If you chat with any passionate whitetail deer hunter, you’ll quickly discover that many of us give names to the deer we’re pursuing. It makes identifying our target bucks a lot more personal and fun! I’ve done just that! Last year, my top target buck was affectionately named TT8, short for Tall Tined 8, thanks to his impressive long G2S and G3S. Interestingly, I only named him in mid-July when he began to show remarkable potential as an 8-point buck. If you peek at my SpyPoint app, you’ll find a dedicated tag for TT8, where I’ve saved every photo captured of him, all neatly organized. I truly love this feature of the SpyPoint app—it’s like having a digital scrapbook of my hunting adventures!
Enter Magic Man
My BuckRope scrapes have been incredibly active since April. If you’ve been following this column, you’ve seen numerous bucks visiting my scrapes. In last week’s column, I discussed how bucks are establishing a pecking order. I also introduced a beautiful buck that is already developing impressive antlers. Initially, I didn’t give him much thought because he seemed like an average buck, albeit larger than anything else I’ve seen on the farm. However, after a closer inspection and reviewing a few more videos, I’ve decided to name him “Magic Man!“ I am 100% certain that the buck featured in last week’s videos is the 9-point my son missed last year; he was my #2 buck on that farm.
Looking Back at 2025
I’ve been keeping track of individual buck tags in the SpyPoint app, and I have some exciting memories of Magic Man from 2005. He was definitely my #2 buck, right after TT8, so I felt a special connection with him. On the opening morning of the Pennsylvania archery season, I had the opportunity to shoot Magic Man as he wandered into my Domain No BS food plot, but I decided to let him go and give my son a shot at the #2 buck instead. Unfortunately, Magic Man ducked the crossbow bolt and vanished for the rest of the season. At first, I was uncertain about his fate, but I was thrilled to find his left antler during shed hunting. He had really grown into a solid buck by 2025, scoring in the mid-120s, and I’m optimistic that this year he’ll be even bigger!
Big Jump
I spent a few days at the farm refreshing my BuckRopes. A week later, after capturing footage of Magic Man at the ridge community scrape, I finally had the opportunity to see him up close at the TT8 rope scrape. The Flex S Dark camera was set up perfectly when Magic Man came to work the BuckRope and check out the new scrape mix I was testing.
In the short video, you can see how the buck touches the BuckRope before shifting his focus to the scrape mix. This allowed me to identify Magic Man, thanks to the distinctive non-typical points at the bases of his antlers. I can’t believe how much he has grown in just seven days! His brow tines are taller, and he developed G3S in that short time. I’m really impressed and can’t wait to see how big he will get!
Patterns
One of the most exciting aspects of mock scrapes is how they reveal deer movement patterns. I’ve been thrilled to see Magic Man beginning to make his rounds on the farm, visiting the scrapes I’ve set up. Even though archery season is a bit away, I truly believe he’ll keep returning to the TT8 scrape, which is perfectly positioned on the inside corner of the soybean field. My plan is to set up my stand in late July and closely observe Magic Man as he comes in to feed and work the scrape. October may still seem distant, but I’m genuinely looking forward to what’s ahead!
BuckRopes can be purchased at https://www.litfoutdoors.com/product-page/buckrope-from-buckstik with or without gland lure. They work great and can help you inventory, pattern, and hunt the deer on your property.
