Bucky

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Spysar
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Bucky

Unread postby Spysar » Sun Jul 10, 2011 1:47 am

Since there was a Spysar thread, and an Autumn Ninja thread, I'd like to start a DOR, Muddy, and Bucky thread. I know there are a bunch more guys on this site that get it done. These are just the guys that are long time forum members that seem to get it done every year. All these threads have this same opening line, one thread for each guy...

I'm interested in the planning and execution of how you do YOUR hunting season. So Bucky, what is your plan of attack? What is your style of big buck killing?


A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby Bucky » Sun Jul 10, 2011 3:01 am

I just spend a lot of time looking for areas with good animals... I now have a handful... once I figure out a good area. I like to spend the 1st year or two walking a bunch and placing cameras in obtrusive areas just to figure things out. I also shed hunt a lot in winter and I think that helps in locating core buck areas in farm country.

My summer consists of catching various bucks on camera at each property - gathering inventory. I run over two dozen cameras with two other buddies - some of these are on public land. I used to do a lot of shining as well but with 3 kids now and a considerable drive to any of my hunting spots I don't as often these days.

Many of the bucks I'm hunting we have been following for years... we are all striving to shoot 4+ yr old deer, my one buddy holds out for 5+ yr olds and has been successful 3 out of the last 4 years.

I think it is easier to hunt them on the flat ground I hunt but prefer the hills - you just never know what you are going to see in bluff country. My favorite set ups are saddles, benches, drainages, & inside corners. Despite having a few properties that I hunt exclusively, I rarely hunt the same tree more than twice.

Early season for me in hill country is focusing in on bedding areas... I don't pin pt them like Dan (maybe because I'm still learning) but rather focus on some type of terrain feature that is close to the bedding area - points, pinches, drainage etc and use it for bucks traveling from bed to food. I have messed up some good ones in the hills.

Around Oct 25th give or take I transition to travel corridors - rut funnels and doe concentration areas = food or bedding and hunt these up until gun season.

Gun season is back to bedding areas & escape routes - I prefer to hunt public land during gun season unless I have a fully mature buck frequenting my private property spots.

Late season is food....

In the past I have never hunted late season much due to not having quality food sources to hunt around (without them it is tough). This year I have spent a considerable amount of time creating a food source (almost 2 acres) close to an awesome bedding area which should extend my season if needed for WI archery + muzzleloader hunting. I plan to put up a start to finish pic slide show here on the Beast once done if it turns out... included seed bed prep, planting a screen, planting the actual food plot, relation to bedding and how I'm going to hunt it - wind direction + weather conditions...

My success on 3yr + whitetails started to increase around my Sophomore yr in college when I decided I was going to hunt almost every day until I knocked one down that I was proud of... I think it ended up being day #13 or #14 that I finally killed a big buck... from that year on, I spend as much time as possible in the field each fall and think that is a key to anyone who consistently kills bigger whitetails :)

I'm a whitetail addict and I admit it :lol:
"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
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Spysar
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby Spysar » Sun Jul 10, 2011 3:07 am

Where do you live, and where do you travel to? What states are you hunting now, and what ones have you in the past? How many states in a season?

Do you lease land also?
A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby Bucky » Sun Jul 10, 2011 3:21 am

Spysar wrote:Where do you live, and where do you travel to? What states are you hunting now, and what ones have you in the past? How many states in a season?

Do you lease land also?


I live in Appleton WI

This year I'm hunting Illinois and Missouri... been to Manitoba x2 in the past & ND once. On my radar are Ontario - whitetails, Montana - mule deer, and South Dakota - mule deer for next year

I lease one property in WI and have permission on a half dozen or so (of those I will likely only hunt 2 this season)

My favorite property to hunt is public access in the hills

With CWD in WI it is like going out of state seeing I can fill my regular WI buck tag and keep on hunting other CWD properties... sometimes it seems insane to leave areas I know I have 170" + deer on camera to drive 10hrs to hunt something I have limited experience on... :lol:
"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
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kenn1320
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby kenn1320 » Sun Jul 10, 2011 3:37 am

What brand of trail camera(s) do you guys use/prefer and how do you set them up to get pics of nice bucks? I see on TV they throw out lots of corn and set up a cam. QDM studies claim you can do that in the center of a wood lot and get the majority of bucks using that woods on film. In areas I typically hunt I don't have the luxury of shining and if I do get up there to shine, its frowned upon by the locals. Not many fields in the area I hunt that don't have a farm house on them and with all the poaching they likely assume your up to no good. When I go out of state I have a hard time finding good pinch points and funnels. Can you give some examples of what you look for? Ive gone in the spring and found beat down runs that join in the only decent cover and think Jackpot. Then I hunt them in the fall and don't see a single deer using them. I'm wondering if they are being used/made during gun season where they stick to that cover out of fear. During archery season its not uncommon for me to see deer just "get up" out in the Milo where they likely were bedded all day. When they are bedded in the food source, how do you hunt them?
"Its about taking the right shot at the right time with good equipment." Dan Infalt
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby Bucky » Sun Jul 10, 2011 3:57 am

Between us we have 15 Cudde Captures, 6 ScoutGuards IR, 7 Moutrie I40s, & 2 PlotWatchers

Inventory in summer = mostly food sources, on private the cameras are located in areas that can be driven to in vehicles (no getting out and walking around at), apple trees!, and if legal any salt/mineral lick will bring every deer in the vicinity in at some pt in a 1-2 month period...

