Doing it on purpose

[Hawthorne]

I chose 3. Bucks don't make it to maturity in my area with any regularity. I've gotten alot of nice bucks on cam very rarely get one to survive to the next year. 3 year olds are the trophys in my area.

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[JoeRE]

I try to ID half a dozen or more bucks that I am interested in across all the areas I cover and most years I get a chance at one of them. I just like watching deer, knowing them. I try not to limit myself to going after one single buck, from experience that's too much of an emotional roller coaster with a crash landing at the end...still fall into that trap sometimes though. Only occasionally that has worked.

[mainebowhunter]

Interesting for you guys that cannot use cams or shine. Good old fashion boot leather! Tracks, sign, shed hunting and observation!

[DaveT1963]

I try to ID half a dozen or more bucks that I am interested in across all the areas I cover and most years I get a chance at one of them. I just like watching deer, knowing them. I try not to limit myself to going after one single buck, from experience that's too much of an emotional roller coaster with a crash landing at the end...still fall into that trap sometimes though. Only occasionally that has worked.

Same here i have buck lists for each WMA I hunt and those are the primary targets I hunt. I'm never after one solo buck but usually six or eight in any given year.... sometimes moresometimes, less

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[dan]

#1... I think there are stages hunters go thru. Some go thru them some don't... When seeking out trophy animals, one stage most successful hunters go thru is the trophy stage where they hunt great areas or spots where odds are good at a good animal... Once you move up to hunting a specific animal its a whole new game. Its tougher, but much more rewarding. There is nothing in the world to me that compares to scouting an area you know holds a certain buck your after. Finding the bedding areas, putting the puzzle together, then sitting over a bedding area and watching the one animal your after rise from exactly where you suspected... Its an adrenalin rush that no drug can reproduce. With that said, I ain't all the way there, Im about 50/50, but most of my biggest bucks were specifically targeted when they were killed.

The question would be...would you pass another good/equal or greater buck to kill the one your after? Where you decided that one buck was it or nothing...for the season.

I am definitely not at that stage. Different spots that I hunt hold different bucks that I am after. I typically get one opportunity in a season where I live at a target buck.

As Stan said, I would be a fool to pass a better or equal buck... The ones that make you think hard are the lesser, but still good bucks... And depending on my opinion of my odds on my target, or the size of him, I may take a lesser buck.

[dan]

All of the above depending on where I'm hunting and the situation. All of them have their challenges. Some areas you can't develop much of a history with an older buck and some areas that is relatively easy.

True... I would be elated to go to a new area and shoot a great buck never seen before, and I am usually happy to take a nice buck anywhere, but there are always a few I know of and I am targeting... I fail more than I succeed.

[mainebowhunter]

All of the above depending on where I'm hunting and the situation. All of them have their challenges. Some areas you can't develop much of a history with an older buck and some areas that is relatively easy.

True... I would be elated to go to a new area and shoot a great buck never seen before, and I am usually happy to take a nice buck anywhere, but there are always a few I know of and I am targeting... [glow=red]I fail more than I succeed[/glow].

I think that is pretty true for most of us.

[Mibowfreak]

For me, its all of them. I have hunted with the mind set with each of those options. It all just depends on the situation and area for me.

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[DaveT1963]

All of the above depending on where I'm hunting and the situation. All of them have their challenges. Some areas you can't develop much of a history with an older buck and some areas that is relatively easy.

True... I would be elated to go to a new area and shoot a great buck never seen before, and I am usually happy to take a nice buck anywhere, but there are always a few I know of and I am targeting... [glow=red]I fail more than I succeed[/glow].

I think that is pretty true for most of us.

X2 personally, as frustrating as it can get at times, I wouldn't want it any other way.... somehow the challenge is what keeps it real and alive for me.

As stated in OP - I realize that more then likely all of us probably hit all three options - just [glow=red]interested in what most usually do[/glow] (thought process) as I believe there is, or should be, a profound difference in how a person would approach scouting and hunting based upon whether their primary goal is option 1, 2 or 3.

[Stanley]

I agree with above - most of us would not pass a better buck that happens along - that's one of the unknowns that makes it exciting - ya never know when one will come by..... but I agree with Dan. My journey went from filling as many tags as I could to pursuing antlers to now it is the cat and mouse game and planning to take down a specific buck on purpose that cranks my motor. And yes very area specific. I head to Ohio for one week every year and when I am there I tend to hunt strategic spots and while I have a good idea what I am after I am really after a class of deer most of the time not a specific buck. Its hard to focus on a specific buck when your hunting ground is 1500 miles away and you only have 5 days to make it happen. Now around home, I pick out specific bucks for each property I hunt and that is the one I want and go after. But I can study the area and learn them all year long.

