Killing Mature Whitetails
05-19-2020, 12:34 PM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 2
Killing Mature Whitetails
When hunting mature deer there is a process that you have to go through to harvest a nice buck. First, you have to do a lot of scouting in the spring looking for any possible stand locations, deer sign, rubs, scrapes, and beds, these things are more obvious in the late winter/early spring because there are no leaves on the trees so you will be able to see everything much clearer. In a deer bed, there will be a matted down oval with deer hair and often times poop nearby. If there is a scrape at the head of the bed or near the bed it is most likely a buck, but all bucks have a personality so this won’t always be the case. If there are many beds in one area and no visible sign of scrapes or rubs it is most likely a doe bedding area, either way, it is important to know where both are located. This step is very important because you will learn lots of information that will be useful later in the season.
Then you should set up some cameras at major trails and food sources and start to collect inventory on the deer on your farm. You should set up stands or revisit your old stands to make sure your shooting lanes are still clear. Next, you should be planting food plots to keep the deer on your farm and fed all year round. You want a very diverse food plot so during all times of the year there will be food for them. You should also think about creating bedding cover for the deer. I personally planted 5 acres of switchgrass, several screening walls, and planted 2 acres of “Real World” soybeans that I plan to broadcast “Real Worlds” deadly dozen in the fall. This will provide food and cover for my deer for most of the year. You can create bedding cover by planting switchgrass, shrubs, giant miscanthus, or hinge cutting trees. Hinge cutting trees is where you cut trees at waist high about ¾ of the way through the tree so it tips over but still stays alive so it provides cover and food for the deer.
For most of the summer, all you have to do is make sure your food plots are doing well and try to find a deer you would like to harvest. In early fall, you should do as little as possible so you don’t pressure and push the mature deer off your land. You should only be checking your cameras every two weeks or more depending on where they are located. For example, I have a camera that is near a major bedding area on my farm I only check this camera when I hunt at my stand that is near the camera but I have a camera that I check every week that is 20 yards off the road that I can access very easily.
Once the season starts and you have your eye on one or a few deer that you would like to kill you should simply sit in the stand that you have the best odds of killing that deer in but at the same time the conditions need to be in your favor. You do not want to spook the deer you are going after because you were too antsy to wait for a good day. However, many experienced hunters have said “The wind has to be almost wrong for you and almost right for the deer” oftentimes mature bucks won’t walk blindly into the wind because they rely on their sense of smell to keep them safe from predators. Sometimes you have to take a risk by setting up so your scent is almost going to the deer but it is just barely missing the deer but at the same time the deer feels safe because the wind is sort of in its favor.
Your season depends on your determination and your ability to learn so take the time throughout spring and summer to learn as much as you can, shoot your bow, and prepare for the upcoming season and the one after that. I highly suggest the podcasts Trail cam radio, Chasing Giants, Whitetail legacy podcast, and The Hunting Public.
Then you should set up some cameras at major trails and food sources and start to collect inventory on the deer on your farm. You should set up stands or revisit your old stands to make sure your shooting lanes are still clear. Next, you should be planting food plots to keep the deer on your farm and fed all year round. You want a very diverse food plot so during all times of the year there will be food for them. You should also think about creating bedding cover for the deer. I personally planted 5 acres of switchgrass, several screening walls, and planted 2 acres of “Real World” soybeans that I plan to broadcast “Real Worlds” deadly dozen in the fall. This will provide food and cover for my deer for most of the year. You can create bedding cover by planting switchgrass, shrubs, giant miscanthus, or hinge cutting trees. Hinge cutting trees is where you cut trees at waist high about ¾ of the way through the tree so it tips over but still stays alive so it provides cover and food for the deer.
For most of the summer, all you have to do is make sure your food plots are doing well and try to find a deer you would like to harvest. In early fall, you should do as little as possible so you don’t pressure and push the mature deer off your land. You should only be checking your cameras every two weeks or more depending on where they are located. For example, I have a camera that is near a major bedding area on my farm I only check this camera when I hunt at my stand that is near the camera but I have a camera that I check every week that is 20 yards off the road that I can access very easily.
Once the season starts and you have your eye on one or a few deer that you would like to kill you should simply sit in the stand that you have the best odds of killing that deer in but at the same time the conditions need to be in your favor. You do not want to spook the deer you are going after because you were too antsy to wait for a good day. However, many experienced hunters have said “The wind has to be almost wrong for you and almost right for the deer” oftentimes mature bucks won’t walk blindly into the wind because they rely on their sense of smell to keep them safe from predators. Sometimes you have to take a risk by setting up so your scent is almost going to the deer but it is just barely missing the deer but at the same time the deer feels safe because the wind is sort of in its favor.
Your season depends on your determination and your ability to learn so take the time throughout spring and summer to learn as much as you can, shoot your bow, and prepare for the upcoming season and the one after that. I highly suggest the podcasts Trail cam radio, Chasing Giants, Whitetail legacy podcast, and The Hunting Public.
