Historical Data

[JoeRE]

I am wrong way more than I am right.

Arent we all. lol

My motto is: I only have to win once!

That's the beauty of if isn't it.

Makes me feel sorry for prey animals like deer sometimes...they win 999 days straight, then on the 1000th day, they loose and they are dead.

Guess I have too much time on my hands too

[JoeRE]

Maine - do you know anyone that kills a 3+ year old buck with a bow every year out there? Probably a few rifle hunters but that does level the playing field some. With your super low deer densities a bow buck every year might not be a realistic goal. You are already having quite a bit of success....maybe 1 buck out of 2 or 3 years is as good as it gets.

Thank God for the midwest huh

[Edcyclopedia]

Me Tonto and splain historical yada-yada-yada!

Me ancestors (remember to read in Tonto voice).
Start again please...

Me ancestors have many many sightings in same place.
Me smart enough to go there when food is ripe and the wind blows from back of teepee. Me killem deer...

Squaw is happy, me Buffalo Briefs rise and we breed when it's cold.

Good hunt and arobic work out, keeps blood flowing like mad river.

Squaw likes antler. ..

[magicman54494]

Me Tonto and splain historical yada-yada-yada!

Me ancestors (remember to read in Tonto voice).
Start again please...

Me ancestors have many many sightings in same place.
Me smart enough to go there when food is ripe and the wind blows from back of teepee. Me killem deer...

Squaw is happy, me Buffalo Briefs rise and we breed when it's cold.

Good hunt and arobic work out, keeps blood flowing like mad river.

Squaw likes antler. ..

Me think Tonto been harvesting mushrooms too.

[Dewey]

[Stanley]

[Edcyclopedia]

Me Tonto and splain historical yada-yada-yada!

Me ancestors (remember to read in Tonto voice).
Start again please...

Me ancestors have many many sightings in same place.
Me smart enough to go there when food is ripe and the wind blows from back of teepee. Me killem deer...

Squaw is happy, me Buffalo Briefs rise and we breed when it's cold.

Good hunt and arobic work out, keeps blood flowing like mad river.

Squaw likes antler. ..

Me think Tonto been harvesting mushrooms too.

Shroom yes, peacem pipe too, plus fermented fruit. Good for soul bad for head - ouchem...

You know why me have many many feathers in me head dress.

Many-many-many Squaw
I know I'm a pig - me havem pig too.
Yes me been told I'm a snake - me have snakem too...

Most people gasp " OH DEER".
BUT ME NEVER HAVEM DEER - TAIL TOO HIGH RUN TOO FAST!

[tbunao]

you are a loose cannon Ed!!


This year was my first year keeping a solid hunting log and journal. I am really happy the way it turned out. I also just left cameras soak all season. Some areas produced some did not. I feel the ones that did not are still good just other variables caused them to be cold.

Realizing earlier in the year that cams were giving me a false sense of hope, I mentally reminded myself every time I check that I was "behind the deer" and know that it's for future reference.

I've begun to put some pieces together on one particular public that I now have 2 years of hunting it under my belt and a solid years worth of hunting a new piece.

The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.

[cedarsavage]

2013 I killed a buck on November 8 or 9, 2014 same stand off by a day I can't remember which way, killed another buck that looked identical to 2013 but smaller,came from the same marsh, working the same scrapes came in to the same can call. That spot usually had a ton of scrapes and rubs,2015 someone setup a ladder stand 100 yards away and I suspect they overhunted it too early, very few rubs and scrapes but I did pass a couple does there early November, no bucks. Here one spot was hot November 15,16 from 06-12 I knew of a decent buck killed one of those two dates every year but one someone killed a 4 point that year. I know almost of that area from 13-15 this year a week between pictures most of the season. Checked a camera today not one pic from 12/11-present very few tracks and this is a winter yarding area. I suspect all the deer are about 2 miles away. Odd because I've done really well in this spot in December and always considered it a given for late season, and it's changed very little over the years. I definitely see more and more why you have so many cameras very hard to keep a tally on them otherwise

[mainebowhunter]

Maine - do you know anyone that kills a 3+ year old buck with a bow every year out there? Probably a few rifle hunters but that does level the playing field some. With your super low deer densities a bow buck every year might not be a realistic goal. You are already having quite a bit of success....maybe 1 buck out of 2 or 3 years is as good as it gets.

