The 2024 season introduced me to a beautiful buck that I named TT8. He wasn’t on my hit list, so he was free to roam the farm without a target on his vitals. I harvested my #2 buck, Krazy 8, during the rut, while Houdini, the #1 buck, was killed on the first day of the Pennsylvania Rifle Season. With two of the older bucks gone from the farm, the pecking order for dominance would begin early in the spring.
Deer season never ends for me! I travel around throughout the winter, speaking at game dinners and doing seminars. I love talking about whitetail gland communication through scrapes. The most asked question I get is, “When do you start your scrapes?” I run my scrapes year-round and never take down my cameras. Cellular cameras have revolutionized off-season scouting because they are constantly my eyes and ears in the deer woods.
Who is the Man?
With two of the oldest bucks on the farm gone, I noticed a lot of activity around the scrapes as we moved into February. TT8 and another 8-point buck approached the hanging vine scrape. TT8 worked the scrape aggressively, while the 8-point waited for his chance to use the vine. Determined to assert his dominance, TT8 engaged in a brief fight with the 8-point. The struggle was short-lived, and TT8 clearly established himself as the dominant buck on the farm.
Pleasant Surprise
I enjoy turkey hunting in the spring because it gives me the opportunity to scout for deer. One morning after a turkey hunt, I stopped to ask the property owner if I could plant a throw-and-grow plot in the woods. The farmer was agreeable, so I spread some oats and rye grass. I don’t use minerals or salt blocks in Pennsylvania due to our game laws, so I rely on fast-growing seeds, such as oats and rye.
In early June, I received my first video of TT8 in velvet. He came to the oat and rye plot just as the seeds were starting to emerge. I recognized him right away because of his brow tines. I was excited to see how much he would grow compared to his appearance in 2024.
Big Jump
The farmer planted beans on the property for the second consecutive year. I realized I needed to get to the farm and set up my BuckRope scrapes along the woodline. In 2024, I learned that there were three main trails that the deer, known as TT8, preferred to use when entering the field. I positioned my BuckRope scrapes near these trails and hung SpyPoint Flex Dark cameras nearby. To avoid alarming any bucks, I set the cameras to “No Glow” mode.
It didn’t take long for TT8 to arrive at the BuckRope scrape near one of the main trails. He came in to investigate the phantom buck I had introduced, which was a mix of Head-Scratcher Preorbital and Contender Interdigital mix. I was impressed with his velvet growth since June. His brow tines were longer, and his G2s were also extended. He became a regular visitor to the bean field near both of my rope scrapes. This made me start thinking about where to hang my XOP stand.
New Competition
Soybeans attract deer from various properties, and TT8 was not pleased when Mr. Scratch showed up on the farm. Mr. Scratch arrived in 2024, stayed for a few weeks, and then vanished. He is an interesting buck with a beautiful right antler, but his left antler is quite unusual. I added him to my Hit List, even though I knew he would leave after a short time. TT8 tolerated Mr. Scratch and kept his distance when they were near each other or at a scrape. After two weeks, Mr. Scratch was gone, and I never saw him again. I hoped he might return during the rut, but that wouldn’t happen for a while.
I am the Boss
When Mr. Scratch wasn’t around, TT8 asserted his dominance over the other local bucks on the property. Our Pennsylvania summer was unusually dry, and my deep wood oat and rye plot struggled to thrive. Nevertheless, TT8 would visit that plot in search of any green shoots that might be emerging. He had earned the respect of many of the bucks, and this SpyPoint video is one of my favorites from the summer. Pay attention to the body language of the 6-point when TT8 enters the frame; the immediate display of respect indicates that the other bucks recognize TT8 as the boss!
Staging Areas
During the summer, I enjoy sneaking into staging areas to create new mock scrapes. On the property, there is a high ridge near a bedding area where the bucks tend to gather before heading to the food plots. TT8 likes to bed close to the ridge, sneak down the hill, and then use the valley to travel to the bean field. I was thrilled when I captured a picture of TT8 on the SpyPoint camera positioned on the ridge. Later in the season, I plan to hang an XOP stand in a cherry tree near this ridge. I know that TT8 will continue to use the bedding area throughout the season.