Not 100% sure, but this area got hit hard with a bug disease. Midge bugs bite the inside of their nose, causing a high fever with a 100% mortality rate. Most die at or near water due to trying to cool off. Can't say that's the case for sure, but it's a bit odd to find so many in a few days. So far it's 4 bucks, and 6 does on 430 acres.
One of my boy's friends from today. Good example of a young NEPA buck. Really makes ya wonder what he could have turned into in another couple years.
We had that same disease a few years ago here. I'm not a deer hunter but I was shocked at all the huge dead bucks we found on one 2000 acre property alone. It's like it got them all.
Yeah the county our property is in was hit hardest in the state. It didn't get them all by any means, but thus year has definitely been the most difficult hunt of my adult life. We're being selective, and only taking two deer each max. The good news is the first hard Frost kills off the bugs and anything left is in the clear. But damn, it's terrible to see so many dead mature deer.
Got another picture from others angles? That's a wicked looking rack. Lots of really cool stuff going on there!
Zeek boys haven't been doing so well so far this year. Tomorrow's the opening day of anterlerless season in NEPA. Going old school with the Ruger M77s. We just want the meat
You can't shoot does in California? Not even one?! In Indiana, you can pretty much shoot as many as you want. It depends on what county you hunt in. Most have a 4 per county quota. But you can move to other counties and continue the slaughter if you want.
Wow. In most states, it's the other way around. You can only shoot 1 or 2 bucks, but as many does as you want. Or at least several. I think in some southern states, the limit is 1 a day.