Headhunter
Well-Known Member
Most of the mature bucks I have ever killed, I killed after hunting the same stand, approaching in the same manner, after not only several days in a row, but sometimes many days in a row, whenever possible, I hunted morning and evening, 2 hunts per day. I do have more confidence the first time I hunt any stand, especially in a good area or where I know a buck I want is nearby, but I believe in never give up. It depends on location, time of the season, and what I am or I am not seeing, but sometimes I hunt a different spot every time I go, and sometimes I hunt one stand and nothing else. It has paid off more times than not hunting the same spot til the deer I want shows up. I still to many overthink deer hunting or think they know better than the deer what the deer is or isn't going to do.
IMO, if you kill deer, any deer, they get educated quickly. To me does get educated just a quickly as bucks, and if you shoot only does (the places I have helped cull does, we did our best to shoot ONLY mature does, which meant waiting for a family group to walk out and shoot the largest doe) the first couple hunts we stacked up the mature does. After a couple weeks, mommas were hard to find and bucks, even mature ones, would stand and look at you as if to say hey, what's up? They wouldn't run or spook much at all. Does were almost impossible to see much less kill, and I have seen this on several different places. I can tell you the buck sightings and killings increased dramatically after reducing the doe population. It did seem to be a short rut, but what rut there was, was off the chart. I never attempted to or killed a buck on any of these places, I was the momma doe killer. It sure was fun watching the bucks act completely stupid. The biggest bucks still though could be so hard to see. One particular buck on one farm, easy 170 class 9 pointer, on camera and video, was only seen alive once, the hunter passed him up, first day and watched him chase does for over an hour. Only time he was seen alive.
If we believe does need to be killed, we kill them, mature does, preferably mommas and we kill them anytime we can. I have never seen any difference in shooting or not shooting does when it comes to seeing mature bucks. Well, if there are to many does, then killing mature does, especially early in the season, seems to help way more than it hurts when it comes to seeing mature bucks. All of my opinions, thoughts, etc. come from hunting. If I had been a really good hunter and killer, I would have bunch more deer on the wall or in the skull pile, I hate to think about how many good opportunities, meaning chances to kill not just see a buck I wanted to kill, I have blown that I got those chances through pure determination and staying in the woods, for whatever reason, moving at the wrong time, not making a good shot, passing up the buck because I wasn't sure it was the buck I wanted when it was, etc.
IMO, if you kill deer, any deer, they get educated quickly. To me does get educated just a quickly as bucks, and if you shoot only does (the places I have helped cull does, we did our best to shoot ONLY mature does, which meant waiting for a family group to walk out and shoot the largest doe) the first couple hunts we stacked up the mature does. After a couple weeks, mommas were hard to find and bucks, even mature ones, would stand and look at you as if to say hey, what's up? They wouldn't run or spook much at all. Does were almost impossible to see much less kill, and I have seen this on several different places. I can tell you the buck sightings and killings increased dramatically after reducing the doe population. It did seem to be a short rut, but what rut there was, was off the chart. I never attempted to or killed a buck on any of these places, I was the momma doe killer. It sure was fun watching the bucks act completely stupid. The biggest bucks still though could be so hard to see. One particular buck on one farm, easy 170 class 9 pointer, on camera and video, was only seen alive once, the hunter passed him up, first day and watched him chase does for over an hour. Only time he was seen alive.
If we believe does need to be killed, we kill them, mature does, preferably mommas and we kill them anytime we can. I have never seen any difference in shooting or not shooting does when it comes to seeing mature bucks. Well, if there are to many does, then killing mature does, especially early in the season, seems to help way more than it hurts when it comes to seeing mature bucks. All of my opinions, thoughts, etc. come from hunting. If I had been a really good hunter and killer, I would have bunch more deer on the wall or in the skull pile, I hate to think about how many good opportunities, meaning chances to kill not just see a buck I wanted to kill, I have blown that I got those chances through pure determination and staying in the woods, for whatever reason, moving at the wrong time, not making a good shot, passing up the buck because I wasn't sure it was the buck I wanted when it was, etc.