even if they do cut my sign, It has not been a problem to this point.

I spotted the first deer of the hunt at 6:10 PM, slipping down the far side of the chop at about 80yds, paralleling my location. It appeared to be the momma less doe fawn I see regularly. She was making a bee line for the feeder at the back of the chop.

Other than a sparrow hawk, it was pretty uneventful for the next hour. About 7:10 I looked to the south, the direction the deer almost never come from and there is a deer, already 40yds out into the chop. It looked like a pretty good deer and I suspected it may be a buck when I saw it. It was the big spike I have been hunting. This was the first time I have laid eyes on him.

I turned the camera on and started to follow the deer as he turned towards the stand. he eased his way in and I decided to take the shot at 18yds, quartering away.

I pulled the string and as I came to full draw the buck snapped to attention, looking towards my tree. I put the 20yd pin on his elbow and pulled the trigger.

The next thing I know my shaft slaps him high in the back and the buck goes screaming off back to the SW at a high rate of speed and I hear him go splashing off through the young pine stand. He stops after about 150yds and starts blowing at me!

The only thing I can figure is he squatted the shot but at 18yds that hardly seems possible. I still can't believe it!

To make it a total loss.....after the shot I sat down and turned to the camera only to realize the little red light was NOT ON! Unbelievable!! I don't know what else to do to remind myself to push the frickin record button,    !$*%!$#!

I am going to put the next few days in that stand and hope beyond hope that I can get another crack at him quickly. It's a long shot. He will likely over our encounter but he is going to be pretty soar for a while.

Push the record button, push the record button, push the record button, push the record button,Push the record button, push the record button, push the record button, push the record button,Push the record button, push the record button, push the record button, push the record button,Push the record button, push the record button, push the record button, push the record button,Push the record button, push the record button, push the record button, push the record button,Push the record button, push the record button, push the record button, push the record button,Push the record button, push the record button, push the record button, push the record button,Push the record button, push the record button, push the record button, push the record button.................

If there was a bright spot it was the buck activity on the trail camera at the stand over the last couple of days. Here are a few of those pic's.

Best of Hunts,
Larry Stephens

Florida Bow Hunting Report 2012 #1

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Sept. 15, 2012
Major Feed Time: 10:40 AM
Wind Direction: NE (light while hunting)
Time Hunted:  AM:   7:00-9:00       PM: 6:15-7:45
Weather: Partly cloudy, warm, somewhat humid
Humidity:   69-85%
Temp.:       75-84
Barometer: 30.1
Moon phase: New Moon

This was the opening weekend of the Florida 2012 Bow season.

I decided to hunt my favorite stand the first weekend, the "Kill Zone". However, the deer activity was non existent. The only animal activity was a few woodpeckers in the morning.

That afternoon was not much better but I did hear what I believe was a deer pushing thru a palmetto flat behind the stand. However, it never made an appearance. I did not see any critters with fur today.

I did pull the trail camera card there and it had 4 different bucks on it for the past week as well as a number of does and yearlings. However, there was not one daylight picture of a deer?

Sept. 16, 2012

Major Feed Time:
Wind Direction: NNE
Time Hunted: AM: 6:15-8:45 PM: 6:30-7:45 (AT POND)
Weather: Mostly Clear, warm
Humidity:  63-94%
Temp.:       73-86
Barometer: 30.05 steady
Moon phase: New Moon today

I hunted the Kill Zone stand in the morning and again, saw no deer activity. I finally decided to get down a little earlier than I should have but I was just not having the feeling that anything was going to happen.

I pulled the cam cards at the west fence and there had not been a deer there in a week?

When I got to the feeder at the buck block stand a bear had raided it and tore it down. There was bear scat everywhere and the deer sign had vaporized. there were some does and yearlings on the camera but no bucks?

That afternoon I hunted the property but did not see any deer activity there either.

This was one S L O W....weekend!

Larry S.