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2.5yrs.....and a confession
I've been hunting deer for 2.5 yrs. I'll be entering my 4th season, in 22 days.
Confession...with a caveat. Until this season....I felt the best way to have a chance at a buck was to hunt the does. While this method has proven "fruitful' for me.....my confession is I no longer feel this to be true. Scott (Buckeye) and otherstook umbrage with my approach (ideology) in the past....and thinking about it, logcally, now......I can see why. It's really about the LAST thing "I" would NOW try to tell someone I wanted to be successful. With the acquisition of the new land I have.....I'm starting to understand more and more. With the herd dynamics I have here.....again.....I am starting (understatement) to see the light they have been seeing. Point conceded. The caveat....... I had no choice (in the past). It WAS "my" best shot. I no longer feel that way, though.....on the new land. My ideology hasn't changed, though, on the "old" properties I can hunt. So? What's the smart thing to do? STAY OUT of the doe laden areas until the bucks come to find them. My confession......change of strategy.......etc... |
RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
During the rut find the doe bedding areas and stay on the downwind side of them preferably near a pinch point. The bucks will come to scent check and you can catch them that way. Another method is to hunt funnels between bigger woodlots. I like hedgerows. You don't see a lot of deer using this method, but the ones you do see are the ones you're after. I've learned this over the last several years and seen more big bucks because of it. Now I just need to get that shot.
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RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
Interesting scenario you have there. In the doe-laden areas, the one thing that I would worry about is educating the does to your presence. Now, from my experience, the does will tolerate more intrusion that the bucks, some will disagree on this, especially if you have lots of old, mature does. But, if the does bust you a couple times, the bucks are going to take note of this as well. Early season, I hunt edges, fully understanding that my best buck opportunities may come from being more on the "inside" but not wanting to booger a whole spot on entry/exit. You should be able to accomplish at least some of your doe goals without going right in after them, right? Perhaps you can hunt the periphery (sp?) in the early season, waiting till the bucks get more active on the does, and then find the does.
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RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
Bingo GMMAT!. Leave the ladies be till rut time if you want to have a crack at a nice buck. If you want to kill a doe early, do it someplace else where you don't plan on looking for a good buck to come by. Keep tabs on your does though; bedding areas, feeding and travel routes as they may and most likely will change thru october and into november as food sources change.
ORIGINAL: GMMAT I've been hunting deer for 2.5 yrs. I'll be entering my 4th season, in 22 days. Confession...with a caveat. Until this season....I felt the best way to have a chance at a buck was to hunt the does. While this method has proven "fruitful' for me.....my confession is I no longer feel this to be true. Scott (Buckeye) and otherstook umbrage with my approach (ideology) in the past....and thinking about it, logcally, now......I can see why. It's really about the LAST thing "I" would NOW try to tell someone I wanted to be successful. With the acquisition of the new land I have.....I'm starting to understand more and more. With the herd dynamics I have here.....again.....I am starting (understatement) to see the light they have been seeing. Point conceded. The caveat....... I had no choice (in the past). It WAS "my" best shot. I no longer feel that way, though.....on the new land. My ideology hasn't changed, though, on the "old" properties I can hunt. So? What's the smart thing to do? STAY OUT of the doe laden areas until the bucks come to find them. My confession......change of strategy.......etc... |
RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
I use a pretty simple strategy...
I hunt food sources or trails coming to them before and after the rut... I stick with the does during pre rut and the rut... |
RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
My theory on successfully hunting bucks...successfully consistently hunt bucks rather, would be hunting deer in general in early season (1st month). In my opinion, this will give you just about as much of a shot, if not more, at seeing bucks as hunting early sign during this time. Pre rut is when I would begin to focus on secondary trails, scrapes, corridors from bedding areas and so forth. During the rut, find the hot does and the bucks will be near. I also hunt alot of scrapes during this time. Post rut, I go back to hunting inside corners and narrows and late season I try to find a really thick area and setup on the outskirts of it (helps to hide your silhouette when all the leaves are gone). Just a theory and it certainly depends on the region of the country your in (I don't know much about this area, NC) and other factors (ratios, size of land, type of land...)
Also, the location of other hunters is a big factor to where I hunt, although if you don't share the land its one less thing to worry about. Ryan |
RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
I'm STILL gonna take does.....but they will be fewer (me, personally) and further between. They will also be (and please - no criticism....as I am fully aware that it is never a surety) slam dunk opportunities. I mean SLAM DUNKS.
I've gotten SO much advice from some really great guys on this new land (you know hwo you are;)) and I appreciate every word of it. New land - new outlook. |
RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
Jeff.
Is this the bean field property you're talking about? |
RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
Yeah.....that and the surrounding areas, too. That and just has SO MUCH potential for holding bucks. I'd be a FOOL not to hunt them the way they should be hunted.....even at the risk of seeing less deer. I KNOW whereI can go and see "deer";).
This new land has it "all". I've never been privy to that. |
RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
If you want to kill a doe early, do it someplace else where you don't plan on looking for a good buck to come by. |
RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
LEt me ask, guys....because my question has underlying possible repercussions.....
