Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

Last year, during post season scouting, I jumped a huge 10 pointer. He was wide, tall and heavy in the antler department. I can vividly recall seeing his long, white tines as he jumped.

He was bedded beneath a blown down tree in a lowland swamp area that is surrounded by heavy pressure and high deer density. He was only a few feet from the riverside but seperated from the adjoining high ground by a low area containing ankle deep water (waterfront area in Eastern North Carolina). On a previous scouting trip, I believe Ilocated his primary scraping area about 150 yards from this bed but I have specifically avoided the area since jumping him. I will wait until the pre-rut and then see if I can catch him at the scrapes. In the meantime, I will wait for season to start and focus on filling the freezer with his girlfriends occupying the surrounding countryside.

Anyone pursuing an individual buck this fall?

Anyone else been successful at this endeavor?

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

when the season opens go get him and show us some pics

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

Ive got a nice 10 pt on my trail cam from last year, he'll be real nice this year he's my goal. Last year i hunted a single deer but a buddy of mine killed him durin blackpowder season. I had him at 30 yrds full draw... just that he stopped behind a tree and i never got a shot. He was 22" wide inside and had a 3rd main beam.. It was a heartbreaking moment when i saw he was killed...

Which is the only problem w/ hunting one deer... you dont always get it.

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

I don't have one picked out this year yet, but I've done it six times before. Very satisfying.

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

Like Greg said, Its very satisfying. Its pretty much how I hunt whitetail bucks. I try to find a minimum of3 bucks a year that I want to target. Ilike to mix it up a bit by finding a couple, butthat again takes a lot of scouting in my neck of the woods anywayits nice to up the odds a bit by finding a couple. Dont get me wrong if I find an exceptional buck for my hunting area/regionlikeI did in 02 and then I killed in 03, well I prettymuch just hunted him until I killed him.

A specific buck is more predictable in his summer feeding phase and pre rut and post rut than when he is when rutting. You can still kill him during the rut, but you need to know what doe groups he targets and set up on those does. He could be a mile or two away from where he is feeding right now. Scouting cameras and snow later in theyear herefor backtrackingwork well to keep tabs on abucks routes for both feeding and rutting...

If hes an older buck he most likely will have certain areasand certain doe groupshe targets during the rut. I have "dated" specific bucks on specific doe groups, mind you my doe groups are spread out, low deer densities here..anyway and then the next year to the day the same danged buck showed up again and I killed him 100 yards from where I saw him a year earlier! Several bucks I have dated and they show up within a day or two the next year. Again I am hunting big woods bucks that travel to and from doe family groups that are fairly spread out. Thank you photoperiod and estrus cycle of the does.

Back to the feed. I don't know when your season opens, but my archery success of specific bucks that I have both found sheds(some several sets)too and spent a lot of time spying on is now at 6 bucks all mature.Four of the six I bowkilled outside of the rut/breeding phase of the rut. Several others that Inever killed..well they taughtmeas muchor more than those that I have killed.I put a lot of stock into feeding routes leaving bedding areas. Do everything you can to not let himknow your after him. :) in your set ups. All the common scents stuff..did I say "scent"? LOL

Good luck,
Troy

Below is a buck I shot this last Dec post rut. I watched him grow up for two years and killed him 400-500 yards from where I found his 2.5 year old shed. From shed to dead... He shoud have never left that clue behind ...

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

My dad and I had one singled out on our farms (we are neighbors too) for 3 years. We found his sheds every year and each year at least one of us had him at full draw and never got a shot. Finally, my dad shot him the first day of gun season (with his bow). He was a really nice 11 point that scored right at 155. It was amazing to line up the sheds and you could tell immediately it was the same deer. Usually though, I won't target a specific buck, and even when we were after that guy I wasn't going to pass on a different mature buck.

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

Yeah, I have the guy that made these pinned down as my primary target for next season on my property in PA. Somehow he has eluded my trail cam all last season, and no one saw him except for my father on the last day of PA's late season. I didn't manage to find his main rubline and bedding area until rifle season and by that time I had no vacation left to hunt him (except for 2 mornings). Dad saw him running does across the road in front of the house and said he was a solid 20" wide 10 that looked to be 4.5 years last season. He apparently had a swayed back already and large round belly. I know he survived the season and I have seen quite a few extremely large buck tracks there but I can't find sheds. If he survived the coyotes and poachers, he will be around next year. I am in the middle of putting in a foodplot about 100 yards downwind from his main bedding area that should hopefully be a magnet for does and hopefully him too.

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

I would also let the air out of this guy this year if given the opportunity this season. I passed him 2 times last season (once in bow, once in rifle season) because he was a 2 year old and not quite what I was looking for. I know he was not shot last year but also haven't found sheds for him either. If he survived the poachers and yotes, he will be 3.5 this year and should be a freak with that weird antler. I go down this weekend to PA and will be able to pull my trail cam memory card to see what is on there, I had a lot of pictures from April/May that showed bucks but there wasn't enough antler growth then to determine ages of what survived last season and the winter.

