Hunting Mature Bucks Thread

[Daniel75]

Just like the title says, I'd like to discuss strategy with other hunters who have been successful in chasing mature (4.5+) whitetails and have done so on a consistent basis. I hunt in an area where mature deer will not come to feeders at all so we use hand corn inside secure pens to keep the hogs out. They eat there all summer long but disappear after the first week of October when they feel the initial start of hunting pressure. They come back in December after the acorns are gone but these are smart deer who circle the feed pens before they come in and I'm needing alternate strategies.

I know in order to find mature bucks, you've got to find where they're bedding and then setup between where they're bedding and where they're feeding. Are rub lines (not individual random rubs) a true indicator of a buck's bedroom? What are other indicators besides thick patches of timber that look inaccessible? How do you scout these areas without disturbing the bucks? Do you position trail cameras over several different trails leading in and out of these areas? How important is closeness to a water source? What role does elevation play?

Feel free to show topography maps or google earth screen shots to illustrate any strategy or setups that you've used in the past to be successful. Also, please be respectful of other people's opinions even if they differ from your own so we don't get the thread whacked. Maybe we can learn from each other like The Elk Thread. I'm ready to take my game to the next level and become more successful as a hunter and there's no better source of information than other like minded people who have experienced getting it done and are willing to share their experiences, both positive and negative, so that we can learn from each other.

[TX_Hoghunter]

Let me start by saying that I hunt an area where the mature bucks will come to a feeder but only if you do it right. I have had 2 people ( both on tbh ) that left the lease because they said " John and Mannix keep all of the bucks over on their part of the lease " .....let that soak in for a minute......We are a low fence hill country lease that at the time had 8 hunters on 800 acres....Now how in the hell did we keep seeing animals including good bucks when they could not seem to find anything? Well first lets start with the fact that like you before the season everyone had at least some pictures of shooter bucks. We are a bow hunting only place that feeds protein and we have lots of animals. When My buddy and I put in a new setup we will often take a couple of hours to do it. Why? because we analyze everything. We walk the area, we identify the closest bedding area, we try to figure out the most likely place for them to travel, we know the prevailing wind, we carry a compass with use to verify the exact directions, we check the landscape to guess at what its affect on the wind will be, see if there is a way to get to and leave the stand with out blowing out the deer, we start feeding early, we feed heavy, and we feed all the way through the season. That is all of the prep work. During the season we restrict activity as much as we can. We are insane about scent control, we go to our stands early and we stay late, we do not carry any sort of a light, we make a point of getting in and out as quite as humanly possible. We never hunt a bad or marginal wind. We always walk in to our stands and no it is not a short walk. We do everything possible not to alert the deer to our presence. Now having done all of that the deer will eventually figure it out so we completely move out setups every 3 or 4 years and even when we don't move them completely we will fine tune them. Some would say this is over kill but we tend to kill the best deer on out place, we kill much more consistently, and we see way more animals that the rest of the guys. All of us have been hunting for a long time.

-john

[Razrbk89]

If I'm after a good one, I never sit in the same tree more than twice. Those big guys pattern you way faster than you can figure out what they're doing.

Scout a lot in the summer before season. Don't go in there to check your cameras every few days. Know what the deer are eating on your place and when. My best opportunities to kill a buck with my bow are early in the season when I can catch them in a feeding pattern.

[Kdog]

At the place I hunt in Texas the strategy is to keep the protein feeder full. Keep the corn feeder slinging. Have a bunch of does as regulars at the feeder. Eventually the big boys come out during daylight.

In Wisconsin there is no baiting. I am still figuring it out up there. I normally hunt the rut. As far as picking stand locations I have had the best luck setting up near scrapes and rubs. I am basically just looking for places where bucks are active. Scrapes are really easy to find up there once the leaves start to fall. I try always to consider wind direction in my approach and what stand I am hunting and where I "think" the deer will move. (they always seem to surprise me.) Trail cameras can be invaluable. I don't think you can have too many. I have come to the conclusion that blind calling does not help, I see more deer when I just sit and wait. I have had some luck grunting at deer and getting them to come closer. Only do this if it is one I want to shoot, or think is a possible shooter. It takes a lot of patience to hunt this way. Most of the time you have nothing to "look at." You have to have faith in the plan and be ready when the opportunity comes because you will have to seize it.

I have a friend who kills monster bucks somewhere in north Texas every year. He just has a tree stand and his bow. No bait/feeder. I think he is hunting one of those honey hole places, he just gets in the right place, right time.

I am far from an expert, and I think different things work in different places. What sets good hunters apart from the average is the ability to adapt. I have a ways to go, but I am getting there. That is the thing I love about hunting different places and even for different animals is gaining that experience that helps me become a better hunter. At least I hope it does!

[GarGuy]

You might want to check in on my PRESSURED DEER ARE EASY TO PATTERN thread. there is a ton of discussion along these lines. Hunting mature bucks in heavily pressured areas requires a totally different approach than just meat hunting.

