Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

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Southern Man
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Re: Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

Unread postby Southern Man » Thu May 31, 2012 11:06 am

dan wrote:There are big bucks everywhere bucks are hunted... I shake my head at comments like "there are no big bucks where I hunt".


Yea I agree with that. If you run enough trail cameras, sooner or later you'll see that to be true.

dan wrote: In every area there are some bucks that are bigger than the rest. If thats a 2 year old that scores 90, its still a big buck if 99% of the hunters shoot 1 year old forks... Some areas a 4 year old might only score 130 or 140, its still a great buck for that area... Who cares what someone in a different state or area thinks?


Agree with that also. I have no one to satisfy but me.


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Re: Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

Unread postby dan » Thu May 31, 2012 11:18 am

Pullintoobs wrote:Well stated Dan. I bet that in ANY area, that someone thinks there are no big bucks, There is a guy or a few that consistantly put down big bucks. I think the people that say that sort of thing are missing out. If one truly believes there are no big bucks around they shoot small bucks. They are not doing what is neccessary to find and kill a good one. Heck not even kill one just see one! There is no way all small bucks get killed. NO Chance of it.

When I used to guide hunters in the public marsh behind my house I had a few out of state clients and one of them arrowed a 150 inch bucki out of a bedding area right behind my house on the public... Well we had it loaded in the truck and were getting ready to go back out so the other guys could hunt when the neighbor saw the buck and came over...This neighbor has been hunting the same marsh we were hunting for over 20 years. He was hooting and carrying on about the size of the buck. Then I finally said, hey I have to get these guys out hunting... He said "where you taking them? I said we ain't got much time probably just hunt behind the house and pointed down towards the marsh we just dragged the buck out of... His response was hard not to laugh at... He said, you need to take them back where ever you guys shot that monster, cause there ain't nothing close to that in that entire marsh!
We had a pretty good laugh when the guy left...
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Re: Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

Unread postby virginiashadow » Thu May 31, 2012 12:36 pm

dan wrote:There are big bucks everywhere bucks are hunted... I shake my head at comments like "there are no big bucks where I hunt".
In every area there are some bucks that are bigger than the rest. If thats a 2 year old that scores 90, its still a big buck if 99% of the hunters shoot 1 year old forks... Some areas a 4 year old might only score 130 or 140, its still a great buck for that area... Who cares what someone in a different state or area thinks?



Dan, if this post wast directed at mine in the previous page then hopefully you noticed I posted this....

"To kill big bucks, you have to go where they are located at higher rates and/or have skill...period."

I DONT have the skill yet to consistently get around the big bucks where I hunt, AND the place does not have a lot of bigger bucks....therefore right now in my hunting career I am not at the point skillwise where I can overcome a lower odds big buck property. That is what I was saying and I hope you don't think that I meant anything different when you posted this above:

"There are big bucks everywhere bucks are hunted... I shake my head at comments like "there are no big bucks where I hunt""

Brett
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Re: Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

Unread postby dan » Thu May 31, 2012 1:10 pm

It was not directed at you or anyone Brett, just a general statement about peoples comments and attitudes about deer hunting hard areas... A lot of people around my home town think where I hunt its impossible to kill a big buck... Granted, there a lot bigger here when they do make it, but it does not have to be like winning the lottery.
If a guy is doing great in his area, of his state, he is a good hunter... It shouldn't matter what me, Andrae, spysar, or anyone else shoot... What really matters is what you think... Hunting is different everywhere you go, and people have differing ideas of what they are willing to sacrifice to hunt, and what they can afford to hunt... Nobody should feel down about not getting a buck, unless they let themselves down... It should not matter what anyone else thinks. Its not a competition.
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Re: Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

