As several on here have stated over the years, hunt where others aren't to increase your odds of encountering a mature buck. Good article here. http://www.qdma.com/articles/to-kill-ma ... where-else
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The Road Less Traveled
- Thread starter Andy S.
- Start date
Mike Belt
Well-Known Member
If I could figure out where...and just as importantly when, I'd be a happy camper.
Me too Mike. In my opinion, this "out of the ordinary approach" is exactly how I stumbled onto my 10 point last year. I went against my better judgement and scouted a place that I otherwise would have NEVER hunted for mature bucks. Again I say NEVER hunted for mature bucks. I was on my way out from scouting and found a scrape about the size of a 15" rim, nothing impressive at all, and to make matters worse, about 200 yards off the side of a well traveled public road. I had one camera in my pack so I said what the he!! and put it on the small unimpressive scrape, all along expecting to pickup minimal deer activity and 1.5-2.5 year old bucks at best. The good side is it was close to the road so I would not have much of a walk to check it (not typical for me). I was lucky enough (and very fortunate) to get the 10 point on camera at dusk the first evening and at night over the next few weeks. I was then even luckier to see him my first sit, on an afternoon hunt when the wind was right (in my favor). My scenario fits what is described in the article above, but I still say it was way more luck than a measure of my hunting ability. You just never know with those wary old bucks.
Beekeeper
Well-Known Member
Good story Andy.BSK
Well-Known Member
The most important aspect of my "post-season scouting" is running an analysis of where hunters have and have not been hunting over the last few years. Wherever hunters have not been hunting is a darn good place to focus stand placements for the upcoming year. The majority of mature buck sightings and kills will come from those stands.
In my opinion, finding and hunting de facto sanctuaries--those sanctuaries that develop due to uneven hunting pressure--is a critical key to seeing and killing older bucks.
In my opinion, finding and hunting de facto sanctuaries--those sanctuaries that develop due to uneven hunting pressure--is a critical key to seeing and killing older bucks.
Winchester
Well-Known Member
Places that are "overlooked" are exactly what I try to find 90% of the time!
Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
Good read.
Mike Belt
Well-Known Member
Andy----I opened bow season not over a couple hundred yards from where you shot that buck. Area looked good and had sign but I didn't see but a small 4 pointer. Right place AND right time have to line up perfectly. One of the hardest parts of hunting and being a multiple weapon hunter is knowing an area holds good deer WITHOUT hunting it until the timing is right for that area. I believe the timing factor may be the downfall of many a decent hunter that otherwise might have been able to kill those bucks.
W.Seay
Well-Known Member
I have consistently seen,killed and passed many mature bucks from the same two stands every year for the last 4 seasons. I guess it's mainly luck??
OCLhunter90
Well-Known Member
Great article. Makes me want to get in the woods, some thick woods.
BowGuy84
Well-Known Member
Mike Belt said:
I agree, the when and how to get there make as much if not more difference than the where.
W. Seay, how do these two questions apply to the stands you are refering to?
BowGuy84
Well-Known Member
OCLhunter90 said:
The longer I hunt the thicker areas I find myslef in.
Two years ago I killed 10 deer. 7 with a bow. on 4 of those my longest possible shot was inside of 30 yards.
BSK
Well-Known Member
W.Seay said:
Doubtful that it is luck. Sounds like you've found a very rare situation.
BSK
Well-Known Member
BowGuy84 said:
Last year, my best shooting opportunity occurred on a stand where my longest shooting distance--with a rifle--was 20 yards. Unfortunately, the buck I wanted stayed at 25 yards for 25 minutes!
BSK said:
That is what I suspect as well. I have found one of these spots and luckily it is on my place. I have killed many mature bucks there since I bought the property in 2003.
Headhunter
Well-Known Member
I have and always ask (when I get the opportunity to hunt somewhere I am not familiar with) where no one hunts. I usually hunt where "there are no deer or no one hunts there because no one sees deer there", especially wide open fields. You would be amazed at the nice bucks that show up and the number of deer I have killed in wide open places. I have been a believer in hunting where no one else does ever since I started deer hunting. To me that is as basic as waking up.
W.Seay
Well-Known Member
The group of "honey hole" stands form a straight line and each stand is about 100 yards apart from the other but they all are overlooking a 50 yard wide bottom with extremely thick cover on each side. They all have very very low impact access routes, which is very important!! All 3 stand sites were defacto sites 4 years ago and still produce frequent mature buck sightings! I do not go anywhere near these stands all year until rifle season!
Probably the best skill any hunter can have, when talking mature bucks, is an ability to RECOGNIZE a big, mature bucks "hang out" or travel corridor when that hunter sees it.
This may be more of an "art" then a learned or taught skill. It is almost a feeling you get as you do your scouting and learn to recognize these likely big buck spots. One of those areas where when you see it, you just KNOW.
For me, they occur at least ONCE per year. Butit is very common that the sign I am hunting, though fresh (days old), is that of a deceased buck. THis is where it can get frustrating.
More than once, I have spent time in a stand during a season, withno sightings, only to find out later, that a hunter killed a good buck on an earlier hunt in "my" area. But that is all part of the challenge.
This may be more of an "art" then a learned or taught skill. It is almost a feeling you get as you do your scouting and learn to recognize these likely big buck spots. One of those areas where when you see it, you just KNOW.
For me, they occur at least ONCE per year. Butit is very common that the sign I am hunting, though fresh (days old), is that of a deceased buck. THis is where it can get frustrating.
More than once, I have spent time in a stand during a season, withno sightings, only to find out later, that a hunter killed a good buck on an earlier hunt in "my" area. But that is all part of the challenge.
I won't hunt three stand until rut hits. It took me ten years of hunting to figure this out
Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
Bingo! Sometimes acces is the single greatest challenge to hunting those thick spots is access; it's something lots of hunters just don't consider.W.Seay said:
