Honda, what is the size of the area in which you killed those four bucks the last two years? What time of the year did you kill them? Fletch, what a stud of a buck!
Ya, one goofy looking deer. I named him "Bear" because his ears were so rounded off and he was built like a grizz! lol
The 180" I took 2nd weekend of the season this year...around sept 23rd I think. The 2 in the 160s were takin in the rut around the beginning of november. The 150" was taking in december last year. They were all takin within 400 yards of each other. There is a small timber line that runs on the north side of a field. Pretty good spot!
You have to think in different terms of how the buck died. If you killed it, another big buck taking over his area would be an unclear assumption. However, let's say that same buck died of natural causes, now the question of whether or not a different big buck would take over his area is a definite yes. That's just how nature works. The Circle of Life if you will :P
Why would it matter ?? Both are dead. Their bedding area is up for grabs. Trust me when I say it all boils down to the bedding area and how good it is in providing security. Other then pre rut and post rut... most mature dominate bucks are concerned with one thing during daylight hours. A bedding area that provides great security. The more secure the better it is !! Other bucks who aren't so dominate or old are looking for their place to set up shop which will be less desirable then the dominate bucks unless down the road they can take over the best spot. The older and more pressure a buck sees... the more his bedding area is defined in that secure area. In other words, his bedding area tends to decrease in area and he spends more time in it. I hate to say it but this is his core area. Sadly the over use of the term " core area " get lost when hunters forgot what it really meant. Core - the central or inner most part; the most important part. From a hunting stand point when talking about hunting mature bucks... this is where it starts for me. The bedding area is the most important, the central part and the starting point. It is were a mature buck will spend most of his time !!! If I could hunt a prerut without duck hunters, a main rut/post rut without rifle hunters then it wouldn't be so important to me. I envy the states that are bow only during this time and I wish all the flipping ducks would die. LOL I would find a funnel between two good bedding areas wait for MR. Big to make a mistake when he gets the itch to roam looking for does during the chase phase or post rut. If I couldn't hunt large tracts of land, then it wouldn't be so important. You have to work with what you have. Since I can scout/hunt big tracts, the secure bedding area is very important to me. Since my best time to kill a buck is outside of rut when a mature buck isn't as likely to make a mistake, summer scouting starts with bedding areas since this is where a mature buck will spend most of his time. I hope to catch him coming out before dark or going back in after first light. When hunting season starts... the game plan is the same. All this leads to answering Dan's question. Windy I know but I want you to see it from my perspective since I do hunt large tracts of land. I know of a lot of bedding areas in my hunting area that are hit and miss whether a dink buck let a lone a mature buck will even be there from one day to the next. I know of fewer good bedding areas in my hunting area that don't have a mature buck dominate the area every year but you never over look it just in case one has moved in. Due to other outside circumstances that make it a better bedding area from one year to the next, I still pay close attention to it. I know of 4 great bedding areas in my hunting area. A dominate mature buck can always be found there year after year. When one dies another moves in. Sadly these areas are tougher to hunt which makes it a better spot for a mature buck to call home. This is were I spend most of my time scouting and bowhunting if the wind is right and only if it is right. This is getting long and I haven't even scratched the surface. Just another tidbit to think about... during main rut, the does are actively seeking dominate bucks when in heat since their time to be fertile is a small window. Older does are looking for dominate bucks to prepetuating the species with the best traits for survival. I am not saying all does because nothing is 100 %. The most secure bedding area with the dominate buck just got a whole lot better. The older does are coming to him. More bucks want in. That is a whole other subject though that many don't know or think about. They've got it in their mind that only the bucks are do the seeking which isn't true during main rut since it is really a small window when the majority of does will be bred. It does give the cool saying " lock down " merit. Tim
Some really great info here. Fletch, those are some mega deer bud. I have to agree with many others. I believe another big buck will take over the area right away. One thing I have learned in my hunting area, is that if I find one big buck living in that area and using it, there will always be another if he dies or moves on.
There is a reason why a big mature buck calls the "area" home, not does, not small bucks. Big mature dudes find areas with the least amount of intrusion within their home range. Yet, they can still keep tabs on local doe family groups and eat/drink well under cover. Every time I kill a big mature buck out of quality big buck habitat, a new stud takes over the area by the following year. The "right" habitat, best winds/thermals and security cover is a magnet for hawg bucks that care more about suriviving than anything else. There is a reason we find "honey holes" and kill bucks year after year out of them...great Habitat,prevailing winds/thermals work daily in their chosen beds/ plenty of Security Cover and Feed is available in more than one option.. Out west where we have bad azz predators, big ones that eat you for lunch, bucks rarely EVER lay up in the same exact bed day after day, instead they rotate around from bedding "area" to bedding "area" to keep the predators guessing....and hunters too... But they always have an established core area and because the landscape, forests and mountains are so vast the core area can and often is several hundred acres..
Great post. My philosophy as well. That's where it all starts for me. I have 4 areas on the land I hunt where it all begins in trying to track one down. The game starts and gets difficult of how to go about closing the deal.
There we go, I was hoping this thread would bring out some good info. Well done guys, there are alot of people that will read that and hopefully soak some of it in if they are interested in trophy hunting. Thanks for taking the time to type that! Buckeye,,where you at in this one?
I hunt mature bucks mainly based on where they are bedding... I think a lot of old bucks rarly move in daylight, even during rut. With that said, I killed my buck this year 75 yards from his bed. A few days later I saw another nice 10 bedded in the same spot, and I killed a couple other bucks on previous years out of the same bedding area, and had many close calls with other big bucks there. Thats pretty typical for me. Big bucks bed in exact locations for specific reasons. Most of the bedding areas I watch have a bunch of different bucks that occasionally call it home. I know the post is about core areas, but I believe core areas revolve around good buck bedding areas.
I thought of you right away when Bloodcrick made this thread. Was hoping you would give some Info on this. Good stuff!!
Hey thats fine, If this thread brings out more info than original planned then everyone benefits from it! Thanks everyone for the input!
