Watching 'em grow

[OspreyZB]

Anyone else been out glassing? I try to get out for an hour or 2 every evening after work starting around July 1st. Its still early in the growing season here, but you can get an idea of what the bucks are going to grow into. I get a ton of enjoyment out of watching the fawns frolicking around, the bachelor groups interacting and grooming eachother, and just seeing mature bucks out in the open during daylight (something you won't see in my area once they go hard horned). By the time opening day rolls around, most of the soybean fields will be turning yellow and the deer will shift to acorns primarily. From my limited experience the biggest bucks that I see glassing in the summer will be in the BEST security cover within a mile or so of the field that i glassed them in. Not the closest security cover, but the BEST (not to say that the best cant also be the closest). Big swamp chesnut oaks and/or white oaks in and around that security cover is a bonus. Last year in September I located the wide buck in the pictures about a 1/2 mile from the field i was glassing him in all summer. I found his track in a creek crossing and followed it back to suspected bedding. I saw him come out of that bedding area 3 evenings in a row. Each day I would set up on the trail he used the evening prior, and he would take a slightly different exit trail. The last evening I saw him I had him inside 25 yards but never had a clear shot. Last year he was a big wide 8 pointer with super long g2's and little crab claws for g3's. Mass for days, and just a much bigger deer than all the 2 year olds he was bachelored up with. He's looking like he'll have a very similar frame this year, but it looks like his right g2 is getting ready to split.

I'll be heading out here in a couple hours to drive around and see whats out in the fields surrounding a couple pieces of public i hunt. Will update if/when I find something good.

Apologize for the picture quality. All pictures are taken free hand through my binoculars with my phone camera zoomed in. For anyone with photography experience, I'm looking at getting a camera for this purpose here soon and am open to suggestions for one with good zoom. Let's call it a $250 budget. Is anything in that price range worth it, or should I hold off until i can maybe double that budget. I'm kind of the buy once cry once type, but this is just a hobby for me so I don't necessarily need magazine quality pictures.


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[Kurt]

I saw five bucks in the same field once..... over the course of 5 years. Dang, I wish I had that many bucks hanging out together

 

[shwacker]

Nice bucks, as far as pics, maybe a cheaper spotting scope with window mount and get a phone camera mount as well?


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[OspreyZB]

I saw five bucks in the same field once..... over the course of 5 years. Dang, I wish I had that many bucks hanging out together

A lot of the areas I hunt have extremely high deer densities. Over 100 deer per square mile in some areas. A target rich environment for sure. But poor buck/doe ratios and most bucks don't make it to 2 yrs old because you can shoot up to 6 bucks a year in NJ. Our herd is a mess. Most of the areas I find a slightly more well-balanced herd like in the pictures are in the zones that have a 3 point on one side APR, and/or near large properties that don't allow hunting or are bow only. It seems to be getting a little better every year though. Growing up I can't recall ever seeing a racked buck. Now they're a little more common it seems.

 

[OspreyZB]

Nice bucks, as far as pics, maybe a cheaper spotting scope with window mount and get a phone camera mount as well?


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True, a cheap used 45x spotter probably wouldn't be a bad option... It's the zoom on my phone that kills the image quality.

 

[OspreyZB]

I saw about 40-50 deer tonight between 4 big soybean fields. Tons of does with little ones, and a few cool looking bucks. I'd like to keep tabs on this one.

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[sojourner]

A lot of the areas I hunt have extremely high deer densities. Over 100 deer per square mile in some areas. A target rich environment for sure. But poor buck/doe ratios and most bucks don't make it to 2 yrs old because you can shoot up to 6 bucks a year in NJ. Our herd is a mess. Most of the areas I find a slightly more well-balanced herd like in the pictures are in the zones that have a 3 point on one side APR, and/or near large properties that don't allow hunting or are bow only. It seems to be getting a little better every year though. Growing up I can't recall ever seeing a racked buck. Now they're a little more common it seems.

100 psm, that is high! I hunt in Somerset and Warren county. Our numbers used to be higher, but not that high. The midge hit the herd pretty good. Zone 13 is where I spend time hunting. I also spent time last two years hunting outside Princeton. Tons of deer there, but just too long of a drive for me to keep up with it.

Not looking for spots (I have more than enough to hunt), just curious. What zones, counties are you hunting? If you don’t feel comfortable sharing, that’s fine too.

NJ has tons of deer and the suburban hunting can be great. But one needs an in.

I live in PA. Across the Delaware. I work and hunt in NJ (and PA).

 

[Recurveaholic]

I would be if I had something like that to look at!!

 

[OspreyZB]

100 psm, that is high! I hunt in Somerset and Warren county. Our numbers used to be higher, but not that high. The midge hit the herd pretty good. Zone 13 is where I spend time hunting. I also spent time last two years hunting outside Princeton. Tons of deer there, but just too long of a drive for me to keep up with it.

Not looking for spots (I have more than enough to hunt), just curious. What zones, counties are you hunting? If you don’t feel comfortable sharing, that’s fine too.

NJ has tons of deer and the suburban hunting can be great. But one needs an in.

I live in PA. Across the Delaware. I work and hunt in NJ (and PA).

I do most of my hunting a little south of you. Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington and Atlantic county. Last year I hunted Salem, and Cumberland a bit too.

I've found some nice sheds up in the Princeton area. The big ones up there are always in areas where you can't hunt them it seems.

The highest deer densities I've seen are on some of the small farms surrounded by suburban areas in zone 49. The constant development in that area pushes all the deer into the small woodlots and farms that are left.

 

[Exhumis]

Those are some good looking bux. I'm kinda in the same boat, deer density is high and there's lots of hunters. That and lots of the farmland is being bought by hunt clubs so many bucks don't see many seasons.

 

[sojourner]

I do most of my hunting a little south of you. Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington and Atlantic county. Last year I hunted Salem, and Cumberland a bit too.

I've found some nice sheds up in the Princeton area. The big ones up there are always in areas where you can't hunt them it seems.

The highest deer densities I've seen are on some of the small farms surrounded by suburban areas in zone 49. The constant development in that area pushes all the deer into the small woodlots and farms that are left.

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[OspreyZB]

Those are some good looking bux. I'm kinda in the same boat, deer density is high and there's lots of hunters. That and lots of the farmland is being bought by hunt clubs so many bucks don't see many seasons.

Yup, sounds pretty similar to here. Couple all of that with baiting being allowed even on most public land, and it makes for a messy situation. I try to look at the bright sides though. Unlimited doe tags across much of the state, and one of the longest archery seasons in the country. This season, no does are safe with me. I'd like like to put double digits in the freezer.