Patterning a Mature Buck
Filed under: Ask Grant, Hunting Tactics
I’m seventeen and I have only killed one good buck on my family’s 150 acre property. It was a 120 inch 8 point. Right now I’m after a ten point on a friend’s property that will score about 150. I can’t figure out when he comes through the bean field I hunt over. I’ve seen his tracks but can’t catch sight of him when I hunt. Is there a way I can call him to me or find out when to get him? It’s early December and I don’t know if the rut is over here. What should I do? I need the meat for my family and he would help us for awhile considering his tracks are over two inches deep. Clayton
Clayton,
Congratulations on harvesting a good buck! Patterning mature bucks is very difficult when on the ground, let alone from a distance. I’m afraid I’m not going to be much help! I prefer hunting between the feeding and bedding area. Can you determine where he is bedding? Where is the closest thick cover to the field?
If providing meat for your family is the goal, then I would attempt to harvest does if that is legal where you hunt. This will provide more meat than a single mature buck and allow you to learn more about the local deer herd. My family eats primarily meat from does every year. Not only do we value the meat, but the lessons I learn from harvesting does has made me a much better hunter!
Growing Deer together,
Grant
