27 bucks gone?

[bankwalker]

All year scouting one particular clear cut and I have 27 different bucks on camera, not counting spikes and little 2pts. Now as of july 23rd I have not seen a single one. Literally not one...

This spot is behind a locked gate, but a few people live back behind the gate.

So what's the odds ALL these bucks went nocturnal? Or am I looking at a bad case of poaching? Because I'm seeing other nice bucks elsewhere within a 2 miles radius

[Buckslaya]

27 bucks gone? Well, you can't be to sure, you should probably forward me the coordinates to I can go and verify whether they are there or not...

[coop2424]

I had 15 in my location and have had none on camera for the last 2 weeks.  So completely possible.

[grizzlyadams]

Blacktail deer + September= Nocturnal

Didn't you know there is no such thing as blacktail deer? They're phantoms.....aberrations....ghosts. They only appear now and then to tease us   

[billythekidrock]

Blacktail deer + September= Nocturnal

Yep. Once the velvet comes off they hit the thick stuff.

[Huntbear]

Blacktail deer + September= Nocturnal

Yep. Once the velvet comes off they hit the thick stuff.

and do not come out till Late Buck... 

[MuleySniper]

I haven't seen squat for good blacktail bucks yet this year. Normally I have 3 or 4 good bucks around I'm keeping an eye on. Lots of does and fawns though so hopefully come Octoberish they start making themselves noticeable.
Regardless I'm saving my tag for late white tail so it would have to be a real good one for me to want to notch my tag.
MS

[archery288]

I haven't seen much for blacktails this year either.  I'm with MS, late whitetail season is where my tag belongs! 

[kentrek]

also bear hunters and summer elk hunters could possibly make em alil spooky(night prone),they havent gone anywhere..there just headn "home" before the sun hits em,older bucks dont like the sun so glass the shadows..typicaly that means your done by...730-ish ?

every case/area is different with its own set variables so this is just my 

[bankwalker]

90% of the big bucks I'm seeing are still in full velvet....and in mid july not a single buck was hard horned. They just vanished for no apparent reason. Even the couple days of rain we had here recently showed no sign of them. It's really odd especially when I'm seeing big bucks a mile down the same road. But they aren't any of these particular bucks I'm speaking of 

[grizzlyadams]

Those aren't really blacktail bucks you're seeing. Probably moonlight reflecting off of swamp gas...

[bobcat]

So out of 27 bucks you have identified, you know each one so well that you can say with certainty that bucks a mile away are not the same bucks you were seeing earlier in the year?

There's no way I could keep track of 27 different bucks.

[kentrek]

So out of 27 bucks you have identified, you know each one so well that you can say with certainty that bucks a mile away are not the same bucks you were seeing earlier in the year?

There's no way I could keep track of 27 different bucks.

esp bucks in the same age class with the same genetics,either way this disapeering act happens all the time..im thinkn gps tags

[Kowsrule30]

I agree with bobcat.... Don't know trail cam specs/scouting efforts or how many you have but 27 (good/decent/mature/non spike-forks) different bucks in the same area as close together as you speak of is unheard of.... In a bunch of units in this state I bet there isn't 27 mature bucks in them....  Then a couple miles away they are there but different ones.... I'm sure most of the deer you are seeing are the same ones.... Just don't realize it.... Or the light/shade/shadow/distance is different and makes them look unfamiliar.... Been through it.... My main BT spot I thought I had 5 different mature bucks to go after..... There is only two that I've seen.... Just looked different at different spots and angles as I said before... They can decieve you if there are no very charistic features....

[deleted BGS]

I have been seeing the same bucks over and over in the same spots, but are not coming out during the day (except a 2pt behind my house on opening morning). Seen a 100"er yesterday couldnt get a shot and wont shoot at a running deer like some 

[bankwalker]

So out of 27 bucks you have identified, you know each one so well that you can say with certainty that bucks a mile away are not the same bucks you were seeing earlier in the year?

There's no way I could keep track of 27 different bucks.

Yes when they are all on camera for the first 2 months of antler growth. It's quite easy when they're documented. I picked one small area and scouted it exclusively to attempt patterning certain bucks. 5 in particular

[WSU]

Happens every year.  Their patterns change in September.  Everyone would be out killing big bucks if they did the same thing in the fall that they had done all summer.

[FLIZZ]

I'd just like to know where there's 27 good bucks in one area hahaha doubtful, but hey! if you're sure , you're sure. and yes, they just vanish, shined lastnight and saw 23 deer in like an hour, not a single horn on any of them. I'm just glad all these guys are saving their tags for Whitetails

[MatthewHunter98]

thats insane that you havent seen one of those buck velvet or not. its archery season, thats weird

[bankwalker]

I just put up 4 cameras back up..hopefully they show a bunch of nocturnal bucks