Originally Posted By: lumberbrok
just gonna throw this out there. ive hunted for 30 years of my life and been fortunate to shoot several really good deer. Never been really big on game cameras but have always used them.

Before/After pictures are awesome to look at and for certain if it is trully same deer photoed and then shot. However, I have 2 identical 8 points measure out the same, tine length within inch of each other, same black markings on their faces but shot 150 miles from each other.

so with that said....I find it very very very very very difficult to believe a deer photgraphed in 2007 you can follow to 2012 and say you have watched that particular deer for 5 years....UNLESS THERE IS A DISTINGUISHING MARK somewhere that is easily seen I dont think it can be done with only growth and declining racks only. Hell even from 1 year to the next for that matter.....just because the camera was on same tree, pointed in same direction, on the same angle and everything....

ofcourse this is my opinion on the matter anyway.


After using cameras for close to 10 years I would say that tracking a buck for 3-4 years can be accomplished quite often but not with every buck. A lot of 2.5 year olds have something that makes them unique. In my experience it's usually the browtines. They seem to stay the same as far as length, angle, etc. if they simply have 2" perfectly straight brows then hard to track but if one is longer than the other or if they curve a particular direction that trait seems to continue year after year. Also unique sticker points etc. also find that our bucks use the same summer core area year after year