Great point. The anticipation of the hunt is a huge component for me. I have more interest hunting a new area I have no idea whats lurking than I do an area I do know what's lying in wait.

[mainebowhunter]

All of the above depending on where I'm hunting and the situation. All of them have their challenges. Some areas you can't develop much of a history with an older buck and some areas that is relatively easy.

True... I would be elated to go to a new area and shoot a great buck never seen before, and I am usually happy to take a nice buck anywhere, but there are always a few I know of and I am targeting... [glow=red]I fail more than I succeed[/glow].

I think that is pretty true for most of us.

X2 personally, as frustrating as it can get at times, I wouldn't want it any other way.... somehow the challenge is what keeps it real and alive for me.

As stated in OP - I realize that more then likely all of us probably hit all three options - just [glow=red]interested in what most usually do[/glow] (thought process) as I believe there is, or should be, a profound difference in how a person would approach scouting and hunting based upon whether their primary goal is option 1, 2 or 3.

I think the reason its #1 here in this state...there are just not that many deer. So in order to kill one, I have go and find one before I can even hunt it. Really, you can't kill what is not there. In order to kill that buck in Sept, early Oct, I am going to have to have a pretty good idea of the bedding area he uses. My success or lack thereof hinges on what I know about where he beds and how he leaves that bedding area to feed. Lots of times it means getting a good buck on camera in one year during dark. Spending post season and preseason trying to understand why he was showing up at 9pm on a regular basis but never during daylight. Searching for his beds, travel corridors and staging areas. Than entering the season hoping he is still alive to see if I got it right. Once I know he is around from observation, whether trail cams or visual, its game on.

I love to preseason scout, use a lot of trail cameras. I have a lot educated "guesses" to why a buck is doing what he is doing. In doing so, I have learned a bunch in the process. Cameras are kind of a game changer. There are a lot of IFS in this game. Nothing is for sure. Its what keeps me coming back.

[whitetailassasin]

When I first started hunting I scouted runways and rubs/scrapes. I also used bait as it was allowed in my state. I killed lots of does, but saw very few bucks, and after doing research, found that to kill bucks I needed to get off the bait and hunt closer to suspected bedding. I was after any buck, but always hoped I would kill a nice one. After killing many young bucks, and getting sightings of bigger bucks, it was back to researching and diving in closer to suspected bedding. I hadn't found the beast yet, but I fell in love with my LW assault and sticks, I would sneak into areas I scouted and knew held big bucks, and my sightings got more frequent, but I still wasn't there. In doing research on how to hunt cattails and swamps more effectively, my dad stumbled upon the beast. That is when a lot clicked and the bigger picture for me started to mold me into a more consistent hunter. Then once I started applying this knowledge I started targeting specific bucks and killing them. As stated, that high is like no other and that's the match I had been striving for. I think evolution as a hunter is what the options listed above are, and that all of those choices have there place and can be used to kill mature bucks year in and year out. Different times of the season I use all those tactics to my advantage. As I think all good hunters should, use all options at your disposal and being more successful and more efficient is what we are all striving for. I'm new to out of state hunting so I'm going to be relying of cyber scouting and then boots to the ground and years of learning new areas and how deer bed in them. Normally I don't pass on a mature buck, but since I've been targeting specific bucks, I've been passing a lot more, trying to kill the buck my heart desires, but I'm no fool either if a mature buck passed by me, I'm taking that opportunity. Last year I passed three 3.5 year olds because I had 2 for sure 4.5+ I was after. I also was very careful to pay attention to those 3.5s and this year I'd be tickled to kill either of them, and hopefully my dad will get the chance to kill one of them as well. There are many deciding factors mature buck hunters have when choosing to pass, kill, how to hunt, etc. who is to say we all can't utilize whatever method it takes to get the job done. That's what matters to me. And that's why I feel it's so rewarding doing something with a purpose and accomplishing that feat.

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[Rich M]

I believe people use bait the wrong way. It is something I'm familiar with, hunting 3 states that allow it.

Started off with a feeder and hunted it every weekend. That was a for sure mistake - they ate it at night cause they knew I was there during the day. Rookie mistake.

Moved to placing corn where the deer were crossing roads/trails and the baiting success rate went thru the roof. Watch a lot of deer stop to nibble on corn for a little bit when they traveled through. 10-20# of well placed corn is a game changer when legal.

Corn is bright and yellow, hard to hide. A baiting trick when you don't want your fellow hunters hunting your spot when you aren't there is to get some goat or deer chow, put it in a coffee can with some acorn flavored buck jam and give it a few shakes - harder to spot the brown pellets on the ground but Bambi can smell them. It's good for getting deer pictures.

[Bucky]

Pick a few.... study em.... then kill em

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