Finding a Big Buck

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tgreeno
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby tgreeno » Fri Jun 08, 2018 11:03 am

isitseasonyet? wrote:How often would you say it’s beneficial to sit an observation type stand over an area you have previously scouted?

Seems like a risk, but one worth taking for that valuable info.

You could either end up seeing the buck do something you didn’t expect and get info to kill him. Confirm your scouting so when you go in for the kill it’s easier to have high confidence. Or you could end up ruining the area with your scent, and spook the buck. Since you’re gonna leave scent anyways is it better to just go in for the kill right away?

What are your thoughts on an observation stand as a tactic to find big bucks and boost confidence before getting in REAL close?


IMO...If it's an area with good visibility from a safe distance then I would go, even prior to season, for some free intel. Like maybe sitting along a hiking trail or logging road and glassing the bedding. I think it's a fine line and depends totally on bullet-proof access.


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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby Twenty Up » Fri Jun 08, 2018 2:02 pm

Once you understand the general basics of Buck bedding, it’s persistence man. Plain and simple.

To put that in perspective, the average property I hunt/scout is 2,800 acres. Of that 2,800 acres, I’ll focus on anywhere from 1-4 spots which probably total up to maybe 50-150 acres?

Enjoy the process and everything will come full circle.
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isitseasonyet?
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby isitseasonyet? » Fri Jun 08, 2018 2:43 pm

Twenty Up wrote:Once you understand the general basics of Buck bedding, it’s persistence man. Plain and simple.

To put that in perspective, the average property I hunt/scout is 2,800 acres. Of that 2,800 acres, I’ll focus on anywhere from 1-4 spots which probably total up to maybe 50-150 acres?

Enjoy the process and everything will come full circle.


Thats an extremely low percentage of total land area. Which makes sense and I have read that a lot. Typically we focus on edges, transition, elevation, and hunter pressure to find our sign and beds. But how do you find that buck that made the sign? Do you have knowledge before you kill?
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby Twenty Up » Fri Jun 08, 2018 3:07 pm

isitseasonyet? wrote:
Twenty Up wrote:Once you understand the general basics of Buck bedding, it’s persistence man. Plain and simple.

To put that in perspective, the average property I hunt/scout is 2,800 acres. Of that 2,800 acres, I’ll focus on anywhere from 1-4 spots which probably total up to maybe 50-150 acres?

Enjoy the process and everything will come full circle.


Thats an extremely low percentage of total land area. Which makes sense and I have read that a lot. Typically we focus on edges, transition, elevation, and hunter pressure to find our sign and beds. But how do you find that buck that made the sign? Do you have knowledge before you kill?


It’s a cat and mouse game man. Sometimes you’re right, other times you’re wrong. But the times your wrong only up the ante for finding “him”.

Find the bed, Hunt the bed. Or you can glass a buck and anticipate his bed in relation to where you’ve seen him. When you do that, go in with a stand on your back and hang it where the sign dictates.

I’m no big buck killer, I’ve made more mistakes, missed more bucks and spooked more deer than I care to admit. But since adopting the beast techniques, I’ve been “in the game”a whole lot more.

And when I mean beast techniques, I’m referring to reading maps, scouting when able and utilizing trail cameras. Most of the bucks these guys kill aren’t killed in September or October, they’re killed in January through July the bucks just don’t know it yet ;)
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby yungbuck » Fri Jun 08, 2018 3:33 pm

Been a great thread and well timed! As most folks think about the lake or summer vacation it's a reminder that spring and summer scouting and Intel will help get us on target deer. Great to read this and much wisdom shared. Was a gentle reminder for me to check back on the new spots I scouted this winter to deploy a camera or setup some observation sits to get eyes on some shooters. I was behind too much of last season and it's because I got lazy. Killed a nice buck in 16 and thought I had some things figured out! Mistake! Spent too much of last fall guessing and not moving in to pick cherries. This winter I have over 150 miles in for scouting and a number of killer killer spots, but now I need to learn when bucks are using them, what wind I can get away with etc etc. Keep grinding, keep thinking about hunts, encounters, prior kills, and scouting and it's amazing what will come together over time. Work harder and think smarter than your average Joe Hunter and be apart of the 10%...100% of the time. One of my shortcomings is I often give my very best, but I don't every hunt every scout every observation. Thanks for a killer thread! My final .02 have some fun while going through the agony of working to becoming a bbsk... Something I think is overlooked is that Dan is often smiling playing jokes and loving every aspect of the hunt! I think humor and enjoying every element of it goes along way! When you fail, when your a mile back, when your covered in mud and bugs you gotta laugh to keep going. When I first started hunting in 2012 I put too much pressure on myself to kill a deer and would get upset at every failure and mistake, now I just have a blast whether I am having the best hunt of my life or I forgot gear in my car, soaking wet, and not seeing anything...I am having a blast doing something I love: hunting deer!
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby headgear » Fri Jun 08, 2018 11:50 pm

Twenty Up wrote:Once you understand the general basics of Buck bedding, it’s persistence man. Plain and simple.

