chiefks

How do you guys hunt the big boys? I have no trouble getting set up on does and smaller bucks. But I only see 2 - 3 big bucks every season. Some seasons I haven't seen any. I want to concentrate on hunting the bigger bucks. I know you can't kill whats not there. So I have to hunt in a area that holds big bucks, perferably more big deer in thearea would up my chances of sucess.

So what do I do to locate a big deer to hunt? Tracks? Say I run across a big deer print. Alot of people hang a stand there on the spot, but I don't think thats quite the way to go. Tracks only tell you he was there, not where he's going to be. Maybe he was just passing through the area? So what should be my next move when I find a big track?

I might catch a glimps of one in late august or early setember on a field edge. Do you spot light them during the season or before the season? I can't really afford to spend $300 for a trail monitor camera. Wish I could.

Of all the big deer I have seen in the past. I've only saw one in the same place twice. 2 days in a row I had him at 15 yards or less, only problem was I only had a toe tag in my pocket.[&:]I've had several close calls including one miss with my bow at a 160" 10 point. I did get lucky 2 years ago with a 14 point buck. He was a 5x4 with 5 stickers around the bases. Any help would be much apperciated.

Mark

deerdust

Mark, go to this site and see if you can get the area you hunt. http://terraserver.microsoft.com/
Saveit and post it here and we'll see if we can locate some likely spots to hunt.

It will look like this.

chiefks

How do you post a picture and get it to be open on the message forum. I posted my bug buck on another thread, but you had to click on the attachment to get it open.

Mark

deerdust

when you upload your attachment, make sure to check the box to embed it in your post.

GregH

Sometimes 2-3 big bucks in an area is all you're going to see. Until I got permission to hunt a certain county for the last three years, all I was seeing was 2-3 big bucks in my original areas. What I did was to hunt funnels between doe bedding areas during the rut. I was able to take one of the big bucks that I'd seen during the season by hunting those funnels. I did this for several years in a row.
Good luck.

chiefks

I don't think I'm going to post a map of where I hunt. Where I live in Kansas there is quite a bit of public hunting ground. I know some farmers and have permission to hunt there ground as well. I havea LOT of ground to hunt. Some places will hold big deer and some won't. I have been narrowing down the places I hunt.

I should say that I do not bow hunt any longer due to a illness. I huntthe last2 weeks in setember, not very many people take advantage of the early muzzle loader season. And then if I have theregular rifle season to hunt in. Not had much luck with gun hunting yet. Seems like after the first weekend, I would swear 75% of the deer have gone under ground. Theyvanish, poof, gone, pulled a hundi act! I really like the early muzzle loader season. Feel my best chance for a big bucks is then. But I'm still not conecting on the mature bucks.

formula1

There's alot of tips I can think of, but here's some.

1) Big Bucks want to feel secure to move in the daylight hours or they just won't do it, so a thick area near or even in a bedding area might be the ticket.

2) Always use the wind to your advantage. Never hunt a stand when the wind isn't right or big bucks will find you.

3) In the rut, find the funnels and the does and you'll see the big bucks. And as funnels go, thick funnels area dream location. There are also those places where a buck 'scent checks' an area frequented by does, usually downwind of them. Watch out for those spots, too.

4) Be stealthy in your stand approach. I'll walk the long way to the stand if it means going undetected.

These are just some things to think about. I'm sure the more experienced on this website can add to the discussion.

rybohunter

lots of good advice already, but the biggest thing I can add is that you don't need a big one behind every tree. If I see one shooter a season, that's all it takes.

JoeRE

If you have a lot of land to hund and are hunting the early season, heres what I would do. If you get a glimse or two of a big buck that is all you may need. Scout back from the field edge and find the thickest nastiest brush you can find and maybe look for a few early rubs. There is a good chance they bed there so hang a stand next to it or even IN it if the area is not too big and get in there early, say at least an hour, perferably more, before it even hints at getting light. Watch your entry and the wind of course. The reason you need a lot of land for this is it is high impact and chances are after a hunt or two he is gone if you have not connected. But on the other hand I feel it is the most effective at getting a chance in the early season.

huntingson

If you want to fiind an area with bigger bucks, go where no one else does. Do the extra hiking and crawling where necessary to get to the areas where a buck can live 4-5 years. Although, if you are seeing 2-3 real monsters a year, you are in a pretty good area. You just need to hone your hunting skillshave a little luck, and bingo, you get one.