Let's say you have a buck patterned, you know where he beds, where he feeds, and where he waters... Gun season opens in one week and with that comes major pressure.... You have one week... What's your approach?
if I knew all that and I didnt have him down before one week til gun season, I'd be mad at myself more than anything. In all seriousness, gun season is peak rut here...this means we are already in the chasing phase in your time frame, I'd be set up downwind of a good doe bedding area on a well used trail/funnel/etc depending on which farm I was hunting. I'd give up water/food given the time of year.
Our gun season opens on the 3rd Saturday in November. One week prior to that would have many of the mature bucks holed up with hot does. It would be a wild ass guess as to where he may be. I would have a much better chance of knowing his where abouts a month or more before gun season. During that time period I would wait for the right conditions and crowd his bedding area in the evenings.
At this point im lost out of my mind. From what i have read and know from 3 years experience, i need to find a good funnel where he may be chasing does...or between feeding/bedding areas since the mentioned time is late in the rut. I know this sound super cliche', but that's what the majority of my approach is going to be.
Ok, since you midwest guys are still rut hunting the week before gun season, lets change it up some..... Its' the last week of the season..... what do you do?
the last week is crunch time. . . and with nothing to lose, I'd be as close to his bedroom as I could get. .. if not in it, most likely in the evening
Knowing WHERE is ony part of the equation. He isn't "patterned" until the WHEN is known. At which point, theoretically it should just be a matter of being there to kill him.
