The giant exists.

[AntlersAnonymous]

I finally have 1 picture of a giant 8 point on one of my property's. He was chasing a doe in the picture. Go figure. Now he lives on the property 100%. I just don't know where. Surrounded by subdivisions. The property is used by a cattle farmer daily. And we hunt it. The deer is a ghost, and he's very smart. Only seen during the rut. Where is he most likely to bed? Next to common access points? Or in the center of the timber. Farthest from humans?

[Ognennyy]

He may only be using the property during the rut. Further he may be bedding on adjacent property and coming over to the farm to cruise for does. But if he's bedding near the farm during daylight hours he's likely wherever he never encounters human scent. Are there any places like that on the farm?

[Jdw]

It is possible he is bedding in a thick spot in one of the subdivisions. It doesn’t take a big thicket if the buck knows he is safe there.

[mauser06]

You said he now lives on the property 100%. How do you know that? What makes you say that?? You have 1 picture of him and know he was dogging a doe....


The only thing rut pictures really tell me is that it could be a good place to intercept mature bucks during the rut (or not). And the time frame that tends to happen in that area.


He's likely to bed where he feels safe and isn't disturbed. Could be right next to where you access. Could be in a deep dark little hidey hole. But in this case, 1 picture...makes me believe he was just passin through. Or, you don't have cameras in places he uses. I don't know your camera situation.

[Thesouthpaw]

He probably doesn't live 100% on the property unless it it thousands of acres. He is probably bedding next to someone's house where he receives little to no hunting pressure.

[may21581]

To shed some light on the subject I am chasing a giant myself. Prolly 170" or so. The farm I hunt is surrounded by thousands of acres of private, public, and lease property with strict size limits for harvest. I was able to pinpoint this bucks bed and know exactly where it is. The bed is about 500 yards from the guys house. He has a lab that barks all the time and harasses the does but too old to chase. The lease next door and the farmer share a common bridge to access the land. When driving over it the steel plates bang a little from a broken weld. The lease access has a steel gate that you have to open and when you do it makes a distinct sound.
I found an old bed that was about 50 yards from this bridge, and his new bed is about 300 yards in the same area but same geographic features. These features are as follows.

1. There is a large deep creek on the edge of the beds. A predator could not walk across it, they would have to swim and if they did would take them past the bed.
2. There is thick tall grass, briars, and trees in front of them, a grasshopper couldn't move without making a noise in there.
3. They are within an earshot distance of all the activity in the area. Something out of the ordinary they are very in tune to.
4. When you stand up in the bed you have a holy crap moment. All the noises they here and things they live by they can visually confirm from this bed!
5. These are over looked areas where no one hunts, there are stands within 200 yards of his bed.

The conclusion is they are very in tune to their surroundings, and what is going on around them. They shift their travel times and travel routes around these things. To kill a beast like this you really need to dig deep and ask yourself some questions and be willing to put forth the effort in killing him like he has committed to surviving. Something I have noticed with big bucks I have killed and chased is a dog was always involved some how. The dog was an extra set of eyes and ears and barked when they seen does, or someone came home. If the dog barked at odd times the bucks prolly knew something was up. Human activity and some noise will not prevent a mature buck from living in a spot, actually I believe it's the opposite. The mature hard to kill ones get in tune with this stuff. So ask yourself in your scenario what a deer can use and get in tune with to survive then change your schedule and strategy to let him come to you! Good luck

[Rich M]

I can relate to the dog May talks about.

Used to hunt a small property that had tons of deer sign down low, so that's where I hunted. Would often hear a dog bark up top but never understood he was barking at the deer I had moved. The deer would go the the top of the ridge, behind the houses and the dog would bark.

[AntlersAnonymous]

Thanks to everybody who replied. So, when I said he lives here, I guess I meant during the rut. Right now. We have the big woods and the does. But based on what everybody has said. There is a small pocket of woods that is in between both entrances. It has a right of way on the north that the farmers drive and then the north had an industrial complex. This has to be the place. He can hear and see the action from this Woodlot. We believe other giants have lived in this same spot. There are other mature bucks that visit the feeders, but not thus guy unless he's checking does.

[AntlersAnonymous]

Well, the one other guy on the property killed the deer I was after. He ended up being a really nice eleven point. Probably upper 160s. Damn..

[comeback_kid]

How many acres is the property you can hunt?