Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
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Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
Lets take a closer look at my top 10 bow killed bucks (I did not include gun kills) and see what factors that lead up to the kill were consistent to what percent. What is interesting about these stats is the mature buck stats vary greatly from the stats of the "nice" middle age bucks I have taken (mature bucks used in this study are believed to be 4 years old or more) . This to me really shows the need to "hunt for mature bucks" in order to kill mature bucks consistently. Its like mature bucks are a whole different animal. Hunting for deer and expecting to kill a mature buck is like hunting rabbits hoping for pheasants.
Killed within 300 yards of bedding area - 10 (100%)
Killed within 100 yards of bedding area - 8 (80%)
Killed at a scrape where the intersection of two staging areas met - 4 (40%)
1st time ever sit - 4 (40%)
1st time that year (includes 1st ever sits) - 6 (60%)
2nd or 3rd sit - 2 (20%)
Shot in Sept, - 3 (30%)
Shot in Oct - 4 (40%)
Shot in Nov - 3 (30%)
Shot in the eve. - 9 (90%)
Shot in morning - 1 (10%)
calls used- 0
Scents used- 0
Was hunting the buck I shot - 8 (80%)
Hunted buck for 2 or more seasons - 3 (30%)
Within 200 yards of the road - 2 (20%)
Killed at a crop field or food plot - 0
I was a little surprised at the results of this too. It took me looking at each of the bucks and remembering where and how it was killed and writing down the answers... The reason I post this is for you to compare how these bucks got killed, and think about your approach, and to consider if your putting yourself in position for for nice bucks, or the giants...
I think at age 4 bucks really start to get smart. Especially on pressured properties. They learn to move short distances in safe areas in daylight, they learn where all the hunting spots are on the property, and how to avoid them. They pick bedding spots that watch you access or smell your approach. You either have to get real lucky, or make smart, well thought, precision moves.
When I look at the other deer I have shot below my top 10 (2 & 3 year olds mostly) You start to see the funnel stands pay off more that are hunted over and over, you see a lot more random kills of deer that just wandered past, you see deer shot over food, and you see a lot more rut kills.
Just like the bucks jump up in intelligence at a certain point, hunters can either get to the point of shooting "nice" 110 to 130 inch bucks every year and never excel, or they can start hunting a new and smarter animal and raise the bar. Now, don't take me wrong, there is nothing wrong with shooting 110 to 130 inch bucks, but if you want to occasionally take the occasional giant, you might want to hunt for giants.
Lets take a closer look at my top 10 bow killed bucks (I did not include gun kills) and see what factors that lead up to the kill were consistent to what percent. What is interesting about these stats is the mature buck stats vary greatly from the stats of the "nice" middle age bucks I have taken (mature bucks used in this study are believed to be 4 years old or more) . This to me really shows the need to "hunt for mature bucks" in order to kill mature bucks consistently. Its like mature bucks are a whole different animal. Hunting for deer and expecting to kill a mature buck is like hunting rabbits hoping for pheasants.
Killed within 300 yards of bedding area - 10 (100%)
Killed within 100 yards of bedding area - 8 (80%)
Killed at a scrape where the intersection of two staging areas met - 4 (40%)
1st time ever sit - 4 (40%)
1st time that year (includes 1st ever sits) - 6 (60%)
2nd or 3rd sit - 2 (20%)
Shot in Sept, - 3 (30%)
Shot in Oct - 4 (40%)
Shot in Nov - 3 (30%)
Shot in the eve. - 9 (90%)
Shot in morning - 1 (10%)
calls used- 0
Scents used- 0
Was hunting the buck I shot - 8 (80%)
Hunted buck for 2 or more seasons - 3 (30%)
Within 200 yards of the road - 2 (20%)
Killed at a crop field or food plot - 0
I was a little surprised at the results of this too. It took me looking at each of the bucks and remembering where and how it was killed and writing down the answers... The reason I post this is for you to compare how these bucks got killed, and think about your approach, and to consider if your putting yourself in position for for nice bucks, or the giants...
I think at age 4 bucks really start to get smart. Especially on pressured properties. They learn to move short distances in safe areas in daylight, they learn where all the hunting spots are on the property, and how to avoid them. They pick bedding spots that watch you access or smell your approach. You either have to get real lucky, or make smart, well thought, precision moves.
