Have you patterned a mature buck in early season(September) by observation?

[comeback_kid]

Curious as to everyone's experience!

[Boogieman1]

I have put enough time and effort into it to come to the conclusion patterns are for old women who sew. If it were as easy as hanging out in the shade watching a buck that goes about his business the same each and every day. Every hunter in America would have numerous Booners on the wall. I believe you can pattern hunters, I believe u can pattern tendencies, but to pattern a single animal in the wild that has no clue what he’s gonna do tomorrow doesn’t seem high odds to me. Sure sometimes it happens when u locate a buck who has a hidey hole. But on the avg high pressured ground that buck is getting pin balled around so much in the dark by morning hunters there’s no telling where that sucker will be. Just my opinion of course. But I’ve never seen anyone getting pics of a mature buck each an every day like clockwork that makes me think they got one patterned.

[Lockdown]

Being in a very low pressure area, I’ve found that opening weekend is likely my best chance to tag a good buck with my bow. Our season typically starts the 3rd Saturday in September.

2019- killed my target opening day.
2018- passed a buck I said I was going to shoot waiting for my #1. That was 2nd day of season
2016- bumped a target buck from under my kill tree on opening day.

I’m big on observing the week and especially the last few days prior to opening day. It’s free intel without forfeiting a potential kill sit.

Seeing bucks in July and August is great, the bucks are very visible. But it’s really nothing more than intel unless you see them do something pertinent immediately prior to opener.

[backstraps]

I had one show just outside legal shooting light on opener last year

I put a lot of time and effort into him. I over pressured him and decided to back out for the remainder of the season

I have high hopes this opener for him or another I have kept tabs on last few years

[Twenty Up]

Typically I’ll have a good pattern on a buck (visual & trail camera pictures) then around our Dove/Squirrel season openers (Weekend before archery opener) all the bucks transition to different (remote) bedding areas.

Between determining other hunter pressure, determining where the buck will be and trying to play our wind swirls.. I’ve had very little September success on mature bucks.

[tuff4x4]

Pattern, just like many words of the English language have multiple meanings.

Few years ago I was after a mature buck in hilly terrain. Used cameras to zero in on his bedding area ( which was about 1/4 acre) and discovered the wind he was using it on. Never got the buck , however did have a couple close calls.

Is it possible to completely 'pattern ' a mature buck? In my opinion no, but you only have to be right ONCE

[dan]

Its all relitive to the areas you choose to hunt. Some are easy to pattern based on more open terrain, and easy to identify bedding areas. Some are very hard cause of thick woods, or lots of bedding... I can think of many big bucks I killed opening week based on visual patterning. Its actually easier on big bucks than young ones in my opinion. Older deer seem to me to limit there bedding and daylight movement much more than younger bucks. Its all relitive to what your hunting. Although patterning bucks is difficult and takes effort, my very biggest bucks came from patterning. So to me, if your goal is to eventually shoot a true giant, it might just be the best tactic of all.

[dan]

Big bucks seem to narrow there bedding down to the few best bedding areas, figure out where they are hanging and it can work out awesome... Arguably one of my biggest bow kills... Watched this guy all summer, Shot him where I glassed him opening day

normal_11pig.jpg

The "400 pound slob" buck named after he bottomed out a 300 pound scale after field dressing... Watched this guy exit bedding on a regular basis in early October while parked in a covert car glassing from a public land parking lot.

normal_400lbslob.jpg

A giant I glassed entering and exiting bedding in late summer and shot opening day in early September:

normal_img050.jpg

And here is a gun kill, my highest scoring buck ever I watched use the same bed for two seasons and finally grew a pair and crawled in for the kill.

normal_15_point.jpg

I could list a lot more too... But my point is, this might be the best tactic for a bow hunter to kill a true giant. Better than rut... Rut you will see lots of good bucks and your odds of killing a "deer" go way up... But, in my opinion, odds are higher on 5 year olds or higher by observing them and keying in on their bedding and killing them on a 1st sit hunt going in mobile.

[comeback_kid]

Thanks Dan. I have heard you talk about early season quite a bit as a great time to kill a big one on a pattern.

I have a few target bucks that I need to determine if they're still alive this year and then narrow down their early season bedding. I'd like to make an aggressive move the opener or soon after that while they are still on the summerish pattern.

One major challenge is in most of the ground I hunt, glassing. shining(spotlighting) is not possible due to how the spots setup and rolling hills. In one area I have to get like 120 yds or less from where deer are to do observation due to visibility limitations.

Big bucks seem to narrow there bedding down to the few best bedding areas, figure out where they are hanging and it can work out awesome... Arguably one of my biggest bow kills... Watched this guy all summer, Shot him where I glassed him opening day
normal_11pig.jpg

The "400 pound slob" buck named after he bottomed out a 300 pound scale after field dressing... Watched this guy exit bedding on a regular basis in early October while parked in a covert car glassing from a public land parking lot.
normal_400lbslob.jpg

A giant I glassed entering and exiting bedding in late summer and shot opening day in early September:
normal_img050.jpg

And here is a gun kill, my highest scoring buck ever I watched use the same bed for two seasons and finally grew a pair and crawled in for the kill.
normal_15_point.jpg

I could list a lot more too... But my point is, this might be the best tactic for a bow hunter to kill a true giant. Better than rut... Rut you will see lots of good bucks and your odds of killing a "deer" go way up... But, in my opinion, odds are higher on 5 year olds or higher by observing them and keying in on their bedding and killing them on a 1st sit hunt going in mobile.

[Tribute80]

The only mature buck I have shot in Florida I patterned for opening day. I established a food source in early February with a camera on it. Then moved 4 other cameras every couple weeks till I found the trails each buck was using. I put the food out in the middle of a grown up field where I could get around the deer without getting busted. In order to get in the path of the Buck I was after I had to ruin the the route the second best deer was using. Shot the buck I was after opening morning low in the brisket and couldn’t find him. He wasn’t a giant by any means but was a dang nice Florida Buck. One thing I noticed was as opening day got closer his pattern started to get spotty all I could figure was other people were starting their food sources and was using mine less.