Figuring out a tricky 5 year-old buck

[PredatorTC]

How do you know he spends most of his time on the pressured side? If not sightings or pics, and it’s sign, it’s probably the opposite. Just throwing that out there. I’ve been fooled by the sign in the past.

This is a great question and why I love the beast forum. The interaction and questions help me see things from a different perspective.

To answer your question: It's where I have pics of him and where my friend who also hunts this spot has seen him. It also is where I have found his tracks and what I believe to be his bed. But it could be the opposite as you said, but I have scouted the other side harder than the north and the clues seem to say he spends the majority of his time on the North.

Just keep in mind the rubs and scrapes can really throw a guy off. Maybe he doesn’t leave that sign near his bedding often

The bedding I’ve been hunting this fall threw me off the past couple years. Most of the sign is 150-300 yards from where they lay. I also noticed that there is an abundance of sign where the does bed and travel. With the abundance of bedding options in this small area (and limited visibility while on stand) it threw me for a loop.

A lot of sign is left at night... the majority of it. I’m not at all saying you’re wrong on your assumption that he’s on the North half. I’m saying don’t give up on the South half. The biggest bucks in my area don’t leave much for rubs. I only saw 1 rub from my 2016 buck that I can definitely say was his. It was a quarter mile away from where I shot him... on the public next to the food plot that gets more pheasant pressure than any other property I know of. Right on a heavy main trail.

Another thing I thought of for your situation is he might use the does and little bucks as a security blanket. I have a tough time with satellite deer and see this quite often.

You said you have pics of him on the North side, right? Have you ran them on the South side?

You make a great point. The buck that I shot in Minnesota didn't have any rubs where I shot him. We believe his rubs were the ones by Dan that were almost a mile away.

[Kraftd]

Could it be the human activity on the north side is more predictable and patternable for him to keep tabs on? If there are does there all the better, but the forum is littered with stories about wily old bucks overlooking public parking lots, including in this thread. I would just wonder if the human intrusion on the north is predictable? I would figure that may allow for using it to your advantage, and really narrowing down where folks aren't going and bouncing until you get him.

[comeback_kid]

Is the buck using 1 bed in a small area or a bedding area with multiple beds? I'm pretty sure Dan has said that rut beds and some food specific beds tend to be 1 bed in a small area

hmmm, not sure how to answer this one. I only have found 1 particular bed that I am believe is probably his. I found large tracks and poop leading to it last winter. It's also where the same thicket where he was seen coming out of last season.

[comeback_kid]

How do you know he spends most of his time on the pressured side? If not sightings or pics, and it’s sign, it’s probably the opposite. Just throwing that out there. I’ve been fooled by the sign in the past.

This is a great question and why I love the beast forum. The interaction and questions help me see things from a different perspective.

To answer your question: It's where I have pics of him and where my friend who also hunts this spot has seen him. It also is where I have found his tracks and what I believe to be his bed. But it could be the opposite as you said, but I have scouted the other side harder than the north and the clues seem to say he spends the majority of his time on the North.

Just keep in mind the rubs and scrapes can really throw a guy off. Maybe he doesn’t leave that sign near his bedding often

The bedding I’ve been hunting this fall threw me off the past couple years. Most of the sign is 150-300 yards from where they lay. I also noticed that there is an abundance of sign where the does bed and travel. With the abundance of bedding options in this small area (and limited visibility while on stand) it threw me for a loop.

A lot of sign is left at night... the majority of it. I’m not at all saying you’re wrong on your assumption that he’s on the North half. I’m saying don’t give up on the South half. The biggest bucks in my area don’t leave much for rubs. I only saw 1 rub from my 2016 buck that I can definitely say was his. It was a quarter mile away from where I shot him... on the public next to the food plot that gets more pheasant pressure than any other property I know of. Right on a heavy main trail.

Another thing I thought of for your situation is he might use the does and little bucks as a security blanket. I have a tough time with satellite deer and see this quite often.

You said you have pics of him on the North side, right? Have you ran them on the South side?

You make a great point. The buck that I shot in Minnesota didn't have any rubs where I shot him. We believe his rubs were the ones by Dan that were almost a mile away.

That was an awesome hunt and a great buck BTW. I loved that episode.

[comeback_kid]

Pulled 2 cards and finally got him on camera this season. Putting together the puzzle on him is fun.

Here he is coming back from across the road into one of the suspected bedding areas.



And on the same day at night just after dark I caught him again. Judging from the location of the photo and end of light I am backtracking in my mind the direction where he might be coming from.

[PredatorTC]

How do you know he spends most of his time on the pressured side? If not sightings or pics, and it’s sign, it’s probably the opposite. Just throwing that out there. I’ve been fooled by the sign in the past.

This is a great question and why I love the beast forum. The interaction and questions help me see things from a different perspective.

To answer your question: It's where I have pics of him and where my friend who also hunts this spot has seen him. It also is where I have found his tracks and what I believe to be his bed. But it could be the opposite as you said, but I have scouted the other side harder than the north and the clues seem to say he spends the majority of his time on the North.

Just keep in mind the rubs and scrapes can really throw a guy off. Maybe he doesn’t leave that sign near his bedding often

The bedding I’ve been hunting this fall threw me off the past couple years. Most of the sign is 150-300 yards from where they lay. I also noticed that there is an abundance of sign where the does bed and travel. With the abundance of bedding options in this small area (and limited visibility while on stand) it threw me for a loop.

A lot of sign is left at night... the majority of it. I’m not at all saying you’re wrong on your assumption that he’s on the North half. I’m saying don’t give up on the South half. The biggest bucks in my area don’t leave much for rubs. I only saw 1 rub from my 2016 buck that I can definitely say was his. It was a quarter mile away from where I shot him... on the public next to the food plot that gets more pheasant pressure than any other property I know of. Right on a heavy main trail.

Another thing I thought of for your situation is he might use the does and little bucks as a security blanket. I have a tough time with satellite deer and see this quite often.

You said you have pics of him on the North side, right? Have you ran them on the South side?

You make a great point. The buck that I shot in Minnesota didn't have any rubs where I shot him. We believe his rubs were the ones by Dan that were almost a mile away.

That was an awesome hunt and a great buck BTW. I loved that episode.

Thanks,

Good luck, kill that thing!