il coyote

For those of you that have had close encounters/trail photos of certain bucks, how far do you go in 'pursuing' said animal?Everyone has their own particular style when it comes to choosing stand locations, but how farwould you deviate from the plan in order to shoot 1 particular animal, and howsuccessfull have you been?

To me, there is a really big gap between hanging stands in the preseason with the hopes of a particular deermoving by at a time when you're there, andtargeting a certain buck, moving right up into his kitchen. Everyone hunts sign, but I'm talking about going much farther than just hanging a stand on a rubline of an unfamiliar buck.

I've found that from myself and listening to others that is VERY easy to become over-obsessed with a particular deer, andmany timesthis obsession does not end favorable for the hunter. It's very easy to fall into the trap of overhunting a stand or hunting it in the wrong wind, etc. just because that is 'where I saw HIM last'.

Thoughts?

Vabowman

I specifically target any buck that would look good with an antler mount or shoulder mount. or if I have not killed a deer all year.

Deleted User

[Deleted by Admins]

kickin_buck

I tried this in 05. I actually had targeted 3 different bucks that I had many trail camera photos of from 04 and was getting just as many trail camera photos of the same three in 05. All 3 of the bucks were great, being all were over 150" mark, with one of them being very close to booner status. I spent many hours watching these (not always at the same time) 3 bucks feeding in the summer, was pretty certain were they were bedding at. I knew their feeding patteren was going to change before the season started as they were feeding in a bean field and knew the beans were not going to be there come season. Once the bean went away, these guys were ghosts. Still getting a ton of photos of them, but all at night. I figured my best bet would be to hang close to their bedding area and hope I could catch them once they started searching for does. It would have been a bit easier if they were bedding on my property, but they were not, so I had picked several funnels on my property that lead to their bedding area. I was a very difficult season, as I passed on several deer in the mid 120's to 130's holding out for one of these 3. Was getting plenty of pictures of them (all at night) right up to gun season. I had the biggest one within 60 yards of me with a bow in my hand, and the smallest of three within 20 yards of me with a bow in my hand, but he was chasing a doe and I could not get him stopped. Gun season came and it was like the left the country. No pictures, no sightings. Then around Christmas time that year I started getting pictures of them again, but again all at night. I ended passing on several good bucks waiting on these guys and only took 3 does early in bow season. It is a tough game to play.

il coyote

I'm fairly sure the you know this is not quite what I meant.

Yes, if there are 3 bucks standing in front of me, I'm likely to target the biggest one.

Take for instance, the picture that Schultzy has posted in DT249's thread. How far would you go to kill that buck, knowing that at any time you could possibly spook him, and maybe even end any chance of killing him that season?

It's a fricken tightrope.

Deleted User

[Deleted by Admins]

GMMAT

To "me"...there's a world of difference between targeting a specific buck....and justknowing he's out there and taking him "given the opportunity". If you'd pass up ANY other buck.....in hopes of taking your target.....my hat's off to you. Respect. If, like me....you've targeted a specific buck....but..."would have" taken another....then that's just another animal, altogether (no pun intended). That's opportunism with a flair of intrigue. It makes for a great story.....but it lacks the discipline of the former scenario. Nothing wrong with that, though.....and I'll take it. Knowing your prey makes hunting fun. I've said it before....it was bittersweet killing a deer that I had such a relationship with. It's time to start up a new one.

Have I over-hunted a stand/location waiting for "my" buck? You betcha.

When you think about what all has to line up for you to be able to take a specific buck/deer.....it's astonishing. You have to be in the right place...at the right time....and he has to come by you......within bow range....and offer you a shot. Then....you have to execute. The buck I took, last year, ......I had him at 0 yds on 2 previous occasions (no shot opportunity)......12 yds on another (I blew it).....9yds another time (no shot opportunity).....20 yds, another time (No tag for him)....and I FINALLY shot him.

You take someone like Troy....Germ.....who've foresaken all other animals for that special one......

