Hunter74 wrote: So the big question is what do you guys think is the best way to find the mature bucks during the rut?
Good question.
I actually think what Magic does is probably the best way to FIND big bucks when it seems like they are locked down. Go after them, track them down if you have snow. Of course, its hard to kill them that way with a bow, and works best on a pretty large piece of land. I have done this before - just scout around with bow in hand instead of stand hunting when I think most big bucks are locked down. Pretty darn hard to shoot one with a bow that way though...
I talked about lockdown first because the area in Iowa I am most familar with, lockdown for mature bucks (4 year old and older) is a week and a half long most years. I rarely encounter big mature bucks between about Nov 10 and 20th unless there is a hot doe involved. Those dates are just approximate. By comparison the window where smaller bucks are locked down is a lot shorter - maybe 4-5 days most years.
The better your buck to doe ratio, combined with better age structure, the less lockdown you see its that simple. I know I have it pretty good, but still see nothing like what gets shown on TV from big well managed hunting estates. That is an alternate universe. Exactly like Haus described when he talked about the different properties he has observed.
Before mature buck lock down, I'm targeting rut beds of big bucks and the buck travel routes to and from them. I see this all the time in hill and farm country. Rut beds are usually located in fairly close to good doe bedding. I actually think a lot of guys are finding and hunting rut beds the whole season, not realizing big bucks are only using them for a pretty short window around the rut. I think rut beds are often the easiest to find because there is often more sign around them that guys find in the spring.
One thing I have noticed is that small bucks start to use rut beds earlier in the year than mature bucks. So if you are pounding what look like great buck beds to you and only seeing small bucks but you know big ones are in the area, that might be a clue you are hunting rut beds too early in the year. I have learned these things mostly through long term deployments of trail cams. Let them soak all fall on travel routes into bedding.
After mature buck lockdown ends I think big bucks are extremely vulnerable. They are worn down and seem to be more prone to make fatal mistakes than at any other time period. But if your state has a gun season in this time period, and many states do, you never see post-lockdown movement due to that gun pressure. Around here the biggest oldest bucks show more daylight activity post-lockdown than any other time I think. Its short a short window though just the few days until their hungry stomach over-rules thier hormones they are using that rut bedding and looking for that last doe in estrus.
Anyway that's what I see...it is definitely situational and depends on what your deer herd looks like and what hunting pressure is like!