? Capturing the Shedding Process

[themedic]

Every year I run cameras and get great early season, growing stage antlers but then......come this time from now till hard horn I struggle and have never captured a nice shedding sequence.

I think it's because the bucks start moving more. In fact, on the forums this week I have seen several guys post that a "new" buck showed up. It probably has to do with bucks moving around to check out all the near by food sources (including acorns which are starting to fall) and checking out where the does groups are.

At any rate, has anyone ever caught the shedding sequence and how do you find bucks come this late velvet period?

Do you think bucks are moving more now?

Did you cameras slow down in the last week?

 

[Fullbore]

I suggest using a draw such as apples or Lucky Buck, anything that keeps them happy. Apples are in my opinion the cream of the crop, when it comes to TC pics. This time of the year especially! I have had good velvet shedding pics by using apples. In fact, when the bow opener comes. You can bet there will be apples somewhere's close to my stand.

 

[bowhunter1023]

Last year was the first time I have ever caught a buck while shedding in 9 years of running cams. I actually believe that bucks move less when shedding. My feeling is that the second they know they are shedding, the dedicate the next 24-48 hours to getting rid of the velvet and move very little in the process. As for cameras slowing down, when the acorns start to drop, if your cams are not in the oak flats they will go dead...

 

[hickslawns]

Great thread subject. Guess I don't check them often enough to track the activity. Then again, not having deer on camera every day in this part of the state is not uncommon. I think I just never picked up on them going missing because I don't get daily pictures of bucks or even does very often.

I have read different theories on the peeling process. Most seem to make sense. Claimed some deer shed rapidly and wreak havoc trying to scrape it off while others could care less and have it hang from their antlers quite a while. Different personalities just like humans was the theory. Made sense to me. Without being a deer all we can do is guess. lol

 

[motorbreaker]

ive been running cams for about 7 years and have never got a pic of a buck shedding its velvet. Buck pics seem to start slowing down for me when they shed there velvet. And picks back up around the end of October.

 

[Fullbore]

This is a great topic for discussion. I think that bucks do go through some sort of lock down so to speak as they shed their velvet. However, I have gotten lots of pics of bloody horns, by using apples around my cameras. They just can't seem to resist those sweet, juicy things. Apparently, they hang close to my pile apples to be the first in line? Lol.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I brought this theory up a while back at the risk of sounding a little off my rocker, but I believe mature bucks go through a sort of depression that kicks off with velvet peel. Bucks who are familiar with the mating process and what it takes from them, know what is coming and they essentially go "under ground" to prepare for things. Changes in crops, dropping acorns, and a host of other factors no doubt play a roll in keeping them on lock down. However I honestly believe that mature bucks spend much of September and October focused on conserving energy and filling their guts, but go about it in a much different manner than other months where this is the case. I believe their personality and overall attitude changes with velvet peel. They know shit is about to get real and they only have a limited amount of time to prepare for battle...

 

[Fullbore]

I brought this theory up a while back at the risk of sounding a little off my rocker, but I believe mature bucks go through a sort of depression that kicks off with velvet peel. Bucks who are familiar with the mating process and what it takes from them, know what is coming and they essentially go "under ground" to prepare for things. Changes in crops, dropping acorns, and a host of other factors no doubt play a roll in keeping them on lock down. However I honestly believe that mature bucks spend much of September and October focused on conserving energy and filling their guts, but go about it in a much different manner than other months where this is the case. I believe their personality and overall attitude changes with velvet peel. They know shit is about to get real and they only have a limited amount of time to prepare for battle...

Great overview, Jesse. I don't think your off your rocker...... Yet? Lol.
Seriously, I agree with you 100%.

 

[hickslawns]

Seems very logical Jesse. Makes sense. Slow and steady. Getting their "game face on". Just like a ball player. Some guys listen to heavy metal and get amped. Other guys sit there with their eyes closed and meditate or relax and think out their mental game, sort of visualizing what they need to do. I don't see bucks visualizing how they are going to go about the rut, but I can see where some get amped up and others chill a bit more.

 

[cotty16]

Makes a lot of sense.

 

[Quantum673]

Makes sense to me. Conserve energy for when it is needed.

 

[themedic]

I brought this theory up a while back at the risk of sounding a little off my rocker, but I believe mature bucks go through a sort of depression that kicks off with velvet peel. Bucks who are familiar with the mating process and what it takes from them, know what is coming and they essentially go "under ground" to prepare for things. Changes in crops, dropping acorns, and a host of other factors no doubt play a roll in keeping them on lock down. However I honestly believe that mature bucks spend much of September and October focused on conserving energy and filling their guts, but go about it in a much different manner than other months where this is the case. I believe their personality and overall attitude changes with velvet peel. They know shit is about to get real and they only have a limited amount of time to prepare for battle...

