Common Thread of Consistent Big Buck Killers

[mheichelbech]

Very simple, if you hunt where lots of big bucks are, you don't have to do all the other things mentioned here. If you don't, then you probably need to do all the things mentioned here. I've seen several hunters that are not good hunters, they don't play the wind, they hunt regardless of conditions, etc they simply hunt where lots of big bucks live.

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[cbay]

Having one good rut spot is a very good tactic if you don't mind being a waiter.

Having a number of good rut spots and sitting them during prime time is an even better tactic. That accounts for a lot of the big buck kills. IMO

[dan]

Very simple, if you hunt where lots of big bucks are, you don't have to do all the other things mentioned here. If you don't, then you probably need to do all the things mentioned here. I've seen several hunters that are not good hunters, they don't play the wind, they hunt regardless of conditions, etc they simply hunt where lots of big bucks live.

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Correct... The guys who "just rut hunt" or just have a great spot or two can get a buck every year, but are they hunting up to there full potential?

I think guys can get stuck in a habit, and rather than trying to improve, they make excuses... Like there is no public around me, or the public sucks, when really, they may not have really looked very hard at all... There is all kinds of public if you dig deep. MFL, Conservancy, state land, federal land, etc... The more you hunt "smart" the better your odds at more and bigger bucks.... Yes, hunting one 50 acre farm only a few times a year is better than hunting it all the time and burning it out, but a quick glance at the very biggest bucks in the record books shows a lot of the best bucks are shot early season, not rut. Sure they shoot more, but not always the biggest. Especially in states with early openers like Wisconsin.

[Zap]

Are we talkin killas or hunters?

[xpauliber]

The best hunters I know of, and having had a taxidermy business I've known a few, I would say to a T everyone of them would say their #1 thing that separates them is..........

1) attitude/passion - they keep a positive attitude, they believe it is going to happen each time they go out, no matter what happens and then #2
2) Persistence - they don't quit. I cannot tell you how many of them took some of their best animals on the last day, at the last hour......

3) Understanding animals, patterns, scouting, studying maps, finding food sources, bedding areas, glassing, etc.... that goes without saying for them

if it was "easy" everyone would be doing it and being successful at it. While it isn't necessarily hard (by that I mean finding a mature animal, climbing a tree, drawing a bow, and hitting them with an arrow), killing a mature buck anywhere is never easy and you better be able to adapt as things change. My guess is that even someone like Dan, spends many, many hours at many set ups for each buck he kills. When I listen to Andrea's video clips - I would say the thing that grabs me about him is sheer determination and persistence - he keeps at it and does what it takes. I mean, who would ever think to purposely bump a mature whitetail and then set up right then and there. Find whatever quality that is, bottle it and you'll be rich (and successful) quick.

I think another thing along these lines is that you have to have the PASSION for archery hunting like most of the guys on this site have. If you have a lot of other hobbies that you like to do, then the limited time you do have outside of work/family will be chewed up doing other things. There is no off-season when it comes to hunting mature bucks; whether it's shining, writing letters to get permission on new properties, scouring aerial maps, hanging cams, shooting your bow, etc. there is ALWAYS something you could be doing to up your odds and if you don't have the passion, then your time will get chewed up doing something else.

I saw the short film "The River's Divide" by Donnie Vincent where he is after a buck for several years that he named "Steve". There's a clip in there that totally captures the passion that I'm talking about. Donnie is talking about one of his friends that is a pro-Bass fisherman and the guy asked Donnie "Do you wonder what the bass are doing today?" And Donnie replied, "No, I don't drive around wondering what the bass are doing today." As he continues chasing this buck though, he begins to wonder what Steve is doing every day in season and out of season. This is exactly how I feel about archery hunting....I think about it every single day and work year-round for that moment when I'm at full draw on a big, mature whitetail!

I would think that consistent big buck killers share this passion and it helps them to dedicate the time/resources/persistence/etc. to getting the job done every year.

[JoeRE]

I know some guys who do hunt one prime rut spot, or a couple spots, and do get a streak of knocking down big bucks....but then the spot goes bad for whatever reason, or they loose access to it, and then they struggle to do the same anywhere else. They had the right location and the time to sit in the woods, but never spent the time to really understand deer and think like deer. You can't really compare that to hunters who find the biggest bucks in a variety of terrains and conditions. You can generally tell the difference between these two types in talking to them for 5 minutes. Some old aboriginal hunters have a saying - be the animal you chase. That's what it takes to really know what you are doing.

Another way to put a line of huge bucks on your wall is buy them one way or the other. A lot of money certainly does boost success. It does not boost knowledge though as can be seen in the modern hunting industry.

[Buckshot20]

A big buck can be very regional too. The counties I hunt here in Florida the largest bucks registered don't break 120". So is a 100" deer a big buck in that area? The people who impress are the people who kill big bucks for an area year after year. Those people most times than not are also the best woodsmen.

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[dan]

This thread has some great content in it