What I mean is, you have a good idea where the deer you are hunting is bedding and feeding. You hang a stand to intercept a certain deer and he shows up from where you expect him to. I myself haven't had much luck with that scenario lately. I have beds spread out all over my property and a good food source for them. But it seems my deer have too many options and I usually am set up on the one they took yesterday or tomorrow. Proven out by trail cam photos.
The last 2 years I did all right hunting one particular buck. Saw him 9 times, 8 of those times he was 30 yards and under. I set up on him only but I got to know him very well focusing just on him. It just didn't quite work out In the end though.
I would say every time I harvest a deer my plan comes together. After all, isn't that the plan every time you hit the woods? If we're talking about harvesting a mature buck (3.5+) who just so happened to do exactly what you had envisioned him doing before you went out that day - twice.
The last two years my plan has come together twice, both times I shot a buck. Every other time, I either saw does I wasn't interested in or anything worth shooting was too far away. I love shooting deer don't get me wrong, but even if my plan doesn't come together I love being in the woods.
Hardly at all. I do alot of spot and stalk hunting and my plan seems to always change everytime I get out in the field. I will have a hunt all planned out and the wind will change or there isn't enough cover to do a stalk. If it worked all the time it wouldn't be called hunting and that's the addiction we all live for.
2004 Stalked a really good buck in velvet. Got within 25 yards and needed one more step to clear some brush. He busted me. He really didn't know what was up and circled me. Had a 10 yard shoot but he was facing me. He finally decided he didn't like it and ran off. 4 or 5 days later I setup on him. He fed by me at 25 yards. I passed because he didn't look as good as when he was in velvet. Wished I hadn't passed once we found both of his sheds... he was a lot bigger then I thought. Really lopsided rack buck. 2005 Shot a big buck on the 3rd hunt of just hunting him. Had hunted other spots because the wind wasn't good for hunting him. 2006 The buck I was after... went the wrong way on the first hunt. I moved to that spot on the second hunt only to watch him go right by my first spot I hunted. I ran right into him on the walk in on the 3rd hunt. I was going to stop before I rounded the corner of a slough but then figured I would try to get a little closer. Bad choice !!! I rounded the corner and there he stood... roughly 20 yards and all that I could do was look at him. He didn't like what he saw !!! What a disaster. 2007 I had one big buck in range that year but shooting hours had just ended by the time he got to me. The buck I was after seemed to use the wind more then I did. The twit always headed out of his bedding area going into the wind. He was a tank with a rack to match. Saw him 3 times while hunting. 2008 2nd hunt for a certain big buck... stalked him but under-estimated the range and shot right under him. He spooked but didn't really know what was going on. He circled me and ended up under 10 yards but I had no shot. Cattails block his vitals. He needed to take one more step but wouldn't. He finally backed out and there just wasn't a shot. Troy came out for a late season hunt. I had a good buck within bow range but no shot. 2009 I spent a lot of time hunting one buck. It was probably the 12th hunt for him when I got a 30 yard shot at him. I don't know if I choked or he ducked. Clean miss. I was torgued to say the least. I passed a 20 yard shot on the old 4x4. It was tempting but I was still after the first buck and wanted him more. 2010 3rd or 4th hunt... I shot the buck I was after. So ...with all that said... Most plans never quite work out how I hope. Getting them in range isn't too much of a problem. Getting the shot and not blundering is the toughy. Hunting them on the ground is flustrating at times but a blast for the most part. Kind of glad we don't have trees. Getting a big boy in range is a rush and I love it. Tim
