If you have a ton of bedding area i would give one a try on the opener in the am.He might come back before daylight he might not. I've seen some nice bucks early October here shot my biggest oct7 right at first light going back to bedding. It won't burn the area the whole year. Should be good again late October. Access has to be well planned for early season morning hunts and you have to know where the deer are coming from. Usually a back door entrance is needed. Has to be the right set up
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Opening morning decision...
- Hawthorne
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Re: Opening morning decision...
Last edited by Hawthorne on Wed Sep 14, 2016 1:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Opening morning decision...
DaveT1963 wrote:If i didn't have an AM stand nailed down I'd sit an observation or wait for evening hunt first day. Just what I personally would do.
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My thinking exactly.
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- whitetailassasin
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Re: Opening morning decision...
If you don't feel confident in a buck location, get itchy trigger finger off and kill a doe. Confidence and meat! I'm sure you have places you can harvest a doe not in your prime buck locations. For the am, then head into buck bedding for evening hunt. Be sweet if you could observe a spot and kill a doe
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Re: Opening morning decision...
Let me ask you this...
What do you have a better chance at?
Do you have a better chance at setting up blind early in the morning and killing a doe. Or do you have a better chance setting up early and seeing that buck return to his bed?
Also what do you want more? You have all season to do both.
Also I have read so many of these threads today and every other day and I don't remember if it was in your thread or Maine's thread. But I think you said that you haven't seen any shooter bucks? Shoot, I should have quoted your original post. Idk I am very new but I would go with the high percentage opportunity.
If you shoot a doe early and get it out of your system, you have all season to kill that monster. But if you start after a slob, it may consume you and you may not have time at the end to shoot a doe.
There are so many factors. From what I have seen and heard, a doe is much easier to kill than a buck because its so much more adaptive and curious. So I feel like it will take much less time to shoot a doe. If you wait until you kill that buck or any buck, the pressure will have made that stupid doe smarter and more paranoid and harder to kill. Where as bucks are always smarter and more paranoid.
Idk the more I type, the more I think you should go for the doe. The cooler it gets the more active bucks become. And you still have rut. And if you wait for that doe, a one or two day project may turn into a 1 or 2 week project. Or the doe may never get crossed off the list because it may take you all season to finally have a shot at that shooter buck. (dont think I am questioning your skills I am just going off of what I hear about some people going all year with no opportunities at shooters.)
I say doe early then all year you can focus on that buck.
That would be my choice if I was in your shoes with your skill set.
What do you have a better chance at?
Do you have a better chance at setting up blind early in the morning and killing a doe. Or do you have a better chance setting up early and seeing that buck return to his bed?
Also what do you want more? You have all season to do both.
Also I have read so many of these threads today and every other day and I don't remember if it was in your thread or Maine's thread. But I think you said that you haven't seen any shooter bucks? Shoot, I should have quoted your original post. Idk I am very new but I would go with the high percentage opportunity.
If you shoot a doe early and get it out of your system, you have all season to kill that monster. But if you start after a slob, it may consume you and you may not have time at the end to shoot a doe.
There are so many factors. From what I have seen and heard, a doe is much easier to kill than a buck because its so much more adaptive and curious. So I feel like it will take much less time to shoot a doe. If you wait until you kill that buck or any buck, the pressure will have made that stupid doe smarter and more paranoid and harder to kill. Where as bucks are always smarter and more paranoid.
Idk the more I type, the more I think you should go for the doe. The cooler it gets the more active bucks become. And you still have rut. And if you wait for that doe, a one or two day project may turn into a 1 or 2 week project. Or the doe may never get crossed off the list because it may take you all season to finally have a shot at that shooter buck. (dont think I am questioning your skills I am just going off of what I hear about some people going all year with no opportunities at shooters.)
I say doe early then all year you can focus on that buck.
That would be my choice if I was in your shoes with your skill set.
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Re: Opening morning decision...
whitetailassasin wrote:I'm sure you have places you can harvest a doe not in your prime buck locations. For the am, then head into buck bedding for evening hunt. Be sweet if you could observe a spot and kill a doe
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All of my prescouted buck bedding areas are not in doe management areas. Being able to observe and potentially kill a doe would be awesome, unfortunately I don't have that option.
I'm going to re-evaluate my kill trees and see if I can come up with a solid game plan. But last thing I want to do is botch an opportunity by trying to force a morning hunt.
I want to kill a doe bad but putting a buck to bed would be a huge advantage. Decisions... Decisions
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Re: Opening morning decision...
Jrichard wrote:Let me ask you this...
What do you have a better chance at?
Do you have a better chance at setting up blind early in the morning and killing a doe. Or do you have a better chance setting up early and seeing that buck return to his bed?
But I think you said that you haven't seen any shooter bucks?
If you shoot a doe early and get it out of your system, you have all season to kill that monster. But if you start after a slob, it may consume you and you may not have time at the end to shoot a doe.
That is the million dollar question! What do I have a better chance at...
Also I had a great summer and found some real good bucks. But like you mentioned I'll be consumed with bucks later this year. I also will be taking my wife on a few hunts and setting my dad up in the "good" spot for the evening a time or two.
I'm going to try and get out scouting Friday night. For bucks. Maybe my findings or lack there of will help the situation? I haven't seen any of my shooters in close to a month, but my time observing has been somewhat limited, especially close to buck bedding.
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- tgreeno
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Re: Opening morning decision...
whitetailassasin wrote:If you don't feel confident in a buck location, get itchy trigger finger off and kill a doe. Confidence and meat! I'm sure you have places you can harvest a doe not in your prime buck locations. For the am, then head into buck bedding for evening hunt. Be sweet if you could observe a spot and kill a doe
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Since I don't have any great morning buck spots, this is my plan for opening
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It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it an remove all doubt
It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it an remove all doubt
- stash59
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Re: Opening morning decision...
Can you get somewhere that you can observe some buck bedding. From afar on Thursday and Friday mornings? If you have such a place and can. You just might see if some late enough Buck movement is happening.
If you don't see anything or can't get out or have such a spot. Ask yourself what's most important to YOU!!! Make a list of pros and cons if you have to.
Personally if I couldn't get in the preseason morning observation. Without a defenit plan already worked out. For a morning buck bed sit. I'd go doe hunting. Getting something under your belt is a huge confidence booster for the rest of the season.
If you don't see anything or can't get out or have such a spot. Ask yourself what's most important to YOU!!! Make a list of pros and cons if you have to.
Personally if I couldn't get in the preseason morning observation. Without a defenit plan already worked out. For a morning buck bed sit. I'd go doe hunting. Getting something under your belt is a huge confidence booster for the rest of the season.
- seazofcheeze
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Re: Opening morning decision...
Sleep in and dedicate a hunt or two later in the year towards whacking a doe. You'll likely get many opportunities throughout the season to take down a doe, can you say the same thing about a mature buck? I know I can't. As bad as I want to be in the woods opening morning, those opportunities at big bucks are precious, and I don't want to gamble one away for merely a chance at a doe or to start my season 12 hours earlier.
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