This Years Target, Same As Last Year's Target

[Brian Pfleuger]

You all might remember the deer that we called "Black Ear" last year. After we got some better pictures of him, we realized that his ear isn't actually black, it's torn but he's Black Ear already so the name stuck... here is is last year:

Well, he's back again and it's amazing how similar his rack looks in the early season. I don't have a picture of early last year handy but here is in June of this year:

but in one month, he grew up:

More stunning, last year he was hanging out with another 11 point, who was actually bigger than he is... look at his buddy IN JUNE of this year...

That's black ear in the back.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

Now, tell me deer don't know when the season starts and ends! Last year, the pictures of this guy ended about 2 weeks before deer season started and 11 days after it ended...

 

[AllenJ]

Now, tell me deer don't know when the season starts and ends!

Of course they do, and they know the difference between bow and rifle season too. I know this because nice bucks like to walk in front of me just out of bow range during archery season and are nowhere to be found during rifle season!

Good luck getting this guy this season. Hopefully his internal calendar is off by a couple of days for you

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

Ha! Not likely!

First, I'd probably choke anyway.

Second, I'm pretty sure his "clock" is set by the huge increase in firearms discharges and the presence of people in the woods pre-season. You'll notice, even in June and July, those deer are almost entirely nocturnal, at least in our area, so I'm not sure it matters anyway.

I can't imagine a deer the size of Black Ear's buddy. That picture of him in June is bigger than any buck I've ever killed. He's got to be at least 120 inches in that picture. I've seen estimates that a healthy, well-fed buck will add about 1" of total antler PER DAY. Around here, they stop growing in mid-September. That would give him 60 more days of growth... making him a 180 inch buck.

That would be a monster of several life-times around these parts. Most guys will never even see one during the season, if even on camera. In all likelihood, most guys will never even know someone who shoots one that big.

 

[PawPaw]

That big 'ol square eye in the first picture should make him easy to identify in the wild. Some sort of weird adaptation, I guess. Maybe it helps him see better in the dark?

That's a nice deer, Peet. I hope you see him in daylight this year.

 

[Keg]

When they get older..they get bigger..and smarter.... Nice bucks....