Here's a good question

[moosehunter]

For those that know what the heck you are doing, how do you pattern a particular buck you would like to hunt?

I read the artical on the Lovstuen buck and was impressed with how those guys figured out where that buck was gonna be and when he would be there. I've been thinking how I can do that (on a budget) with one deer that I have my eyes on. I don't mind getting another camera or two but that can't tell me everything I need to know.

I don't think he beds in the same place everytime, but don't know that fer sure. He didn't follow the same path to the feeding area everytime. It is a difficult area to scout from a distance.

There are several good bucks, very good bucks in that area but this one deer has me close to going to the nut house if I don't get him. I think about him much more than I should. Anyway, I thought it would be a good topic also.......

 

[River1]

Good topic,

From what I have witnessed it really depends on the particular deer. All have different personalities, some just aren't patternable while some are easy. I think if you are fortunate enough to establish a pattern, you better hunt it as soon a possible. I've noticed that sometimes a pattern only lasts a few days and then changes for whatever reasons.

 

[Shovelbuck]

Wish I could give you a good answer Moosehunter. But the one thing I've learned hunting whitetails is this...The only thing I can find that's predictable about whitetails is they're unpredictability.

 

[Shredder]

I wish I could help you out too Moose but have found like Shovel has said....mature bucks for the most part are predictably unpredictable. Now would be the time to go out and find where he spent the majority of last november based on rubs and such. Assuming he has a good food source close by, he may continue to frequent his core area in the post season and therefore may be in there again early fall.

I don't think trail cameras will allow you to pattern a deer for the most part. I rarely get the same buck every day at a certain time...actually has never happened to me but it gives me a field of where he was, where he was coming from and at what time he came thru. The rest is legwork to find him and hunt him.

You have hunted deer for quite some time it seems so you know the value of scent control, movement control, and sound control.......just take extra caution when hunting mature bucks.

One of the things I think is the most important in getting a big buck patterned and killed is never letting him know you are there. It is impossible for the most part but low impact scouting and stealth hunting is required. Most peoples mistakes may not be while they are on stand but in the stand approach and exit during darkness. That is when you get busted the most so find low deer density entrance and exit routes to your stand and practice absolute scent control while en route.

Kinda long moose but hope that will help a little

 

[deadeye]

Very good comments so far - must agree with Shovel 100%. Think your best bet is to try to pattern low key like Shredder said right before season and try taking him early Oct. Else wait for the rut and hope he makes the fatal mistake. No patterning works during the rut in my opinion.

Good luck - I want to see this guy

 

[5465]

i agree with everybody's comments! they are very unpredictable! last fall i filmed 9 different bucks every night in the same field for a solid month before bow season. most of the bucks were mature bucks. it got to the point that i knew where these bucks when and where these bucks slept and ate, i wouldn't even leave the house until a certain time every night to go film them. and once again this was everynight for a month i seen and filmed these deer and when bow season started you can imagine how siked up i was. but when bow season came started i was sure i would have a 190-200 inch buck on my wall and during the hole bow season i only seen 2 out of the 9 bucks that i had on film, and never seen the grand daddy of them all again until muzzleloading season and he was running off into the sunset! i thought that i had these bucks so well patterned and just like over night my patterning went down the drain! also shredder is very right on the trail camera thing. out of the 9 bucks i filmed i only caught 1 of those bucks on camera and it was set up in the same field that i filmed these deer in. although i did get 4 photos of that buck i still never seen him in daylight or in that field again until about 2 weeks after season was over! to sum all of this up is you can't really pattern a mature buck and just when you think you have one patterned and things are looking great for your season, think again!!!!

 

[moosehunter]

You guys all have good advice and I know bucks, especially mature wise bucks are unpredictable. And after one full season of bowhunting under my belt I have a much better idea where to put my stands this year. As you know hunting deer just before, during, and just after the rut is much different than early season or late season muzzleloader. Plus, I was never concerned about getting a stand in close to where they were moving with muzzleloaders. It makes sense to me to hunt funnels, trails to and from the bedding area and food, rubs and scrapes. But what do good bowhunters do to figure out when is the best time to hunt a particular spot. Is that all by chance? I think probably not. Like I said, I have 25 years of deer hunting experience and 1 year of bow hunting experience. All the bowhunters on this site got me all lathered up about bowhunting and now I concider it almost an obession. So I think you guys are now obligated to reveal your super secrets to me. I promise I won't tell...........

