Hardwoods hunting help
 

Hey all I'm new to forums but been hunting all
My life even though I'm only 18. I hunt in hardwoods and have saw the same button buck with a doe two days in a row. I've tried rattling grunting and bleating with no success. I've saw 170+ inch deer where I hunt but never while I'm hunting I normally see deer everytimr
I hunt but never any mature bucks any advice would
Be appreciated thanks

Gotta locate them first. Prove they are in area. Then where they are coming from and going to and when. Once rut activity starts focus on travel routes and keep track of those does the bucks will and it could be a chance to catch an ol boy out in daylite. Pick one out and good hunting to you.

Thanks good luck to you as well. My step dad
Shot a 130 inch 9 point arrow broke off didn't have a bloodtrail. I have a deer farm and they're getting in rut but does are not in estrous yet so my question is should I just hit where I have been where I see the same two deer or should I move my stand

Multiple stand sites depending on wind and what deer are doing when you hunt, i like to try to catch them between feeding and bedding without my getting caught. Fist time in new spots with right conditions to hunt site sometimes the best hunt. (The first sit). Is it because bucks knew other stand sites were being used? Or location itself?. Multiple sites help avoid boredom too. Bucks can cruise through an area without using local traffic runways and still know whats going on. If you see their sign and alot will be night time,consider they are using their own faint routes,often cover or edge related. A good traffic area where cruisers pass through starting to pick up ,not alot of tracks or rubs,but tonights buck was cruisin. Passing through on an easy route but able to scent check most of the regular doe ,young runs too.

I know where active scrapes and quite a few rubs are but I just can't seem to
Find a big boy I don't normally harvest does I'm not a if its brown its down kinda guy I'm wondering if I should hunt by those scrapes I sprayed some of our doe in heat urine on a scrape and moved it around with a stick so should I hunt by there and thanks again

I know where active scrapes and quite a few rubs are but I just can't seem to
Find a big boy I don't normally harvest does I'm not a if its brown its down kinda guy I'm wondering if I should hunt by those scrapes I sprayed some of our doe in heat urine on a scrape and moved it around with a stick so should I hunt by there and thanks again

You need to find where he's living, not just where he's feeding. The rut is the great equalizer. You will catch mature bucks roaming during shooting hours. But outside of the magical rut window, I would tell you to get closer to where they live (thickets). You will start seeing bucks on the regular. Being this close to the rut, I would start watching rub lines & scrapes to see if you can key in on the buck you're looking for. But the doe's will be their primary concern here soon.

Thanks anybody else hunt in southern Indiana? Ill move a stand by the scrapes and leave the one where the doe is traveling.

Like people,their all the same but all different. A buck once ready to wear himself out,(not all will,have met homebodies.) Leaves that well rubbed bedroom he spent a good bit of time in as well as scrapes once chase is on. I,ve done i feel,better with a mock scrape where i want to hunt. One edge bucks ran during rut i made one 20 yards from stand,peed in in each visit and missed a monster that nosed it,after he left it and entered oaks. Mr excited used wrong site pin.
Agreed on keeping tabs on doe groups. Don,t want to start a fight here but my opinion is if does don,t show interest in a particular scrape i don,t . But hey, set up downwind 20 yards and try it.

Alright will do tomorrow evening ill let you know how it goes ��

Definitely set up somewhere near those scraps if there is more than one in the same area. Bucks tend to bed down during the day near them during the early rut. Glass the area with bino's from your stand to see if you can spot one or two laying down. I have actually seen two bucks bedded down together 50 yards from 4 active scraps one time. Hang your scent from your stand so that it is 3-4 feet from the ground and keep your movements to the minimum. If you have to move, do it in slow motion...seriously!

Good luck, we'll be waiting to hear of your success!

The one thing that I see here is that there might be too many does in that area. If you do not harvest does and only buck hunt then that big mature buck does not have to work as hard and travel as much. basically does will find him. I know it sounds weird but I have seen this a couple of times on new farms we lease. The prior people who leased it only shot bucks and there were like 4-5 does per one buck. Just my two cents. During the rut the bucks most likely will not be in the same area that you saw then in September and October either (from my experience I am sure everyone has different outcomes). The mature bucks love water and thickets tor un around in during the rut as well. As i said I am no professional and only give advice on what I have seen, I hope you get that big boy this year!

Find the does and the bucks will find you.. Find funnel areas, areas that make the deer go into a certain direction or travel course. Find some saddles and some oaks if you have them around. I have had GREAT success hunting swamps, hunting the edges of them, especially if you can find 2 swamps close together, hunt any hardwoods or any bridge going between the 2 and you have a perfect funnel situation. Remember until pressured the deer will usually take the easiest route possible. Once they get pressured it's time to head into them swamps and thickets. That's where the pressured deer will go... Good luck to ya

Saw a big freak nasty 160-170 inch ten point just too dark to shoot and didn't spook him when I left. The mad buck growl worked its magic brought him from
100 yards to about 45 just didn't wanna risk makin a bad shot on him do you guys think I should return in the morning the same
Spot I hunted tonight?

Thanks for the update. You changed location and hunted a fresh site,spotted mature buck. Sounds like you answered o.p..
With right conditions, will he repeat route? Will another buck? I dunno,not there.
Wouldn,t hunt site with wrong wind or get patterened myself but would hunt it again and note it for scouting when season over.not telling you what to do ,locating at least another site for wind conditions that would keep you out of last nights area would be nice,could even relate to same buck if he,s regular. After hunting a spot 2 or 3 times i stagger morning,evening,afternoon to try to break pattern. Usually busted from scent left by then. Your on your way ,pick a hair! Split it with a broadhead.
My question would be why was he where you saw him.
Am reluctant to use call much when deer knows where it came from,nothing much to lose if its going away though. A different call next time or tickle some antler?

Ill try the antlers. Anybody have any land in the surrounding states of Indiana who
Would want to hunt this season we can't use big rifles here and I'm wanting to use my 30-06 but I bring a bow with me when I gun hunt too if they're close I'll use the bow

What is the feed like in your area? Are there oaks producing acorns and/or fields that may have corn in them? If food is spotty find the the feed and you will find the deer if they are in your area. Multiple stands for different winds and for different times of day will help produce results. In the late afternoon you may want to have stands setup in staging areas where the deer mill around before coming out into fields after shooting hours. Morning stands should be between the food source and bedding areas so that you can catch those deer that are leaving the feeding areas early, but may be feeding on acorns on their way to bedding areas. Keep track of doe activity so that during the rut your in an area that does frequent which should help you locate a buck that is chasing does. There are other factors like moon phase that plays a role in buck activity. I like it best when I hunt a good area in the first few phases of the moon. One other thing that determines your chances of seeing mature bucks is hunting pressure. The more activity in a given area may cause bucks to go totally nocturnal (staying in their bedding areas all day) or may cause them to leave their home range altogether. I hope this helps you some.

I'm hunting a new location tonight by a pond it's like 70 degrees here so
I know they'll need a drink. Why is Indiana not
Recognized as a big deer state? The antlers get big the bodies get huge. For example I shot a doe last year that weighed 123 lbs dressed. Good sized doe in my opinion why do you guys think?