Unread postby virginiashadow » Thu May 31, 2012 1:19 pm

Cool Dan. I agree with what you said, and I have never taken it as a competition against anyone other than myself. If I did think of it as a competition I wouldn't have switched over to primarily hunting with a recurve and hunting the entire 3 month deer season with a bow, even though 6 weeks of it are able to be gun hunted. My spot holds some decent bucks, but most bucks need to be at least 4 years old to be 120 inches or better. Poor soil content and sub-par genetics I guess. So in reality, to kill a "bigger" buck on the property I hunt one needs to be able to duel with a 4 year older or better....and that right there is the main reason why I find it so difficult. My skill level is rising but not that good if you know what I mean.
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Re: Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Thu May 31, 2012 11:20 pm

virginiashadow wrote:
dan wrote:There are big bucks everywhere bucks are hunted... I shake my head at comments like "there are no big bucks where I hunt".
In every area there are some bucks that are bigger than the rest. If thats a 2 year old that scores 90, its still a big buck if 99% of the hunters shoot 1 year old forks... Some areas a 4 year old might only score 130 or 140, its still a great buck for that area... Who cares what someone in a different state or area thinks?



Dan, if this post wast directed at mine in the previous page then hopefully you noticed I posted this....

"To kill big bucks, you have to go where they are located at higher rates and/or have skill...period."

I DONT have the skill yet to consistently get around the big bucks where I hunt, AND the place does not have a lot of bigger bucks....therefore right now in my hunting career I am not at the point skillwise where I can overcome a lower odds big buck property. That is what I was saying and I hope you don't think that I meant anything different when you posted this above:

"There are big bucks everywhere bucks are hunted... I shake my head at comments like "there are no big bucks where I hunt""

Brett


Exactly Brett.

Thats why I posted that my SUCCESSFUL Hunting Buddy scouts/sits 6-days a week.
He has what it takes - both the time AND Better Ability than I...
I'm still a college player, and small portion of the College players never make it to the Bigs...

Sooner or later you stop trying for the bigs but you never stop dreaming of the bigs!!!
Maybe I'll get the call from the mangaer someday inviting me to play in the bigs -
I'll learn alot - lot's of great mangaers here, I'll except an invitation Thank You ;)
Expect the Unexpected when you least Expect it...
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Re: Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

Unread postby Ridgerunner7 » Fri Jun 01, 2012 1:46 am

While bed hunting may take more post season scouting, attention to detail, and stealth I think rut hunting can be difficult to if you're indeed after fully mature deer. Rut hunting to me means long hours 13+ dark to dark sitting, attention to wind to predict where the bucks will be cruising/scent checking, knowing when and when not to attept calling, knowing the doe herd and staying close to them during peak breading, quickly realizing when patterns change, etc. This stuff is not easy and takes a lot of knowledge and hard work as well. Very few hunters in my area hunt this hard during the rut even while knowing this is there best chance at a mature deer. I sat all day 12 days last year during the rut and killed two what I think were 4 year old bucks. Sure, any hunter can get lucky during the rut and kill a 5 year old buck but not too many hunters do it consistently even during the rut..at least where Im from they don't .

I have friends in Iowa that own a square mile of amazing whitetail ground with tons of deer. While their deer are indeed easier to hunt, they rarely shoot anything under 160" and 5 years old. They would rather not take a buck at all than shoot a buck less than 5 years old. They hunt their butts of for these bucks as well and sometimes are unsuccessful. They are targeting they top 2% of bucks in their area. They could go out and kill a 3 year old 130-140 almost any day of the season if they wanted. They worked hard to get that ground and are reaping the benefits of it. They are top notch hunters and were killing good bucks in MIchigan before they moved to Iowa.

So to answer your question..I think both techniques require skill, knowledge, sacrafice, scouting, dedication and hard work.
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Re: Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Jun 01, 2012 3:32 am

Ridgerunner7 wrote:While bed hunting may take more post season scouting, attention to detail, and stealth I think rut hunting can be difficult to if you're indeed after fully mature deer. Rut hunting to me means long hours 13+ dark to dark sitting, attention to wind to predict where the bucks will be cruising/scent checking, knowing when and when not to attept calling, knowing the doe herd and staying close to them during peak breading, quickly realizing when patterns change, etc. This stuff is not easy and takes a lot of knowledge and hard work as well. Very few hunters in my area hunt this hard during the rut even while knowing this is there best chance at a mature deer. I sat all day 12 days last year during the rut and killed two what I think were 4 year old bucks. Sure, any hunter can get lucky during the rut and kill a 5 year old buck but not too many hunters do it consistently even during the rut..at least where Im from they don't .

