Posted: 9/2/2007 5:26:02 AM EDT
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I have a place that hasn't been hunted in a while. So far I can tell that there are 10 different bucks. I know b/c I saw them all together a week ago. Ive been looking this property over pretty much everyday and have decide that there is a big 12 I really want to take. He is old and mature. My question is how should I go about hunting him. No feeders or deer stands on the property. Also I have to use a bow. Im thinking about setting up a mineral lick near the field I see him in but close to the game trail that is used. Any thoughts. |
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Trail Camera/Game Camera. Set it up and keep moving it until you have photos of "your" buck. Make a note of the times he's moving along that trail and find the best spot along that trail to take him. Pay attention to the typical wind direction in your set up. Bucks don't get that big by being stupid or careless. You may have to move the camera a bunch of times to find him. I'd be looking to hunt out of a tree stand. Make sure you take precautions to keep your sent down when you're scouting or tending the game camera. You don't want to find him and spook him off of his routine. You can do it. It's just a matter of how much time and effort you want to put into it. Good Luck! |
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I'd rattle and grunt very lightly early in the season and gradually pick the intensity up as the rut grows near. Do this near a heavily used deer trail and food source. If he's within ear shot and you aren't busted by scent he should come a looking. Since he's probably the dominant guy in the area he would probably come looking to see who is acting tough in his territory. I had a dominant buck come through a bush 5 yards away from me once when I was breaking/sawing dead branches out of my shooting lane near the rut one day. I'm sure he thought I was a buck rubbing on the other side of the brush he was walking by. That day reinforced what my grand-dad used to always tell me. He always swore that before the days of fancy rattling and scenting techniques all he ever used to do was rub a stick against a sapling and a buck would come see what was rubbing in his territory. |
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Must find where the largest rubs are. Then set up a ground blind using natural materials only; set it on the downwind side from where you expect him. Then, put in your time. Take notes on paper of what/when you see something. Create secondary blinds to avoid patterning yourself, and to allow for shifting wind. Waiting for future reports... |
It is my understanding that deer mostly use minerals and salt during the summer months, when they need to retain water the most. So I doubt that it would be a very effective method during the actual season. You'll definitely want to try to get him as early in the season as possible for two reasons. One, early in the season he'll still be on his summer patterns and unpressured. Two, during the rut, bucks may travel miles from where you saw them in late summer/early fall in order to breed. The 12-pointer you're looking at may not even be on that property you hunt once his hormones take hold of him. Like mentioned above, if you have access to a trail camera (or multiple ones), you can try to pattern him now before season. Just be careful with your scent. Once he finds out you're after him, the game may be over. You said 'no stands', but if you can use a climbing stand that you carry in each time, I'd highly recommend it. Getting up off the ground has the benefit of allowing you to see farther, and it keeps your scent above the buck's nose. I've only targeted one specific buck -- a nice, wide-racked 10-pointer with tall G2's. I'd jumped him from his bed in three different locations about 100 yards apart during archery season, and various people had seen him after dark in their headlights eating apples in my neighbor's yard, and one local farmer had seen him cross the road once next to my house. Another hunter found out about him, and secured permission to hunt an adjoining property in order to get a crack at him. The pressure was on me big time, but it all worked out. I put a deer slug in his chest at 60 yards one evening with a few minutes of shooting light left. He'd been bedded behind an old house near the road (which I never suspected), and came trotting up the hill from the direction of the road. He scored 152 6/8" net, and is barely my best buck to date by about 4". |
the only problem I see with finding his rubline or his scrapes is that there are 10 different bucks on about 550 acres. The property is surrounded by sub-divisions and a interstate to the north. A subdivision and game fence to the south. And subdivisions and developement to the east and west. Frankly they have no place to go. I am starting to see a few rubs but as of this morning 8 of 9 where still in velvet and grouped together. Im looking for a way to attract him but in a small way. |
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you'll have to spend some time scouting maybe he has a prefered bedding/feeding area. Does the property have a creek/pond or water supply? I don't know if any of the fancy bagged foods or lures work. You could try some by a trail cam or your stand and see if any deer hit them. Closer to the rut you may be able to rattle him in, also he will be moving more. Beginning of rut will probably be your best chance at him. One thing for sure the more your in the field the better your odds of getting him are. |
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I would be very cautious as to how much scouting you do. You do not want him to realize you are in his woods all the time. Sneak in and then sneak out. When the season starts move around and I would put my stand up over trails that lead into the field you see him in commonly. Move your stand often. If you have a fixed type stand it will be real difficult for him not to bust you out. You might luck out and catch him near a water source. I would try putting stand up near creeks, river, pond, etc. if you see some trails that lead away from the field toward the water source. I caught a buck going to a dried up creek bed with a puddle in it 2 years ago. And it was just 20-30mins before sundown! So be ready! Good Luck! |
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Get on his pattern and try to take him early. Do not hunt or go even remotely close to his area unless the conditions are perfect. If he catches wind or has an idea that you're invading on him you don't have a chance unless you just get lucky. Also, and I'd say this is the biggest thing, do not shoot anything other than him if he is truly the one you want. A couple years ago I had the same idea you had. I had a humongous droptine buck patterned in early season and he is the one I wanted. I hunted hard all during early archery and gun season with only seeing him one time. On the second weekend of shotgun season, I ended up taking a nice 4 1/2 year old eight pointer that scored in the 140s. It was a nice deer, but it wasn't the one. A couple weeks later during muzzleloader season I went out on a hunt to try taking a doe for the freezer. Wouldn't you know that just before dark, out walked the buck I had seen during early season. He was rundown from the rut and was very interested in the cornfield I was overlooking. By dark, there were eleven deer on the field in front of me. Him, two smaller bucks, and the rest were does. Imagine how I felt knowing that I watched him within range for over 45 minutes of shooting light with no buck tag. It was not all bad, however. Right then and there I realized there was so much more to hunting than the kill, which is something I failed to notice within my first 15 years of deer hunting. That is one of my most memorable hunts to date, and I never pulled the trigger. As darkness fell on the season, I can remember one instance where he looked to my direction (I was on the ground in a fencerow) and seemed to stare into my eyes for what seemed like an eternity but was probably only 15-20 seconds. It was as if he was saying, "better luck next year." He was never seen again, and I can't help but think he must have died that winter from old age. |