The old bucks here, I hunt, do not live, or feed during the daylightanywhere or act anything like the does and young bucks, period. They onlymingle with the doe familygroups for rutting purposes.

So for about 10.5 months out of the year, they are living in solitary confinement and the like it that way.They tolerate very little. They've learned, yes "learned" to associate various stimuli with danger and to survivethey react accordingly.

We hunters imoreally don't give mature bucks the credit they are do. Humans are only part of the "pressure" equation here. Predators, bad a$$ killing machines like wolves and mountain lions condition the deer and elk to be on guard, 24/7. Oh yeah coyotes and bears pitch in too. 2 months of rifle season right through the deer rut for elk and deer get guys stomping around in the woods everywhere, not to mention two additional months of archery. Old bucks learn to avoid these obstacles.

I dont hunt doe family groups (bed tofeed routes)until the last week of Oct.. at the earliest. As a matter of fact I hang very closeto outskirts of a bucks core area up untilthe first week of Nov. I try to catch him exiting or entering the area that last week of Oct or first week of Nov..he by then is beginning to lay his ground work out for the rut, he still wont leave his bed much before dark....here anyway....

The problem here in early seasonis a buck has feed in all directions for miles and he has the sameamount of cover.Forestland hunting.So pattering a buck is very difficult. Even if you get him using a certain place for feeding he's bound to switch it up day to day... he has to or every predator in the woods would have him pegged. He'd be wolf bait....

Core areas are big.. 100, 200, 300, 400 acres.. even a section or more at times .. and thats just his core bedding area. His rutting area may encompass 10-15 miles. Doe familiesare spread out hereand too theycan move and feed in any direction at any time. NO centeralized food sources.

I hunt and may go days without seeing "a" deer. Sure I glass the same does in the bottoms and near ag crops or the same young bucks day after day after day..but the big boys get it figured out and use elevation and rugged terrain to keep a zone of space between them and any potential intruder. Its a chess game and more often than not, I get slightly detected and buck skirts me or waits me out till dark...

If you want to kill big mature bucks here, you have to think like they behave, not like the younger bucks or doe familys behave. Then you have to get in and out without them knowing or your wasting your time.

Everything GregH, Motown said, I agree with 100% and much more of what the many others said.. to much to list..

but the last thing I would do here is hunt the does except from after week 1 of Nov till Dec 1 ... also when I do switch to doe travel routes.. I have not spooked a one of them.. they are still doing thier normal thing..