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Best Strategy For A Big Buck?

corygnc

New Member
I've got 3 big bucks on one of my properties. In the past I have started hunting mid October on. These 3 bucks got me all worked up (one will go over 200")and am wondering what strategy you would use. I want to be out there first thing but don't want to educate them too much.

I was thinking of hunting the edges of the properties early with only perfect winds so I don't educate them too much and move in closer after the 15th of October into more center of property.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
 
Depends how well you them patterned. If you are seeing one regularly I would get after it right away. Who knows where tehy will be come Nov? Good Luck.
 
I would need to see the property to better assess the situation.
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Hit the edges now, but I wouldnt hunt it hard till November.
 
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I would need to see the property to better assess the situation.
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Hit the edges now, but I wouldnt hunt it hard till November.

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Also be very disciplined on the wind!!
 
"Make as much sound as possible... deer are curious by nature... also, deer love a good aroma so don't be afraid to dabble on a little extra cologne..."

Love that commercial but seriously... scout scout scout from as far away as possible. Get yourself a good spotting scope!
 
best advice is learn their patterns, look at aerial maps, set stands for certian wind directions and scout from a distance. to get close to a big one you have to know his core area. scout and then scout some more. Take all this in to account and then gather a game plan.
 
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"Make as much sound as possible... deer are curious by nature... also, deer love a good aroma so don't be afraid to dabble on a little extra cologne..."

Love that commercial but seriously... scout scout scout from as far away as possible. Get yourself a good spotting scope!

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If I were you, I'd probably get that tlambert guy to hunt it first and try and get one, then he could let you know what worked best for him.....
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You'll have to post a picture of the 200" deer before I can tell you how to hunt him.
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yea no advice from this guy before we get some pictoral proof!!!
 
Throw away a couple early hunts and set up from afar to assess the situation, if you feel one of them is reasonable patternable, wait for a good wind, slide in and kill him. I'm not big on waiting for the rut as you can tell, go after him when you know he is there.
 
I wouldn't be afraid to venture into the bucks core area with a climber once or twice during October considering that the conditions are right. In fact, I'd try to find a spot for an all day sit before mid October. You’d be surprised what you can learn being out in the woods while everyone else is at home waiting for the rut.

I don't think there is really any one set of guidelines you can use for hunting mature bucks, they all seem to be individuals and behave differently. You will need to learn as much as you can about the 200.

If you've scouted the 200, use what you know about him to your advantage and give it your best shot.
 
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Wait for a good wind, slide in and kill him. I'm not big on waiting for the rut as you can tell, go after him when you know he is there.

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Absolutely....hunt the wind and I wouldn't wait. Take a shot at killing him early. He won't need to go nocturnal if he doesn't need to. Waiting for November is a waste of a good month of hunting!! He'll be on his feet no matter what come the rut! Best wishes!
 
those new fangled high shootin power rifles oughtta take care of that rascle.....haha, i don't know it is tough to assess the situation without actually lookin it over.
 
Great Article Todd! Running and Gunning is my kind of style especially when I generally only have public ground to hunt. Deer change their patterns pretty quickly with all of the pressure.
 
From what I've found, the strategy will be based a lot on the type of property and of course, time of year/weather. In my experiences of hunting my land in regards to mature bucks, is to concentrate on the thickest areas during early October.

In early September, the bucks are very patternable. I'll watch bucks yearly, come out to the same fields every night. But once late September & early October hits, they've usually changed from their summer patterns and are in a transition phase of hiding out. And until the pre-rut/rut starts, they're movement is usually, minimal. I truley believe in creating "no-go/sanctuary" areas on a property. But I'll get closer to this core area now, than at any other time of the year. Since the ground is soft, and still plenty of green in the trees, it also is a great time to sneak in and out with much lesser chances of being detected. Take all the time & effort you can, to get in & out of the area steathly, and like always, hunt the wind and practice scent control just the same.

Even though buck sign (Scrapes, rubs, etc) is great to see and is tempting for many to place a stand over, I usually prefer placing my stands on fresh and/or heavy track sign, as the bucks visit these more often. A scrape or rub will help me choose a tree within an area, but it usually doesn't pick the area.

Once mid-late October comes around, the strategy changes again
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Good luck... I wish you the best!
 
id hunt some early, while out there educate yourself and see what you can learn.
if you see him and feel you have him better patterned, go after him, but i wont be doing any hardcore time in the stand till the third weekend of Oct. that doesn mean i wont be out, just that early part of the season is a difficult time to hunt and save my pto for later in the season......

good luck and keep us posted!!
 
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