Success rates on Mature bucks

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whitetailassasin
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Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Fri Dec 11, 2015 2:14 am

Well this year I decided I would record my hunts and mature buck sightings for some of those guys on the beast that always want to ask success rates and what to expect. Now granted this is from Michigan's standpoint, but I'm going to open it up to other members to put there numbers in.(JoeRE, Spysar, Dan, DaveT, Stanley, JM, RR7, B4L, BH, and many more who keep journals or know there number of days). For arguments sake let's say 4.5 yr olds(rack size doesn't matter). And if you passed one let's call that success/or missed. Close encounters that never give you a shot will not count. This is strictly based of chances to kill mature bucks.

I hunted 32 days and had 46 sits either am or pm. I shot one oct 27th, and also shoulder shot one nov 6(didn't recover) shot one nov 15(DNR took for testing) and passed one in Ohio Nov 28th. 4 mature bucks in 46 sits equals 8.7% chance at harvesting a mature buck. Also for a fun fact I had 6 more encounters with mature deer not leading to shots was 22%.

Can't wait to see some others so far this year.

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DaveT1963
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Re: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Fri Dec 11, 2015 2:42 am

Ok 3 days - 5 sits
TX 6 days - 8 sits
OH 2 days - 3 sits

Four shots taken, three bucks all 3 1/2 y/o or older, and 1 doe 5 1/2 y/o

Haven't really hunted a slot since Ohio been scouting

Passed on probably 10+ smaller bucks. Two were target bucks, Ohio was just a nice buck that happened along


I don't think this is an accurate gauge though. As I spent a buttload of days scouting this year - I think you really have to count that???? I killed the top two bucks the very first sits in my primary stands. A lot of my earlier sits were on fringe areas because we were having really weird weather in Oct. and the winds were all wrong.

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Re: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby BowHusker » Fri Dec 11, 2015 4:50 am

Nice deer ^^! I need to start keeping a journal too! Would be a great reference to look back on.

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Stanley
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Re: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Dec 11, 2015 5:08 am

I hunted many sits with no results. My first hunt for the drop tine buck was 50 minutes. I killed the buck I was after. My next hunts lasted till the season ended many sits. I did not kill the buck I was after. I also had many hunts/scouts with binos only in hand. Not sure how to calculate those.
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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DaveT1963
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Re: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Fri Dec 11, 2015 5:20 am

Stanley wrote:I hunted many sits with no results. My first hunt for the drop tine buck was 50 minutes. I killed the buck I was after. My next hunts lasted till the season ended many sits. I did not kill the buck I was after. I also had many hunts/scouts with binos only in hand. Not sure how to calculate those.


Agree. For instance, I killed my OK buck in 3 1/2 hours of actual hunting time. Set up at 1:30 and shot him around 5. However, since Jan I probably invested well over 100 hours in prep, scouting, cameras, mineral licks, and glassing for that buck. I don't keep as accurate records as I probably should but I would guess, on average, I spend close to 4-5 hours for every hour I hunt? Might be a little more or less but pretty sure that is probably close. Now if you throw in shooting my bow in prep that number really starts to go up as I shoot almost every day all year.

this will sound a little weird - probably is - but as a military planner I almost approach a hunt like a military mission. You train, gather intel, practice, identify limfacs and exploitable opportunities, formula a game plan, a back up plan, wait for optimal conditions, use stealth and misdirection, attack your target....... at anytime I may abort the mission if conditions change and lesson my chance of success - live to fight another day...... the actual mission time is relatively small compared to the entire process to get you up to that point. that's my approach
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Re: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Fri Dec 11, 2015 5:49 am

Pre hunting season work is a given to most of us targeting mature bucks. But once the season opens and you've done your homework, what are your success rates against the number of sits per mature buck sightings. We are not counting 3.5 yr old bucks in this. Nor scouting time. Nor encounters with bucks younger or does. Just bucks. A lot of new comers to this style of hunting or website often wonder what the success rates on mature bucks are. So in Dave's situation how many sits produced 4.5 yr old bucks? How many didn't. Take that number and find the percentage of 4.5 yr old bucks you could have shot or did shoot. Misses, hits but we're never recovered count, having one seen or come in but offer no shot does not. Gives guys a true gage of how low the percentage of success is to time on the stand. Also will see how different states compare to each other.

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Re: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Fri Dec 11, 2015 5:57 am

whitetailassasin wrote:Pre hunting season work is a given to most of us targeting mature bucks. But once the season opens and you've done your homework, what are your success rates against the number of sits per mature buck sightings. We are not counting 3.5 yr old bucks in this. Nor scouting time. Nor encounters with bucks younger or does. Just bucks. A lot of new comers to this style of hunting or website often wonder what the success rates on mature bucks are. So in Dave's situation how many sits produced 4.5 yr old bucks? How many didn't. Take that number and find the percentage of 4.5 yr old bucks you could have shot or did shoot. Misses, hits but we're never recovered count, having one seen or come in but offer no shot does not. Gives guys a true gage of how low the percentage of success is to time on the stand. Also will see how different states compare to each other.