[HC Sniper]

For me, I hunt hard. More than anybody else on our ranch. I am out there every chance I get. I go early and stay late. I am the first out of camp and the last one in, every time. I don't hunt a stand when the wind is wrong and I stay out of my areas unless I am filling feeders/checking cameras, and I do that when there is a high chance that no deer are present. I am fanatical about scent (showers, clothes, equipment). Last, you have to pass young bucks in order to shoot big bucks.
Not bragging, but I always see the best bucks on the ranch and I have killed 4 of the 6 best bucks ever shot on this place. The other two were shot by hunters that never even knew that buck was present. I had seen one during bow season and couldn't get but a marginal shot opportunity and the other buck I was hunting him hard at the time he was shot.

[bowtechbandit]

find the book "Moon Beams" and read it.

thank me later.

[TX_Hoghunter]

For me, I hunt hard. More than anybody else on our ranch. I am out there every chance I get. I go early and stay late. I am the first out of camp and the last one in, every time. I don't hunt a stand when the wind is wrong and I stay out of my areas unless I am filling feeders/checking cameras, and I do that when there is a high chance that no deer are present. I am fanatical about scent (showers, clothes, equipment). Last, you have to pass young bucks in order to shoot big bucks.
Not bragging, but I always see the best bucks on the ranch and I have killed 4 of the 6 best bucks ever shot on this place. The other two were shot by hunters that never even knew that buck was present. I had seen one during bow season and couldn't get but a marginal shot opportunity and the other buck I was hunting him hard at the time he was shot.

Sounds like we need to be on a lease together. Our MO reads about the same...LOL.

-john

[ethic1]

I think it all comes down to putting in the time in right situations. Put in the time setting up locating and preparing and big bucks can be killed.

[jshouse]

i think you will see a common theme among guys that kill mature deer, smart/hard hunting (hunting only when conditions are right), and smart stand setups allowing quick and quiet entry and exit. and i bet not many of them rely on ozonics or estrous scent or buck bombs either.

I didn't kill a mature buck, or even have a chance to draw on a mature buck for 2 years after i started bowhunting and I figured out that I was setting up way too deep into my property and walking too far, crossing trails, being loud, etc...I backed out a bit and can now get in quick and semi-quiet, and have killed one of the oldest bucks on the property each of the last 3 years and have plans on adding 2 more to it before this season is over, starting Saturday morning.

everyone has a buddy or knows someone that has killed a monster by blind luck, but I bet the guys that can consistently do it practice the two things I mentioned above.

[BrandonA]

The most important thing to me is putting in the time. Not only while hunting but also through out the year. I am out at the ranch almost every weekend year round. I walk around and always looking and observing. Every little bit of information is important.

[jshouse]

another thing I found out after not being able to draw on a shooter in 2013, my lease is in a huge bottom with scrub trees and brush, I wasn't able to get more than about 15ft up in a tree. and then with spacing between the trees down there, when the leaves fell I was a huge blob that was easily picked up by the deer and the one shot I had on a buck I couldn't even draw because his 2 does were staring at me the whole time.

this is also when I decided I was too far into the property so in 2014 I backed out, closer to the gate, and also went to a pop up on the ground. that year I got busted drawing twice in the same day on my #1 and #2 bucks, which in turn made me rush a shot on my #3 buck 2 days later and I missed him. frustrated I borrowed a crossbow a week later and killed that #2 buck that busted me. I felt like being on the ground was a bad idea, I was in the line of sight of the deer and felt like every move I made and every little sound was being picked up by the deer.

so, in 2015 I made a platform on top of a hay ring and put my pop up on top of it, getting me almost 5ft off the ground, and I feel like this was a game changer. I saw tons of deer all season and don't think one ever had a clue I was there. I ended up killing my #3 buck that I missed from the previous year who even though he was ancient, with all the rain was bigger than the year before.

my first sit on this place this year will be Saturday morning, the bucks are just starting to show up, and if all goes to plan, to bring this story full circle, I plan on killing that buck from 2013, who just showed back up a few weeks ago and I am super glad I didn't get to kill him back then cuz he's a hoss...

I killed my #2 buck from a tree on my other property opening day this year and although it was only a 16ft ladder stand we have it tucked up into a cedar tree that provides very good concealment.

