CutEm

This is my 3rd deer bowhunting season, but I consider it more like my first. My actual first year 2006, I really didn't know what I was doing but was lucky enough to see a few deer and take a doe. 2nd year last year I lived in MO and hunted with a few of my buddies. I learned some good things from them but hardly saw any deer so was not able to get any real learning experience. This year I'm back home in NE and hunt a really good area where I see deer everytime out. I feel like such a better hunter now than what I was Sept 15. I learn something new everytime out..but..I'm getting extremely frustrated because I cannot pattern these bucks. The does have a pattern. I had 3 10 yards from the stand friday night and I just sat and watched them. I know bucks are moving all over the place during the rut but I'm expecting them to follow more of a pattern now. I saw a nice 8 pointa fewweeks agoclose to my stand(not close enough though). He came out of an area where I have seen his tracks before and there are several rubs. This trail comes right by my stand. I have hunted this stand numerous times since then and expected him to come down this trail again but have seen no trace of him. So this morning I froze in my stand(3 degrees) for 2.5 hours and couldn't take it anymore. I started walking back tomy vehicle which I park at the landowners house. There is a few thickets and trees right behind the house where a few does ran out of last week. I had never seen deer in there before. I get 60 yards from these thickets this morning and up stands this massive buck who proceeded to high tail it out of there. He was bedded literally 50 yards from the landowners house. A bedded doe also was in there. Why all of a sudden are deer wanting to bed in there when there isn't much cover there at all and it's right by a house with people. I'm guessing maybe they feel safe from danger there. I went up to the thickets and found some impressive rubs that I hadn't noticed before. I'm thinking this buck may be wanting to hang around this area now. After spooking will he come back? I don't even think any of the few trees are climbable in this spot. This was the biggest buck I have seen this year. I'm no pro at judging scores but I'm pretty positive this deer was 150+. I'm at a loss on what to do next. Any advice? Sorry for the long read.

davidmil

Patiences grasshopper. Good things come to those who wait. As far as this big buck being bedded where you never saw a deer.....///??? Well newsflash, they do it all the time. They'll find a secluded place where they feel safe and no one wanders by too often and hunker down. A golden rod field, a small piece of brush, some tall CPR grass... whatever. You have to pick a happy medium. Look for the unusal but stick with tried and true... MOST of the time. Don't be afraid to try something new or look in a new spot. Don't think because you busted this deer out of this nice hidden spot he may ever show up there again. Then again, he might. ME, I'd figure this was a one time deal and he's out of there for the time being. A walk through would reveal multiple beds or only the 2 recent ones. Sometimes a buck will find one of these nice hideouts and live his life in it. Sometimes it's an area thing and today he picked this spot. Unless pressured really hard he's still close by and will be. Step back and figure out what he's doing. The rut is over in most places. THey're back on scrape lines and food and rebuilding their bodies.