So for the past two weekends, I have been on a new buck. It came through the first morning, but stayed in some brush bullying around a smaller buck. Then last Saturday, I watched it cross the field while I was walking to my stand. Then around noon I was taking some leaves back to a burn pile with the tractor and saw it jump from its bed and head west, further into the woods. That evening it was in the same brush as the previous Saturday morning, bullying around another smaller buck. This morning I got a text from my grandmother letting me know that she watched the buck, and another one almost the same size enter the woods in the area of my stand. To say the least, I am baffled by this buck, all of my eggs are now in this one basket, it would be by far the biggest we have ever taken off the farm, and by far the biggest taken by the family anywhere. As far as I can tell, it is a super clean 10. In the image, red circles are my stands. The purple circles are where I have seen the buck while hunting. The green circle is where I watched it while walking out to my blind the one morning. The yellow circle is where it bedded down. The black circle is where my grandma saw it go into the woods. The vertical red line is the property line, and the blue oval is the biggest funnel between the neighbors corn and our property. I have yet to get a trail cam picture of this buck. The wooded area is about 35 acres and we have 5 cameras spread throughout it. I am thinking that I will hang some sticks and hunt with my saddle in the best tree around the brush where the purple circles are located. What are your thoughts? This weekend will likely be the last weekend that he sticks somewhat to his routine. I will not be hunting next weekend, and by Halloween, typically bucks are expanding their range in the area with the rut action starting to intensify. Some other info, due to the spring weather, corn is coming off first this year, the farmer should be taking it off this weekend.
On more than one occasion I was not getting pictures of a buck I was certain was around my stand. I learned to put up multiple cameras around my stand site, it is amazing how much just one camera will miss.
I agree with Sota and I'll go as far as to add big bucks can hear/see/ smell the cameras. They all have different personalities as some don't care. But more than one of mine only get caught once.
I like the idea of using a saddle and getting into that area with the most activity. How is the forecast looking for this coming weekend? Anything out of the west or northwest? How was the wind the days you and your grandmother saw him? You can look up historical wind directions on weather underground. I somewhat agree with the other posters about big bucks and cameras. However, I think it has more to do with the intrusion to get the SD cards that some bucks care about while others don't seem to mind. There are definitely some bucks that are skiddish around particular types of cameras though, as I've seen some literally walk around an area where a camera was after I changed out that particular camera a few weeks prior for a "better" one. I'll make a separate post about it as I don't want to hijack this thread. Good luck, Cole! (I am also after a mainframe 10 and am jealous you seem to have this one pegged so well!)
I've seen too many pics posted of mature bucks being captured multiple times on the same cam, to put much stock in the idea they are bothered too much by them.
I say get you a saddle and play the wind- you know where he beds you known when and where you have seen him play the wind, pick a tree, and kill that SOB.
Weather looks to be great this weekend. A slight wind, not dead calm but not blowing like crazy. Should be comparable to the last couple sightings I have had with him. I think the plan is going to be to hunt the funnel Saturday AM, I have a couple good bucks using it regularly. Then go out early afternoon Saturday and hang sticks and steps and get into the zone for the clean 10. Hunt him there Saturday evening and Sunday morning. We tend to scatter our cameras at points around the field and along driving trails through the woods so they are easy to check without intruding too much into the woods. I think that has the most to do with not getting pictures of this buck, there's just too many good points of access and we don't have that many cameras. Thanks for the input everyone! Hopefully everything cooperates this weekend and then it is just on me to execute!
Well, no dice on the buck this weekend. I was closer than I have been all season though. I got in Saturday morning and had him at 15 yards, full draw, just after legal shooting time, but it was still just a little too dark to be comfortable taking the shot. I could barely see my pin. It was an awesome experience, and great to get a good look at him up close. He is just as big as I thought. I can't wait to get back out there in two weeks.