I have been hunting a GREAT staging area all year long on the "old" land. I've hunted it "fairly" hard up to and including the rut. I have taken several does from this area.....and I've still been able to take two good representative bucks from my woods in this little parcel. I don't think the bucks are ANYWHERE near this area until the rut. I've seen so few bucks, here, it's disheartening. bit when the magic time gets here.....so do they. How much am I hurting my chances, later on, if I decide to take some does early, here? if they'r enot there, anyways.......what can I hurt? OK....I can educate does.....but I can't (or won't) educate all of them (too many of them). Can I still take does from here and feel good about it? I KNOW it's worked out that way int he past.....but ANY time we take a good buck 'some" luck comes into play. I'd like to stack my odds on that "luck" as much as possible....and still feel like I'm being a good manager of the resources. Catch-22...... |
RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
Sometimes that's what it takes to change your outlook on bowhunting. I bowhunting for 15 years in "average" spots in SW PA, and then I got access to some killer property, and after laying my eyes on the deer these places can offer, my thought process about bowhunting changed all together. I now spend more time planning, scouting and arranging stands that I do hunting; basically biding my time till late october/early november hits. I don't why, but I kinda lost interest in hunting early october, but I hit it hard once the bucks start playing.
Nothing wrong with slam dunk does ! ORIGINAL: GMMAT I'm STILL gonna take does.....but they will be fewer (me, personally) and further between. They will also be (and please - no criticism....as I am fully aware that it is never a surety) slam dunk opportunities. I mean SLAM DUNKS. I've gotten SO much advice from some really great guys on this new land (you know hwo you are;)) and I appreciate every word of it. New land - new outlook. |
RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
Well the one thing wrong with that is you might educate the does to your presence, and they may not hang around for rut time. If you pressure them, they may switch feeding bedding locations on you to a differnet property, and the bucks will follow.
Wack a doe or 2 early, then back out for awhile till the action picks up. ORIGINAL: GMMAT LEt me ask, guys....because my question has underlying possible repercussions..... I have been hunting a GREAT staging area all year long on the "old" land. I've hunted it "fairly" hard up to and including the rut. I have taken several does from this area.....and I've still been able to take two good representative bucks from my woods in this little parcel. I don't think the bucks are ANYWHERE near this area until the rut. I've seen so few bucks, here, it's disheartening. bit when the magic time gets here.....so do they. How much am I hurting my chances, later on, if I decide to take some does early, here? if they'r enot there, anyways.......what can I hurt? OK....I can educate does.....but I can't (or won't) educate all of them (too many of them). Can I still take does from here and feel good about it? I KNOW it's worked out that way int he past.....but ANY time we take a good buck 'some" luck comes into play. I'd like to stack my odds on that "luck" as much as possible....and still feel like I'm being a good manager of the resources. Catch-22...... |
RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
If you have a chance to take a doe (or 3) from that area, in the early season I would do so...
I'm going to say something that many don't believe...More does do not equate to you seeing more bucks during the rut... With less does, thebucks have to travel more, looking for does...They simply have to work harder, making the odds better for you to seem them during hunting hours... We have 3 farms where we have been taking a lot of does off of for 20 plus years...We are now seeing more bucks and bigger bucks than we did in the past... In addition, bucks travel looking for does so you may have a buck come by that isn't in his core area...Each year we see bucks that were not seen on our farms during the summer months...So we are convinced that they are cruising...The trick is to find the funnels and staging areas, where the bucks come through looking for the does... |
RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
I think that there is a time and place to hunt bucks by "targetting" does and hunting areas you won't see many other deer. It all depends on the time of year and what their main drivers at the time are.
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RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
Jeff,
Just my opinion, I think sometimes people go to extremes to put less pressure on their areas. Safe, yes. 100% necessary…..eh, probably not. There comes a time when you have to decide if you want to hunt, or sit home WAITING to hunt. I’ve seen first hand my success improve by not going into “hotspots” before their time. On the flip side, I’m not to just sit around and NOT hunt. I’ll find different places or hunt those that leave less of an impact. Just be careful & take precautions. Ultimately you have to decide how much increased risk you are taking. I say, if you don’t think the bucks are frequenting the areas you speak of, smartly & strategically whack the does. You’ll be fine. |
RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
There's an area on our property that I think fits into your scenario. It's a big buck hotspot during the rut, and does frequent it pretty much all the time. I don't usually hunt there until late Oct. But when I have, trips in there have not decreased sightings of big bucks later in the season.
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RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
Jeff, im my opinion, i would go about doing what your doing. Like you mentioned, you have been wacking lots of does the last few years in this area and you have still been shooting a mature buck out of the same spot. Dont fix what aint broken.
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RE: 2.5yrs.....and a confession
I agree with what rybo said. Keep hunting but rotate your hunting areas. If you have a spot like the one you mentioned then slip in and kill a doe and hunt other areas for a week or so and then slip in and kill another one. that way you still get to hunt the spot and kill some does without over hunting and educating them and or letting them pattern you. Save your "honey holes" until the time gets right and then start spending your time there.
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