I have been hunting whitetail deer in Northwest Pennsylvania for nearly 40 years. In 2024, I set my sights on a mature buck I named Houdini, who always seemed to vanish when the archery season began. I set up multiple SpyPoint cellular cameras on the 60-acre farm, hoping to capture videos of my elusive competitor and develop a strategy to tag him. Houdini was my top priority on the hit list for that farm, while Krazy 8 was my second choice. The remaining bucks on the farm didn’t make the list, so they were safe.
Hello TT8
In mid-September, I received the first video of a buck I named TT8. He appeared at one of the mock scrapes I had set up along the treeline of the bean field. The buck seemed to be a solid 3.5 years old, and his antlers were distinctive. He had tall, symmetrical antlers with a narrow spread, making him easy to identify among other deer since he was the only tight-racked buck on the farm. I looked forward to seeing him during hunting season and hoped that Houdini and Krazy 8 wouldn’t drive him off the farm.
Free Pass
My SpyPoint cameras were busy throughout September, capturing a lot of activity from bucks visiting my scrapes along the bean field. One afternoon, while walking the treeline, I found a tree that would provide an excellent vantage point for hunting Houdini and Krazy 8. I spent the afternoon installing my XOP X2 climbing sticks and Vanish Evolution stand.
On the first evening of the Pennsylvania archery season, I had a close encounter when TT8 walked past my stand at just 10 yards. He then approached the scrape 15 yards away and worked it thoroughly. It was fantastic to watch him use his forehead and preorbital gland on the licking branch that I had created and treated with Head-Scratcher Gland Lure. Although TT8 wasn’t on my hit list, I decided to give him a free pass. After interacting with the licking branch, he urinated in the scrape and then moved on to feed on the soybeans.
Fighter
TT8 showed up to work a scrape a few days after opening day, and I was excited to see him so active. Right away, I noticed that he had broken off his right G3. On opening night, I watched TT8 spar with a few other bucks in the bean field. He was trying to establish his dominance and show the others that he was here to stay. Somewhere between opening day and October 8th, he lost that G3. In a way, I was relieved to see he had broken it off because hunters on the neighboring farm might overlook him. If he could make it through another year, he could become something special.
Go Away TT8
The rut was in full swing, and bucks were cruising all over the farm in search of a hot doe. I had set up in my XOP stand, which I moved further back into the timber near a bedding area. My doe decoy, Boudica, was positioned fifteen yards from my stand. TT8 showed up looking for love and walked past Boudica multiple times. I was growing flustered because I didn’t want to shoot him, but he continued to linger around. Eventually, he wandered off into a thicket, and that was the last I saw of him. Less than an hour later, I heard a buck walking in my direction. Sure enough, it was my #2 buck, Krazy 8. After a long staredown, I released a Black Eagle Spartan arrow tipped with a Trifecta broadhead, hitting him in the vitals.
Survivor
I leave my SpyPoint cameras out all year because I enjoy watching the bucks interact at scrapes throughout the seasons. I was beyond excited when I captured a video of TT8 on February 1st. He came in and worked on my hanging vine before walking away. I was surprised to see that he still had both antlers on his head, as most of the other bucks on the farm had shed their antlers in January. I waited until March to visit the farm and look for his shed, but I didn’t find any sheds at all this year. Nevertheless, I was excited to see what TT8 would grow on his head in 2025.
Stay tuned for part 2 of this 3-part series.