Folks have enjoyed my annual big woods deer hunting recaps in the past so this is the 2023 edition. I hunt on large tracts of public land in Eastern/Central Ontario. This is classic big woods country - thick lowland conifers, plentiful swamps/creeks, mixed hardwood ridges, rough terrain - and very little in the way of roads/trails. I focus on several thousand acres that has very little trail/road access. My hunts involve either early morning ATV rides to long bushwhacking hikes in or backpacking in for multi-day hunts.
I run about 20 trail cams throughout this area.
This area has its share of backcountry bruiser bucks. Mature bucks in this area routinely dress out at more than 200 lbs and the local "heaviest buck" contest is usually won by a buck in the 230- 250 lb range. I've had some agonizingly close calls in recent years with some true giants.
The big woods aren't for everyone. Deer densities are low between harsh winters and plenty of predators. Most days pass with zero deer sightings. The thick cover means visibility typically doesn't exceed 50 meters and hiking is challenging at the best of times.
I've named this buck "The King". This marked the fourth year I have been after him since first catching him on my trail cams in 2020. This year I had an agonizingly close encounter in our early December muzzleloader hunt. I cut his track in the snow mid morning and he almost immediately took me past one of my trail cams so I confirmed it was in fact The King. About 1 km later our paths crossed in an area of very thick cover. At a distance of less than 30 meters I heard an explosive alarm snort and saw a massive muscular body exploding away through the brush. So close, yet so far.
Here's a sampling of some other big woods bruisers.
Now the success stories.
I was at work on November 15th went the "Buck Down" InReach message reached my phone mid morning. My hunting partner had shot this young 8 point buck and I knew we would be dragging for a while in this roadless and trailless area. When I arrived after work he had already dragged the buck about 1000 meters through thick cover and hellish blowdown. I was happy to help him finish the final 500 meters back to the terminus of the ATV trail.
My turn came on the morning of November 19 - absolutely prime time for daylight mature buck activity in this area. I had passed on a small 3 point buck cruising past my setup the day before and was hoping to see one of the Hinterland bruisers on this day. After a rattling sequence I saw a deer crest the ridge opposite and beeline in my direction. This 4 point buck put on quite the show and came in on a string. I had been holding out for a monster - but the empty state of my freezer, the fact it was the last day of rifle season, and the excitement of the encounter had me touch off the Kimber Montana 280 Remington. He dropped in his tracks at a distance of 40 meters. We had another lengthy drag (about 1.5 km), but with all day there was no rush.
On to 2024!
I run about 20 trail cams throughout this area.
This area has its share of backcountry bruiser bucks. Mature bucks in this area routinely dress out at more than 200 lbs and the local "heaviest buck" contest is usually won by a buck in the 230- 250 lb range. I've had some agonizingly close calls in recent years with some true giants.
The big woods aren't for everyone. Deer densities are low between harsh winters and plenty of predators. Most days pass with zero deer sightings. The thick cover means visibility typically doesn't exceed 50 meters and hiking is challenging at the best of times.
I've named this buck "The King". This marked the fourth year I have been after him since first catching him on my trail cams in 2020. This year I had an agonizingly close encounter in our early December muzzleloader hunt. I cut his track in the snow mid morning and he almost immediately took me past one of my trail cams so I confirmed it was in fact The King. About 1 km later our paths crossed in an area of very thick cover. At a distance of less than 30 meters I heard an explosive alarm snort and saw a massive muscular body exploding away through the brush. So close, yet so far.
Here's a sampling of some other big woods bruisers.
Now the success stories.
I was at work on November 15th went the "Buck Down" InReach message reached my phone mid morning. My hunting partner had shot this young 8 point buck and I knew we would be dragging for a while in this roadless and trailless area. When I arrived after work he had already dragged the buck about 1000 meters through thick cover and hellish blowdown. I was happy to help him finish the final 500 meters back to the terminus of the ATV trail.
My turn came on the morning of November 19 - absolutely prime time for daylight mature buck activity in this area. I had passed on a small 3 point buck cruising past my setup the day before and was hoping to see one of the Hinterland bruisers on this day. After a rattling sequence I saw a deer crest the ridge opposite and beeline in my direction. This 4 point buck put on quite the show and came in on a string. I had been holding out for a monster - but the empty state of my freezer, the fact it was the last day of rifle season, and the excitement of the encounter had me touch off the Kimber Montana 280 Remington. He dropped in his tracks at a distance of 40 meters. We had another lengthy drag (about 1.5 km), but with all day there was no rush.
On to 2024!
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