Where do they go???

[ROBINHOOD11]

I have had this buck and his bachelor friends coming in every day since I put a camera out 4 months ago. This happens every year to me but every year it catches me by surprise because my hopes are so high. He and his friends have been gone for 4 days! I know they will be back but where the heck do they go? I understand them leaving during rut but right now they should be beefing up for the rut at my stand on roasted soybeans, corn and alfalfa!

[drop dead fred]

Acorns are falling they can live under a tree for 2-3 weeks

[trozy55]

LOL I wonder the same thing. We have one on our lease pushing 170 but ever year the last three years he leave late September and no one in 4k acres even get a trail cam pic of him until late December. Before he leaves he will be at the feeders every day like clockwork and even during daylight but then gives everyone the slip for 3 months. What I really don't get is where does he go eat.

[krtnorris]

I think they turn into oak trees.

[Aggiebush]

When they start shedding velvet, they will break up their bachelor groups and change patterns. You just aren't in his fall pattern. Do you have enough land to where you could possibly find him again with trail cameras? Maybe put them out in travel corridors to try and see where he may have moved to.

[ROBINHOOD11]

Acorns are falling they can live under a tree for 2-3 weeks

You would think that but there literally isn't an acorn within 5 miles of where I hunt. All the trees in the creeks are cedar elm, cotton wood and honey locust...no red oak or live oaks

but I guess he could be going further.

[ROBINHOOD11]

When they start shedding velvet, they will break up their bachelor groups and change patterns. You just aren't in his fall pattern. Do you have enough land to where you could possibly find him again with trail cameras? Maybe put them out in travel corridors to try and see where he may have moved to.

I was in his fall pattern last year and hope I am this year. I passed him 3 times last year. Good idea though, if he doesn't show on the covert tonight then there will be a camera up about a mile away to see if he is there.

[spotsanddots]

I hate that too. But those ol boys didnt get that big by being dumb. they seem to have a sense of what time of year it is and when to make themselves scarce. Live that long, Im sure they've heard some bangs going on around them. And when their buddies come back and say, "we went to the feeder and we heard a loud noise and uncle bob didnt come back", they wise up.

[Bradical BH]

Your not alone. The two bucks that I've been watching since mid July are nowhere to be seen on camera a week before the opener. I agree that once they shed, they break up those bachelor groups.

[Eric T.]

They are jacking with you.

[N.DaWoods]

acorns!!!!

[breederbuck33]

No idea where they go.. Its the same way on our place but we do not have a single oak tree, so acorns are not the reason for that... We'll get lucky every once in a while and someone will see the herd of bucks but its rare.. We will get pics of the herd of good bucks up until the week before the season starts then never see most of those bucks again

[ROBINHOOD11]

I hate that too. But those ol boys didnt get that big by being dumb. they seem to have a sense of what time of year it is and when to make themselves scarce. Live that long, Im sure they've heard some bangs going on around them. And when their buddies come back and say, "we went to the feeder and we heard a loud noise and uncle bob didnt come back", they wise up.

I agree they didn't get that big by being dumb but these deer have never heard a rifle shot at them. Bow only county here.

[Rack Ranch]

Any dove hunting going on near or on the property?

[Tx.Fisher]

I used to hunt a 5000 acre lease in west texas that didn't have a single oak tree on the place, and our bucks would sometimes completely disappear. I don't have a clue where they went, but they would eventually show back up at some point during the season.