[bowtechbandit]

something not mentioned above is you have to hunt where mature deer are. that's one thing I have learned over the years. its very difficult for the most seasoned bowhunter to kill a single mature deer if they only have one to hunt. it goes without saying, but hunting properties with multiple mature target bucks makes a huge difference, and normally the guys who kill a mature buck every year are hunting properties that hold multiple bucks in the "mature" category.

another thing I have learned, which has been touched on. I have certain trees I have killed mature bucks out of and had encounters with mature bucks. I call them kill trees. I only hunt them when the wind is right (obviously), but I also only hunt them when the time is right. temps, weather, pressure, wind, time of year, moon,... I don't want to "soil" these spots until I know the stars are aligned and I have the best chance to catch a mature deer on his feet in daylight, because I have full confidence if one is up and about, I should have an encounter with him out of said tree('s). I don't hunt these spots or areas just to go hunt them, and usually never even go in there until first couple weeks of November (depending on weather pattern). don't stink up these spots hunting, just to be hunting, even if the wind is right.

calling.. rattling, predominantly. I have a couple, what I like to call "slam dunk bullet proof" trees I like to call from. ones where it is physically impossible for a buck to circle me and get my wind. (unless he wants to swim a couple hundred yards to do it) again, its hard to call in a mature deer if there is only one in the area. but calling has proven a very productive method for me, when done in the right tree. last week in October - first week November is when I have the most luck rattling, but I only call from these "bullet proof" spots. I rattled in a mature shooter last year that was on a string coming to me, when I stood up, the zipper pull on my jacked "clanged" on the arm rest of my stand. the buck was 50 yards out, on high alert! it was a crisp calm morning. that all it took for him to not commit and come on in. he turned around and slipped right out of my life.

you have to be picky, you cannot shoot solid 3 yr olds every year if you want to kill mature deer. plain and simple.

oh, you cant forget LUCK, you have to have a little luck, like I said above, the only thing that saved the mature deer I rattled in last year, was a little small dose of bad luck.

good luck and stay after them.

[Big Sendero]

One of my go to tactics for hunting mature bucks. I leave the feeders and concentrate on natural funnels. I will hand corn one of these natural funnels about a week prior to my next hunt and set up a hang on stand. I have had good luck with this method more often than not and I typically see bucks that do not visit the feeders.

Also, a snort wheeze is deadly to big mature bucks late in the chase phase.

[Drycreek3189]

For me, I hunt hard. More than anybody else on our ranch. I am out there every chance I get. I go early and stay late. I am the first out of camp and the last one in, every time. I don't hunt a stand when the wind is wrong and I stay out of my areas unless I am filling feeders/checking cameras, and I do that when there is a high chance that no deer are present. I am fanatical about scent (showers, clothes, equipment). Last, you have to pass young bucks in order to shoot big bucks.
Not bragging, but I always see the best bucks on the ranch and I have killed 4 of the 6 best bucks ever shot on this place. The other two were shot by hunters that never even knew that buck was present. I had seen one during bow season and couldn't get but a marginal shot opportunity and the other buck I was hunting him hard at the time he was shot.

something not mentioned above is you have to hunt where mature deer are. that's one thing I have learned over the years. its very difficult for the most seasoned bowhunter to kill a single mature deer if they only have one to hunt. it goes without saying, but hunting properties with multiple mature target bucks makes a huge difference, and normally the guys who kill a mature buck every year are hunting properties that hold multiple bucks in the "mature" category.

another thing I have learned, which has been touched on. I have certain trees I have killed mature bucks out of and had encounters with mature bucks. I call them kill trees. I only hunt them when the wind is right (obviously), but I also only hunt them when the time is right. temps, weather, pressure, wind, time of year, moon,... I don't want to "soil" these spots until I know the stars are aligned and I have the best chance to catch a mature deer on his feet in daylight, because I have full confidence if one is up and about, I should have an encounter with him out of said tree('s). I don't hunt these spots or areas just to go hunt them, and usually never even go in there until first couple weeks of November (depending on weather pattern). don't stink up these spots hunting, just to be hunting, even if the wind is right.

calling.. rattling, predominantly. I have a couple, what I like to call "slam dunk bullet proof" trees I like to call from. ones where it is physically impossible for a buck to circle me and get my wind. (unless he wants to swim a couple hundred yards to do it) again, its hard to call in a mature deer if there is only one in the area. but calling has proven a very productive method for me, when done in the right tree. last week in October - first week November is when I have the most luck rattling, but I only call from these "bullet proof" spots. I rattled in a mature shooter last year that was on a string coming to me, when I stood up, the zipper pull on my jacked "clanged" on the arm rest of my stand. the buck was 50 yards out, on high alert! it was a crisp calm morning. that all it took for him to not commit and come on in. he turned around and slipped right out of my life.

you have to be picky, you cannot shoot solid 3 yr olds every year if you want to kill mature deer. plain and simple.

oh, you cant forget LUCK, you have to have a little luck, like I said above, the only thing that saved the mature deer I rattled in last year, was a little small dose of bad luck.

good luck and stay after them.

I agree with much that has been said, but I'm glad you added the "luck" factor. There is so much luck involved that we never think about. It's one thing to get a buck on a feeding pattern, but during the chase and rut phases, even the buck himself doesn't know where he will be going on any particular day. He literally is guided by his nose. Studies have proven this. You can set up in the "best" spot, but if he turns left ( following his nose ), when you needed him to turn right, you may never know he was close to you. That's why it's important to hunt where there is more than just one mature buck. Your odds go way up with multiple targets. Obviously, if you can hunt unpressured deer, your odds go up also. Even better if they are pressured on neighboring areas and not where you hunt.