What do YOU consider a better than average "success rate" when considering hunting for "mature" bucks?
Here's your chance to show us yours.
How many years have you been hunting (total.....not just 'hunting mature bucks').....and what's your count (# killed)for "mature" bucks? I understand this isn't everyone's bag.....in that they don't go out at the beginning of the year targeting a specific age of animal. I also realize that few would likely pass on a mature buck.
Just wondering what it takes if you consider yourself a "successful" mature buck hunter.
I would have to consider myself an unsuccessful mature buck hunter!
I"™ve gotten some nice bucks in my time, but not any big daddy"™s. I"™ve only ever seen two monsters in the woods while hunting.
The first I only saw once and elected to not take a shot, since I didn"™t have a good one, he was across the property line, would have been illegal and my son was with me"¦
The second was this year. I saw him four times and never got a shot at him.
I"™ve been hunting for probably 20 years, but only seriously for about five or six.
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Member of team Headhunters and founder of the INAP (Insane Naked Ape Posse"¦)
Down here, hunting on your typical ground, killing a mature buck every few years is a good average.
I've gone manyaeasons without seeinga mature deer, like this year, zero mature buck sightings.
On the ground I hunt, you typically get an opportunity every 3-5 years at a mature buck.
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" If he smells you its over. If he gets in your wind stream its over, If he smells where you walked, he probably aint coming back... Your talking about an animal that can smell a fingerprint. Any amount over 0% is to much." Dan Infalt
I do not know what I should consider a mature deer here. Never had one aged. Going by rack size only, I would say I have killed 2 bucks over 5 yrs old. Taxi told me that one was maybe 7 and the other one 5 1/2. I have taken several bucks in the 2 -3.5 year range I suppose, but not for sure. I can't really say that Im successful, Maybe a mature deer in Va is 5 or 6 yrs old. In that case Ive only killed 2, so I wouldn't consider that successful after 20 yrs of hunting. My 2 cents!!
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The ability to get close to game remains the essence of all bowhunting today.
In 12 seasons of hunting I have taken 4 that were definetly 3.5+ years old with the oldest being guessed around 7.5 (yes, this was in PA) and one that was believed to be either a really good 2.5 or a average 3.5.
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"No diggity, no doubt"
How long have you been deer hunting....and how many of your mature buck kills were due to multiple tags/states? Also..and I see someone's already posted gun kills (which is cool!).....but how many with the bow?
It could make a difference....(EX- PA onlyallows you one buck tag (as I'm sure other states do, as well).
So DC....if my math's correct.....you're thinking a success rate of about .266 is "good"? (every 3 years is .333 and every 5 yrs is .200)
The best of the best will kill a mature deer every year.... But, your above average, good hunters will kill every 3 years or so.
We just dont have a ton of mature bucks in MS. We have 71 days of firearm season(including muzzleloader) that span all phases of the rut. The bucks just never have a chance....
On one new property I have that is 400 acres, I've had 4 cameras on it for 6 months with only 2 mature bucks captured.
Thats pretty indicative of your average, typical hunting ground.
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" If he smells you its over. If he gets in your wind stream its over, If he smells where you walked, he probably aint coming back... Your talking about an animal that can smell a fingerprint. Any amount over 0% is to much." Dan Infalt
Luckily, those misses and losses were in my early years.... I've killed 3 mature deer since 2001. None of them are huge, but they were 3.5 and older.
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" If he smells you its over. If he gets in your wind stream its over, If he smells where you walked, he probably aint coming back... Your talking about an animal that can smell a fingerprint. Any amount over 0% is to much." Dan Infalt
"Success rate" on "mature" bucks
