ORIGINAL: MN/Kyle
ORIGINAL: IAhuntr
If you are going to invade his core and risk it all, then I'd go for broke and go in and set-upduring the pitch black early a.m. and wait for him to return from his nightly rounds. If he comes back before sun-up, which is quite likely post-rut, you can stir him from his bed once daylight comeswith some extra-light grunting to make him think another buck has crossed the line and has entered his domain.
This makes perfect sense to me.
I have a question. How do you
know where a big buck is bedding? Seeing him? Trail Camera? I've NEVER been able to find a place where I think a buck is bedding? I don't think?
Scouting. When you see the general area he is coming from at nightand returning to in the morning, find his bed not by trails, but by rubs. Rub
lines can help discover his travel route, but big bucks tend to surround their bed with rubs. Not rubs in a line, but the perimeter of the thicket or saplings they are bedding in. You can usually see the spot they've been laying in. They tend to bed in the same exact spot more sothan does, who will have multiple beds within a wider general bedding area. Once you find that spot, hang a stand about 20-30yards down wind, yet off to the opposite side of where you expect them to return from and you'll be set. You can get an indication of which way they are coming and going from based which sidethe tree their rubs are on. It can be difficult to find their bed, but with careful scouting early season, they follow a pretty strict routine.
As has been highlighted already, use extreme caution and wait for the ideal conditions to pull of thistype ofhunt as once he identifies a human has invaded the area, the gig is usually up.