When I look at the other deer I have shot below my top 10 (2 & 3 year olds mostly) You start to see the funnel stands pay off more that are hunted over and over, you see a lot more random kills of deer that just wandered past, you see deer shot over food, and you see a lot more rut kills.
Just like the bucks jump up in intelligence at a certain point, hunters can either get to the point of shooting "nice" 110 to 130 inch bucks every year and never excel, or they can start hunting a new and smarter animal and raise the bar. Now, don't take me wrong, there is nothing wrong with shooting 110 to 130 inch bucks, but if you want to occasionally take the occasional giant, you might want to hunt for giants.
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
Gr8 post Danial!
Expect the Unexpected when you least Expect it...
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
awesome stats
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results” Albert Einstein
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
Very telling information. Thanks for posting.
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
That’s impossible Dan. Michael Waddel hunts field edges and he kills all kinds of huge deer.
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
Thanks that paints a valuable picture there. Curious were any of the 1st time ever sits only cyberscouted or setting up on hot sign while on your way to another spot, or were all based on boots on the ground prescouting?
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
100% every big one on my wall over 4.5 was under 100 yards from there bed i did kill all mine in morning but thats only because i had a gun and i can shot real far or they were bumped too me buy other hunters 2 were 130 yard shots with muzzle loader and one was right under my tree and one was 80 yards. 2 out of the four were pushed from there original bed too the bed i was watching. and all my almost encounters have been exiting beds during early bow in evening during the last hour. 3.5 and younger bucks were almost all random. even most of the mature does ive shoot have fallen under the same rules as big bucks. getting tight too bedding is the highest percent chance you have on killing any deer in my opinion.
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
Well I have noticed that ALOT of members see does and young bucks when they are hunting a big bucks bedroom,, and sometimes they "settle" for a Big immature buck. When I had my dog we hunted for pheasants and rabbits in very similar habitat and had success.
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
Great post Dan!
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
Dan,
Great post!!
I noticed none were shot late season. What are your thoughts on why that is.
This is so counter thinking to how most people hunt. Most guys take off 2 weeks in November thinking they'll kill their mature buck cruising for does or coming to his calling looking for a fight. I hear guys rattling on public every year. I see their scent wicks while out scouting. I had a 3 yr old buck bed 60 yards from my tree at 715am on November 7th this year and thought, "why the he'll is he bedded this early during the rut?!?! He should be chasing does or cruising till at least 9am... It's Nov 7th!!!!"
Do you recommend that us novices start looking for scrapes like you describe where staging areas meet? (Obviously they won't always be there) Within 100 yards from bedding?
Great post!!
I noticed none were shot late season. What are your thoughts on why that is.
This is so counter thinking to how most people hunt. Most guys take off 2 weeks in November thinking they'll kill their mature buck cruising for does or coming to his calling looking for a fight. I hear guys rattling on public every year. I see their scent wicks while out scouting. I had a 3 yr old buck bed 60 yards from my tree at 715am on November 7th this year and thought, "why the he'll is he bedded this early during the rut?!?! He should be chasing does or cruising till at least 9am... It's Nov 7th!!!!"
Do you recommend that us novices start looking for scrapes like you describe where staging areas meet? (Obviously they won't always be there) Within 100 yards from bedding?
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
ODH wrote:Thanks that paints a valuable picture there. Curious were any of the 1st time ever sits only cyberscouted or setting up on hot sign while on your way to another spot, or were all based on boots on the ground prescouting?
A couple were based on observations of the buck. and a couple based on pre scouting and having a good idea that I wanted to hunt that area.
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
Missionshooter wrote:Dan,
Great post!!
I noticed none were shot late season. What are your thoughts on why that is.
This is so counter thinking to how most people hunt. Most guys take off 2 weeks in November thinking they'll kill their mature buck cruising for does or coming to his calling looking for a fight. I hear guys rattling on public every year. I see their scent wicks while out scouting. I had a 3 yr old buck bed 60 yards from my tree at 715am on November 7th this year and thought, "why the he'll is he bedded this early during the rut?!?! He should be chasing does or cruising till at least 9am... It's Nov 7th!!!!"
Do you recommend that us novices start looking for scrapes like you describe where staging areas meet? (Obviously they won't always be there) Within 100 yards from bedding?
