How easy is it to consistently kill mature bucks?
 

I have my opinions but would like to hear yours...

How easy is it to consistently kill mature bucks with archery tackle be it Texas, Michigan, Iowaor anywhere else?

Let me hear your thoughts, don't hold back.

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RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

What's your definiton of "mature"?

3.5? 4.5 and older?

Put it this way......If I said I could kill a 3.5 yr old buck every year....if that's what I set out as my season's goal.....what would you say about that? As far as "big" goes.....why is that in there? "Big" is relative ONLY to the woods one is hunting.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

3.5 years old will do for this thread.

I would say we'll see how it is going in a couple years. Also, I would say to save a jawbone for aging as your deer down there all pretty much look the same from the photos of yours I saw. You said you shot a 2.5 that weighed more than a 3.5? I would say to save the jawbone for positive identification.

Probably becase when I think of mature bucks I think of big ones not little ones [8D]

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

If I were half the hunter you guys claimed to be then I bet it would be easy to kill those "mature" 3 1/2 year olds ?!? ;):)

I've found the secret to gettin' on "mature" bucks is simply to NOT shoot the lil' ones! ;):D

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

Scott:

I dont want to mess up your thread.....but I can't believe you didn't think my 3.5 yr old was a 3.5 yr old. I wouldn't dare try to tell you your deer. I can only go by what my taxi told me (he said he was 3.5).

If my goal was to ONLY shoot "A" 3.5 yr old deer....I think I could do that. I have other goals (short term).

I've got a 4.5 (or older) deer here that might not go 100"

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

I'm not aware of any place where it is "easy" to kill a mature buck. Notice I didn't include "big", because some mature deer aren't big.;)

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

I am not saying he is or isn't the age you claimed. Only to save your jawbones for positive ID. The buck I shot last year I aged at 4.5, it was aged by a state biologist at 5.5 years old. I was wrong, this is all I am saying.

I did not see anyone claiming to be experts here. I consider a mature buck as 3.5+ years old forthe first step in my personal "harvest" criteria.

Early
I will edit out the big part for you guys.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

Just curious... What year did you tag your last mature buck?

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

From personal experience, bowhunting in Texas is a lot tougher than its made to be, unless you want to shell out major money. I honestly feel like I have a better chance taking a nice buck here in WV.

I personally feel that I can get a mature buck into range just about every season, but obviously, it doesnt quite come together that often. Mature bucks just are in a whole different level of awareness, but then again, thats what makes it so fun.

Also, all but two of the mature bucks I've taken, had less than great racks. The last one I took in '04 was a 5.5 year old knarly 6 point, that would have scored about 90, but weighed in at 175 lbs field dressed, which is a good one for a mountain deer.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

Easy? No! Can it be done every year, here? I think so. I know I saw a few 2.5 yr olds last year. Problem is....I might not take one of them if I see them, this year. I know a 3.5 yr old is a trophy in his own right....but if he isn't right for me....I won't shoot him.

I hope I have to make the decision.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

I can say that I got a look at 4 mature whitetails last year. Before anybody says anythingthat is the first year that that has happened to me. Most years if I see one I feel like I accomplished something. Seeing an putting your hands on them is abig difference.No, don't get a mature buck every year or every other year. But I do put some deer meat in the cooler with the does.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

Its never really easy. Thats why they call it hunting, not killing.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

Depends on where you live:D
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Aw come on, someone had to say it[8D]:D;)

My serious answer is that it depends on way too many variables to make a blanket statement. It depends on the cards you are dealt. Now sometimes you can change those cards, but for those who can't then you need to have your poker face a little better than others.

Sometimes it is more work to find a suitable area that contains a mature buck, than it is to kill the buck itself. Walking/scouting hours and hours may be fun an enjoyment to some, but hard and next to impossible for others to accomplish. Accessing areas that a mature deer frequents can be tough too. Parcel A may be visited by a mature buck 3x over the course ofanentireseason, where as parcel B has a mature buck on it 75% of the time. One is obviously going to be easier to hunt than the other.

Regardless of location somethings are constants. Wind/scent play. stand selection/frequency of hunting. Having the mindset that only a mature buck will do. Being a ghost getting in and out of the woods. And not succumbing to buck fever/murphy's law.

