How many of you guys have killed a mature buck the first week of the season? That's always been a goal of mine but I have never made it happen. In fact I rarely see a mature buck before Thanksgiving down south. For you guys that have done it, what was your setup?
The main thing is finding them early season. It's not all that difficult here in WI with all the agricultural fields round me, so its not that hard to find them but usually bout the time bow season kicks in they have somewhat changed there pattern. I have never actully killed one early season but have been so close many times that its just not funny. Once bow season starts they tend to just come out too late, or there just not there. So the main thing is to get one that doesn't change b4 season.
I've killed 2 nice bucks early. The way I got them is they were close to my home and I could spend the time watching them and killing them was almost too easy. I would add that I got each on the first try. If I wouldn't have I probably wouldn't have got them.
Two years ago my son shot a 145 opening day of bow season. Apple trees watch the apple trees right at dark.
It's funny like Magicman said, if Ohio came in like 2.5 weeks earlier it would "almost" be easy. Someone did their homework and figured out when summer patterns change drastically.
I haven't taken a mature buck the first week but my best buck ever was taken the second week of MN season. It was a simple set up. I shot him near an inside corner of an alfalfa field. I had seen this buck many times during the summer at this same spot. I waited until the wind was just right and out he came just before dark. He ran with another nice 8 pointer which I also had a shot at. Here is a big 8 pt (160 gross) my neighbor killed last year on the second weekend of the season. I had been watching this buck all summer and was really hoping to get a crack at him. He had photos of this buck using a particular trail to get to a bean field so he set up on that trail when the wind was right and got him.
i would agree if they opened the archery season a week or 2 earlier.....it would be pretty easy. Just gotta make the shot. But it seems like they know when it starts or something....
hahaha, its not as easy as one thinks even in early season on the big boys, the 4.5 years olds and older age classed bucks. The old bucks that I target are much more careful when they are alone and feeding in early season than they are during the rut when they have even more stimuli to coax them out of their daytime bedding areas. Heat/Scent is also a big obstacle you face in the early season. Scent molecules fly around liberally in 80-90 degree temps. Much more than when it's cold. But, I will say this, if you can get a buck patterned in the summer without him knowing it..and then make the perfect slip in and set up, right off the bat you will have a great chance of killing him. But you better get him killed on the first trip or two in near his bed in the early season because your residual scent will linger longer than during the rainy and cold seasons and he will pick up on you pretty quick and then alter his routes or just wait till after dark to get up.
I have passed a couple shots ops on 3.5 y/o's the first week of the season but never shot one. I did however shoot a 3.5 y/o the second week of the season back in 2003. I was hunting on an inside breakline. A transition of a set of oaks and a moderately thick area the turns into bedding cover to the North. I shot him at 9:30, 2.5 hours after first light. He was traveling the transition West to East feeding on browse and acorns.
Nope (Mature) but most of the bucks I have killed have been early season. I believe the one or two I am after this coming season will have to be killed the first week or two here in Wisconsin.
I killed this guy in my subdivision the 5th day of the season back in 2005. Caught him feeding under a big old oak tree in a neighbors yard after work one evening.