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Guess I'm out as i can't be sure if mine were just good 3 1/2 or 4 1/2, i will say they were the dominate buck on that location and two of them were the exact buck I went after. Sorry guess I can't play this year :(

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Last edited by DaveT1963 on Fri Dec 11, 2015 6:03 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Stanley
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Re: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Dec 11, 2015 6:03 am

whitetailassasin wrote:Pre hunting season work is a given to most of us targeting mature bucks. But once the season opens and you've done your homework, what are your success rates against the number of sits per mature buck sightings. We are not counting 3.5 yr old bucks in this. Nor scouting time. Nor encounters with bucks younger or does. Just bucks. A lot of new comers to this style of hunting or website often wonder what the success rates on mature bucks are. So in Dave's situation how many sits produced 4.5 yr old bucks? How many didn't. Take that number and find the percentage of 4.5 yr old bucks you could have shot or did shoot. Misses, hits but we're never recovered count, having one seen or come in but offer no shot does not. Gives guys a true gage of how low the percentage of success is to time on the stand. Also will see how different states compare to each other.

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The buck that I killed my scouting (eyes on) was done during open season. I'm a low impact type hunter and eased into the spot for the kill. I glassed from the truck and from vantage points until I figured out what I wanted to do.
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: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Fri Dec 11, 2015 6:03 am

0% on mature. I had a lot of close encounters with nice, but immature bucks. Never passed/missed a buck I would consider 4.5+. I still have a few sits left. I'm anxious to get back out once/if the temperatures drop.
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Re: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Fri Dec 11, 2015 6:05 am

DaveT1963 wrote:this will sound a little weird - probably is - but as a military planner I almost approach a hunt like a military mission. You train, gather intel, practice, identify limfacs and exploitable opportunities, formula a game plan, a back up plan, wait for optimal conditions, use stealth and misdirection, attack your target....... at anytime I may abort the mission if conditions change and lesson my chance of success - live to fight another day...... the actual mission time is relatively small compared to the entire process to get you up to that point. that's my approach


Doesn't sound weird to me. Sounds like a sound strategy for CONSISTENT results.
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Re: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Fri Dec 11, 2015 6:15 am

Keep in mind southern states often have very long gun seasons. Here in TX our's is a solid two months long. I would never call a 3 1/2 old deer on public land in those states as immature.

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Re: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Dec 11, 2015 6:24 am

BassBoysLLP wrote:
DaveT1963 wrote:this will sound a little weird - probably is - but as a military planner I almost approach a hunt like a military mission. You train, gather intel, practice, identify limfacs and exploitable opportunities, formula a game plan, a back up plan, wait for optimal conditions, use stealth and misdirection, attack your target....... at anytime I may abort the mission if conditions change and lesson my chance of success - live to fight another day...... the actual mission time is relatively small compared to the entire process to get you up to that point. that's my approach


Doesn't sound weird to me. Sounds like a sound strategy for CONSISTENT results.

I agree sounds pretty darn savvy.
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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whitetailassasin
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Re: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Fri Dec 11, 2015 8:00 am

DaveT1963 wrote:
whitetailassasin wrote:Pre hunting season work is a given to most of us targeting mature bucks. But once the season opens and you've done your homework, what are your success rates against the number of sits per mature buck sightings. We are not counting 3.5 yr old bucks in this. Nor scouting time. Nor encounters with bucks younger or does. Just bucks. A lot of new comers to this style of hunting or website often wonder what the success rates on mature bucks are. So in Dave's situation how many sits produced 4.5 yr old bucks? How many didn't. Take that number and find the percentage of 4.5 yr old bucks you could have shot or did shoot. Misses, hits but we're never recovered count, having one seen or come in but offer no shot does not. Gives guys a true gage of how low the percentage of success is to time on the stand. Also will see how different states compare to each other.

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Guess I'm out as i can't be sure if mine were just good 3 1/2 or 4 1/2, i will say they were the dominate buck on that location and two of them were the exact buck I went after. Sorry guess I can't play this year :(

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I value your Intel and ideas and what you know. I just was looking to quantify statistics for guys by creating an average percentage of mature bucks killed or missed/wounded per average number of sits. I feel the percentage is relatively low and therefore creates an illusion that guys will see them often when I feel it's more norm to not see them.

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whitetailassasin
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Re: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Fri Dec 11, 2015 8:01 am

Stanley wrote:
BassBoysLLP wrote:
DaveT1963 wrote:this will sound a little weird - probably is - but as a military planner I almost approach a hunt like a military mission. You train, gather intel, practice, identify limfacs and exploitable opportunities, formula a game plan, a back up plan, wait for optimal conditions, use stealth and misdirection, attack your target....... at anytime I may abort the mission if conditions change and lesson my chance of success - live to fight another day...... the actual mission time is relatively small compared to the entire process to get you up to that point. that's my approach


Doesn't sound weird to me. Sounds like a sound strategy for CONSISTENT results.

I agree sounds pretty darn savvy.


X3

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Re: Success rates on Mature bucks

Unread postby Bucky » Fri Dec 11, 2015 8:06 am

I sat probably over 50 sits... 2 mature buck shots. One borderline with rifle buck I think he was 3

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