I got on a new lease this year and I was able to look at the pics on my feeder camera this weekend. I had over 1000 pictures in 2 weeks and theres roughly a couple dozen different bucks coming in from spikes to what I would say are 3-3.5 year old 8 points, but there isnt a single really mature buck coming to the feeder. Is this normal? Theres some pretty nice 8 pointers and not just one or two, a bunch but nothing that refelcts a real mature deer. This is my first time on a lease with this many bucks (about 3:1 ratio of bucks to does) and I am having a hard time understanding why with so many bucks of all ages none of the mature ones are coming to the feeders? I have seen lots of pics on here of mature bucks on feeders so it is a bit concerning. Any insight would be much appreciated.

A lot of natural browse right now, and acorns. Mature bucks have what they need right in their back yard. Keep the girls haapy and wait for rut, IMO.

Bucks will run the feeders a lot of times and not allow does to come in, I don't think your ratio is 3:1. Sometimes mature bucks will never hit feeders, they can make it without them.

These are the kind of bucks that are coming in in different bach groups daily. They also came in while I was bowhunting this weekend too.

You are right 8point, several times this weekend I had 4 small to mediumish bucks under the feeder when a lone doe approached as soon as one of the smaller bucks saw her he chased her away. There are some doe pics on the camera but theres a lot more bucks than does and that combined with what I saw this weekend while hunting is where I got the 3:1 as thats how many bucks to does I am seeing. I just want to know where the big boys are. I have been told that they dont come to feeders but then I see some pretty nice bucks at the feeders in pics here so it got me wondering.

They will come to feeders, usually between midnight and 5 am at my place. Try slipping back a ways into the brush near a trail 100 yrds or so from the feeder, sometimes what slips through unseen will surprise you.

8point that camera is taking pics day and night. Another guy on the leases said the same as above, the big bucks dont come to the feeders , gotta wait for the rut. Just seems weird that they dont even sneak in during the middle of the night. Guess I'll find out soon enough, it was 40 degrees this morning at the ranch!

Put corn out by hand in other areas without feeders or around water and move cameras around. If there are any mature bucks they will eat natural forage/mast or go to water daily.

Have the same EXACT thing on my land right now. trail cam w feeder. i took off about 120 pictures since we started filling the feeder and its ALL small bucks- 8 point max. I talked to my friends dad whose been a big hunter all his life- he said the big bucks are big for a reason. They dont come to feeders usually-and they dont roam around during morning or night hunt times (because they hear the hunters out at those times). He said you arent gonna catch one most of the time while sitting in a blind with a feeder set up. You gotta get out and do some real buck calling etc etc. My dad saw a 10 pt out at our place when he was just out walking around middle of the day... case in point

put out huge pile of corn... a lot of the time the little deer etc eat all the corn before the bigger bucks are moving... so there is no reason for them to go to the feeder...

if there is a lot of corn there after dark... you may get them on camera.

Mature bucks much prefer to feed on a corned road or sendero than going to a feeder. After 3-4 years of age bucks begin to change. They don't as readily show themselves as the youngsters will. Hunting old bucks is a challenge.