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Hunting mature bucks

147K views 1K replies 127 participants last post by  T.R. 
#1 ·
First of all, I understand that hunting for mature bucks in Pa isn't for everyone and I fully respect how others go about hunting deer. My intent here is to get ideas from those of you who have consistently taken mature bucks. What your strategies are and which ones seem to work best on highly pressured mature bucks. I'm willing to tell all regarding the strategies I have used up to this point.

Secondly, I classify a mature buck in Pa as any buck 3.5 yrs or older. I have "held out" or targeted (however you want to interpret) older bucks off and on since 1996. Better way of saying, most years, I wait for older bucks and eat tag soup while other in between years I've taken a couple buck for whatever reason. Quick example: 1996-2004 between killing a buck, 2004-2009, 2009-2012 etc.. The bucks I did kill were all 2.5 yr. old 8pts.. Which I have no problem seeing every year. A little background, I hunt large public land areas with the smallest parcel being 6k acres. All of these settings are ridge and valley locations with mountains bordered by farmland to one or both sides. I also absolutely know there's more than "one" mature buck stomping around in these locations. Several get shot, mostly in rifle, every year and I do see them occasionally but usually while spotting.

Lastly and most importantly!!! Now is when I do my scouting for next season. I'm looking for feedback on post-season scouting that will help in targeting mature bucks. My scouting strategy for this year is to find rub lines that contain larger than usual rubs, large tracks if there's snow and backtrack them hoping to find a bedding area, and secluded scrapes in cover.

I look forward to feedback on this post and others on different tactics for improving the odds for taking a king of the woods. Thanks
 
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#3 ·
my advice first bow hunting small over looked areas that you can't rifle hunt in..permission on land that is bow hunting only doesn't hurt either. Not saying that there isn't huge bucks way back in but I see and have taking some monster bucks close to developments..shopping centers ect
if you don't have those choices now is a great time to scout with snow on ground. following them in the bedroom now isn't going to mess you up at all for next season. Usually a bigger mature buck is going to use the flow of the land to his advantage..wind direction ect.
 
#6 ·
Right now (actually the last couple weeks) is THE TIME to inventory any older bucks that might be left in your area.

Like it or not, the weather we've been having makes deer hungry. A few bushels of ear corn in front of a trailcam will give you a darned good inventory as the "hungries" don't just affect younger deer.

Finding the rublines is a good next step. There's no way to know if the deer you're getting pictures of on the corn are the ones that made those rubs or if they even survived. But the neat thing about older bucks is that one generally tends to run the same patterns as others have in the past. Pattern ONE good buck in your area JUST ONCE and you'll have valuable info for stand placement for a LONG time to come.
 
#590 ·
Every buck has a different personality and patterns change yearly. Often times a buck will adjust their pattern slightly from year to year but usually their core area stays the same. Scouting one buck 5 years ago most certainly will not help you kill the buck you're after now. Not a good theory to follow.
 
#8 ·
Thank you guys. Strut you speak the words I've been telling myself FOREVER!!! I do believe what your saying about older bucks, I just haven't put it all together yet and why I started this post. Thanks.

I have cameras' out since Monday after muzzy season. Batteries are surely dead by now but I'm going out Sunday and Monday to scout, change batteries and relocate cameras in other suspect locations. Plan on pulling them out entirely around beginning of March. Good idea??
 
#9 ·
buckman4c said:
Plan on pulling them out entirely around beginning of March. Good idea??
Good idea unless you like buying batteries.


I have noticed over the past 5-6 years that the mature bucks start showing up on my cameras within days of the same time EVERY year. Leads me to believe they are summering somewhere else and the areas I hunt don't figure into their yearly pattern until about August.
 
#11 ·
Now that most hunting is done the bucks that are left are back to normal almost. With snow on the ground, find big tracks. I'm in Washington County,if I find a track bigger than average, I usually guess its a buck. Follow them, where they travel now is where I think they feel safe, and it doesn't hurt you to bump them out of a bed now, they have several months to forget about it. Pick your trees for stands and set up next October on him.
 
#12 ·
yellodog said:
find a huntable mature buck

hunt fresh stands in november

don't give in and shoot young bucks


There it is in a nut shell, hunting them with a bow is the way to do it. Let me tell you this, once he knows you are there in his home. You need to find another deer to hunt. I have played the cat and mouse game with several mature bucks. And I have lost more than I have won. But that is what keeps me going back.
 
#13 ·
I think the key is finding a mature buck to hunt, by scouting. I only own two trail cams and I do use them, but I spend countless hours walking in the woods. If your the guy or gal that hunts the same treestand every year, your not going to find the four or five your old bucks in the same area every year unless your hunting managed private land. Once I locate a couple bucks I plan on hunting I will usually hang one stand and also use my climber to give me a few wind options. Wether I am seeing deer or not I stay positive and believe the buck i am hunting will pass my stand and its just a matter of me being there and being alert when he does. Yes I over hunt my stands, but this usually gives me several encounters every year. Turning an encounter with a trophy buck into a kill is another story, and my percentage has tanked the last couple of years. Mature bucks have a way of zigging or zagging at the right moment.
 
#14 ·
Tanneryhunts said:
heaven hill said:
join QDMA, and plant a food plot
...Guy starts a thread asking for input and you rigt away start off with a snide remark. I'd like to see just one post from you that's not sarcastic, snide or whining in Nature.
Many posts on these forums praise the info the QDMA magazine, and food plots are the latest rage in deer management. Not sure I understand your criticism.
 
#15 ·
I wanted to add something Yellodog said and that is you have to pass on alot of younger bucks. Its easy to get frustrated and fatigued and end your season. This is what i did this year at the end of archery season and shot a young 8 point.
 
#20 ·
after i locate a big buck thats huntable, i kinda' forget about him and concentrate on learning his area, not him. sure, i like seeing scrapes, rubs, & other sign, but it's not a real big deal to me. my goal is to find doe bedding areas, and the travel corridors & funnels that connect them. when i do, i hang some stands, then stay outa' there till late october. i don't need to see bunches of deer, i don't need to do much in season scouting, i know that rutting bucks will use those corridors & funnels during daylite. thats the one predictable thing about rutting bucks.

imo, it's very difficult to shoot a particular buck. iv'e done it, but it usually has a way of not working out, at least for me. that being said, hunting travel corridors i always see alot of "other" bucks too, including bucks i didn't know were in the area.
 
#23 ·
Hunter8319 said:
shouldvbeenthere said:
TBrom said:
I don't like to scout the post season when there's a snow on. I've found it to be deceiving. JMO.
Totally agree

What's deceiving about it?

Some areas of the state deer move to wintering areas which could be several miles away from where they spent their time during the hunting seasons.
 
#24 ·
Hunter8319 said:
shouldvbeenthere said:
TBrom said:
I don't like to scout the post season when there's a snow on. I've found it to be deceiving. JMO.
Totally agree
What's deceiving about it?
I hunt SF in Clinton co. and it's all about where the food is next fall, not where the tracks are now. Come Sept. the power of the acorn especially white oaks changes the deer woods.
 
#25 ·
bigbear said:
Some areas of the state deer move to wintering areas which could be several miles away from where they spent their time during the hunting seasons.
That's what i figured he was referring to. Around here, the bedding areas found this time of year still hold deer in the fall. The might travel farther for food in the fall but the preferred bedding mostly stays the same.
 
#26 ·
I think if your a bow hunter tracks in the snow this time of year is a great way to study travel routes. Especially if a blown down or other obstruction in a saddle or travel route will help funnel deer to your stand for a 20 yard shot.
 
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