Just curious. If you have killed a 3.5+ year old buck in or very close to a destination food source, please share the details with us like date, time of day, etc. Edit - Bow kills only
I have killed 5 maybe 6 over 3.5, not sure about 1. But i'm gonna tell about the easy one. Jan. 2000,South TX, Long Sendero, Big Feeder, Lots of Corn, 270 WSM, 19" 10 pt, End of Story! but I did get it on film!
11/04/2006 at 8:30 A.M. the morning after opening day. I caught him heading to one of our smaller clover fields. He walked so close I had to let him pass and grunt at him to get a shot. He grossed 146" and it was one of my best hunts ever.
Nov.15th last year - 4pm. Had some does feeding out infront of me and out he came. Had his neck stretched out and nose up, scent checking the does. 4 1/2y/o 12pt. that grossed 146.
I have, one of which was lookin for the two bucks he heard fighting ;-) but the other had been feeding on the beans then came off and started working scrapes and rubs in my little transition area I love to hunt. Both bucks same spot, different times of the year. The one that came off the beans was shot 10/13/2006 and the other 11/10/07
Anyone else share this sentiment? I truly feel that hunting right ON a food source (at least on my property) makes it nearly impossible to make a good exit in the evening. Sure, if you catch a buck coming in range the first hunt, that's great, but what about does using that same food source? From what I've experienced, does will come in much early than bucks (if they even come during shooting light at all), and almost ALWAYS stay well past shooting light. It's tough, though, as MUCH of my property is open food sources, so hunting a destination route isn't really too much of an option.
I'll hunt a destination food source at my camp 1-2 times per year if I'm specifically hunting a doe. I only do this because I've got about a 90% success rate on shots on does when I hunt on a plot, and I if I get a shot I don't have to worry about spooking them on the exit....... Again, I'm only doing this if I'm trying to whack a nanny. Otherwise, if I'm looking for a buck, I'm in the timber focused on bedding, or small food sources VERY close to the edges of known bedding. During the rut I'm in funnels and break lines, focusing on terrain.
I killed a nice 3.5 year old 8 point the first hunt of the year on Sept 17th 2005. I was setup 25 yards from a HUGE Oak tree that was raining acorns in my subdivision. He was the first deer to show up that evening about 5:30.
Last year on Nov 9, I hunted about 60 yards into the timber off of a quarter acre food plot of clover and chickory. I shot my first P&Y buck as he followed two does off of the food plot right into the thick stuff were I was waiting. It was tough to get in there and get set up, I could really only hunt it in the afternoon and evening, but it paid off.
Walt has taken the words right out of my mouth, they were there for the does. To be honest, I have not killed a buck there (DF), but I have had the most exciting encounters at these locations with some of the biggest bucks I see during the season. These were all happening from the 15th of October to the end of October, when I usually switch over to doe bedding area funnels or travel corridors and get away from the fields (ag land).
There is so much Ag land in the areas I hunt that I'm rarely more than about 25-50 yards away from the nearest field. Many of the bedding areas around here are not very far from fields either since the woodlots are relatively small. I do have one spot that is about 150 yards into the woods though. Best buck I ever killed was off an alfalfa field on Oct 4th. 2nd best buck was killed 20 yards from an alfalfa field on Nov. 25th. Both were at least 4 yrs old.
I was in a pinch point where 2 major trails merged into one leading to a very large corn field about 100 yards away. I rattled at dawn and saw some legs and antlers move through a thicket across a creek from me. I grunted and snort wheezed and some time later a 3.5 yr. old 9 pointer was in my lap. I'm not sure if this was the same buck I saw at dawn or a different one, but I shot him as he was "merging" onto the other hillside leading to the field. Last year I was on a large cut bean field, but I blew it on a 4.5 yr old 8 pointer.
Most 3.5+ bucks I have killed have been near food sources but they have been chasing so I wouldnt really say it counts.
The tactics I use are the exact ones that you say won't help you........ such as hunting funnels during the rut, hunting food plots (ag fields) and hunting the does. The quote you have cited is what is important to me when I'm hunting a particular buck, which is what the OP had asked. If I do not have a particular buck to hunt I rely on these other tactics and would use them in this order. Hunt a destination food source near a bucks bedding area (if I know where one is). Early season. Hunt DFS and look for a good buck to hunt. Hunt funnels that connect doe bedding areas. Usually Nov 1st to Nov 25th. Hunt a single doe bedding area, especially if one of the does is hot. Same time as above. Hunt the DFS again. Late season. Hunt doe bedding areas if one of the does was not bred the first time around and is hot again. Late season. Anyway, here you go.
