bentbarrel

Some say during the early season we should stay out of our "big buck" places on the land we hunt. Saving the best stands for the rut??

Everyone's thoughts?

muzzyman88

Why stay out? Early season is when the deer are at least still patternable. If you know where the big fella is eating and sleeping at based on all your late summer scouting, getting close to him the first couple weeks of season should be easier. But, once the rut hits and they start chasing does all over helter skelter, how are you supposed to pattern that?

I'm not saying to swing for the fence the opening day and setup in his bedroom, but treading lightly on his turf isn't a bad idea the opening weeks. If I have a nice bucks bedding area pinpointed, I would setup on his bed only during the week or so leading up to the rut and only in good wind and conditions. If you blow him off his bedding area then, chances are its not going to matter too much anyway since he won't be using it all that much once he starts roaming around looking for a girlfriend.

just my two cents

TURKEY FAN

Here is the best advice i can give you. If you know where a big buck is, and you never really hunted this spot at all............the first time you hang your stand and hunt........IS THE BEST TIME TO KILL THAT BUCK. How many times have you heard someone say " we seen a nice buck in early october and then they never seen him again"? Becuase he is on food sources right now, find the food source and hunt it hard. I have a spot that big bucks use only during the rut, i stay outta that area till the rut, because i dont wanna stink it up too early. So any new place you hunt the first time is the best time to kill that trophy buck, period.

adams

I don't suggest trudging through his bedroom but there is no good reason not to get as close as you can without spooking him. In fact thisis the best way to hunt a big nocturnal buck.

I think someone is snowballing you in an effort to get a crack at "your"buck

HAZCON7

Think about it, that buck is going to change his pattern completely during the rut. He might be 5 miles away from where you saw him in October. What are the chances he's still going to be around by the time you decide to hunt him?
And what are the chances someone else could spook him or bag him before you even get to hunt him if you wait until the rut.
I say, stake a claim and hunt that fella with caution.

titleist_03

The first few days I go after a buck I've patterned through the summer. If I'm unsucessful I get out and hunt other stands. Then when the bucks start hitting their scrape lines and rub lines regularly I'll go after him again.

bentbarrel

Nope..you got it wrong. Didn' t hear this from one individual just hear a lot of guys talking about it. Plus the place I'm talking about is exclusively private and only two of us hunt it. Plus if my bud snowballs me he won't be coming back. My place.

I disagree with it as well but I just wanted to see what others thought.

I myself tend to be more of the aggressive type...sometimes foolishly aggressive but it pays off sometimes. There are some areas that I would consider sanctuaries and we try our best to stay out and only hunt their edges but sometimes we're wrong and we get busted. We try to give them room so we don't bump 'em. But...I do like to get as close as possible which has been a real challenge. Last year a good eight pointer in particular was bedding down real close to a bean field and it made it difficult to hunt him in the afternoon. Didn't even hunt the area in the morning b/c there was no real way in without spooking lots of deer. I think we spooked him early b/c he wasn't seen again until gun season when he got himself shot chasing a doe.