Which is harder to hunt?
 

Just wondering which deer you think is harder to hunt.

The agricultural buck,

or

The big woods buck.



I really don't have any experience taking big woods bucks, but I have taken 14 mature agricultural bucks. These bucks , by no stretch of the imagination, were easy to take. Just wondering what you all thought.

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

Not being an expert on either, I say big woods bucks. I've hunted both terrrains before and the nice thing about agricultural is normally, at least in Northern Mo, there are fingers of woods scattered about. Well, the deer are pretty darn easy to find. Set up in a finger and wait them out. They'll be by sometime, guaranteed.

Big woods bucks are challenging because they could be anywhere, at anytime. Yeah, there are funnels they will use, but they come from every direction you could think of and some you didn't.

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

well agricultural bucks or farm bucks are much easier considering they see humans and human traffic quite a bit and arent as skiddish.When you take a big wood or mountain buck then you can really brag,their instincts and senses are a whole lot stronger.It is the ultimate feat to take a mature mountain deer.

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

Big wood's bucks are harder to hunt because they know when something diffrent or not natural in there home.

Agricultural bucks are not that skidish about human intruders.

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

If you aren't picky and shot any aged buck that walks by... ag land for sure. Just the simply fact you can scout them easier and see where they are bedding or feeding.

I've only hunted woods one year when I was living in a different area.4 hunts, 11 bucks seen and walked out dragging a 142 class buck. Seemed pretty easy but maybeI just got lucky. I surecan't say I am an expert hunting bigwoods nor will I say it is easier then hunting ag land bucks. Just not enough experience hunting woods.

Hunting mature bucks here is challenging. Mostly ag land with very few trees. I hunt on the ground. They mature bucks here seem pretty skiddish to me. While they might be used to tractors and combines... blunder though a big bucks bedding area or botch up a hunt on one. They will go under cover fast, become nocturnal, move to another area a short ways away or all of them. Easy... no!!!

Food sources are constantlychanging as harvest/falls workgoes on. Once waterfoul season opens... the deer are bounced all over since both deer and hunter use the same areas. Rut always falls during rifle season. With driving deer as themain method for most, the mature bucks don't move during the day much unless pushed out of their bedding areas. Makes for tough bow hunting. I wish we had more trees here just for that fact. After rifle seasonyou deal with the cold, snow and very, veryskiddish deer.

Just hard to say which would be tougher hunting when talking mature bucks. Each has it challenges. I sure enjoy hunting ag land bucks.

Tim

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

That's about the bottom line. Good post.

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

Just the fact that you have to get them out, and I have from both, I know which one is harder.:D"If we go just a little farther in the big boy's are there" Miles later...:DWon't happen in a farm field.

Were trying moutain bikes this year. The Cabel's cart last year made it about 100 yards. adding 30 pounds to an already heavy deer, and only about 2 miles too go. Just a good strech of the legs and a whole lot of steam directed toward Cabela's. Took us 6.5 hrs. long story.:DI know which one's harder.

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

Any mature buck, 4.5 years of age or older is hard to kill, regardless of where you are. Deer numbers have more to do with "toughness" than anything. If you are hunting in the Northwoods of Michigan or Wisconsin it's going to be tougher than the farmland of Iowa and Illinois. Big woods in Iowa and Illinois can actually be easier sometimes than the fields and CRP.

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

I don't whitetail hunt much, would like too, but spend too much time chasing other animals. With that I can honestly can't say or vote one way or another. But this just makes prefect sence to me.

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

I'm going to have to say big woods on this one......

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

Do not forget the deer per square mile issue. you can walk for hours without seeing any deer sign at all. Then like someone said you have to drag it out. I have passed on more than one deer because of the drag factor.

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

I have never hunted big woods before. Just farmland whitetail in kansas. I'm going to say big woods bucks are harder to kill, simply because there is not as many of them. From what I gather you don't see near as many deer in general when you hunt in big woods.