Thank God for the midwest huh

No one does it. I don't do it. And I have been told it can't . I am averaging 3.5 every other year. But I do believe it can be done. My buddy and I have killed 7 between us over the last 6yrs here in this state. Really is what attracted to the beast in the first place. No other forum really wants to discuss and talk about early season tactics. That is my primary focus. There is a lot to be learned about how deer use the ground that I scout more so than on the tactics of how to kill them. I do believe it was good season for guys in Maine. I would guess the count will be 20-25K this year.

So there is a lot of trial and error in figuring out the best methods and tactics for tackling areas like this. Most of it I am kind of winging on my own because very few guys seriously bowhunt Oct here. For most guys, Oct just takes up the time till gun season.

The midwest is a pleasure to hunt. Very blessed to be able to get the chance to do it. Its the highlight of my season.

[mainebowhunter]

Figured it would be a good time to resurrect this post. Over the past few years, I have become a student of it trying to put together annual patterns based on mast crops. Its tricky for sure. Super intriguing going through the data trying to correlate things.

Any of you guys have any data your banking on for early season, prior to prerut?

[Bowhunter4life]

Figured it would be a good time to resurrect this post. Over the past few years, I have become a student of it trying to put together annual patterns based on mast crops. Its tricky for sure. Super intriguing going through the data trying to correlate things.

Any of you guys have any data your banking on for early season, prior to prerut?

I have a few things I'm looking at. Actually glassed a buck last night that came from a known bedding area. The deer was too far out to be for sure but believe this is a deer that was using this same bed early last season. Lot of the crops are the same and I have some pretty good camera intel on him. The thing that has me worried is some of the oaks I've seen. Noticed a few that were already loaded so that could alter some things come season as last year was hit and miss for acorns here.

[Whitetailaddict]

Nothing for me but the area I'm hunting in early season is too new to me for me to have a load of historical data. It will be pretty much scouting with stand on back for me.

[mainebowhunter]

Figured it would be a good time to resurrect this post. Over the past few years, I have become a student of it trying to put together annual patterns based on mast crops. Its tricky for sure. Super intriguing going through the data trying to correlate things.

Any of you guys have any data your banking on for early season, prior to prerut?

I have a few things I'm looking at. Actually glassed a buck last night that came from a known bedding area. The deer was too far out to be for sure but believe this is a deer that was using this same bed early last season. Lot of the crops are the same and I have some pretty good camera intel on him. The thing that has me worried is some of the oaks I've seen. Noticed a few that were already loaded so that could alter some things come season as last year was hit and miss for acorns here.

Funny you should mention that.

Tonight when I was out noticed we had beechnuts in a spot. Very rarely see them. But now it means I will need to check out another beechnuts spot as it really could have bucks doing a switch how they use a bed if those trees produce.

August is my Fav month for setting up my fall plan. Post season scouting told who made the season. August intel tells me who made the winter.

The oaks last really made things tough here last season. Remember last August looking at the trees loaded everywhere knowing full well it was going to be tough.

[SplitG2]

Yes absolutely. Love historical data.I've done it a few times(but have failed miserably way more) but my most rewarding was last years successes. I filled my one and only buck tag last year on my first sit just 2 hours into the season. It took 3 years and hundreds of trail cam pics and spots and lines on a map but I finally put it all together on October 18th, 2016. He was a beautiful massive 7 year old 164 inch 8 point. Then December 3rd I was able to put it all together for my wife on a once in a lifetime 11 year old buck named old club, due to historical(and current) data. At just a 130 inch mainframe 8 with a 14 inch droptine on his right side he was far from his peak rack, which was when he was a high 150's 11 point at the age of 6 but size doesn't matter....at least thats what my wife told me. Historical data is critical when hunting specific bucks. Don Higgins said it right, if you wanna kill a specific mature buck you have got to figure him out a year ahead of time.