Key attributes of a successful “trophy” hunter

[Roost 1]

I don't want to downplay the validity of some who are regularly successful through dedication and many long, hard hours in the stand. That is definitely one way to success. As the old saying goes, you can't kill them from your couch.

That said, I don't want aspiring trophy hunters to think that is the ONLY way to success. I know some very successful trophy hunters that don't hunt hard at all. How? They don't have to. They have it figured out. Through meticulous observation they understand the types of habitat and terrain mature bucks prefer. With satellite images and topo maps they can analyze a large area, and pick out the "high odds" locations for mature bucks. A day of boot leather can confirm which potential locations are displaying the right sign. Then, and this is key, they stay out of the area until they see the right combinations of rut timing and weather coming together. And if they kill the buck they're after, it will be during the first 3 or 4 times they hunt him.

This doesn't mean these type of successful trophy hunters don't spend time and effort on being successful, but the vast majority of that effort is spent out of the stand, pre-season and post-season scouting (especially post-season). They often spend a life-time of off-seasons analyzing notes and "putting it all together."

I know guys like the ones you mention, they are usually good at whatever they do. Attention to detail and patience usually equals success. It's definitely not about spending every hour you can in a stand. Some guys just know exactly when to be there. Hunt smarter not harder. Like mentioned above, things click for some faster than others. Some never get it.

 

[muddyboots]

On my lease. It's usually the guy that hunts the hardest. By hardest I mean he hunts the right spots at the right time the most hours.
That is totally confusing statement. Lol.

on my lease there is 3 areas where 90 per cent of the mature bucks come from. Anybody can hunt these areas. But it's knowing when to hunt them and identifying prime time and then spending however long it takes to see a mature buck.
The same guys kill the mature bucks every year. I've been on this same lease for 25 years.

 

[TheLBLman]

I'm in BSKs opinion group... the most consistent successful whitetail hunters have complete understanding of deer behavior and biology. Especially why certain areas are more frequented ny mature bucks, and how they travel from those areas to other areas to feed or look for does.

The checklist they go through in picking a spot is almost subconscious. To others, it appears they are overanalyzing. But to them, their 'gut' feeling is a culmination of fundamentally being able to think like a mature whitetail buck.

Some people are lucky and it comes easy... for others, it takes decades to get there. Most never get it though, they just don't care about the 'why' when it comes to whitetail behavior... they just want to enjoy the hunt and have a good time (nothing at all wrong with that)

Good summary.

I think the number 1 key may be DESIRE to only target fully mature bucks, to the point of actually ENJOYING passing up younger bucks, followed by great PATIENCE.

That great PATIENCE is often WAITING to only hunt certain "spots" when the timing and conditions are most ideal.

As much as I love to hunt mornings over afternoons (generally speaking) post-rut, I often force myself to not step afield before mid-morning, when the wind starts rattling the beech leaves, then carefully stalk a spot at which I'll take a stand mid-day, until dark-thirty, stalking out, much like I stalked in.

Late season in particular, mature bucks will often "bed" at night in the middle of a field. Often impossible to successfully morning hunt fields, and, morning hunting them often makes the older deer more nocturnal, i.e. they become less likely to enter those fields in the afternoons before dark. Also, those deer bedded in fields will often remain bedded there until it gets light, then only move a few yards off the fields, often making post-rut hunting of older deer particularly challenging.

 

[jag1]

Late season in particular, mature bucks will often "bed" at night in the middle of a field.

That's very interesting to me. The buck the young man shot yesterday afternoon came into the field with minutes of shooting light left and bedded down. Was very odd to me and NOT what I was expecting. I'm not saying he was a mature deer although he was certainly large bodied deer.

 

[Roost 1]

Good summary.

I think the number 1 key may be DESIRE to only target fully mature bucks, to the point of actually ENJOYING passing up younger bucks, followed by great PATIENCE.

That great PATIENCE is often WAITING to only hunt certain "spots" when the timing and conditions are most ideal.

As much as I love to hunt mornings over afternoons (generally speaking) post-rut, I often force myself to not step afield before mid-morning, when the wind starts rattling the beech leaves, then carefully stalk a spot at which I'll take a stand mid-day, until dark-thirty, stalking out, much like I stalked in.

Late season in particular, mature bucks will often "bed" at night in the middle of a field. Often impossible to successfully morning hunt fields, and, morning hunting them often makes the older deer more nocturnal, i.e. they become less likely to enter those fields in the afternoons before dark. Also, those deer bedded in fields will often remain bedded there until it gets light, then only move a few yards off the fields, often making post-rut hunting of older deer particularly challenging.

A lot of very good info here for guys that hunt fields.... I never set foot in my bottom in the mornings. Only hunt there in the evenings.

 

[BSK]

That great PATIENCE is often WAITING to only hunt certain "spots" when the timing and conditions are most ideal.