Whether they get him or not......they've earned my respect.

GregH

I've targeted specific bucks before and gotten them. Don't get me wrong, if an even bigger buck than I've targeted came along, I'd take him.

I saw my biggest buck on Oct. 12th one year. I went back the next day and found his rub line. I camped out on it for a month and killed the buck on Nov. 11th.

Another buck saw during summer scouting was bedding off the property on the north end. I set up a stand in a travel corridor that I suspected the buck would use when searching for does. I killed him on Nov. 8th.

I spotted another buck on opening weekend one year, put on a sneek and missed. This time the buck was camping out on the south end of the property. I set up in the same corridor as the previous buck and killed him on Nov. 4th.

The same year as the previous buck, my GF spotted a nice buck with a broken rack come out of a bedding area in the evening. I went over a couple of days later and saw the buck and determined he was a 2 1/2. The next season I camped out by his bedding area on opening weekend and killed him on the second day.

Another year, I killed a buck that I missed the year before from the same stand. I really wasn't targeting this buck because at best, I was just hoping he was still around. I didn't know for sure.

I found where a big buck was bedding during open weekend. I knew he was big from his tracks and only caught a glimpse of him as I bolted him from his bed. I let the area rest for a bit over three weeks then hung a stand near the edge of his bedding area. I killed him during my second hunt there. Funny thing was, he is my heaviest wis deer at 193 dressed but he only had 115 for antlers.

Same season as above I was hunting Ill. I saw a nice buck my first night from stand and hunted him for a month before killing him from the same stand on Nov.18th. I hunted every day from Nov.1st through the 18th and only missed one day due to high wind.

Another one, I spotted a week before I killed him.

Another one I killed36 hours after spotting him.

There are others that I've targeted and either missed or didn't get an oppertunity at.

So, my targeting of bucks has gone from a day and a half to over a year before getting them.

WKP Todd

If you can control the pressure in an area, and that buck lives where you can hunt, you will have you're best chance at tagging him during the rut when mature deer are more likely to move.

With that being said, I would set-up some stands near where you believe he is bedding. Hunt from some observation type set-up's, hopefully see the buck during daylight hours, and move in for the kill. I'd almost rather run & gun a set-up based on actual seen movement (immediately after you see him), and try to kill him based on his last movements.

Targeting a specific deer is something that I do every year. Last year I had a buck that I wanted to kill really bad - I nick-named him "Bentley". I filmed the buck in velvet in July, and never saw the buck again, until Late October.

On October 25th, I was set-up on a spot I had chosen specifically because I believed this buck was living near-by. Hadn't seen him in any of the other areas we hunt, so I figured this is where he was. Sure enough, he came cruising through on the morning of October 25th, heading back into the bedding area. I was at full-draw when he came straight to the base of the tree. I figured he was walking dead - until for no-reason at all - he sensed something wasn't right. He bolted, and I never saw the buck again. Turned out, he was a 3-1/2 year old buck I would have been CRUSHED to kill. So - I guess everything worked out for the better!

This summer and fall the story will continue. Hopefully I get a crack at him this year!

In my experience - if you are able to hunt in a core area of a big whitetail (with controlled pressure), you will likely "see" the buck at some point during the season. Totally dependent on where the buck calls home, and if he's pressured out of the area, or is just not moving due to "age".The plan of attack for me usually is hunting the food sources in the early fall, and slowly moving backtowards the bedding areas as the season progresses. Don'tgo barging into his bedroomon Oct. 1st if you can have an opportunity to possibly view and/or kill him over a food source. Move asneeded, and realize you are leaving scent everywhere you go, no-matter what precausions you may take. The more times he crosses you'rescent-line, the less likely you are to get a crack athim!

Good luck!

stikbow26

I targeted this buck three years ago on stateland here in Michiganand went after only him and I moved in on him 4 times in 4 sits,I found his bed and on the last move I was with in 40 yards of it when I killed him!!