I have called in a lot of nice bucks, mostly when I see them and they are not coming to me. But, one buck that comes to mind a couple years ago was a mature buck that was casually walking up wind of me, and obviously not coming to me. It was a 1st time sit... I grunted to him then looked down to turn the camera on, when I looked back up I could not see him. I waited 5 minutes and new he had to still be right there I would of surly seen him leave so I grunted one more time and he jumped up from the grass and bolted out of there... Same call I had tricked dozens of 2 or 3 year olds with... Those bed scrapes are not real easy to find, but when you do find one, there golden.
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
Those stats don't lie ! Thanks for the post !
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
dan wrote:Missionshooter wrote:Dan,
Great post!!
I noticed none were shot late season. What are your thoughts on why that is.
This is so counter thinking to how most people hunt. Most guys take off 2 weeks in November thinking they'll kill their mature buck cruising for does or coming to his calling looking for a fight. I hear guys rattling on public every year. I see their scent wicks while out scouting. I had a 3 yr old buck bed 60 yards from my tree at 715am on November 7th this year and thought, "why the he'll is he bedded this early during the rut?!?! He should be chasing does or cruising till at least 9am... It's Nov 7th!!!!"
Do you recommend that us novices start looking for scrapes like you describe where staging areas meet? (Obviously they won't always be there) Within 100 yards from bedding?
I have called in a lot of nice bucks, mostly when I see them and they are not coming to me. But, one buck that comes to mind a couple years ago was a mature buck that was casually walking up wind of me, and obviously not coming to me. It was a 1st time sit... I grunted to him then looked down to turn the camera on, when I looked back up I could not see him. I waited 5 minutes and new he had to still be right there I would of surly seen him leave so I grunted one more time and he jumped up from the grass and bolted out of there... Same call I had tricked dozens of 2 or 3 year olds with... Those bed scrapes are not real easy to find, but when you do find one, there golden.
What do you mean by bed scrapes?
Yeah, well....sometimes nothin can be a real cool hand.
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Re: Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
dan wrote:Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
Hunting rabbits, hoping for pheasants...
Lets take a closer look at my top 10 bow killed bucks (I did not include gun kills) and see what factors that lead up to the kill were consistent to what percent. What is interesting about these stats is the mature buck stats vary greatly from the stats of the "nice" middle age bucks I have taken (mature bucks used in this study are believed to be 4 years old or more) . This to me really shows the need to "hunt for mature bucks" in order to kill mature bucks consistently. Its like mature bucks are a whole different animal. Hunting for deer and expecting to kill a mature buck is like hunting rabbits hoping for pheasants.
Killed within 300 yards of bedding area - 10 (100%)
Killed within 100 yards of bedding area - 8 (80%)
Killed at a scrape where the intersection of two staging areas met - 4 (40%)
1st time ever sit - 4 (40%)
1st time that year (includes 1st ever sits) - 6 (60%)
2nd or 3rd sit - 2 (20%)
Shot in Sept, - 3 (30%)
Shot in Oct - 4 (40%)
Shot in Nov - 3 (30%)
Shot in the eve. - 9 (90%)
Shot in morning - 1 (10%)
calls used- 0
Scents used- 0
Was hunting the buck I shot - 8 (80%)
Hunted buck for 2 or more seasons - 3 (30%)
Within 200 yards of the road - 2 (20%)
Killed at a crop field or food plot - 0
I was a little surprised at the results of this too. It took me looking at each of the bucks and remembering where and how it was killed and writing down the answers... The reason I post this is for you to compare how these bucks got killed, and think about your approach, and to consider if your putting yourself in position for for nice bucks, or the giants...
I think at age 4 bucks really start to get smart. Especially on pressured properties. They learn to move short distances in safe areas in daylight, they learn where all the hunting spots are on the property, and how to avoid them. They pick bedding spots that watch you access or smell your approach. You either have to get real lucky, or make smart, well thought, precision moves.
When I look at the other deer I have shot below my top 10 (2 & 3 year olds mostly) You start to see the funnel stands pay off more that are hunted over and over, you see a lot more random kills of deer that just wandered past, you see deer shot over food, and you see a lot more rut kills.
Just like the bucks jump up in intelligence at a certain point, hunters can either get to the point of shooting "nice" 110 to 130 inch bucks every year and never excel, or they can start hunting a new and smarter animal and raise the bar. Now, don't take me wrong, there is nothing wrong with shooting 110 to 130 inch bucks, but if you want to occasionally take the occasional giant, you might want to hunt for giants.
Dan, can i ask out of those 10 Bucks how many were under a .25mile (overlooked) and how many were deep (>1mile)
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