GREAT comment Wes. Absolutely true.

 

[Spurhunter]

From what I have witnessed, it is not the hunters who hunt the most. It is the hunters who spend the most effort studying deer behavior all year-round. They run trail-cameras and experiment with camera placement. They pour over maps and create maps of the sign they have found. They spend a huge amount of time and thought into figuring out how deer move across the landscape, and how older bucks often use terrain and habitat differently than does and younger bucks.

IMO you are 100% correct. I am a perfect example. I work 4 tens. I have a lot of vacation. My kids are grown. I'm single. I absolutely LOVE to hunt. I spend more time in the stand than most anybody I know. I hunt a 300 acre river bottom thicket that holds plenty of mature bucks. But, I can't kill them. I hunt TN until it closes, then I hunt MS until Jan 31, then I fish and get ready for turkey season. After turkey season I fish and play golf until October. I have too many hobbies that I enjoy to spend all year focusing on one. And I don't have that intuition or "luck". On the other hand, I have a buddy that hunts 20% of the time I do, and he always kills mature bucks. He has been doing it for the 25 years I've known him. He just knows "the secret". He barely runs cameras, if at all, which is surprising because he always knows where to be and when to be there. He is either the luckiest SOB to ever climb a tree, or he has incredible intuition. I believe it's the latter. There are also guys that consistently kill mature bucks by living deer hunting 12 months a year. As you mention, they are in the woods the day after season closes scouting for next year, mapping, moving stands, etc. To kill mature bucks regularly, I think you have to be the 12 month guy, have incredible intuition, or be incredibly lucky.

 

[beefydeer]

That great PATIENCE is often WAITING to only hunt certain "spots" when the timing and conditions are most ideal.

I agree with this as well, but when someone works 5 or 6 days a week and only can hunt once or twice a week, they have to hunt when they can no matter the conditions. That being said, I know they can still use the wind and other conditions to their advantage. This is when I believe trail camera scouting is really helpful since time afield is limited.

 

[Ahuntin1]

A trophy hunter will not let an excuse keep him from hunting his trophy. The biggest excuse I see on here is access to land where there are trophy deer. Gaining access to land with trophy deer is another part of the hunt. Whether it is hunting hard on public land, running cameras on several low quality places looking for a trophy or even changing things in his life to put him in a better position financially to pay to hunt somewhere better.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

What a great thread. Love all the comments. I agree with most all things posted here.

A few things stand out to me with the successful hunters. They put in the time after the season is over year after year - they know how to read the sign, where the most opportunistic position would be located and how to enter and exit it. They have an ability to decipher all of the information and piece it together. They are able to know when to be there and when not to be there (phase of the season) - also which conditions will allow and not allow them to be there. They are able to see the details others can not see or understand. Things stand out to them that are mostly overlooked by others. They aren't just putting boot leather down - they are intrigued by every little detail and always ask why?

The hunters that aren't as successful don't have ill-will towards the hunter in the club that has success. They just don't understand how a person can have so much luck. At the same time, that successful hunter is obsessed with it. It is all they think about and is never satisfied. Even in a homogeneous landscape of hardwoods, they know how mature deer use the landscape - how they travel, how and where they are likely to bed. Not necessarily a "bedroom", but the favorable positioning of a bed that favor the deer with sight, sound and smell - Many of these have excellent escape routes. Can most hunters find the beds? If they do, do they kneel down in it and look around? Ask themselves.....What can he see? What wind direction is it? What can he hear? Is the bed in a wind tunnel? Do most hunters know what a wind tunnel is? Not only looking off in the distance at most of that stuff, but immediately surrounding that area within several feet. Why did he choose this?

In a nutshell, most hunters won't put in the time to scout as much as they need to. That scouting isn't necessarily to kill a deer, but to accumulate deer behavior knowledge over time. Those successful hunters are able to think like the deer and sometimes predict movements. Do most hunters really, REALLY understand what they are looking at and know at least a little biology on these animals?

 

[philsanchez76]

That scouting isn't necessarily to kill a deer, but to accumulate deer behavior knowledge over time.

Nailed it ^^^^^

 

[PinchPoint]

Mental toughness and adaptability

 

[redblood]

Access and time to hunt if your goal is to kill mature deer. Deer hunting, unlike some other hunting, doesnt take alot of skill or marksmanship in my opinion

 

[Bone Collector]

I really have nothing to add to the list of attributes mentioned and agree with all of them so far. My opinion though, and I get bashed for this sometimes, is that some people have access to good land and enough of it that there may be a few bucks that make the bulk of their core area on it. IMO the most important aspect is bedding on or very close to the land.

If you have the right land, can be patient, and practice trigger restraint, you can kill a mature buck yearly IMO. If you do not have the right land or have to hunt high pressure public land your odds diminish.