I have friends in Iowa that own a square mile of amazing whitetail ground with tons of deer. While their deer are indeed easier to hunt, they rarely shoot anything under 160" and 5 years old. They would rather not take a buck at all than shoot a buck less than 5 years old. They hunt their butts of for these bucks as well and sometimes are unsuccessful. They are targeting they top 2% of bucks in their area. They could go out and kill a 3 year old 130-140 almost any day of the season if they wanted. They worked hard to get that ground and are reaping the benefits of it. They are top notch hunters and were killing good bucks in MIchigan before they moved to Iowa.

So to answer your question..I think both techniques require skill, knowledge, sacrafice, scouting, dedication and hard work.

Great input. I think it is a little disrespectful for some to say he lives in the land of ozz that is why he has a wall full of nice bucks. Any hunter that has a wall full of nice bucks, earned them, they didn't just attach themselves to the wall.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

Unread postby virginiashadow » Fri Jun 01, 2012 5:43 am

Edcyclopedia wrote:
virginiashadow wrote:
dan wrote:There are big bucks everywhere bucks are hunted... I shake my head at comments like "there are no big bucks where I hunt".
In every area there are some bucks that are bigger than the rest. If thats a 2 year old that scores 90, its still a big buck if 99% of the hunters shoot 1 year old forks... Some areas a 4 year old might only score 130 or 140, its still a great buck for that area... Who cares what someone in a different state or area thinks?



Dan, if this post wast directed at mine in the previous page then hopefully you noticed I posted this....

"To kill big bucks, you have to go where they are located at higher rates and/or have skill...period."

I DONT have the skill yet to consistently get around the big bucks where I hunt, AND the place does not have a lot of bigger bucks....therefore right now in my hunting career I am not at the point skillwise where I can overcome a lower odds big buck property. That is what I was saying and I hope you don't think that I meant anything different when you posted this above:

"There are big bucks everywhere bucks are hunted... I shake my head at comments like "there are no big bucks where I hunt""

Brett


Exactly Brett.

Thats why I posted that my SUCCESSFUL Hunting Buddy scouts/sits 6-days a week.
He has what it takes - both the time AND Better Ability than I...
I'm still a college player, and small portion of the College players never make it to the Bigs...

Sooner or later you stop trying for the bigs but you never stop dreaming of the bigs!!!
Maybe I'll get the call from the mangaer someday inviting me to play in the bigs -
I'll learn alot - lot's of great mangaers here, I'll except an invitation Thank You ;)


I hear you Ed. Just went back and read your earlier post--missed it! I agree with you. I work my behind off most years to get better as a hunter. That being said, I don't have the total package to consistently get around bigger bucks right now in my life for one reason or another. I have slowly started upping my odds each year by the knowledge I am gaining....I will keep pushing hard no matter what. GOOD LUCK Ed!
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Re: Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Jun 01, 2012 6:29 am

This is a great thread. We should never forget that everyone is still learning. Some may have more sand through the glass, doesn't mean they quit learning.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

Unread postby dan » Fri Jun 01, 2012 8:20 am

Stanley wrote:This is a great thread. We should never forget that everyone is still learning. Some may have more sand through the glass, doesn't mean they quit learning.

Those that think they know everything, have a lot to learn ;)
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Re: Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

Unread postby Black Squirrel » Fri Jun 01, 2012 8:46 am

I know post like this are made to stimulate debate, and it worked here, that's cool. I just hate getting caught up in who's the better, or best. Every situation is different, there are so many variables, and hunters have different goals. We are rarely ever comparing apples to apples.
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Re: Is buck hunting on a certain pattern lame?

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:08 am

Black Squirrel wrote:I know post like this are made to stimulate debate, and it worked here, that's cool. I just hate getting caught up in who's the better, or best. Every situation is different, there are so many variables, and hunters have different goals. We are rarely ever comparing apples to apples.

I agree.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.


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