Here are his pics from last season....some of you may remember him from last year.

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

Both of these guys will be shooters this year too. They should both be 3.5 this year. I passed the first one last year on several occasions and the bottom one I passed during rifle season one time.

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

How do you identify a bucks main bedding area?

I've gotten permission to hunt a privately owned chunk of deer paradise here in Ohio amounting to around 500 acres of timber split in two pieces, one 200+ and the other 300+,seperated by a corn field, and surrounded on all sides by either beans or corn depending on the farmers crop rotation cycle. Last year during the first week of November while walking the property scouting for muzzleloader season, we bumped aGIANT, GIANT12pt typical, a deer with 12" brows and tines anywhere from 8-12". This is a once in a lifetime buck. It appears that nobody in the area has seen the deer besides my father in law and I or killed the deer last fall, but he's the one I'm targeting this year. I promise to post the pics if I get him on one of our trail cameras or if I'm lucky enough to score this HOG with my bow. Below is the link of the topographic map, and area where I'll be hunting. The two dark spots in the middle of the map are the woods, and last year we bumped this deer on the far right hand side , near the middle of the right block of timber. Any suggestions of where you guys would set up for this bruiser would be appreciated.

http://maps.yahoo.com/beta/#maxp=location&q1=+County+Highway+76,+Forest,+ Ohio&trf=0&mvt=h&lon=-83.444853&lat=40.724543&mag=3

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

I've never pursued a buck from a previous year. I've seen a buck earlier in the season and said "boy I'd liketo shoot him" and did so twice. I'm not at the level/situation to try and pin one down one year to the next. I am very impressed by those who can.

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

I plan on pursuing a buck from last year as well. He was at least a ten and boy was he tall and wide.:D

Rick: His antler looks like it dripped down into a big blob. Pretty wild looking!

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

Yeah I want either this one



Or this one

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

last fall here in iowa i got word of a moster 12 piont that was roaming a state park and off in to my old bosses land wich was about 3/4 a mile away. you know how the old story goes about a deer has about 1 mile of travel.....not this deer. it was spotted in about 5 mile radius of the state park. well one cool mid november morning i was in my treestand and i used a doe bleet "the can" and i could hear a deer coming down the ridge infront of me and off to my right. there was some low hangin trees it was thick. i could see i deer moving toward me and 45 yards away. well heput his head down to eat somethin and a saw his rack!! i have never been so shakey before in my life. he came down the trail and stopped behind a tree about 12" around. i'll i was thinkin was take to more steps and your all mine. he stayed there a couple of mins. mean while i'm having a slight heart attack because another nice buck nothing compared to this monster in front of me walks right under me with this monster sitting there watching. the smaller buck walked up the bigger one and they both walked off together. never been more sadend in my life. later during gun season my boss had a wide open shot at him but he said he was so dumbfounded on how big he was he couldn't pull the trigger......yeah right i dont think he can shoot! i talked to dnr that manages the statepark and he said yeah i've seen him. hes a very avid deer hunter and said he would score in th 170 to 180 typical. hes still alive as far as i know...........maybe this year

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

I admire the guys who are good enough to hunt one buck for two or three years and get him. That's awesome.

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

This is the fun part of archery hunting. I scout all year especially in the winter with snow on the ground. As archery season approaches I will hang a treestand in the area near the main route of travel. Eventually I will pick up on one or two quality buck and set my hunting stands to surround the area taking into consideration wind direction and path of travel. I set my sights on the two buck and they are the only deer I will harvest. If I strike out there is next year.

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

This will be the 3rd season in pursueing the same deer. Heshould be 5 1/2 years old this year. I have both sides of his shed antlers from last season, and one side from 2 years ago. He's stilldoing well, livingin the same area, and i've had a couple sightings of him this spring already. Can't wait for season to open. He should easily surpass the 200" mark this year, like he did last year.

If I can end up arrowing this guy in the fall, it'd literally be a dream come true. I've seen bucks this big, but never had a history with one, like I do this buck.

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

I hope you get him man. I remember the pic of those sheds. Post them again if your would so our newer members can see. Good luck this season.

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

Check out the double brow tine buck I posted. This may be the one, but its still early.
I know of another with a drop tine but have not gotten pics... yet.

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

I went to Kansas last year and found a once in a lifetime buck. I only had six days and hunted hard for this one buck, including passing on two nice 150 class deer. He made it through the season and I'll be back on the stand in late october/early nov to continue my pursuit. Like many, I use game cams and scouting to find one or two bucks that I'd like to harvest. Usually stick to the plan up until the rut, thenall bets are off for three or four weeks, then back to a predictable pattern. It doesn't mean I'll pass meat up...does that is. I just enjoy trying to outsmart a mature buck. Adds to a great season and when he's harvested, very rewarding.

kelly

RE: Pursuit of Individual Buck?
 

KS,

I really hope you get that buck. He's one of those bucks that probably crosses your mind about every 30 seconds! Good luck!

Troy