I've always felt that a lot of people we consider "great hunters" are more or less great land managers with access to a good amount of good land.

 

[redblood]

Its all about access and the time to hunt in private. Skill comes in on public where the playing field is more level.

 

[TN Larry]

Access is definitely a factor, however, I think the question was what attributes makes someone more successful with a level playing field whether pressured public land or highly managed private ground. If you send 5 hunters into the same area over time, there will be one or two more successful year after year than the others generically speaking.

For me, my success went up when learning how to read the terrain and how a buck will travel it. It is also learning when to move in to hunt an area as well. I only hunt some of my better places one to three times a year and stay out of the best places until the time is right. Pre season and in season scouting, laing down shoe leather as I call it, has helped tremendously as well.

I do know that post season scouting looking for more places and clues would help me, however, I have too many other hobbies. I have thought about doing some post season scouting, but winter time smallmouth is calling.

 

[tnanh]

I have six shoulder mounts and 4 skull mounts that most would consider trophies in Tennessee. Since I have gotten older, the trophies don't mean as much and I don't shoot small bucks. I have passed on bucks for the last three years. I really believe QDM and trophy hunting is hurting deer hunting. It is way more about the thrill of the hunt and having a good time. If it excites you and makes you happy that is all that matters. I am no better hunter than anyone else because I have killed big deer. In my opinion, DA is probably the best deer hunter on this site and he rarely kills a trophy that I have seen but seams to have a really good time hunting and I have never had the pleasure to meet him. Just my opinion. No dig intended at anyone.

 

[BSK]

Access is definitely a factor, however, I think the question was what attributes makes someone more successful with a level playing field whether pressured public land or highly managed private ground. If you send 5 hunters into the same area over time, there will be one or two more successful year after year than the others generically speaking.

Exactly. Why is it that just a small minority of hunters on the same managed land are almost always successful, while most hunters on the same land are rarely successful? It isn't treestand time. It's knowledge of their specific quarry (mature bucks).

And to add, I'm not defining "trophy" by antler score. I define trophy by age. a 120-class 5 1/2 year-old buck is going to be much harder to kill than a 150-class 3 1/2 year-old.

 

[BSK]

I really believe QDM and trophy hunting is hurting deer hunting. It is way more about the thrill of the hunt and having a good time.

Surprisingly tnanh, I tend to agree with you. It all comes down to how each is being practiced and why. QDM can be practiced at many levels, and in my opinion, some take it too far, to the point the hunting isn't fun anymore.

As originally designed, QDM only advocated passing up yearling bucks and some 2 1/2 year-olds. My personal hunting property is family property where we hunt for fun. And those are the buck harvest rules we follow. Any 2 1/2 year-old or older buck is a "shooter," but about half the hunters will pass them up for something older. Still, a good percentage of all bucks shot over the years have been 2 1/2. Hunters are happy and having fun. And we aren't reducing the number of mature bucks by much; just a few percentage points of the total buck population compared to the seriously managed clubs. We still have mature bucks and occasionally shoot them. Personally, I would never want to hunt those properties that are "mature buck only." To me, that wouldn't be fun. But to each, their own.

 

[tnanh]

Surprisingly tnanh, I tend to agree with you. It all comes down to how each is being practiced and why. QDM can be practiced at many levels, and in my opinion, some take it too far, to the point the hunting isn't fun anymore.

As originally designed, QDM only advocated passing up yearling bucks and some 2 1/2 year-olds. My personal hunting property is family property where we hunt for fun. And those are the buck harvest rules we follow. Any 2 1/2 year-old or older buck is a "shooter," but about half the hunters will pass them up for something older. Still, a good percentage of all bucks shot over the years have been 2 1/2. Hunters are happy and having fun. And we aren't reducing the number of mature bucks by much; just a few percentage points of the total buck population compared to the seriously managed clubs. We still have mature bucks and occasionally shoot them. Personally, I would never want to hunt those properties that are "mature buck only." To me, that wouldn't be fun. But to each, their own.

It doesn't surprise me you agree to some extent. I agree with the to each their own part also. Just to put things in perspective, I have owned my own 101 acres for three deer seasons. it has only been hunted by myself, my two adult sons and my adult nephew. We have only killed three does on it so far. We have all seen decent bucks but have chosen not to shoot one. I tell them don't shoot a little buck but if you see one that makes you happy, shoot it, I wont be mad. Next year I may break the ice but so far I have been happy letting them walk. I am 57 and I have as much fun taking it less seriously and hanging out than I did when I was younger and hunting whenever I could no matter the weather or any other tough situation. Guess I just got old and lazy. Trophy restrictions is just one of the reasons a lot of people quit hunting imo. There are all kinds of stresses in life that hunting shouldn't be one of them. Its one of those things we do to have fun and escape the stress. Sorry if I have stepped on this thread.