Old bucks easier to kill after 6+ years old?

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Dewey
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Old bucks easier to kill after 6+ years old?

Unread postby Dewey » Sat Mar 07, 2015 12:18 pm

Just read an article by Bill Winke and he claims once bucks age past 6 years old they become easier to kill.

Wondering what your thoughts are on that theory?

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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby Sf22nd » Sat Mar 07, 2015 12:35 pm

What was his reasoning?
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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby Bucky » Sat Mar 07, 2015 12:44 pm

I'd say based on last year... yes! I hunted a buck that was 7.5yrs old... had not seen him hunting since he was 4.5yr old... yet he was on cam almost nightly 4.5-6.5

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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby Bucky » Sat Mar 07, 2015 12:49 pm

I'm gonna say I agree... but once they are 6.5+

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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Sat Mar 07, 2015 12:54 pm

Interesting. I would think this would make them more lazy therefor moving less. Being less active in the rut moving at a slower pace. They most likely have a smaller home range then a 3 year old. But they didn't get that old by being dumb. My guess is they would be easier as far as home range and core area size but harder since they move less often and probably stay in their beds till well after dark.

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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby purebowhunting » Sat Mar 07, 2015 1:11 pm

I think the knowledge you've gained about him in the first 6+ years of his life plays a big role. I've done it once, I had him figured out from the previous years and really had an edge. He had a really small core area from mid October on, in this area he was very killable. It was on a small 30 acre piece and no neighbors even knew he existed. Hope to get another opportunity to hunt one over multiple years, no opportunities since.

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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby Dewey » Sat Mar 07, 2015 1:23 pm

Sf22nd wrote:What was his reasoning?

He didn't specify why just said this is something he has seen with the bucks he hunts.

My thought is as at some point their awareness may peak and as they decline some might make more mistakes.

Just a guess since I can't verify if any buck I ever hunted actually reached that age.

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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby jmaas07 » Sat Mar 07, 2015 1:31 pm

I bet they just don't hear him coming in his quiet cat, don't smell him inside his scent loc and redneck blind lol

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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Sat Mar 07, 2015 1:32 pm

I agree. Daylight pics explode after 6.5 after almost entirely nocturnal at 4.5 and 5.5. A 6.5 is still harder to kill than a 3.5- in my opionion. 3.5- is borderline reckless even on public land.

I can't comment on 7.5
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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby Hawthorne » Sat Mar 07, 2015 2:16 pm

I have heard they become senile with old age. They make more mistakes

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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby mauser06 » Sat Mar 07, 2015 3:37 pm

I recently read something along the same lines...

Gunna bug me that I can't remember where...

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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Sat Mar 07, 2015 3:48 pm

Someday I plan on finding out :lol:

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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby Dustin » Sat Mar 07, 2015 4:12 pm

I believe this is true if you're hunting beast style and hunting targeted deer. At 3.5 these deer are the easiest to kill, but hardest to pattern. Their ranges are big and they run on testosterone. At 6.5 their core areas shrink and they don't move much at all. People are no different. A 17 year old kid could be doing anything, anywhere, at any time. But someone in their 60's most likely has a very routine and lazier lifestyle.

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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby Stanley » Sat Mar 07, 2015 6:08 pm

I usually agree with Winke on most topics. I have to disagree on this one. The biggest reason being there are less 6.5 + year old bucks to start with. On his manicured prime private ground nestled in amongst other prime manicured private ground it may be. But in the real hunting world no. For the guys that hunt public ground there aren't many if any 6.5 year old bucks to go after.

For the guys that hunt pressured private ground you can't just set up on a buck and kill it. Other hunters make it much harder to do. Winke doesn't deal with this on his ground. He is one hunter with no interference from other hunters. So in theory he might be correct, but in reality he needs to rethink this. Winke is one of my favorite writers.
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Re: Old bucks easier to kill?

Unread postby dan » Sun Mar 08, 2015 12:13 am

I personally disagree on this one... Most of the big bucks we chase get killed by 4 years old... And the ones that make it past 4 usually end up dieing of old age. I can think of so many bucks that were monsters over the years that lived around me in the public swamps and marshes that no one ever killed... They are solitary animals at that age and move very little in daylight...

The only thing I see as an advantage to killing one of these bucks is they seem to have less bedding areas and they seem to keep returning after being bumped.


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