Cameras, apple trees and deers reactions

[Hawthorne]

Where I hunt there is so much food its hard to kill a mature buck right on an apple tree. Although they are good spots if you want venison. The mature bucks in my area usually don't make it to preferred food sources before dark unless its the first few days of season starting oct1. I've seen cruising bucks come by apples and not stop during the rut so apples are part of their circuit and could be good rut spots

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[mainebowhunter]

Where I hunt there is so much food its hard to kill a mature buck right on an apple tree. Although they are good spots if you want venison. The mature bucks in my area usually don't make it to preferred food sources before dark unless its the first few days of season starting oct1. I've seen cruising bucks come by apples and not stop during the rut so apples are part of their circuit and could be good rut spots

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And that is common here also. Lots of guys sit around thinking that something is going to change. Bucks are just not bedded around that area. And it does not. Its when you have apples in close proximity to heavy cover, known bedding areas. And my best time is opening 10 days of the season.

Buck pics at night...I rarely get excited about them anymore. Unless I can pin that buck down to know bedding area.

[Mibowfreak]

I have a couple wild apple trees on a small property that I hunt. That apple tree is always loaded and is a hot spot early in the season. Might just have to put a camera around it this year.

Also, I have another property that I hunt, that the land owner has a really nice apple tree in their yard. They have some great bedding right behind their house. The years that a big buck is holed up in there, they are always telling me about a big buck they see using the apple tree in late summer/early fall when they start dropping. The deer keep those apples cleaned right up in their yard.

My daughters and I are planning on planting six new apple trees on a family property this year. Be a great project for them this spring.

You should put a camera on it. I have another buddy that says ...you can't kill big deer off apple trees. OR he does not kill big deer off apple trees. My best friend and I have killed 7 good bucks here in Maine in the last 5yrs. 6 of them have been on apples.

You might have already said it, put when are you having luck killing bucks in your area on the apple trees?

I have been doing some research on what apple trees turn on at certain times of the year. This is also something to think about for those planting apple trees.

[mainebowhunter]

I have a couple wild apple trees on a small property that I hunt. That apple tree is always loaded and is a hot spot early in the season. Might just have to put a camera around it this year.

Also, I have another property that I hunt, that the land owner has a really nice apple tree in their yard. They have some great bedding right behind their house. The years that a big buck is holed up in there, they are always telling me about a big buck they see using the apple tree in late summer/early fall when they start dropping. The deer keep those apples cleaned right up in their yard.

My daughters and I are planning on planting six new apple trees on a family property this year. Be a great project for them this spring.

You should put a camera on it. I have another buddy that says ...you can't kill big deer off apple trees. OR he does not kill big deer off apple trees. My best friend and I have killed 7 good bucks here in Maine in the last 5yrs. 6 of them have been on apples.

You might have already said it, put when are you having luck killing bucks in your area on the apple trees?

I have been doing some research on what apple trees turn on at certain times of the year. This is also something to think about for those planting apple trees.

This is just the last 5yrs.
3 were mid Sept
1 was Oct 1
1 was Oct 13
1 was Nov 20's

For the most part, we do not do much hunting with apple trees in November. Our best times really are early season, the first week of October.

I will say this, its not surprise... IF the local urban zone was better, the very best time to kill a good buck would be in September. BUT locally, statewide spots are much better than urban spots. IF we could hunt statewide in Sept, the number would be much higher.

And, if we truly had a late season, (January) the numbers would be higher in January.

I also would guess, most guys would say the first week of October would the one of better times for them also, regardless of the food source.

[mainebowhunter]

I might also add, I probably have to say, apples are spread in a bunch of different spots. I would say, on average I probably look at 200+ apple trees a season. Some produce mature bucks, other never do. If I have a property that is 600-800 acres, there might be 40-60+ apple trees spread out all over that property. Some, you can skip. Deer don't like them.

And sometimes, bucks show up stupid places you would never expect to feed on apples. My buddy killed one buck that crossed a paved road (in a developement that was only partially developed) AND a person walking a dog, just went by 15 minutes earlier.

[Mibowfreak]

Thats pretty much what I have seen also. End of September, early October is when I see the most daylight sightings around apple trees. We are an Oct 1 opener here, so the window is very slim. Great spot to fill the freezer though!!

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[mauser06]

Trail cams opened my eyes this year as well...


Seems in different settings the deer react differently...


On normally traveled ATV trails used by hunters, dog walkers trappers, etc some actually ON a daily basis I never thought I'd see deer...but scrapes were all over it...hung a camera expecting night time travel...

Well...let's just say next rut I will be hunting over those scrapes...

I saw one of the bigger bucks I've seen while hunting at 11-noon while changing a camera card...had my bow..he was dogging a doe and didn't come the extra 30yds I needed...

The bigger bucks daylight movement was rut movement...but I never expected them to use those trails in the day...


Some spots it was 3-4 days before I got a pic...


Some spots I'd open a scrape and pee in it after sweating all over the place and a buck (young one) was working the scrape while my pee was still wet...



I think deer in heavily huminated areas tolerate more...but they still aren't bedding in areas humans stomp around regularly... Atleast the big bucks aren't...


My cameras opened my eyes tonsome things this year...

Like I said I'd never bother hunting the quad trails my cameras were on.. I had trappers walk by daily...hunters all the time...rut or not you wouldn't think the big bucks would use them...but they used them religiously...not just crossing them...they'd wander right down them...

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[Edcyclopedia]

Mauser06 - Two experiences...
1) Had a spot 60 yards off a rail trail w/ foot traffic & ATV. Watched 2 golden retrievers and their owner push a pair of fawns w/Mommy by me one to many times = Dead Doe!
2) Same spot but other side of trail (60 yards). Pistol killed a basket 8-pointer. The buck stopped under me and watched 3 ATV riders walk by. His head was like a typewriter, from right to left, then right to left and again right to left. A few more fatal steps and Bam! Eddy went to the checking station!!!

Moral of the story - tracks prompt cameras, cameras prompt dead deer...

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[Mibowfreak]

Here is a good blog article and video I seen today from Bill Winke on apple trees.

http://www.midwestwhitetail.com/publish ... plots.html

http://www.midwestwhitetail.com/gallery ... -show.html

[mainebowhunter]

Here is a good blog article and video I seen today from Bill Winke on apple trees.

http://www.midwestwhitetail.com/publish ... plots.html

http://www.midwestwhitetail.com/gallery ... -show.html

No kidding...thanks for sharing. Great read.