Going back after the first sit

[JV NC]

For you guys who say you only go "there", once...............how many target bucks do you have?

I'm hoping a LOT.

[headgear]

For you guys who say you only go "there", once...............how many target bucks do you have?

I'm hoping a LOT.

I guess for me it depends on how many mature bucks are in the area, that is a number that I don't know. A lot of times I hunt bedding areas more than specific bucks. Yes it would be nice to have a buck patterned and know he is using one particular bed and go in and hunt him but I don't have a lot of extra time to do that. I also try and put myself on hot sign but sometimes just going from bed to bed and hunting areas mature bucks like to hang out it can be very productive. It has certainly been a game changer for me. I use to hunt 3-5 public tracks over and over, now I hunt 20+ areas big and small and try and hit all the beds I find, my encounters and success rates have gone way up.

[dan]

For you guys who say you only go "there", once...............how many target bucks do you have?

I'm hoping a LOT.

I have a little over a dozen target bucks, but there are others I would shoot, and others I have not seen. Regardless, even when hunting just one buck, I might hunt 20 different beds, and still just be hunting that buck.

[U.P. MAN]

I have a little over a dozen target bucks, but there are others I would shoot, and others I have not seen. Regardless, even when hunting just one buck, I might hunt 20 different beds, and still just be hunting that buck.

One buck can have that many beds?

[ Post made via Android ]

[dan]

One buck can have that many beds?

Yes...
And sometimes you don't know which ones the buck your after are using. If I know a certain buck has been hanging in a certain area, I will systematically hunt each bed till I run out of options or kill him.

[bucksnbows]

I have a little over a dozen target bucks, but there are others I would shoot, and others I have not seen. Regardless, even when hunting just one buck, I might hunt 20 different beds, and still just be hunting that buck.

One buck can have that many beds?

[ Post made via Android ]

Yes...........
One buck could have multiple beds within one "bedding area"
Bucks like to be in the sun, the shade, etc. They may move from the sun into the shade or vice versa throughout the day. Not only that they may be 50 yards apart.
They also may have different bedding areas. One bedding area could be in a thicket bordering a field and another 200 yards away in a swamp. But a lot of times you can find multiple beds in one little area that one buck is using.

[bucksnbows]

on the subject of hunting a bedding area once without success.............
What do you think the chances of another "shooter" buck using the same area to bed if no other buck is in there?

Like how they say if a big buck is killed another buck will usually move into the area.....what worked for one will work for another. I just wonder if that could be true even if a buck is not dead. Of course there could be a fight if the original buck shows up to find his bedroom filled with strangers.

[U.P. MAN]

I would think multiple bucks would use a good strategic bed. Until the dominant one catches him in there anyway :)

[ Post made via Android ]

[dan]

In the primary buck bedding areas I often see different bucks almost every time I hunt them.
Sometimes only a few days apart... A primary buck bedding area is not owned by any one buck. The most dominant one that shows up for the day will be the one that gets to stay there and the less dominant bucks will get up and move to the satellite beds.

[JV NC]

Yes...........
One buck could have multiple beds within one "bedding area"

I agree, 100%.

[dan]

There seems to be some good conversation in this thread...

[Timmy]

Great thread, very interesting!

[Timmy]

So how long do you think it takes for a spot to become "scent free" after you have hunted it? If you hunt a bed and nothing shows, and it takes "x" amount of time for your scent to be gone after hunting, couldn't you hunt it again then in hopes that maybe another buck has taken up the bed after your scent is gone?

[Stanley]

If I'm hunting a bedding area, and I don't see a buck come out on "my" side, I'd go back in there the next good wind I got.

I entered on a good wind. I haven't (obviously) over-hutned the spot. I didn't see him, so there's a fair chance he didn't see me.

Let's say he went out the "other" side. How in the world would he know you were there?

When the timing is right, hang to kill. There's a time to be passive and a time to be aggressive. The times to be aggressive are so few and far between that I'm not going to squander them. I'd be back in the same spot the very first chance I got (good wind - right time).

I very seldom hunt the same set twice in a row. I do this to not burn out my areas. I agree you can hunt the same set twice in a row if the circumstances allow it. I killed my Halloween buck this year hunting the same set on consecutive days. The set up was perfect and allowed this to happen.

I more than likely wouldn't have hunted the spot a third day in a row though. Another thing to remember you may have gotten busted and not know it. This happens more than hunters want to admit. I agree this is a great topic.

[Stanley]

So how long do you think it takes for a spot to become "scent free" after you have hunted it? If you hunt a bed and nothing shows, and it takes "x" amount of time for your scent to be gone after hunting, couldn't you hunt it again then in hopes that maybe another buck has taken up the bed after your scent is gone?

There is no set time for human scent to dilute to an undetectable amount. Your scent could linger for days and up to a week under some conditions. When I set my trail cameras up I very seldom see big bucks show up for 7-10 days. That doesn't mean scent lingers that long but their memory of that scent does.

On a real windy day your scent could wash out in a matter of hours. Kind of like hanging your clothes out side, the wind will wash the scent out of them. The leaves and dirt that hold your scent will be blown around and diluted to an undetectable amount in a hurry.

Another thing that determines how long scent lingers is how much scent you leave behind. For example do you leave more scent walking in your socks or wearing rubber boots? Keep these things in mind when trying to decide on hunting a spot twice in a row.