How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

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How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

<3
86
64%
3-5
29
22%
5-10
14
10%
>10
5
4%
 
Total votes: 134
UofLbowhunter
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby UofLbowhunter » Thu Jan 11, 2018 4:29 am

Limited hunting time was my main down fall this season. But out of five true set up hunts i seen one mature buck that didnt offer a shot at 40 yards I did mange to get in a few scout hunts with bow in hand, never seen anything while hunting that way, just found sign and much needed info to plan next years attack!


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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby First Sit » Thu Jan 11, 2018 5:25 am

Hunted 3 sits in the 2017 season and saw 1 4.5yr a little over 200 dressed at 30 yds and thats all it took to finish my season. I hunt heavily hunted public 30+ hunters per sq mi sometimes in a single day even in bow so I really try to capitalize on the mature buck encounters I get. It can be tough to get another chance at the same buck in really heavily hunted areas.

The 2016 season I ate my tag but had my chances. 6 encounters with 3 different mature bucks, Its cool getting encounters under 50 yds but Its a lot better wrapping your hands around the ones you want the first time you seem em!
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby trapper57 » Thu Jan 11, 2018 11:19 am

I saw none.
Worst season in years.
I’m still trying to figure out what the difference was from years past.
I had good bucks on camera, but never saw any of them through archery and gun season.
I never hunt late season.
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Bonecrusher101
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby Bonecrusher101 » Thu Jan 11, 2018 12:04 pm

I saw 3 shooter bucks for me during the season and killed the first two I had a shot on. I'd guess 2 of them were 2.5 years old and one was probably 3.5 years old.
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DaveT1963
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Thu Jan 11, 2018 10:29 pm

I had three encounters with target bucks. Two within 25 yards just out of my bow range.
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Babshaft
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby Babshaft » Fri Jan 12, 2018 12:52 am

I had 0 encounters in the early season. Found this site in late October, did some learning and then I had 4 separate encounters with 3 different bucks all I assumed were over 3.5 years old. Definitely started to figure out the bedding areas. Now I need to figure out how to improve my scouting so I can setup more effectively.
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby fireforeffect » Sat Jan 13, 2018 1:27 am

Only one for me, and I capitalized. I know that I was "in the wheelhouse" of more, but visibility can be a challenge when you're hunting thickets. I have found over the years, that I can expect to have at least one encounter a year if I hunt smart.
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby Mike32 » Tue Jan 16, 2018 6:57 am

Has one with in 15yards and couldn't get it done.
Hoyt RX7 bow, and exodus broadheads
Beast stand and beast sticks.
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Sailfish_WC
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby Sailfish_WC » Tue Jan 16, 2018 7:07 am

1

but it was a pair of them
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vtbuck
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby vtbuck » Tue Jan 16, 2018 7:19 am

3 encounters. All in a 3 day stretch.
First one hit where I walked in. 60 yds he turned and went opposite direction.
Second I wasn’t sure of till after he was gone. He was dogging a group of does. I drew on him but let down at 12 yards. The rack didn’t match the body. Pics later confirmed he he was a 3 yr old.
The next evening I shot a good 8 ptr in the shoulder. Got 2 inches of penetration. He lived. I’m pretty sure I’ve got pics of him 3rd week of December shed on both sides.
Long season but learned a lot more about how mature bucks use these properties.
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby Treewalker87 » Tue Jan 16, 2018 7:37 am

I hunted only weekends this season with 5 all day sits ( two early November and 3 during NY gun around thanksgiving).

I had 5 mature buck encounters this year. One that I hit and never found during bow on October 20th pm (long story, grrrrr). Two separate encounters on November 3rd that were never in bow range, but mature shooters for sure. One on November 4th that I was successful in harvesting. I estimate him at least 4.5 years old. Lastly, one 3.5 year old during late gun that I gave a free pass to.

This year I hunted roughly the same area's just changing the specific trees I climbed. The 5 encounters is slightly above average for me and I really only had good opportunities at 3 of the 5. Every year I get one good chance at a shooter, but have about 3 or 4 encounters.
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thwack16
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby thwack16 » Tue Jan 16, 2018 7:41 am

With 4.5+ as the mature qualifier, I'm at three encounters. Two 4.5 guesstimated and a known 6.5.

If you back it off to 3.5 I'm well into the double digits. Have passed one known 3.5 four times.
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby Kane0928 » Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:44 am

Shot the oldest deer I saw this year I'm assuming 4.5-5.5 during the rut never seen him before just a lucky opportunity. The only other mature age class buck I saw was when I went to track my deer the next day he was chasing a doe in the hay fields with no bow in hand!! Seems like the warm weather and amount of acorns really stunted there movement this year during the daylight. Just my observation, I'm just first year beast so I could just not be getting in close enough too. Hopefully next year I can type about better experiences!
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby johnsoninc86 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:59 am

5 encounters this season here, which is by far my best season yet. I never did get an arrow through any, which is disappointing, but overall a great season for sightings.
Encounter 1: October 24th, had a 6.5yo come in to 25 yards from a known bed, showed up 10 mins after legal shooting ended. Buddy ended up shooting him in gun season across the road.
Encounter 2, 3, and 4: Had a shooter 10pt pegged on his bedding location. Played cat and mouse with him all through the rut. Had him at 45 yards, 65 yards, and 52 yards with the bow in hand. Never saw him with a gun in my hand. He just kept popping out of his swamp bedding location at different spots, no real rhyme or reason. I kept bouncing tree to tree based on winds and was always just out of reach.
Encounter 5: Mid-rut had a 140" class 3.5yo 10pt follow a doe to 25 yards, but came in directly in line with a huge beech tree behind me, no shot. Doe walked straight under my stand and smelled my climbing sticks, blew out of there and took the big boy with her. And that was that, as they say... :violin:
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Re: How many mature buck encounters did you have this year?

Unread postby Octoberjohn » Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:22 am

I had one mature buck encounter on October 25th. Then zero encounters during the first two weeks of November. On November 24th I was out checking a stand for the upcoming gun season on the 27th when I had a good mature buck come into my stand while I was sitting there unarmed. And finally on the morning of November 27th I was able to take my best buck ever right at daybreak. It was the same buck I saw on October 25th. Very limited rutting activity in my area(at least while I was hunting) really put my numbers low. I usually am able to at least see a few good ones during the rut.


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