98, random buck/rut 3.5 99, killed first targeted buck, had a set of shed from. 4.5 00, killed random buck/rut 3.5 01, killed one of about 5 targeted bucks. 1 shed from 3.5 02, notta, had to go to Canada to get one killed! LOL 2.5 best buck I had in bow range all week up there. Was happy with him knowing I didnt want to go home empty handed. 03, killed my biggest buck to date, first time hunting him. 1 shed from him. Killed second buck targeted that year, set of sheds from. First year to kill two targeted bucks. Both over 4.5 and big boy 7.5 04, lost a monster to poor shot placement, later found big winter kill with same split g2, 171 gross...then shot a late season 3.5 year old 4x5 that I had passed earlier in season. 05, great year, shot two more bucks both over 4.5, 3 sheds from the one 4x4 the 6x6 my bro missed the year before rifle hunting. 06, messed up early season on a big buck I knew well and have shed from.. grunt tube caught bow string from ground blind shot.. no buck after that 07 shot old warrior I had known for 3 season,set of sheds from.. aged at 9-10 had filmed 3 seasons prior.. 08 rifle shot 3.5 or 4.5 that I had a shed from, fugged up on a dandy at Tims! arrow slipped off rest.. Tim scouted him for me.. 09 shot 3.5 that had poor genetics..after kill found his 2.5 shed from, lots of trail cams of him prior to kill.. Killed random 3.5 in Iowa passed up monster 4.5 that my buddy knew well...then he killed him in late muzzle..188 gross.. lots of trail cams of him.. 2010.. Bowhunted for a Huge Typical that is most likely still breathing. Bro and Bro in law came up and both rifle killed bucks I either trail cam'd or had seen prior.. So two bucks I had their core areas dialed.. both high 150s grossers. 5x5 and 6x5.. 4.5 and the other at least 5.5 or older. so after looking at all of this.. for me personally..my plan doesnt always happen right away but I tend to run bucks down that I get to know pretty well over time.. ONLY...twice has it come together on the first hunt for a particular buck. the 03 giant.. of mine and the GRUNT TUBE debaucle.. both first tries on those bucks. 13 years, over 17 buck opportunities.. if I counted right.. ONLY 2 I got shots on the first try.. only one WORKED out of those 2 first trys... If I count the one at TIMS.. I am only 1 for 3 on first trys..because techniqually it was my first try after scouting that ND buck.. Geesh I suck on first trys.. Oh chit.. I missed big 6x5 opening day last year on first try ( but that spot was his and several other bucks based on t/c and observations so it wasnt like I was totally expecting to see him there..) ... chit chit chit.. 1 of 4 on first trys..... I suck! I suffer from CRS (cant remember chit) disease..so if i have forgotten any hunts or details.. or am off by a year.. then I apologize ahead of time.its almost midnight and I should be in bed! LOL
I would've answered the same way.....had he not said a "certain" deer. I figure for a plan to come together, you had to know the deer you were after that day......and kill him.....not "a" deer. That's how I answered it.
I can think of 4 off the top of my head. Ones that I was specifically after and set up on and killed. And, I am big into hunting bedding areas and the outskirts.
Once on a certain deer. Last year, opening day. Have to admit that if a different big buck showed up I'd have shot it as well, but I set up there with the buck I killed in mind.
This is exactly what I do. I hunt the edges of pretty large thickets where I KNOW "they" bed. They come out in the late afternoon/evening to browse in the woods. This is the ONLY predictable thing about the deer in my hunting area. Other than that, they are quite unpredictable. There are almost no trails to set up on because these deer wander around aimlessly and come from the thickets at various points. So, targeting (planning to kill) one specific buck would really be futile. I have killed a couple of deer that I had trail cam pics of. Not really targeted animals though.
Never, I rarely get intimate with the deer I hunt. I roll into an area, kill a deer, and then roll onto the next area.
I agree to a certain extent. I am more concerned where they head after they bed or where they are coming from when they go to bed. Then trying to find where the best pinch point is close to that bedding area. I rarely concern myself with feed unless I am hunting late season, then sometimes that can change things. I've had a plan come together several times and it is a very good feeling but just when you think you are on to something you usually get pitched a curve for a year or 2 Dan
On my ground the deer also bed anywhere and everywhere, some are the fingers that linger out in the fields to small ridge lines over the creek areas usually two or three does in a pack the key is to find the doe thats comes into heat from each group and see the bucks working that group....hard to do and not put out a lot of sent down by the way. when a doe comes into heat there is a mob of bucks coming by all day long for just a few days then it's over then i have to move on like the bucks do. I passed a lot of bucks waiting on the deer in my cam picks but he never got in range saw him twice but the doe kept him just out of bow range.. after the few does we have on are ground was breed the bucks were gone. It was tuff year,but i learned a ton of info from my cams for next year.
X3 for me to. I have had several Bucks patterned on set ups but they were not what I wanted to shoot.
