For me, it was when I stopped shooting anything that walked within range, especially doe, and developed patience,.....waiting for a buck. I learned that the doe are the best attractant for bucks during the rut than anything else I could buy or do in the woods.
I hunt an avg of 200 hrs w/bow, another 40 w/gun, and maybe 10 w/ML. In the last few years, I've been lucky enough to shoot 4 out of 5 bucks with 19"+ inside spreads, and one huge racked buck that I misfired on with my ML. 3 rifle, 1 bow. The 5th was a dink with shotgun that was already gut shot by another guy.
I don't even get excited about dink bucks anymore, but still get ready for a shot if Mr. Big is trailing along. I passed two 8's this past season, that anyone but a few, on this site most likely would've shot.
For me, if I see a buck and say WOW without thinking, It's one that I will try to shoot.
As far as does, I shoot'em when I can, I like venison. I don't worry about whether there's a buck in the area. Obviously, if a buck is with a doe I'll evaluate. But even a small buck trailing, I'll shoot the doe. Just makes the big ones cruise more looking....maybe. I only shoot one or two does a year, I'm in zone 5.
And I rarely use game cams, but I have and they are great tools, if nothing more than to capture a good buck and help you make the decision to pass the dinks. I've never seen a buck on cam, then see it again while hunting.
My best location, where I've taken and seen the most bucks, is the southeast side of a hilltop. As a tip, I would say it is important to use calls.
I'm also interested in what other say about this. However, I do not hunt for antlers.
Also, hunt a funnel this time of year. Play the topography/sign and set up. Catch those bucks cruising from one area to the next and you'll kill a buck. It's not very complicated.
Hunt topography and not buck sign for bucks during the rut. Sign only shows where a deer has been (maybe at night), not where he is going to be during the day.
Hunting higher on ridges is better than lower in swamps.
Don't be a afraid to call a deer you see (especially doe bleat can) any time of year.
Hunt topography and not buck sign for bucks during the rut. Sign only shows where a deer has been (maybe at night), not where he is going to be during the day.
Hunting higher on ridges is better than lower in swamps.
Don't be a afraid to call a deer you see (especially doe bleat can) any time of year.
Hunt for your own personal reasons, honor the game, respect the land (and the landowner), and other hunters, be ethical. Give back, introduce a new hunter to this thing we all love so much. When you get so caught up in the inches of bone that you lose sight of what makes bowhunting so special, then you've gone over the edge.
I think if you stop pressing, and don't overthink it, you become a better hunter.
If you are doing it right, some of your best hunts don't include a kill, or sometimes even seeing a deer.
BBBob, it's clear that you know what I'm talking about, you do all these things well.
When I left my best spots for the rut, my success on older bucks 3 years and older increased substantially.
If finding time to hunt is an issue, save all your time for those 30 days with the colder days being the best.
Midday hunts are great for Mature bucks during this time, even though you might not see many,when you do they seem to be the mature ones.
Real early season can be great while bucks are still in bachelor groups if you can pattern them.
1.) Areas where you have seen bucks seem to almost always have buck use unless someone starts hunting it really lamely or other human pressure changes the area.
2.) Hunting does all November will ultimately put a rack buck in front of you if you put in lots of time.
3.) Passing deer does lead to seeing / shooting bigger bucks. I suck at this because those dang deer taste so darn good!
4.) Hemlocks, water, and swamps. I dont know why, but any times swampy terrain, hemlocks and or brooks/streams come together I feel like I bump into more and more buck activity or bucks.
I love a lot of the points here and I'm going to take em to heart in the fall - hoping to break my "they taste good" mentality a little this fall :)
