ORIGINAL: Hoytail Hunter
ORIGINAL: wahoohunter
Another blog excerpt
http://morethanapursuit.blogspot.com/
Chase Phase: To quote Dickie V, “It’s primetime with a capital A!” Boy is it ever; the chase phase is by far my favorite time not only to hunt. Bucks are all jacked up on testosterone and are bouncing from doe group to group looking for an estrous doe. This is your best chance to tag a mature buck. This is your best chance to dupe Mr. Big as he has one thing and one thing only on his mind, estrous does.
So, what are the best call, decoy and scent for hunting the chase phase? None of the above, that’s right, hunts the does. Big bucks are hunting does this time of year and, while it’s a simple concept, Damin and I are too. I have always said that the best lure for a mature buck is a mature doe. Damin and I hunt primary food sources this time of year as this is where we will have the best chance of seeing does. In fact, many times we hunt certain doe groups or families, as we know their tendencies and habits and know that eventually they will tempt in a big buck. Still, mature deer didn’t get old and big by being dumb. While it may seem that bucks are running around with no care in the world, this is actually not the case. Mature bucks use the knowledge they learned of their doe groups during the seek phase and apply this to their ‘hunting’, for does. Damin and I study, apply and utilize the topographical features of our property during this time. The scouting that took place during the shedding season allows us to hang stands in transition zones and funnels, hoping to catch a buck travel from doe bedding area to doe feeding area or vice versa. It is also during this time when we hunt the most aggressive.
Hunting over buck decoys, mixed with aggressive rattling and calling work best during the chase phase. Combining estrous doe bleats with tending grunts works especially well now, as it simulates a buck tending a hot doe and this catching the attention of every buck in the vicinity. Quick summary: This is when deer hunting is at its best. We hunt hard, but smart at the same time. We are hunting doe concentrated areas, utilizing topographic features and become very aggressive with our calling because it is prime time baby!
Alright, I know this is an excerpt but in the same paragraph about the chase phase, the author contradicted himself. What am I missing or don't understand here? Look at the red/blue highlights.
I believe what the author (me) was trying to say is that yes, hunting does during the chase phase have been me and my brothers most succesful 'strategy', if you will. Still, we are not going to limit ourselves to just one tactic I guess is what I am trying to say.
For example, last year I was hunting an extremely predictable group of does during the chase phase and was certain at some point throughout the morning a mature buck would come check them out as they stayed in a hickory flat ALL morning. Well sure shootin, about 10 here comes a 130" 8 point. Hunting the does ultimately lead me to the encounter of the buck.
However, had the does winded me, went to bed early or just abanonded their pattern I would have gotten aggressive (I was not going to do any calling or rattling with does in my presence, again the best strategy for the chase phase is to find the does and keep them there, or at best dont spook them away) and chances, with the big buck being within the vicinity, would have responded.
So I guess what I am trying to say is to not limit yourself to one tactic for each phase. The above story is a perfect example. I hunted the does hoping to catch a big buck, and I did (I didn't get a chance to harvet him, however, no ethical shot presented itself- but he's still out there this year
). Had I hunted the wrong doe group for that morning- I would have gotten aggressive with calling.
I hope this helps clear things up a bit. I see now how it was easy to misinterpret the post.