Keith Richards is a Loner

[SCOFFIN]

Ok, so the buck I'm after this season seems to be a loner. All the trail camera pictures and videos I have of him, he is never with another deer or following another deer. He is on public land and since my first daylight images of him in over 2 years, he has evidently gone nocturnal. I got two different video's of him on the same camera on Saturday. 6:30pm and 2am.

I haven't seen much rutting activity in my area. I've seen on camera a couple follow and a couple chase scenes from younger bucks, but Keith doesn't seem to be in that mode yet.

He definitely is the biggest buck in the area, but I'm wondering if he is not the dominate buck in the area. I think he is one of those older bucks that doesn't thrown down much around the rut and just does his own thing.

I got set up in his bedroom tonight and the two trails he is using are 20 and 30 yard shots from where my camera has been seeing him.

Any suggestions for helping get this guy on his feet during the day? Or am I just going to have to wait him out and hope some hot doe just happens to get his attention and just happens to come by my stand. I really don't think rattling will get him motivated. I think a just sit and be quiet tactic is what he needs, but that's pretty boring. :grin:

Any ideas????

 

[LYON]

If he's not a fighter you are probably right that rattling won't bring him out of his bedroom. Would a giant estrous circle all the way around his bedroom do it? Make sure your scent is good, get set up at your stand and pull a drag rag all the way around the bedding area giving it maybe a 100 yard buffer? That way if he leaves or returns he will have to cross that line and will hopefully decide to follow it? I don't know but its a thought.

 

[Liv4Rut]

Personally I do not believe in Nocturnal deer. They all move during daylight. Just where and how much is the question. I do believe in nocturnal deer in certain areas. Like our farm for instance. We get a lot of nice bucks during the night time hours but during the day not many due to lack of cover. Our farm is the food, the neighboring farms has all the cover. If we could hunt there we would be seeing them during the day.

I bet your not quite in his day time range. Press in deeper in the morning or early afternoon. You will find him.