Question From Hill Country Bucks DVD

[gander08]

I loved the Marsh bucks DVD, so of course I had to get Hill Country Bucks as well even though I don't hunt hilly terrain. There is still a lot of great hunting info, that you can use in your everyday hunting areas. However, I do have one questions that stands out in this video. In one of the scenes Andre does his bump and dump tactic. He kicks up a monster buck, and right then and there decides he needs to get a spot for a stand set and be ready for the next morning in hopes the buck returns to it's bed. The buck does return to it's bed the next morning and Andre shoots a smasher, and also considers this a "virgin" set. I guess I can't believe this buck would return to it's bed the next morning despite being kicked out of it's bed the day before! I've always been under the impression to get my spots set up in the spring and summer and not return til fall to hunt (obviously to not alert bucks of your presence). In Andre's scenario, can you explain to me why such a mature buck would return back to the bed it was kicked out of? I know this kind of hunting is very touchy and there's a fine line. Could you please provide some insight on this? Thanks

[Milk Weed Seed]

In the bucks mind that bed worked, he saw the danger coming and got away without being harmed. The buck had no clue the place was an ambush set the night before, when he returned the next morning.

[gander08]

Thanks for the reply. I would be curious to see if this same strategy would work on state land? I'm assuming the buck Andre shot had minimal hunting pressure on it, so it may not have felt threatened when returning. The majority of the land I hunt is state land, and I have a feeling that buck on pressured state land would have found an alternate bed???

[Milk Weed Seed]

If the conditions ie wind are the same. The result should be the same on public land too, IMO. The buck feels safe and got the results he anticipated. Never did a bump and dump myself thoug, but the theory makes a lot of sence.

[dan]

I have had some luck with the tactic in various forms on pressured state land. I would agree, that it probably works better on private managed land though. It don't always work, and sometimes it works a little different, like in my case last year I bumped a 150 out of a bed and set up immediately and he came right back the same day, I I have done that a few times on State land. I can also remember a buck I jumped out of the same bed 4 or 5 days in a row, and kept thing he was not going to come back, and when I finally sat there on day 6 he didn't.
If you saw the whole video, you likely watched the hunt where he set up over a bed had a big buck come in, and had dogs bump it, then the next morning kill the buck in the same bed. That should show you its not a fluke...

Andrea sets his standards pretty high... There is usually only one buck any given property he hunts. Knowing the exact bedding spot is critical in killing the buck.
Although bucks get pretty edgy about harassment they do have to put up with hikers, farm dogs, coyotes, and wolves in some areas and often get bumped out of there beds. They will put up with a certain extent of this type of harassment. Sometimes they will put up with one bump, sometimes several, sometimes 1st bump and there gone... I often tease Andrea about his "bump em and dump em" tactic and tell him in the public marsh we call it "Bump em and never ever ever see them again" but to be honest, it has sometimes worked here too.
There are ways to make it work better too... We have two definitions of a "bump". A hard bump is when you aggressively push a buck from his bed with the intent of him relocating to a new spot. A soft bump is where you move him, but try not to scare the crap out of him.
To soft bump a deer, a person does not want to walk directly towards the animal. Angles make it appear to the animal that your just passing by. Also, when the deer stands or trots off don't stop walking make it appear as though you could care less what the deer does. On Andreas property they are used to atv's occasionally crossing the property so he will sometimes cruise past a buck bedding area with the ATC and see what gets up...
Timing is important too... Really, in my opinion its probably thee most important thing in bump and dump hunting... Bucks should be bumped about an hour before dark, or just before they normally get to there feet... The reason for this is because a deer that is bumped just before he would normally get up is more likely to just go about his normal night time routine after settling back down. Then at the end of the night he just goes back to the same old bed out of habit... When bumped early in the day they will head to another bedding area, then there is a good chance they will bed in the new spot rather than the spot you bumped them from.
It should also be said that Andrea usually knows these bedding areas pretty well, it is not a good idea to get scent near the bed or near the entrance rought you suspect the buck will use. Its important for the buck to believe the bump just wandered through. If he hints human scent on his way to the bed, he will likely turn tail...

As far as the tactic goes, I would not go around busting deer out of my best bedding areas, this is a tactic for a spot you suspect holds a big buck or a buck you bumped on accident, or when you run out of options and don't know an area well...
As far as public vs private, me personally, I would be more inclined to try it on public ( which is where I have had my best results ) because I have endless public, but limited private and pressure puts big buck in certain spots for a reason and they want to go back to that spot cause of how much the other areas in public get harassed.

[gander08]

Thanks for the response Dan, you really helped clear things up for me

[yungbuck]

great post dan

[Mario]

Good post. It makes sense. Most animals are creatures of habit, especially if they feel safe in an area.

[stash59]

This didn't involve a buck. Many years ago when I was a very young man. I was scouting through a very thick poplar patch during bow season late one morning. I jumped a deer that I didn't see. My hunting mentor had mentioned that if this happens sometimes they come back. So I set up on the ground right on a deer trail because it was so thick. About 45 minutes later I heard a small sound. As I turned that way I saw ears above the tall grass coming my way. I didn't even raise my bow having decided to hold out for a buck. She kept coming until she was an arm reach away. She stopped and stretched her head out as far as her neck would allow. To sniff my boot. The object that had first drawn her attention. I heard her take in a good whiff and she bolted. We've all heard how does will exit their beds and leaves the fawn behind. If the hunter just keeps on going they probably come back pretty quick. So maybe this is a learned trait that the does pass down to their young. And as always the mature bucks perfect it. By the way my mentor asked what would I have done if a buck had been following the doe ? Cried I said. So, now I always get ready for a shot even when the first deer seen is a non-target animal. Just in case.