What do you look for?

[Fletch]

Not too long ago we had a post that asked us as hunters to rank things as far as their importance to consistent success. Let’s turn that around a bit – how do you believe mature bucks rank certain environmental characteristics in choosing their core areas and travel routes – in other words, what do you look for first when trying to locate a bruiser, smoker, cooker, clinker, hog or whatever you call them? Such things as…

Safety/Security (ability to travel unseen or escape quickly and easily)
Food/water
Proximity to other deer
Sensory advantage (favorable winds, good visibility)
Familiarity
Isolation (away from general human activity)
Ease of travel (“path of least resistanceâ€)
Others

…And, do these change through the hunting season. I’ve heard of some hunters prioritizing these things and then using the list as a “formula†for scouting new areas (e.g. first they look for the most isolated areas, then those closest to food and water, etc.). I thought it would be interesting to hear what others believe or have observed. Besides I got the bug for October 1.

 

[alaskanwhtail]

When I'm picking a potental harvest, I really dont look in to these aspects of the hunt besides food and security. When I have chosen a ground I'm gonna stick out for I find the highest density of mature bucks in an area. If I can locate a specific buck on a late summer feeding pattern early in the season, I'm gonna hunt the hell out of it depending on pressure. For example, I'm spotlighting and see a smoker buck and a few other "shooters" in a bachlor group, Thats my first indecation that This is a potental future hunting spot for the season to come, and I will weigh out the odds such as access, pressure, doe to buck ratio, and dense cover with good forage. Hunting the rut is a totally different aspect in my book, about the only thing I look into is high density of mature bucks and of course, pressure. I hunt main funnels with alot of doe activity, I dont care whats around my surroundings. I've hunted behind junk yards abandon farms just mear feet from the structure. Location is the main factor for my success in the deer woods. For the security part, if the does are, I am, and confident.

 

[Liv4Rut]

no matter what time of year or what timber, I usually find funnels inbetween feeding and bedding areas. I don't really worry about not knowing if there is a big buck in the area or not. If you have a substantial amount of timber there is big bucks there. I just try to set up inbetween these areas so I catch glimpses of them right away and adjust my stands from there according to their movements. Other than that I just make sure I set up different stands for different winds. If deer are living there then obviously the area has everything a deer needs to call it home