I'm not a professional, know it all etc, like any hunter I am learning every year since I was 10, now 29. I am always open to try different tactics and learning from others so I figured I would share some tactics that have consistently produced for me. A big mistake new and veteran hunters alike make (guilty) is finding rubs scrapes etc and setting up shop right on the sign. This undoubtedly works ....sometimes. My success rate significantly went up once I started focusing on does from this time of year on into peak rut. Ultimately it changed my whole mindset and how I "manage" the properties I have access too. Learning the importance of sanctuaries no matter what the size, staying out of them and having the discipline to do so can hold deer on even the smallest pieces of properties all year long. Utilizing these tactics coupled with mock scrapes and calling over the next few weeks will up your odds at killing a mature deer.
The bedding/sanctuary behind my house that is appx 4 acres of impenetrable thick nasty briars and trees I hinge cut is a 100% no fly zone except for tracking a deer or my shed trap. I keep the does fat and happy 365/24/7. About dozen or so local does 3 or 4 of which are in the 4 to 7 year old range and with there yearlings and then another 8 to 10 does that come and go. I have a cam on main trail leading in one on same trail on opposite side of the thicket and one on the down wind side of the sanctuary that historically has been the cam that catches the most bucks as they scent check the bedding area while traveling through. That cam almost always coincides with the start of the seeking phase for my area. Once I start getting pics of multiple different bucks it's time for me to start focusing on hunting my swamp. Checked yesterday, 3 bucks,2 of which where young baskets BUT the third who cruised by at 623am on the 20th was in the 90 inch range and I have never seen him before. I friggin LOVE this time of year. Using this tactic and strategy has paid off for me on several occasions. It takes discipline leaving it alone and only hunting it about a month out of the year but certainly worth it. Here's a buck I took using this tactic two years ago. View attachment 25624 View attachment 25625 View attachment 25626 this massive rub made by this guy was 15 yards from the down wind trail that bucks use to scent check the bedded area. Feel free to add any info or tactics that you like to use. After all this is a hunting forum for fellow sportsman to share stories and educate eachother which I think some members often forget.
The bedding/sanctuary behind my house that is appx 4 acres of impenetrable thick nasty briars and trees I hinge cut is a 100% no fly zone except for tracking a deer or my shed trap. I keep the does fat and happy 365/24/7. About dozen or so local does 3 or 4 of which are in the 4 to 7 year old range and with there yearlings and then another 8 to 10 does that come and go. I have a cam on main trail leading in one on same trail on opposite side of the thicket and one on the down wind side of the sanctuary that historically has been the cam that catches the most bucks as they scent check the bedding area while traveling through. That cam almost always coincides with the start of the seeking phase for my area. Once I start getting pics of multiple different bucks it's time for me to start focusing on hunting my swamp. Checked yesterday, 3 bucks,2 of which where young baskets BUT the third who cruised by at 623am on the 20th was in the 90 inch range and I have never seen him before. I friggin LOVE this time of year. Using this tactic and strategy has paid off for me on several occasions. It takes discipline leaving it alone and only hunting it about a month out of the year but certainly worth it. Here's a buck I took using this tactic two years ago. View attachment 25624 View attachment 25625 View attachment 25626 this massive rub made by this guy was 15 yards from the down wind trail that bucks use to scent check the bedded area. Feel free to add any info or tactics that you like to use. After all this is a hunting forum for fellow sportsman to share stories and educate eachother which I think some members often forget.
