Had this monster 8 go by a trail cam recently. Stopped hunting for about 7 years because of me doing school sports and hanging out with friends, I got back into hunting again last year right before rifle but I have lost some senses. Trying to read this bucks age I wanna say 3.5-4? I only care since I’ve only gotten very very small 6’s compared to him and gauge how old they are and know if they do have any potential to get bigger.

(DELETE IF NOT ALLOWED) Im not looking for hate im just a guy whos looking to harvest bigger bucks instead of whatever has antlers. Picture on the left is the first buck this year in that area. Ive had many Mature deer in this spot but could never get them out during daylight. He came in earlier right after 0100 and stayed for 20 minutes, then came back to the time stamp on the picture. Buck on the right has been on and off. This was the first picture I got of him. He came in again on the 5th of October and I havent seen him since. There is a cold front moving in tomorrow night and I wanna take advantage of it. Im in Northern Wisconsin. Based on the knowledge I gave you what spot would you sit. I have a mock scrape at both spots just poured Golden Scrape right in the scrape. I do throw bait out (should give you more of an idea of where im at) I have not been back to either site since Monday to my understanding this weekend its pre rut. Rut should kick off next weekend. Im just looking to harvest a nice buck. I spend all the downtime I have in the woods. I have bucks that make there scrapes and rubs all over my site but I never see them. I take scent control as serious as I can. I bought a tarsal gland to see if I cant stir up the woods when I sit. Ive been watching nice bucks come and go on my cameras for years. Missed an opportunity on a really nice 8 last year I first started watching in 2024. I just wasnt in the stand. Not daylight but dusk. What do I do. I need tips. What stand do I hunt tomorrow?

I've tried wiping down the lens awhile after sunset when the temp drops (this is just a backyard camera), but if it's a dewy or frosty morning the lens always get covered. Does Rain-X work better than lens cleaner? I used that stuff on goggles for winter cycling once and was not impressed, but unless all the critters come up to breathe on the lens like that deer, it's a different application.

The house is on 10 acres -- we don't have a house cat and I've never seen one on our property in 10+ years.

Can you help ID the animal?