Watching here from the house. A young ten-point tending a doe just inside the tree line. My cell phone doesn't zoom in on long distance stuff well at all so you'll have to trust me on the antler description. This was a nice 'show' for about 20 minutes this morning.

I estimate the buck to be two years of age. Spread not past the ears and not a lot of mass at all. Nice longish tines. He will be real nice next year if he survives.

I enjoy watching the deer as much as I do to hunt them.

If it made it through opening weekend it might have a chance to get a year older.

Our deer numbers took a hit from being in a CWD zone. Not from CWD but from MDC going on a jacking spree and killing 300 deer in the name of testing for CWD. To my knowledge not one positive.

Normally hear 30-40 shots first hour of opening day. This year 6

Too bad about the CWD thing. I know several MO counties were taken off that list for this season because nothing was found last year.

My area here in SWMO is not known for high deer populations because there is essentially no crop farming.

I'm bordered on one side by a small piece of property full of city guys blasting away. It's just 38 acres and has several people hunting all two weeks of firearms. Chances are good this buck and others will get shot!

We’ve got a neighbor like that too. They have 75 acres and a dozen people hunting it. I’ve suggested to them that they limit to 4 people at a time and rotate through the season. They just don’t get it.

quote:

Originally posted by TREE 'EM:
We’ve got a neighbor like that too. They have 75 acres and a dozen people hunting it. I’ve suggested to them that they limit to 4 people at a time and rotate through the season. They just don’t get it.

I find it hard to criticize though I really want to. In fact it does bother me but then I am sure when I think about it they probably have worked hard to buy that land, etc. I have to remind myself, despite the amount of shooting I hear, that they are trying to have a good time and fill their freezers. Fellow hunters. Yes, too many of them on one piece of land but the alternative- public land.... At least east of the Rockies, pretty much sucks.

So, when I hear the 'cannons' going off over there I just sigh and remind myself of when I did not own land and had to hunt at the discretion of public land or others. I am good as long as they are following the laws. If they are not I will be the first one to make it known.

This afternoon I saw that same young buck again in my long grass prairie field out front. He's survived so far. That means he has passed on his genes to at least one doe and maybe I will see him next year.