Hunting mature whitetail.

5

5RWill

New member
So I've deer hunted all my life but not as serious as this. I've killed small decent bucks plenty of does. For the first time I want a high class deer so to speak a nice 140ish mature buck. I've been hunting one of our secluded bean fields that butts up to 8000 acres of CRP. We have three bucks on camera this size.
nyqe4ata.jpg


Well buddy and I walked up on him going to the stand at 6am (a tad late) didn't know where my 260 was shooting and didn't want to chance a standing offhand shot. So I declined to shoot. Been at it day in day out since then and haven't come across him again.

The first day we came out here a skinny wide old 8-point was chasing does (needs to be killed) so since the does are coming into estrous I figure I should see him again given the amount of time I'm hunting. It's not prime rut yet but I think it's safe to assume it pre-rut.

I have 5-9 does every afternoon in this field I've yet to shoot or disturb them for this buck.

Right now I'm watching a spike chase does around the field haha

Any suggestions? More patience?
 
Last edited:
More patience?
Click to expand...

^^^This.

With the does in the field every day and it being pre-rut, just increases your chances of catching him. Or one of the other two you've filmed. You can bet there will be bucks scent checking these does. If not going all the way out into the field to do it, by skirting just inside the wood line downwind of them.

You may even get the opportunity to watch two mature bucks go at it over a doe. If you have never witnessed this, it is usually something that is very exiting.

Hope ya get one of those bigg'ns. ;)
 
Last edited:
Left un-molested those does should in time draw something suitable for your needs out into shooting range. But once those BIG bucks go nocturnal procrastination is a dangerous habit to get into. Anyway don't wait to long.
I 'm not going to say a word about your 260. {Nope I'm not going there.} Have a good hunt Sir.
 
Got tomorrow then i have to head back to starkville for finals, in which i'll probably miss the prime rut. Maybe tomorrow is the day :D.

Sure Shot i take it you had a bad experience with your 260? I've had a sako 85 .260 for over 4 years never killed deer with it. Told myself i want to take a quality buck with it, beautiful rifle makes it hard to get out of the gun cabinet.
 
Oh yeah later that day rechecked my zero we're fine :) forgot to mention that. That might of been what Sure Shot was referring too.

The only reason i was skeptical is because last year i shot at a doe and i must've just ranged a blade of grass/wheat out in the field i was laying in because i shot, trigger pull was fine, and flat out missed. Was left scratching my head.
 
in which i'll probably miss the prime rut
Click to expand...

What do you mean when you speak of 'the prime rut' ?

If you are speaking of when the doe is in full estrus and with a buck, accepting him for breading, you'll likely not see them anyways. During peak rut, hunting for that monster buck is not very productive.
 
The chase phase is where it's at. The bucks are ready, the doe aren't. They're running around trying to find a receptive doe.

Once the doe are ready, they disappear. No more chasing. The closer to 1:1 your ratios are, the better. Most places have doe:buck ratios of 3:1 or worse. That means the bucks have no trouble at all finding all the doe they could hope to breed and then some. Bad juju for trying to find the big boys especially.

You should be endeavoring to kill AT LEAST one doe and probably 3 or 4 for every buck you kill until/unless your ratio is balanced.
 
I was thinking i wouldn't tamper with the spot. So i should rid of a doe or two? That thin wide 8-point needs to go eventually i just didn't want to hurt my chances.
 
You want to get rid of the doe after you get the buck or late in the season just to make sure you get it done.

Keeping shooting more doe than buck (in small numbers so you don't reduce the overall population) until you see about the same numbers of each.

The concept that "deer management" meant never shoot does died out about 30 years ago, at least.
 
mature

My experience has been that once pressured a bit, a 3.5+ yr old whitetail, a deer in the 140+ class like your're talking about, will make few mistakes until they start to chase. It my belief one has a crack at them early in the feeding, bachelor group phase, and then, once they get bumped or wary, a mature deer will get real scarce, 'till he makes a mistake, getting stupid, chasing does.

You may catch him moving early, prior dark, before a weather event, storm, snow, etc, but don't count on it if he's been bumped.

