buckeye

OK.... So I have been trying to do more reading lately than posting (post count is out of control )..... I have noticed the saying "hunt the does" a lot lately...... Also, posts about hunting destinations ex. (crops, water etc..... more on this later in the post.)

I personally do not subscribe to this tactic (hunt the does all season longfor bucks)..... I am not saying it is wrong to do so, only that I would never implement this strategy myself save the possibility ofthe major seeking phase of the rut. Even then it is sketchy for me.

I am certain that this tactic has brought an end to many fine whitetail, but I also feel it has allowed many manymore to live.......

My thoughts are that while hunters are busy chasing the does all over the place throughout the early seasonthey are basically giving the does afine education on hunting pressure.... By the time the mature bucks would be spending time on the hoof during daylight hours the does will be extra cautious and moving under the radar..... Once the pressure has moved the does into daylight security cover until after dusk that will really hurt the hunters chances at eyeing up a good buck....

Basicallywhat I am saying is that the culmination of small mistakes over the early season can add up to enough pressure on the doesto alters their daily routine and cost one opportunities at bucks that would have been seeking does in easier locations to hunt than bedding and security cover.

Thoughts, experiences, agree, disagree???? Let's hear it. I am all ears.

This has become rather long.... Onto my thoughts of destination setups later......
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Rick James

Great thread. I have thought about this myself. I'm hoping we have some good discussion I can learn from here..............

mathews outback

very good point

MO_Bowhnter

So what your saying is you save a few stands that you will only hunt during the rut...so that no does are educated before then?

buckeye

Not exactly what I was saying but I would say this would be a solid tactic if you choose to "hunt does".

But yes I do have stands that I only hunt the last week of October on but these are terrain setups.....

GregH

buckeyebuckhnter,
Personally, I do not chase the does all over waiting for the bucks to show up. I've found that by hunting from observation stands that I can get a read on where the doe family units and the bucks may be bedding during the day. This is a low key approach that has the least impact on the herd. If the does need thining in my area I prefer to wait until later in the season. I like to set up stands between doe bedding areas, especially near funnels. I like to use the does as bait for the bucks. Once a buck has been bagged then I concentrate on the does. Once in a while I take a doe very early in the season in areas that have the least impact on the bucks. That way the area has a chance to settle down before the rut kicks in.

While hunting these observation stands, a lot of times I spot bucks coming to crop fields from their bedding areas. Then I can quickly make a move on him while he is still in the area before he starts wandering all over the place bedding in different areas. For me this usually happens between Oct. 15th and Oct. 27th. After these dates I strictly hunt funnels between doe bedding areas while waiting for the seeking phase to kick in. It seems that between the 15th and 27th of Oct., that the bucks start to leave their beds a little earlier in the evening to keep tabs on the does in the area as well as the other bucks. It's like they're getting excited about the start of the action! Wouldn't you if your sex lifeonly happened for such a short period during the year?[:-]

Oct. 17th 2006

Greg / MO

Great post Scott... it's no wonder there are a select few who continue to take nice bucks year after year, and you're among that group.

I've got a couple P&Y's on the wall that have fallen to this exact thought process. By and large, I hunt does and bucks separately on my farms; I know where the does are, and I know where the bucks are. It's usually two different places in my areas.

A couple of people have asked about how I'm doing this year action-wise... this thread should go a long way to explaining why I haven't just immersed myself into my hunting areas yet.

StealthHtr22

GregH, I agree with you. On a farm I hunt, I do a bit of preseason scouting (from a distance) to try to get a feel for where the bucks might be concentrated. I don't focus on does until later in October; where I too love to hunt funnel areas. Although I will hunt a funnel area on & offall season, I also like to find those places off the beatin trail to try and find those bucks that seperate themselves from the herd early in the year. I've had just as much luck in getting close to big bucks early in the year, as I have during the peak action. The only thing I've done wrong is miss.On more than one occasion due to over confidence and stupidity.

Sliverflicker

Scott, one year in Kansas I seen11 bucks befor I ever saw a doe, I like it that way!
When I did see a doe she had half a dozen bucks on her hind quarters, it sounded like a herd of Elephants coming through the woods, and theyflew by me so fast I would have needed a machine gun to hit one!
I'll take the buck sign every time, its there early season, I just have to look harder for it!
Something else to think about, When a doe starts to come into her cycle, sheusualy leaves the group on her own or gets the boot!

bloodcrick

Im all about hunting cover edges and funnels for the bucks most of the time, until they start chasing,andthen i try and hunt Doe areas where the bucksare known for dogging them.seems like Oct 19 is when i start seeing incresed buck activity through halloween.