I dont like the use of the word depression or even going underground. I think the bucks become less visible and harder to see because they move off the field edges and into the timber.....mainly on acorns and where they have trees to scrape. This goes from velvet off till first part of October. In fact, I know a lot of bucks even remain in a 2 or 3 deer bachelor groups well into the first week of October. Ive seen it personally and on a Kisky video once.

As for right now.....I do think that the bucks are roaming more than early summer and they are feeling out the rutting areas and learning the landscape/food sources/doe groups.

 

[RedCloud]

I dont like the use of the word depression or even going underground. I think the bucks become less visible and harder to see because they move off the field edges and into the timber.....mainly on acorns and where they have trees to scrape. This goes from velvet off till first part of October. In fact, I know a lot of bucks even remain in a 2 or 3 deer bachelor groups well into the first week of October. Ive seen it personally and on a Kisky video once.

As for right now.....I do think that the bucks are roaming more than early summer and they are feeling out the rutting areas and learning the landscape/food sources/doe groups.

This might be true for some of the younger bucks that have not been around long enough to know the full range and have been staying in their born into range for the last 2 years but what about the older bucks? Those older bucks have been around and have had a few ruts under their belts and roamed a wide range. Why would those bucks venture far out of their comfort zone?

I think as the velvet starts to peel the bucks go into some of the thicker areas of their range and shrink the extra travel to food,water, and bed. You also have to remember when they have velvet the flies and mosquito have to be annoying as hell. All that blood in/under that velvet and as sensitive as that tissue is the bucks are in more of an open range style of movement to stay out of the darker wetter timber to keep away from those blood suckers as well as bumping those softer velvet antlers. As the blood dries up and antlers start to harden they can get back into the thicker cover movement. They don't have to take the detours anymore to get to their favorite brows,water holes, and such. They can just make a beeline and be done lol. They can also stay in one spot a little longer since they don't have to keep moving to keep the blood suckers from getting to the velvet. I always wonder if deer get anemic during spring and summer getting eaten alive from the bugs.

As far as new bucks showing up. I wonder how much of that is do to the fact humans are more active in the woods during the summer months. Clearing deadfalls and cutting trees and just all around spending more time running around outside. The deer make detours and end up on properties they normally don't and may spend a few extra days to make it back to their home area. It's not like they have to work, pay bills, or house work, and have to be back home for anything in a hurry lol.

As far as getting velvet shedding bucks on cam, I have no pics of this but maybe someday lol.

 

[Rutin]

I agree with a lot of what you said Jesse. I believe once the testosterone levels jump as racks harden and start to peel these mature deer start moving less and key in on their home core areas again. Hence why we get less pics and even less daytime pics. This turns into a whole nother topic of hunting buck beds imo. If you know where a buck beds and how he uses that bed you stand a lot better chance of killing that deer. The biggest lesson I've learned and watched a lot of people do wrong is chance a mature buck with a trail camera. If you know that deer is in the area and know where he's bedding majority of the time then there's NO need to chase him with a trail camera just to get pics. All your doing at that point is making him more aware that your after him and laying mass scent. Once you've got the Intel that he's still in the area and didn't move off after he shed his velvet its time to back out until your ready to go in and kill him! It happens year after year.... velvet drops, deer quit showing up as much, they move to better food sources (acorn flats) closer to their beds, and move a lot less in general due to human pressure in the woods again. Like I said earlier, if you know where hes bedding and how he's using that bed you should be able to kill him. Usually big bucks bed with the wind at their back and use their eyesight to scan for danger out in front of them. Keeping the wind at their back allows them to stay safe from their blind side while scanning out front for any potential danger ( coyote, human). You see this a lot of mountain points and river/creek bottom bucks.

 

[bowhunter1023]

This might be true for some of the younger bucks that have not been around long enough to know the full range and have been staying in their born into range for the last 2 years but what about the older bucks? Those older bucks have been around and have had a few ruts under their belts and roamed a wide range. Why would those bucks venture far out of their comfort zone?

Agreed. I have been fortunate enough to get to "know" a handful of bucks over the span several years from velvet to hard horn and one consistency has been their disappearing act around the third week in August. Bucks that were daily visitors to a certain spot well within their core areas just up and vanished like farts in the wind for days, to weeks at a time. If all they did was shrink their core areas, then one would think I would have gotten increased photos of one such buck. I had Moe pinned down in 2011 and even he stopped moving for almost 10 days. When he came back, it was with a whole different attitude. Video and pictures showed him to be tolerant of other deer and less than vigilant at times all summer. After he shed, he came back alone and with a seriously heightened sense of awareness. Perhaps it was a close call with a poacher or other predator. I never moved that cam and had it on a 6 week soak, so I doubt it was me. It could have been a host of other things but for me, it was proof that shedding velvet is a far more drastic process than it may seem to the naked eye. At least for some bucks...