As far as pinches... I highly recommend the book Mapping Trophy Whitetails - talks about many hill funnels and how deer use them and it will be explained way better than I could here.

Then I look at topos and aerials... where is the ag, where is the access, where are the likely undistrubed areas, in farm country I'm looking for big blocks of timber necking down = travel corridor (strickly rut hunting), in the hills I'm looking for ridge tops/points and where do they connect - hubs, drainages.. steeper the better - deer will likely travel around the bottom or more likely over the top with rising thermals... creeks pinching down with timber edges/ridge points, swift L shape bends in a river or creek... there are many. Then it comes down to checking them out, checking the wind (critical in the hills), and looking for classic buck sign
"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby Hodag Hunter » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:00 am

Bucky wrote:
I live in Appleton WI



Hey.....I'm in Appleton during most weeks......you looking for a protege? :lol: :mrgreen:
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby Bucky » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:02 am

Hodag Hunter wrote:
Bucky wrote:
I live in Appleton WI



Hey.....I'm in Appleton during most weeks......you looking for a protege? :lol: :mrgreen:


I think we could work out a swap hunt for a trophy ski adventure :lol:
"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby Hodag Hunter » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:17 am

Bucky wrote:
Hodag Hunter wrote:
Bucky wrote:
I live in Appleton WI



Hey.....I'm in Appleton during most weeks......you looking for a protege? :lol: :mrgreen:


I think we could work out a swap hunt for a trophy ski adventure :lol:


Anytime you want to fish, just let me know, always looking for a guy in the boat.....I only have (1) serious good musky fishing bud left, besides my 9 year old son. My buds son is tagging along a lot with him too making for solo weekends for both of us, if the kids don't tag along, until our schedules work out.

This is family weekend here in Greenville/Appleton, the musky marathon starts next weekend until ice up. Really don't have to trade a hunt, if you want to go shoot me a pm when your ready.
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby Bucky » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:21 am

Anytime you want to fish, just let me know, always looking for a guy in the boat.....I only have (1) serious good musky fishing bud left, besides my 9 year old son. My buds son is tagging along a lot with him too making for solo weekends for both of us, if the kids don't tag along, until our schedules work out.

This is family weekend here in Greenville/Appleton, the musky marathon starts next weekend until ice up. Really don't have to trade a hunt, if you want to go shoot me a pm when your ready.[/quote]

Much appreciated! My in laws have a place in Sugar Camp so I assume within easy driving distance for a joint fishing adventure :)
"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
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muddy
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby muddy » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:45 am

Perhaps make some time available July 22-25, that's when I'll be up there!
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby Bucky » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:48 am

muddy wrote:Perhaps make some time available July 22-25, that's when I'll be up there!


Good chance I will be in the North Woods that weekend... I would probably only be able to slip out on a Sat AM to fish though... I'm on a tight string this time of year :lol:
"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby muddy » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:49 am

Bucky wrote:
muddy wrote:Perhaps make some time available July 22-25, that's when I'll be up there!


Good chance I will be in the North Woods that weekend... I would probably only be able to slip out on a Sat AM to fish though... I'm on a tight string this time of year :lol:


How about slip out in the evening for beers? I know I'll be in a MUCH better mood after a cold one and some pizza after getting my kicked by a bunch of fish.
http://www.iowawhitetail.com
Leading the way for habitat and management information

"It's a good thing you don't need commas and colons to kill deer" -seaz
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby Bucky » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:53 am

muddy wrote:
Bucky wrote:
muddy wrote:Perhaps make some time available July 22-25, that's when I'll be up there!


Good chance I will be in the North Woods that weekend... I would probably only be able to slip out on a Sat AM to fish though... I'm on a tight string this time of year :lol:


How about slip out in the evening for beers? I know I'll be in a MUCH better mood after a cold one and some pizza after getting my kicked by a bunch of fish.


That sounds like a blast... I'm sure Hodag has a nice campfire along the lake shore... that is what the Northwoods is all about. Have you ever been up that way Matt? You are in for a treat
"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
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Re: Bucky

Unread postby muddy » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:55 am

Last year was my first trip up to Rhinelander with Hodag. This year I'm blocking a 4 day trip instead of 3 so one day will likely have a campfire. I'm also bringing some of Iowa's finest Templeton Rye whiskey IF we land a fish! Hope we can hook it up.
http://www.iowawhitetail.com
Leading the way for habitat and management information

"It's a good thing you don't need commas and colons to kill deer" -seaz


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