This time of year and throughout the winter we keep a couple of deer feeders out and have game cameras trained on them. Usually it is just the feral hogs that eat the corn and tear up the ground. The hogs generally come up during the night and the photo quality isn't good. Some of the hogs are considerably larger than this young buck that has been visiting this year. I can tell by how tall they are relative to the feeder.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am not really much of a deer hunter. I do miss getting to hunt quail though. Hopefully this guy will spread his genetics among the local population. He has a classic well-developed set of antlers which, though not of trophy quality, are quite respectable -- especially for this part of the state.
The cameras have not photographed this one for about two weeks now. He may be laying low with the opening of deer season, or just been caught in another part of his territory due to creek flooding which has been going on. There is also the possibility he was harvested on one of the neighboring properties which I am sure are part of his travels.
We really enjoy the wildlife on our place. Sometimes the only evidence of them is tracks, or their photo by a game camera, but at other times we see deer feeding in the meadow or bolting through the woods after being surprised.
East and Northeast Texas have been notorious for poaching for many years. Because of the relative inattention to game laws, deer populations suffered, however, they are making a comeback as evidenced by this young buck. Hopefully, that will continue.
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