To put that in perspective, the average property I hunt/scout is 2,800 acres. Of that 2,800 acres, I’ll focus on anywhere from 1-4 spots which probably total up to maybe 50-150 acres?

Enjoy the process and everything will come full circle.



I have similar numbers, take any 1000 acres there is usually 1 killer spot and maybe 1-3 good to ok bedding areas that I know of. I try and spend most of my time in those killer spots but sometimes do some stacking before I hit those killer spots.
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby <DK> » Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:18 am

headgear wrote:
Twenty Up wrote:Once you understand the general basics of Buck bedding, it’s persistence man. Plain and simple.

To put that in perspective, the average property I hunt/scout is 2,800 acres. Of that 2,800 acres, I’ll focus on anywhere from 1-4 spots which probably total up to maybe 50-150 acres?

Enjoy the process and everything will come full circle.



I have similar numbers, take any 1000 acres there is usually 1 killer spot and maybe 1-3 good to ok bedding areas that I know of. I try and spend most of my time in those killer spots but sometimes do some stacking before I hit those killer spots.


Definitely agree with this, some places may only have 1 great spot.
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby tgreeno » Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:28 am

Darkknight54 wrote:
headgear wrote:
Twenty Up wrote:Once you understand the general basics of Buck bedding, it’s persistence man. Plain and simple.

To put that in perspective, the average property I hunt/scout is 2,800 acres. Of that 2,800 acres, I’ll focus on anywhere from 1-4 spots which probably total up to maybe 50-150 acres?

Enjoy the process and everything will come full circle.



I have similar numbers, take any 1000 acres there is usually 1 killer spot and maybe 1-3 good to ok bedding areas that I know of. I try and spend most of my time in those killer spots but sometimes do some stacking before I hit those killer spots.


Definitely agree with this, some places may only have 1 great spot.


Some may have no great spots. Not all properties hold big bucks. The key is figuring out which ones do, before you waste alot of time on the ones that don't.
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby Twenty Up » Sat Jun 09, 2018 4:38 am

tgreeno wrote:
Darkknight54 wrote:
headgear wrote:
Twenty Up wrote:Once you understand the general basics of Buck bedding, it’s persistence man. Plain and simple.

To put that in perspective, the average property I hunt/scout is 2,800 acres. Of that 2,800 acres, I’ll focus on anywhere from 1-4 spots which probably total up to maybe 50-150 acres?

Enjoy the process and everything will come full circle.



I have similar numbers, take any 1000 acres there is usually 1 killer spot and maybe 1-3 good to ok bedding areas that I know of. I try and spend most of my time in those killer spots but sometimes do some stacking before I hit those killer spots.


Definitely agree with this, some places may only have 1 great spot.


Some may have no great spots. Not all properties hold big bucks. The key is figuring out which ones do, before you waste alot of time on the ones that don't.


I was trying to be optimistic but you’re correct, some properties I scout and never return. Some properties big bucks simply do not live on for various reasons.. Scouting saves you a lot of time by checking that tract off the list. But for me personally, they’re few and far between. Most properties I hunt have at least 1 spot that’s worth a sit for either early season, rut or late season.
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby Lockdown » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:01 am

Twenty Up wrote:
tgreeno wrote:
Darkknight54 wrote:
headgear wrote:
Twenty Up wrote:Once you understand the general basics of Buck bedding, it’s persistence man. Plain and simple.

To put that in perspective, the average property I hunt/scout is 2,800 acres. Of that 2,800 acres, I’ll focus on anywhere from 1-4 spots which probably total up to maybe 50-150 acres?

Enjoy the process and everything will come full circle.



I have similar numbers, take any 1000 acres there is usually 1 killer spot and maybe 1-3 good to ok bedding areas that I know of. I try and spend most of my time in those killer spots but sometimes do some stacking before I hit those killer spots.


Definitely agree with this, some places may only have 1 great spot.


Some may have no great spots. Not all properties hold big bucks. The key is figuring out which ones do, before you waste alot of time on the ones that don't.


I was trying to be optimistic but you’re correct, some properties I scout and never return. Some properties big bucks simply do not live on for various reasons.. Scouting saves you a lot of time by checking that tract off the list. But for me personally, they’re few and far between. Most properties I hunt have at least 1 spot that’s worth a sit for either early season, rut or late season.



