I must be in the minority. 90% of the area I hunt doesn’t get a cell signal.

I remember seeing right before an outdoors show come on a herd of big antler deer come running through the woods with about 50 deer in the group. Thinking at the time how nice it would be to take one of the big ones, a little later I realized a lot of the shows are fake and that very few average joe's can see 150" deer in Alabama on a regular basis. For the most part a lot of hunters would be happy with a deer of their choosing. A trophy is in the eyes of the beholder. No telling how many deer I have let walk over the years, just killing deer is just not for me. I've never shot more than two deer a year. We are not a state that only allows one 140+ buck a year. We don't have 140+ deer running all around eating our shrubs up. I could hunt a place and hold out for a 150+ deer, but most hunters just don't have the trigger restraint nor the deer to do that here.
Deer are like cattle, but not penned in most cases, you grow them and someone else is going to shoot them. If you are not in a large area with controlled access trying to grow large deer may not be worth the time or the money.

I sit back and listen too a few on here bashing Chuckie and friends for pushing their rules on us but if the same few had their way it was be them pushing the rules. Hunt the way you want on your land and leave everybody else alone. I let deer walk every year that get whacked next land over. Kids first deer, wifes first buck, girlfriends first buck. I've heard it all. Thing is I always end up mounting it for them so it's not not bad!

I saw more deer back in the late 80's and early 90's then I see now.

I also didn't experience the big bucks on my property coming into corn during shootable light. I usually saw them during the rut. On camera.

Corn makes alot of people lazy hunters. We had that issue on our lease, with one guy in particular. He would bait up a couple area's and then camp out on them. Constantly going in and out to check his camera and put more corn out. He probably fed more coons than deer.

Most of my cell cams are on food plots. I try to see what's using them. What I am really looking for is to see if the "no shooting a doe off a green field" is pulling bucks out in them during shooting hours.

We can't do corn on a timber co lease, and I am not bothered by it. You would have to have some deep pockets to do it where my lease is, because there about 5 timber co hunting leases out there. I invest in planting greens in the fall, because no matter who is feeding them corn, a deer can't survive on corn and hard mast, it has to have some greens, and if you have the best greens in the neighborhood, you should see plenty of deer. Thats what I think anyway.

Spot on Mbrock.
I hate the corn and baiting thing. Grrenfieds and habitat mgnmt. are enough in My Opinion. I actually quit putting bait out last year in bowhunting areas and only use cell cams to limit going into good spots. Friends still want corn on the property so it's there.
But every 3-4 yr old they get a picture of gets shot and once it's on the ground they realize it's not that good of a deer and aren't going to mount it.
Use the old saying he'd been a good one in another year or two. Fellows sorry to tell you this but dead deer don't grow no mo. It's what you got now!

Sensitive subject to me fer sure. And I'm goign to hurt someone's feelign now that I'm on a rant......but we have the YouTubers, Dan Moultrie's and Jackie Bushman's to thank for exploiting this and any outdoor sport. Oh yeah, don't forget a Conservation dept that promotes whatever it takes to shoot more deer and bring more revenue into the state that's in bed with the insurance companies that want them all shot by having the most liberal bag limits and seasons. And yes I know we need to control the numbers so don't throw that in my face.

Who's gonna start a thread this thread on fishing thread? Can't enjoy that on Sat. either do to all the tournament fishermen with their 100k dollar bassboats and little outfits running all over the place.

Rant over have good day!

Yep, sold to the public under the ruse of…. “Freedom for everyone to hunt how they choose!” ….. What will the peasants do when they have no deer left to kill any way they choose?.....Eat cake?

No deer left? Heck, I see more deer now than back in the 80s and 90s. 🤷‍♂️

I hate that things are terrible where y’all hunt.

I started hunting, like really hunting about 2005. I would venture to say that deer density has continually decreased since 2007. I’m sure the state has some studies where they’ve counted deer in a small population and extrapolated that data but I know what I’ve seen.

Luckily, my experience over the years across several properties hasn’t been as crappy as yours.

Corn has always been hunted over but not like now. Now every single small land parcel has a feeder on it and no one cares about what they shoot because they just pulled it across the line from some other piece of property. Cell cameras are not the same as other cameras. I know a lot of instances where a buck moves into an area for a couple days because of a hot doe. Few years ago most people would not have known that buck had been there until they pulled the card on weekend.....now, camera goes off and said person is on the way and usually can kill that deer. Not breaking any laws but it is making a big difference.

I cringe every time I read stupid azz posts like this. Yall are gonna keep it up until they have added even more laws to a highly regulated hobby. Burns me up

They will do it again this year, be ready.

OK, I'll ask...SEWoodsWhitetail. Do you currently have out on any properties either corn and/or a cell cam?

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Luckily, my experience over the years across several properties hasn’t been as crappy as yours. [/quote]
I think in the time since ag really died out in Alabama the late 90’s early 00’s were the best times for deer population.

I got a bunch of corn and a bunch of cell cameras. There more fun to me than the hunting itself. Greenfield isn't anything but bait either but it's always been accepted.

I have one cell cam currently and have had others in the past. They have run security detail on the gate probably 90% or more of the time. Haven’t put out a kernel of corn in I don’t know how many years.

It’s not that I have a problem directly with the cell cams or corn because I don’t. Really it just frustrates me when people are shooting the young stud bucks whether it’s over a corn/cell cam combo or not. I just think it’s happening a whole lot more with the onslaught of baiting and cell cams.

I genuinely would not lose any sleep or be frustrated over a neighbor shooting a mature buck; even with having used a cell cam or corn. The frustration comes from those deer that have the most potential getting shot at 2-3 years old.

Why do you have a problem with somebody shooting a young buck on their own property? I'd like to see all my deer make it to 5 or 6 too but I'm not losing sleep over it. I'd bet I spend more on deer every year than most on here but I'm also not gonna piss and moan about my neighbors kid killing a 2 yr old. Control your own land if you have any and let it gomat that. I manage over 6000 acres for one owner and I control what gets shot the best I can but unless you have a high fence all this other talk is what it is, just talk.

Its frustrating if u try to raise them amd manage hurd - he saying w corn - u dont see em mature much anymore - killed early so he is pissing in the wind 😀

I hav lost lot of my best deer over last few years that i was wanting to get older

One of my fav ways to use cell is on road for security also SE Woods - also catch bucks n roads on camera

Social media created deer shaming (it’s like a woke version of deer hunting), not deer cameras and corn.

So many bucks die to fighting and everyone always blames there neighbor now days if a small buck disappears because the death has to be at the hands of someone that doesn’t agree with their management philosophy (dominate bucks aren’t always nice during the rut)

Heck - if someone hammers down on a 2-1/2 or 3-1/2 year buck that they think is a trophy, then don’t pee in their punch bowl if they are your neighbor and harvested it legally. It was your choice to pass.

Good luck to all this season