I hunt a lot of public land in Oklahoma, but I figured this question would hold true for private land also for the most part. So can you describe the area you have shot your biggest buck in? I never had a clean shot last year, but saw the biggest buck I've seen hunting in a while. There was the tip of a lake north about 200 yards, a skinny field about 10 acres with a few random trees, and then thick woods after that. It was at first light I think he was coming from the lake area north and heading to bed south in the thick stuff. The grass was probably 3 ft high at the time being Oct 1 and he saw me first, walking away before I could ever draw. I know with feeders and food plots some of y'all have that might be your best hunting area, but if you weren't set up on them where else have you seen mature bucks at.
PINE AND CEDAR THICKETS.....seen a MONSTER there a few years ago..also those pine and cedar thickets that are CHOKED WITH BRIARS around the edges, killed a big 8 there. smacked him right in the middle of his bedroom on the ground/ no treestand, 11:25 in the day......STEEP ROCKY BLUFFS are another place where I encountered two big bucks fighting a few years ago..around 10 am....BIG BUCKS LOVE THE HIGH GROUND
Rut was in full swing... Was hunting on our pond with willows to the east, south, and west 2nd to last day of the rifle season. 30 minutes before sunset. 120" 8pt we had not seen while running 5 cams all summer was cruising for does, mouth wide open and came straight to the pond to get a drink. He came in behind me and I would not have known he was there but he was grunting every step he took. Had to lean around the tree to get a good shot, got him to stop with a grunt at 30 yards, and laid the hammer on him with the 30-.06. Ran 10 yards and expired on our 4 wheeler trail out of the woods. Could not have worked out better. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
December 13th, 22 degrees with about 7" of snow on the ground. Right before dark he stepped into a bean field with 6 does. I put three .30-30 rounds in him before he made it 100 yards.
I was taught as a kid that if a shooter steps out that you unload on it. Because here in PA neighbors are d***s and will give you a ton of crap if the deer you shoot runs onto their property. The first shot I put through the heart and the other two were through the front shoulder.
My biggest buck came on 11-3-12. The rut was just kicking off. I stayed off this property the week prior in anticipation for this hunt. I got there and the wind was terrible for the stand I planned to sit. So I ended up in a stand 500 yards from where I wanted to sit. It was 1030 am by time I got to stand because I had to work until 10am. At 1045 I see two doe running full speed and was mortified to see 2 st. bernards chasing them up over the hill. Figured my hunt was over for the day but decided to sit it out for a bit anyways. Good thing I did, because not 25 min later I see movement about 100 yards to the south. Its real thick south of this stand so I wasnt able to get a good view of him yet. I did a few small grunts and he started coming right towards my stand mad as all heck and grunting up a storm. I got my first glimpse of his rack when he was about 45 yards out. I knew he was a shooter, but did not know he was as big as he was. At 25 yards he stopped behind a large pine, I brought my bow to full draw and set into my anchor. 10 seconds later he took the two steps I needed and I let the arrow fly. Clean pass through both lungs. He only went 18 yards from the shot.
<-------<<< Buck in my avatar. Real thick bottleneck N/S funnel that connects a relatively thick E/W bottom on the N end to a big woods to the S end. Several trails going past and around the stand, basically overlooking a great bedding area in the middle of the bottleneck/funnel. The stand is situated at the N end of the funnel for a wind out of the S or SW for the most part. Bucks often cruise E/W along the bottom and scent check the funnel, often turning to head S with their nose in the wind right past the stand. That particular morning the wind was out of the SW and by 9 am it had shifted to come from the SE, blowing right over one of the trails coming in. I was concerned but at the same time my I had used the Scent Smoker and sat with confidence and sure enough he came in directly downwind of me, passing by the stand I made the shot at about 25 yards.
Was sitting in stand in the southeast corner of the main woods i hunt, overlooking a food plot next to a cut bean field. Standing corn to the left (south) of me and about a 5 acre woods to my back. There was maybe 30 min of shooting light left on this Oct 13th evening left when he walked out of the corn (directly to my right) and he walked the fencerow maybe 30 yards to the east and thankfully did a 180 and came back to my plot to mow on the sugar beets. Well that was his last meal as he was broadside of me @ 20 yards. biggest deer i have taken to this day, perfectly symmetrical 10.
Sounds crappy, I dont have that problem around any of my properties in PA (thank goodness) All of the neighboring properity owners are pretty darn good folks. All practice a modified form of QDM and stick to their property.
It sucks but at least they don't shoot any deer. They hunt but don't shoot anything which is why they act that way.
I was set up n the edge of a hill at the end of what is now a bean field . The last 80 yards of that hill , where the stands are , is maybe 60 yards at its widest and is covered by about 30 mature White Oaks . On the west side is a creek and the east side has a drainage ditch , they both meet at the end of this spot . The date was Oct. 7th , 2000 and I had been seeing several bucks feeding on the acorns but with an hour to go I still hadn't seen much . Took out the rattle bag and tinkled around with it for a minute or so and then enjoyed the show . Had 2 bucks come charging in from different directions and they met at the bottom of the hill on the ditch side . They never done any sparring themselves but having met like that slowed them down . Took them 45 minutes to make it the last 40 yards so I could get my shot and I was really thinking that I would run out of shooting light before they got there . The smaller of the 2 offered me plenty of shots and would have scored in the 140s but I patiently waited for a good shot on the bigger of the 2 , a buck that me and the wife had some history with and scored 155 5/8 . I have shot several deer from that stand and should have shot a couple that would have topped that buck but that's huntin
The biggest buck I killed was a gun kill. Took a stand in a wide open field because no one else wanted to hunt it. Everyone else was in the thick stuff. He chased a doe right into the field with enough light left to shoot. Pure dumb luck.
Killed my biggest in standing beans on the inside corner of a field. Saw him 3 days before I killed him and moved my stand about 20 yards. First time back in shot him at 22 yards. 3 years of pics and killed him the 2nd time I ever saw him on the hoof.
October 9th of last year. My smallest property which is 9 acres backing to a reservoir. Patterned a buck that wouldn't come close to my tree stand so I made a make shift ground blind and got him the first night out of it.