Alot of hunters just get lucky in killing farmland bucks. Alot of hunters who score year after year on big deer do so because they hunt smart and hunt in places that big bucks hold big bucks.

Big wood's bucks are harder to hunt because they know when something diffrent or not natural in there home.

Agricultural bucks are not that skidish about human intruders.

idahoelkinstructor said that. I say thats a load of BS. Sorry I just don't agree withwhat you said. Big mature bucks did not get big bybeing stupid. Big mature bucks know when something is not right in any area that they call home. And I'll promise you from personal experience that those deer ARE VERY SKIDISH!!!!! They are not a cake walk hunt by any means.Big mature deer are not easy to hunt regardless of where you hunt them.

Mark

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

you hit the nail on the head you usually have to go deep in the woods and then when ukill one its an all day process

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

Big woods; harder to pattern

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

Big wood bucks for sure

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

no brainer

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

The ag lands of the midwest are easiest place to kill any deer, including mature bucks..... The terrain funnels their movement and it's just a matter of time before one of those bigboys comes cruising down a treeline, draw, or bottom.......

As was pointed out, a big woods, mountain, or south east hard woods deer can and do take any path they wish..... Trail cam surveys show me that a buck on my place almost NEVER uses the same trail more than 1 time per 2 weeks!! It's amazing how much of this stuff is luck!

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

anytime you have plenty of food for the deer its going to be easier to hunt so the hardest would be big woods bucks for sure

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

I would venture to say big woods bucks simply because the size of their home ranges would be larger then those of an agricultural buck. Think about it, an agricultural buck usually has food, water, cover, and a large supply of does in less then 250 acres. In the bigwoods a buck isnt so lucky and must adapt his home range until he finds his four basic needs.

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

Big timber country,combined with mountains creates some obstacles that any savvy whitetail bowhunter is going to recognize immediately, low deer densities, freaky winds that are inconsistent,theydo not cooperate with the local weather man, basically swirling 24/7. There is so much feed in my areathat deer can eat in any direction they choose, it's wet up here, the vegetation is always plentiful. The tracts of forest(public)reach out for100's of miles with no centralized food source insteadcyclic vegetations serve asa revolvingpreferred feed. Finally serious predation takes place in these mountainsand I say this because a buck gets an education with cougar and wolves on his track,enough that coyotes and bearsaren't even considered a serious predator of the whitetail deer in these parts.

Ag land is usually private andplays into the handfor whitetail bowhunters due to centralized preferred food sources,more predictablewinds, higher deer concentrations and structurethat dictates deer movement.

Mature bucks inboth big forestor AGget old for a reason, so if we are talking mature bucks..I think both are challenging, especially ab ole buck that moves mostly at night. Evenwith that being said I still feel that AG landlends itselfto thefavor of awhitetail bowhunter. I have hunted both successfully and really enjoy the far and few between times I get to travel out of state to hunt agricultural country like I have in Alberta and Montana.

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

I agree that ag land bucks are easier but not easy.

As far as someone stating or implying that ag land bucks/deer stay within a more confined area...wrong in most cases. When pushed because of hunting pressure ag land deer will move, in some cases several miles very easily to get away from human infringement. They will eventually come back but these deer do know where the "safe" land is.

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

No way. It's tough huntingI tell you!! ;) These Ag land bucks will having you begging for mercy. I challenge you to come here and hunt our easy bucks. Fact, I DOUBLE DARE you !!! Free lodging while your here, food ( really, reallygood ), 10,000 plus acres to hunt ( private ), More acres ifin late December,favorite beverage and Tyler will gut/drag yourbuck outif you get one. :D

Tim

ps... Good post !!!

RE: Which is harder to hunt?
 

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet I am going to SD to hunt "Dagger" and his gang!! LOL

You get your butt over here and help mekill ole yeller.. LOL actually I might have seen him tonight! watched a hawg..this evening..