I think the work part of killing mature bucks comes from finding them or accessing areas that contain them(even if its just an educated guess that they are there). Once that is done I think there is more discipline than work involved in actually killing the deer. (barring places where you need to go way back/way steep/way thick to get to)

To sum up, there are some things that are held constant when pursuing mature bucks, the rest is in what you have available and whether or not you want to change the hand dealt to you.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

I am not saying i will kill one every year, tho that is my goal. But I think where I hunt in IL it is getting easier. More neighbors are letting the little ones walk, and we have killed a bunch of does the last few years. I keep getting more mature bucks on trail cameras each year, and have seen some really nice bachelor groups this year. I believe there are more big bucks in the area now than there has been in the past. But it is still not going to be easy to kill amature buck every year.

If I could hunt the entire woods by myself I think it could be done on a consistant basis. But I also have the guy who rents the house on the farm and a neighbor with 2 sons that hunt it. So the deer do have a little pressure on them once the season starts.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

Where I am from there few bucks that make it to three years years old. It is alot harder when you are hunting so few mature bucks.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

How easy is it?





Hell if I know........[&o]:D

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

Why are you even here?

Oh wait a minute, I hope you are here trying to learn something.:D

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

Good point.........[&o]:eek:

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

Well it's not all the rocket science that some would lead you to believe. You have to have mature bucks to hunt and the time to put in. After that you do need some skills and in some locations a lot more patiences than in others. I think people have gotten to caught up in all the big TV celebs and the places they hunt. There are not places like that available for most. If we've spent any time in the woods or glassing at all we have a basic idea of what's available. Then you set your standards and be patient. If I try to measure my kills by Iowa or the Milk River or other exotic places I'm destined to be disappoint hunting here in NY on hard hunted public land. So relatively speaking... for me where I hunt it's pretty much impossible. A guy 30 miles down the road might say it's not that tough. If I got to hunt the Drury or Lacoski lands I'd tell you it isn't hard at all to shoot them. Growing them is another thing. I personnally am not going to buy the land, pay NY taxes and spend the money to plant food plots. Especially when it's very obvious the genetics won't ever get me the same quality deer that Tiffany gets to hunt.[8D] I prefer to take what mother nature dishes out and go hunting. It's suppose to be fun.

Many people simply don't have the time to put in... folks are different. Take for example GMMAT... He doesn't have the time to empty is PM mailbox so you can't talk to him. Me, I empty it now and then... but I have the time.;)

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

I am kinda like mobow on this one. I have yet to even kill a deer with a bow. (just started last season) I have however taken them with a gun. I believe if you have the right skills, mindsight, DEER, and a lot of patience, and a place that is not overly pressured, you can probably consistently take mature deer. In areas where the pressure is nuts, then you are hunting a whole different animal. I can tell that from my own experience. Wanna talk about nocturnal bucks. Let your land be totally surrounded by gun hunters, turkey hunters, and people planting food plots, and generally stinking up the woods yearly, and see how your luck runs at even seeing one of these deer. It's all relative.

LT

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

If you had a place all to your self, and you scouted all the time MAYBE??????

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

BINGO

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

If you have the control of the land and everyone around it or those others that hunt it, yes. But if you don't, your BINGO became Bongo.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

Sorry David.....and I agree with your assertion. I wouldn't make the statement I did if others had access to th eland I hunt. And I had encounters with a 3.5 yr old or older on almost 10 occasions.

Given that many encounters every year.....I feel like I could take one if I wanted to. I might be proven wrong. This is a doe excursion this year....and I have no expectations.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill mature bucks?
 

I never had a easy one. My answer is, it is never easy to kill a mature free roaming buck. When and ifI get another oneI am going to pound my chest like a Gorilla on steroids. Look at the deer density map that was posted a couple days ago. The eastern half of the country has all the serious populations. GMMAT sees 60 deer in a single setting, I won't see half that all season. I know we have corn and beans here so there is a big rack behind every tree.:D:D

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

Beyond your hunting area/region, which I feel is the biggest factor – since you can’t see or harvest what isn’t there… It just comes down to how much time you want to spend in the field and how hard you scout etc. Still – I don’t think it’s ever easy

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

Come on MOHO....it isn't that many!:D

In all seriousness.....I saw 30 the day I shot my first buck. There'll be days I don't see a single deer. But...I know Rob saw 40 one afternoon, here (though I know he saw some deer multiple times).

Yes....I see a lot of deer. That's why I made the statement I made.

