4 month soak West side

[AKBowman]

I dont think this is the buck I am after that was making giant rubs last year in this area. He looks like he might be a 3X but not much larger

[AKBowman]

I'm pretty proud of this pic. This is on a small in obscure trail that I found a rub on last year. I knew I wouldnt get a bunch of pics on this set up but was really hoping for pics of this guy. I think he will be a decent sized buck this yr.

[AKBowman]

I'm thinking this might be the same deer. If so he is the deer that I took hair off of last year trying for a heart shot in late archery.

What are your thoughts? Looks like he might be the same deer to me but tought to tell for sure.

[AKBowman]

Checked all four cams today, the Tasco's are really starting to fall apart on me. Another one was bitten to hell by a bear a few days after I changed the batts, one was completely dead and just stopped taking pics all together on the 16th of June.

Worst soak ever, I am really having issues this year with my fleet of cams. One Tasco I had set up over one of my salt piles and the 50# salt block was moved to 3 different spots in 3 different pics but zero pics of critters? Another was over a torn up deer trail with a ton of pics of nothing and a few pics of deer tails, the cam was set up straight down the trail so there is no reason it shouldnt be working.

I put out two of my brand new Moultrie LX30IR's so I'm hoping they will treat me better and the bears stay he hell away from them.

[ldjbuff]

cool pics!!!!

[AKBowman]

Checked 5 cameras today. Not impressed with the new Moultries LX30IR's I bought, I replaced my old beat up Tascos with brand new so I am really hoping for better pics next time. This has not been a good summer for the  old Bowman!!

Thought some of you would like to see the one decent BT buck pic I got.

[blackveltbowhunter]

Sorry to hear about the camera troubles.... Nice Buck tho!! 

[AKBowman]

Thanks, I adjusted the Moutrie LX30IR's to be closer to the ground and I cleared some brush/ferns in the hopes that that will fix things. The shutters are loud on them and the trigger speed is really slow. I have mine over salt, good amounts of does but havent seen a good buck in a while on the piles.

[AKBowman]

Went out and brought in 4 of the remaining 5 cams I had out. Mostly does and fawns, a few black bears a washed out pic of a cougar and this nice BT Buck...

[AKBowman]

I thought this pic was cool

[Mandownitis]

Nice collection of pics.

[AKBowman]

Thanks, I took all of my cams out of the woods except one. Wanted to get them out before archery season. I'll put them back up first of October. Really hoping all this scouting pays off, last year it did but I blew the shot

[bobcat]

Definitely some decent bucks in the area. So it sounds like your cameras will be up during modern firearm season? Are you not concerned about rifle hunters like you are the archery hunters?

How will you be hunting? Tree stand?

[Heredoggydoggy]

Nice bucks!  But I think your cams are still aimed too high.  Looks like in the fawn pic, mamma's rump just got into the lower left corner of the picture.  Could you mount the camera higher, and point it downwards?  that would get it above any ferns, and cover the actual trail and get the smaller critters.  Just be glad you don't have a pesky resident Robin and Jay that keep triggering the camera like where mine is... 

[AKBowman]

Bobcat, good question...I purchased the modern tag this year so I can hunt with my bow during the rut. I have two different areas one in 460 with no late modern season and one in 454 which does have a late mod season so if I don't tag out in my first area I will pick up shop and move so I can hunt the late mod season with my bow. All tree stand hunting.

I have three different good locations in the 460 area, one I call the X stand is smack dab where timber, 10 yr old reprod and a three yr old clear cut all come together (missed a nice buck there last yr and got lots of good pics during the rut) A spot I really like is pinch point between a clear cut, a creek and some older 10+ yr old reprod. Finally the last stand location I have picked out I hunted a couple days last yr in December but the weather was crap for hunting, it's on the bottom edge of the timber line on an older cut, the cuts full of berry brush and alder with a swampy area 100 yards or so behind my stand. It's a really good area, last yr saw the sign from the rut but by the time late archery rolled around the rut was pretty much over. There were a couple flashes Kim the pan but I've been putting in a lot of time in late Nov and the cameras don't lie, last week of October through third week of November is rut time in my area after that it's really hit or miss.
That last buck is number one on my hit list now, theres one at the X stand last yr that looks like the size of a big cow elk I bet he's 250+ on the hoof.

Once I start hunting I was going to start a thread to track my progress so will keep you posted.