Your rut in MS may be much like ours here in N. AL. In a good year, there will be action for 10-14 days or so as the first does come in, and bucks will be running them in the open, "going stupid". It can be really nuts.

For quite a few years, I belonged to a club that had plots and established shooting houses. Every year was nearly the same. A few bucks, some not to shabby, would be killed from the houses/plots, especially if there was some weather. Then there would be a long dry spell as the only deer that came out on the plots and ROWs were does and yearling bucks. REpeated patterns from hunters, noise, vehicles, disregarding the wind and hunting plots in wrong conditions, etc...etc....good bucks knew very well what areas to avoid.

Then the early does came in, and we'd kill a few more good bucks throughtill the end of the season.
 
Sat till pretty much dark today saw the most deer i've seen in this spot so far. Two bucks fought about 50yds from me only went at it once. Couldn't make out what the other one was but the one that seemed to win and go after the does was the same spike as yesterday. Matter of time i guess i think that this will be the week though i wont be here.
 
Last edited:
Wait till ya get to see two mature bucks really go at it.

You will have no doubt that they could take a 250lb. man and throw him in the air like a rag doll.

Which is exactly what happened to the next door neighbor of the house I used to live in. The gore scars on his right butt check and upper, rear part of his leg looked brutal.
 
Very good point ChasingWhitetail.

If you're hunting that monster buck during any phase of the rut, it is wise to watch the doe walk by in anticipation of a buck to possibly being with her or on her trail.

Too, when hunting that monster buck during the rut, you really need to hunt where the does are at. The bucks will be there sooner or later.
 
Yup! Well said. For decades I've been happy to see does because that really raises the chances of seeing a buck. It happened this afternoon, though the buck was a decent 8 but not a great one. Nothing gets my heart pumping like watching a group of does turn abruptly to the woods and get those ears up. I just know the big guy is about to walk out. I've seen it so many times.

You just have to put in the time to be in the woods enough to raise your odds of seeing the big buck. And you have to hunt them in a smart manner.

I'll bet it was 40 years ago when I was in a brand new wooden ladder blind, sitting under a poncho that I had 'borrowed' from the USMC. There was a steady sleet falling, but no other sound. Just the hiss of the sleet. Just at dusk, here came maybe 10 does, silent as ghosts, filing out of the woods from behind me on my right. They set up what looked like a defensive perimeter in the bean field stubble. Then...just at dark the lead doe turned to the woods and gave some unknown (and unseen by me) signal. And he stepped out of the palmettos. Man...I live for those moments and those memories. That buck was an old one. Way past his prime. He had lived a long time by making no mistakes.
 
You're so correct 603Country .

Learning the body language of does will tell ya a lot if ya just watch them.

Too, I've watched groups of does especially during the 'chase' phase of the rut that would have a smaller buck in the field aggravating them.
All of a sudden the antics by the smaller buck stops and he's facing the woods.
Sure sign another buck is getting ready to enter the field from the exact point the buck is looking and you're getting ready to see a show. Nine times out of ten the buck entering the field will be as big or most often bigger then the one that was already in the field.

Just earlier this year I watched this very scenario unfold. Had a mid size six pointer in a field chasing four doe around. Six pointer froze and out walked a big bodied, heavy nine. I thought the nine would just do some posturing and the six would turn tail and leave. Nine did all his posturing with hair standing on end and ears laid back but surprisingly, the feisty much smaller six held his ground. The nine got a little more than perturbed and rammed the six pushing him halfway across the field. He did that twice before the six got the message and walked stiff legged into the woods.

That six must have been visiting from the 'show me' state. :D

Never got a chance to stick the nine...action happened just outta bow range for me.
 
Big, old bucks don't tolerate much intrusion. Last year, I bumped(virtually) into a big, old 8 point the day before season while doing some farm work. I didn't see that buck again in shooting hours. This year, same farm, the renter bumped a big 8 point(probably the same one) twice the week before season. No one has seen the buck again. We thought he might be in the standing corn across the fence but that was harvested and still nothing. We don't "stomp and tromp" hunt so seeing the buck means waiting for him to come out of the heavy cover and it's not happening.
Bottom line is, while the big boy might come out chasing a doe, you also might never see him again. Shoot the does and get some meat with your tag.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top