Deer Signs 1-21-06

On the way back to the truck after squirrel hunting I trudged through briars and brush piles around a large food plot (about 10 acres). I was trying to drudge up a rabbit...no luck. This is a favorite field in the WMA for me. On 1/1/05, my first walk on this side of the WMA, I walked up on a flock of turkeys in this field. I also found a 4-point drop tine. About two weeks later, I found an even larger 4-point drop tine. Dad got a bow shot at a doe in the woods nearby.

I always check the small waterhole in the center of the field for wildlife activity. I have seen Wood Ducks at this water hole.

Today, I found several fresh buck rubs. These are all within 10 yards of each other.



I'm guessing these are no more than a few weeks old. There is puddle nearby with muddied water, trampled branches and deer prints in it. He was obviously here last night.

Check out this picture of the footprint in the mud. It's hard to make out at first, but it is fresh. There are also elongated droppings, probably his droppings nearby. This is clearly a frequent spot for this buck.

I wonder if this is the same buck that dropped the large tine I found last year? It's difficult to deer hunt in this field during the season because of human traffic. Additionally, I think this guy is extremely nocturnal - he would have to be to survive so many hunting seasons. One would have to ground hunt in the thickets around the water hole and could probably get a shot as he crossed the clearing between the woods and the waterhole.