3 Hours After Dark

[Octang]

How quickly do bucks travel when they get out of their bed in the evening? I have a big eight pointer coming past my trail camera consistently 3 hours after dark. I know what direction he comes from and would love to scout to find a stand closer to his homebase, but I don't know if I should be looking hundreds of yards away or miles away. How far would you expect a buck to travel in 3 hours?

Edit: This is a big woods setting with tens of thousands of acres in the direction he is coming from.

[stash59]

That, could be a tough one. What kind of terrain? If there's swamps. I'd skirt the edges looking for tracks in the softer areas. Or you may be able to find a rub line by grid searching in the direction he's heading. Which may take you to bedding. If the pressure is lower. You may not need to get as close to bedding as in higher pressure areas.

[Autiger]

Only one way to find out! I have 1 on camera that I know beds only 100 yards away and he came by 3 hours after dark. He sits on private to watch the access and comes back to bed early well before daylight and then doesn't get up until most guys have already exited. Unfortunately, that guy is highly educated and smart. I have only one play and it will require him to slip back to bed just a little late

[headgear]

Just impossible to say, they can stay in a small area for hours and travel miles in 20 minutes when they want to. Just keep moving back and looking for him, all you can do.

[BJ99Robinson]

You could move your camera/stand gradually in the direction he's coming form to gather more information.
With rut heating up he could change his pattern quickly, if I were you, I'd get pretty aggressive with him.

[1STRANGEWILDERNESS]

I’m not a camera expert but I’m in big woods as well and it’s challenging for sure.this past week I have been hauling in cameras from other locations and spreading them Around several trails to bedding on a single buck I’m after. Since I’m short on cameras I did also make some track catchers by scraping pine needles back to bare dirt etc on a lot of trails so I can also look for his tracks.

Good luck narrowing it down. Hope you arrow him