Very interesting topic, one i have been thinking about alot this year. This summer while scouting, my buddy and i saw a number of very nice bucks, shooters to us, about 5-7 per night. Where they are now is anyones guess. We have talked for hours about it and still dont know for sure. We have seen bucks, my buddy took a decent 8 point and seen some other small ones. I passed on a decent 8 point, saw a couple of small 6's, but its been slow as of now. I have been seeing alot of does every time out though, which imo is a good thing. Sooner or later those does will bring a buck in with them.

I would have to believe that you are doing things right if you are seeing does consistantly. Bucks are a different breed but they arent impossible to find.One major problem can be your buck to doe ration, with the ratio way out of wack, bucks simply dont have to move at all and can have a VERY small home core area. If they dont move, you dont see them. Shoot ALOT of does, you can always find someone to take the meat.

I would also highly recommend putting your trail camera out ASAP. I hunt primarily 2 properties. Last year the one was loaded with deer and the other wasnt. Needless to say, i hunted the better property more often and took my best buck off of it. Due to that i started hunting that property more often this year, but after putting my camera out, and comparing that to what i have been seeing with my own eyes, the other property is better at this point in the season. Use it to maximize your time spent in the woods.

Another thing to think about which not alot of people touched on was why those deer felt safe in that one area and not in other areas that seem similiar. Honestly i have no idea why they would feel safer in that one area without looking at it, and even then i wouldnt know the answer probably, but the fact of the matter is that they do. One method that is effective is using a observation stand. Go out and hunt in a spot you think will be good, take notes on what you see and make moves based on it. Dont be afraid to move and get your stand where it needs to be.

Last thing that i found that helps is i keep a journal of every hunt i hunt. I keep locations, stands hunted, barometer, weather conditions, wind, time of year, deer seen and anything else that may be a factor. It might not mean much at that time, but i have found that when you go back and look at the journal as the season progresses, patterns evolve and it can possibly put you on a buck in the future.

Good luck with those bucks and dont forget, what seperates a greats from the average joes in anything in life is the attention to detail. Give it time and it will happen.