ORIGINAL: WildlifePhoto
Hey guys,
T.R. says we need at least 20 responses to make this a semi-reasonable study project, help us out here.
He says he has gotten many moreresponses on the "Ontario Trophy Bucks Forum" -
As the best Hunting Talk Forum on the Internet - can't we show them up???
Justmake an informedguess as to your state....

Hey guys, PLEASE remember that I am posting these ideas on 25+ Talk forums, and answering " so and so has responded to your post at ... " every day. It takes me 8 hours every day do post and respond, and answer e-mails.

SO - it takes me a while to get around to each forum ... PLEASE be patient with me. ________________________

Ok, here is an answer to some of the several points I was trying to make: Every "deer movement" study I've ever seen (whether using electronic location/timer devices, electronic deer "gates" [on penned deer], or deer sighting study - I have ever seen - show 2 peak activity times for white-tailed deer and elk; one at roughtly sunrise and one at roughly sunset, with very minor peaks at midday and midnight.

Whitetails are what scientists refer to as "crepuscular" meaning they are active primarily at sunset and sunrise.

The studies all show that deer often begin moving earlier in the evening than normal when there is cloud cover, and that they genearlly stay out longer in the morning than normal when there is cloud cover.

The conclusion we can come to is that "the amount of available light" (from the sun each day, and possibly the moon each night), probably triggers a deer's urge to get up and become active - or at least makes it feel seucre enough to become active. My personal studies, and those of others confirm this idea.

The reason being, that - because deer are crepuscular - indicates that they are most comfortable being active when there are low light conditions, and that anything that alters the available amount of light each day, can, and may cause deer to beocme active when there are low-light conditions, or at least conditions the deer feel secure in.

This probably does not apply as much in heavily wooded areas, where leaves or needles may "alter" the amount of "available light, because of the shady conditions - and because the deer often feel more seucre in wooded areas - than in open areas.

So, when it is cloudy- you might want to get out earlier in the evening, and stay out later in the morning.

May God bless you and yours,

T.R. Michels

_________________

There is still one more point to make:

How many days- during the full moon phase (those 7 days) - do you think there is full moonlight at night - in your area???

Hey guys, PLEASE remember that I am posting these ideas on 25+ Talk forums, and answering " so and so has responded to your post at ... " every day. It takes me 8 hours every day do post and respond, and answer e-mails.

ORIGINAL: WildlifePhoto
Jag Mag,
You do know that T.R. had his own board here on Hunting.Net, and that he had forums on whitetails, waterfowl, turkey and elk, and that he was the first moderator of the "Religion" forum - don't you??
If he is correct - then he had over 150,000reads on those forum in the first six months he was here.

Here is one way:

I've learned - through my research and the research of others - that the weather is basically the main factor that determines "when" and "where" deer are most active "every day". Knowing where and when deer are most likely to be - helps me locate deer on a pretty darn regular basis.
Say it is raining cats and dogs, and the wind is howling at 30 mph. I KNOW the deer are probably not gonna move much - so there is no sense sitting at a stand at the edge of a cut cornfield waiting for the deer to come to me - I have to figure out where they are most likely to be - and get close enough to them to get an opportunity. So, I get up and go look for areas where I think the deer will be holed up.

And, I've learned - through my research and personal experience that the deer are likely to be in heavy overhead cover if they can find it, and be in a spot that is out of the wind, maybe on the down windside of a hill or wooded area, or a low-lying area. I know this, because I've researched deer for 10 years, and hunted them since I was 12 years old. I've learned a few things in that time. Not all of it, but some of it.

Reading Seer Sign
Next, and this is very important, I've learned to know where to look for deer sign, and I've learned to understand what it means, which can tell me "when" the deer was in the area ('cause I understand why the deer was there - through scientific reseach), and when it might be in that general area again. I scout literally dozens of hours before the season, and all during the season (generally every few days).

And I look for the trails "buck" use, because in many areas they use the same basic routes each day as they come and go from their daytime core areas/bedding sites - to food sources and look for does.
Knowing bucks often use the same travel routes (and often the very same trail every day) especially the closer they get to their daytime core areas - I know that I can "pattern" their movments (predict on a semi-regular basis - just about where they will be every few days, at approximately the same time every day, as long as the rut is not on). And I look for their rub-route, and the scrapes they make, 'cause that tells me the buck spends some time along those areas. And that they will still use those same areas, even if the rut is on, on a less regular basis - as long as they don't find an estrus doe, and that as soon as the doe is out of estrus - they may still use those areas, especially the closer they get to their daytime core area (bedding site) once the doe is out of estrus, 'cause they may want to rest up for a few days.

So - the area where a buck spends the most amount of time - during daylight hours (legal hunting hours - and up to 75% of the DAY -not night) is in or near its "daytime core area". That is where you should spend the most amount of time if you want to take a "particular" (large racked???) buck.
And I find that buck's core area, by either seeing it or getting photos of it, and then reading sign, finding its rub route, and either back-tracking (usually) its rub route in the evening - until I actually find its core area, or I follow the rub route in the morning to locate the core area.

Then I setup - in a likely location - play the wind, and ambush him when he walks by. I might use scents, calls, rattling and decoys to get him in close. But, usually I can setup where he will walk by withing 25 yards of where I setup - and use nothing.

It takes bit of work, and a lot of understanding of deer behavior, which I've gained as a result of reading research papers and doing 10 years of deer research myself.

And I've learned (and devised) several ways to "cut down on the amount of time spent scouting", which can be used by the average Joe hunter - who does not have the time to spend scouting like I do. It is all in my book. But, I'm gonna give more of it away here.

"Patterning" is one of the most productive ways to kill "particular big bucks" you may see.

God bless,

T.R.