Not saying I disagree with these comments at all, but each area is different. I’ve got plenty of properties where I only key on 1 or 2 bedding areas. Granted they’re not thousands of acres either. One of my best properties has lots of options. I’ve either seen them first hand or jumped good bucks out of 7 different spots out there. It’s less than 1,000 acres. I could have said 8 but that would be including several day old bed and tracks.

I think pressure plays the biggest part in this. The lower pressure is the more places they feel safe. :think:

That said, I’ve jumped big bucks out of one of the bedding areas three times. All the rest were lone encounters that haven’t been repeated.
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby mheichelbech » Sat Jun 09, 2018 6:06 am

I am not disputing anyone saying less than 10 good beds in a 1,000 acres but a farm I hunt that is approx. 800 acres of ag and 400 acres of woods, I have jumped bucks and killed bucks out of the craziest areas:

- edges of deep sinkholes within 20 feet of roads.
- roadside thickets.
- next to abandoned barns and old buildings.
- cliff side shelves less than 20 yards long.
- the normal places on points.
- in the middle of crp type fields that are overgrown with briars.

I have watched Bucks watch hunters parking and getting up and walking off from field edges. Many times these places had no obvious buck sign and I would never have thought a buck would be there if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes. The only common denominator with all the crazy spots is they were always BIG bucks.
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby isitseasonyet? » Sun Jun 10, 2018 6:27 am

Noticed on the Marsh dvd that I have been setting up on the wrong spot. The beds under lone trees just off a point, I have been setting up on the end of the point. Rather than on the first tree I should set up a little farther back where he would be likely to stage instead of on the first tree on the end of the point. Could be a reason I’m not seeing them sometimes.
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby UofLbowhunter » Sun Jun 10, 2018 7:20 am

isitseasonyet? wrote:Noticed on the Marsh dvd that I have been setting up on the wrong spot. The beds under lone trees just off a point, I have been setting up on the end of the point. Rather than on the first tree I should set up a little farther back where he would be likely to stage instead of on the first tree on the end of the point. Could be a reason I’m not seeing them sometimes.


Yep your right about your setting up. One of dans youtube vidoes he talks in depth about it. Setting up on the first bunchs of oaks and or being in real close range to that.
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby <DK> » Fri Jun 15, 2018 7:54 am

Lockdown wrote:
Twenty Up wrote:
tgreeno wrote:
Darkknight54 wrote:
headgear wrote:
Twenty Up wrote:Once you understand the general basics of Buck bedding, it’s persistence man. Plain and simple.

To put that in perspective, the average property I hunt/scout is 2,800 acres. Of that 2,800 acres, I’ll focus on anywhere from 1-4 spots which probably total up to maybe 50-150 acres?

Enjoy the process and everything will come full circle.



I have similar numbers, take any 1000 acres there is usually 1 killer spot and maybe 1-3 good to ok bedding areas that I know of. I try and spend most of my time in those killer spots but sometimes do some stacking before I hit those killer spots.


Definitely agree with this, some places may only have 1 great spot.


Some may have no great spots. Not all properties hold big bucks. The key is figuring out which ones do, before you waste alot of time on the ones that don't.


I was trying to be optimistic but you’re correct, some properties I scout and never return. Some properties big bucks simply do not live on for various reasons.. Scouting saves you a lot of time by checking that tract off the list. But for me personally, they’re few and far between. Most properties I hunt have at least 1 spot that’s worth a sit for either early season, rut or late season.



Not saying I disagree with these comments at all, but each area is different. I’ve got plenty of properties where I only key on 1 or 2 bedding areas. Granted they’re not thousands of acres either. One of my best properties has lots of options. I’ve either seen them first hand or jumped good bucks out of 7 different spots out there. It’s less than 1,000 acres. I could have said 8 but that would be including several day old bed and tracks.

I think pressure plays the biggest part in this. The lower pressure is the more places they feel safe. :think:

That said, I’ve jumped big bucks out of one of the bedding areas three times. All the rest were lone encounters that haven’t been repeated.


Going back to Dan's words, not all properties are created equal.

Here is an example... I found a property that is fairly new, close to home, archery only, all hard woods and bluffs. Only 1 parking lot - 1 way in in, 1 way out. So I was excited to find this place was an understatement.

After spending 4 days scouting it I was highly disappointed! Now I did find some decent sign and a couple good beds that I will hunt. Only hunting and scouting more will determine what is actually out there. However, while examining a bed this spring I look up and see 2 jokers walking around in the bottoms. One had camo and im sure they were small game hunting but this is DEEP in the woods away from public access. This place has to have people coming from private land bc it didnt have the sign I was expecting. Only time will tell and I have more areas to check but its gotten to the point where I hate the walk in and thats with no gear on my back.
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Re: Finding a Big Buck

Unread postby tgreeno » Fri Jun 15, 2018 8:00 am

The questions I have on some of these properties is...What happening there when I'm not around!
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