It makes all the difference! Time on stand is extremely valuable too, but you never know what is traveling outside of your line of sight or what may smell you and never come in while you're in the tree. Having those cameras in travel routes all year long really sheds light on just how the mature bucks think and act. I've been following a buck on our place named halo for the last 4 seasons. He's a 5.5 currently. When he starts showing up on our farm from the neighbors sanctuary to check does in late October I can pretty much time the rut to be within 10 days of the first sighting. I know where he likes to spend the pre rut and where he likes to spend the peak rut. I passed him 6 times as a 3.5 year old, he evaded me as a 4.5 and 5.5 but mainly because I tagged a bigger buck early and didn't hunt him. If he makes it next season, from knowing the deer by trail camera I think my odds of killing him in late October/early November are high. When I made the switch to covert cams last year the knowledge I gathered was amazing. I felt like my learning curve was highly accelerated because of how dependable the cameras are. I'll never go back to moultries or WGIs.
hunting transition lines has by far been my best tactic over the last 30 years.. I love to find an area where several types of habitat come together..
To scout a deer, know he's in the area, accumulate years of history with him, set up specifically for that deer, and then kill him with a bow and arrow is blind luck?
while that can be done it is not the norm for most buck hunters.. I have done it in 40+ years of deer hunting but have killed far more being in the right place at the right time.. A friend of mine Duncan Dobie here in GA wrote a book back in the 80s called GA's greatest whitetails it cataloged the biggest bucks killed in GA up until that time, If you read the stories in the book you see a pattern most of the bucks were killed by luck not all but far more then were patterned and then killed , just being in the right place at the right time......
Without fail, driving back roads at sunset during rifle opener. Usually always hit one with my truck... eye <3 peanutbutter
Does that not fall into the category of dumb luck? LOL . I hope you have a good brush guard on that truck or its a really old beater, that would get expensive. Beefie
94 f150 all I ever really have to worry about is a radiator or headlight getting taken out. 2 years ago got 3 opening rifle day... none of them with a rifle. eye
That is one thing I learned a long time ago, especially since much of my hunting carer has been spent in the south in various hunting clubs..If you tell any one any thing you will lose your spot to pressure... I don't even tell the guy I lease my current farm from if I get any big bucks on cam....he might decide not to lease it to me next year..lol
I can't see the poll (I'm on my phone) but in the 4 mature bucks I've shot all 4 have been taken in October. Come the 20th of October give or take a day I hunt staging areas where doe's stage. Where these doe's stage I've had luck with 3 and 4 year old bucks coming out and showing some interest in these doe's. However this year was the 1st year since 2008 that I did not see a mature buck in October hunting these doe staging areas. My favorite spot during the prime of the rut is hunting on the edge of doe bedding areas where bucks travel. This year however sucked with that too. Lol! Just wasn't a good year for me although I did pass on 2 nice bucks.
First two weeks of December when the snow and temp are down. I have had groups of bucks on feed at 11:00am to 2:45pm. Sent from my iDen