Good luck this year, Chris.;)

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

Thanks Jeff. The same back at you. I hope we all fullfill out seasons goals.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

I am dead serious when I say "easy" is relative to the area and situation. If someone has the land all to themselves, good cover, and food sources it should be easier than sharing the area with other hunters.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill "big" mature bucks?
 

I agree location plays a huge part in having a chance for a mature buck, but to be consistent, which in my opinion means year after year is never easy regardless of how great an area you hunt. Heck, to be consistent at anything is hard. It takes discipline, practice and committment. I have my own expectations every season, which are based on mature deer, but I've taken deer I knew were not fully mature. Racks and at times lack of decent racks have an affect on my thinking while on the stand.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill mature bucks?
 

It's not.

1. Lack of time is the #1killer for me. Just don't get enough time to hunt with harvest.

2. Once I can get more time to hunt... the deer havebeen through2 months of Waterfoul hunters running all over them.The general deer season is over. Driving deer is still the main method for rifle hunting by most. The mature bucks are on top of their game by then and rut is over so seeing a big buck get stupid isn't going to happen.

I still love it though and can't fill a tag with a little buck just to fill it. :)

Tim

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill mature bucks?
 

Not very!

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill mature bucks?
 

Up here not very easy with few deer in this area and lots of woods it is a challenge.. I do have my eye on one prolly a 6.5 year old with a large body and a large rack to go with it. The large racks are not that common up here, but, the deer dress wieghts are heavey..

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill mature bucks?
 

I don't think consistently killing mature bucks is ever easy.Personally I will say that if you place a skilled hunter in a region of the country where mature bucks exist in decent numbers,and there is plenty of access to huntable land,there should be no reason why they don't consistently kill mature bucks.This is provided that they are putting in sufficient time scouting and hunting.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill mature bucks?
 

Like others have already said. If you have a good mature buck population then it's easier than you might think. Same thing goes for mature does. I see mature does all the time and have taken my share of them but in the deer woods I hunt, the buck to doe ratio is probably 1 buck for every 10 does. It really depends on where you hunt as to how good your chances are.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill mature bucks?
 

It's all about location/hunting pressure.You can't kill a mature buck consistantly if thereisn't many to kill. I use to have a great bow hunting spot, for two years my brother and myself took two 3 1/2's and one 5 1/2. Then the CWD craze kicked in, the Wis. DNR gave eveybody in the area the right to kill as many bucks as they wanted. The adjoining landowners do not practice QDM anda public hunting area is across the road. Many immaturebucks were shot. The last two years I have only seen two bucks on that property that I would call mature, they were both on my trail cam. Luckily I have other places to hunt.
So, to answer the question, unless you can control alot of area, including harvest numbers. IT'S NOT EASY!

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill mature bucks?
 

Well for me you'd have to edit the big part back in, cuz, I personally don't care if he's 10 years old, if he won't look good on my wall.

There I said it! Someone had too.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill mature bucks?
 

I've gotten quite a kick out of this thread as well as the total inches thread, and for that I thank you guys.


How easy is it to kill mature bucks every year? It's not easy. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Can it be done? It can most definitely be done. Patience, persistance, dedication, and location are the key points if you ask me. Each should be self-explanatory.

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill mature bucks?
 

I didn't read all these threads, because honestly I get tired of reading this stuff. I will give my opinion though. (When don't I?;))

I truthfully believe it depends on the area you hunt and what the patterns and pressure is like. Some places you simply don't see mature deer unless it is during rut. By the time they reach that age they have figured out the game and just don't take the chances the younger ones do. I have hunted places where you just don't see big mature deer until it gets too dark to shoot. They become mostly nocturnal animals until the rut starts. And then it is pretty much a luck thing if you see them or not. I see plenty of large mature deer when I hunt, just never during legal shooting hours.

I have also noticed something else. Most of the trophy or record deer I have seen, especially in my area are not shot by hardcore trophy hunters. They usually get shot by some weekend warrior or some ones wife that just happened to be in the right spot at the right time. It is very common to see a picture of a really nice deer and next to it is someones kid, wife or some hick slob hunter that got lucky during shotgun season.

I would say this website is made up of some fairly exceptional hunters. Very passionate about what they do and put extra effort into what they want to do. How many here hold state or county records or have multiple high scoring deer in the record books?

Makes you sort of wonder doesn't it.

My opinion anyway.

Paul

RE: How easy is it to consistently kill mature bucks?
 

C'mere deer is all it takes boys;)

Or
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