 

[OneCam]

Most of the successful bowhunters I have talked with live by these tactics when hunting mature deer:

<ul type="square"> [*]Topo maps, Topo maps, Topo maps! [*]Hunting locations are almost always mandated by wind direction* [*]Scent control is always top of mind and very critical* [*]stands are almost always placed 20'+* [*]they hunt terrain features not deer sign (very important) [*]Entry and exit routes are very well mapped out to minimize any deer disturbance - if these aren't available a stand will not be hung unless it's a last resort* [*]they spend the most time where a buck is most vulnerable - even if there target buck doesn't highly frequent that location* [*]they can make the most out of their opportunity (consistantly make the shot) - practice by shooting lots of game
[*]Last but not least - they never give up
[/list]

*low impact tactics

 

[5465]

i feel that evening time moose is the best for early season because the deer are still on a set feeding pattern as the rut nears the need for food and water becomes less and less until they get to the point that all they are doing is chasing 24/7. during the rut my favorite time of the day would have to be 2 different times and that is around 10:00-10:30 and then again around 3:00-3:30.you hear a lot about hunting early in the morning and then give it a break and go back out that afternoon, if i had to miss a time of the day it would be sunrise to about 9:00 in the morning. your mature bucks are generally going to run during the middle of the day with the exception to all of the night time running. late season once again i like the evening time because after all of the excitement of all the gun seasons calms down so will the deer and they will get back somewhat to the early season feeding pattern. that's the best advice i can give you here from ohio!

 

[hillrunner]

good subject, and a lot of great advice, I think one thing that often gets overlooked with mature bucks is how they choose there bedding locations. I think many hunters spook these deer out before they ever get to there stands and dont even know it. Thats one thing I love about this time of yearm, I can go in and see where they were bedding all fall. These deer never choose a bedding spot by chance, always bedding w the wind at there back with the best line of sight possible in front of them. Sometimes when standing in these beds I look around and am amazed how far they can see, Ive even come to realize that some of my stands need a little repositioning, If that deer sees or smells you at any point while your heading to your stand, you can forget about that stand for the day and possibly for the year.

 

[Liv4Rut]

Another good one, is fine tune your stands, if you notice alot of deer movement just down from you or wherever, move your stand down there, it seems alot of people hunt a dead stand hoping one will walk by. Another screw up alot of people make i noticed, is they hunt where they can see alot of deer but they dont hunt where they can shoot alot of deer. I would rather see 1 good one that i could shoot, rather than 10 good ones that all i can do is watch, which means you usually have to put your stand where you wont see many deer but what you will see is worth your while, usually thick cover, around the edge of the bucks hangout.

 

[Fletch]

I have never successfully patterned a mature buck - at least not well enough to harvest him because I knew where he was going to be and at what time he'd be there. There's been some good advice so far. I would recommend learning precisely how the mature deer travel your terrain / property. Big bucks get big because they are deliberate and travel, rest and feed where and when they have the most strategic advantage. Figure out where in the timber that is and you're half way there.Thorough scouting will help. Then don't ever give him a reason to change his patterns - use low impact tactics, choose good routes in and out, etc.

It might seem obvious but also hunt when he's there. About four years ago I was hunting one particular buck - a bull of a ten pointer with great mass. He would show up for a couple days then disappear for a week, show up a couple days then gone for a week - He must of been working some circuit. Normally I fear over hunting a spot - but the next Sunday evening I saw him so I took two days of vacation and camped on his door step. The second morning (after having seen him three times the day before) I was able to rattle him to within 25 yards. Unfortunately it was 25 yards down wind of me and I never saw him again. If I see a good buck I will generally hunt him hard for a couple days before I give the area a rest. If you're careful you shouldn't disturb the area too much.

Half the fun for me is trying to figure them out. Good luck.

 

[Spurgeon]

I would say hunt all day during the rut, reading this book ive talked about on here befroe he figured it out that 3% of the deer are taking midday but thats by 1% of the hunters because all the others leave the woods midday. To me those odds are pretty dang good.

 

[moose270]

when yourstomach starts to growl hang on, stay as long as you can. the bucks that i have killed with anysize are taken about midday when some else gets up to go for lunch and push them to me. that is why i pack a lunch if i find it nessecary

the memeber formerly know as moose, lol had to get one in on you moose hunter

 

[Scott]

I think a real good tactic comes in the winter when all the hunting is done. Go out when you got six inches of snow and find his track in a field. It would defitenly help if you knew for certain if it was his track, but not always necessary. You can tell a big bucks track in the snow, regardless of the right deer. Back track him as long as you can. You will at least learn one of his bedding areas. No buck has got one bedding area he stays in all the time, but if you know one of them that he at least feels comfortable in, then you have got a good start. Along your way pick out spots you feel the deer is vulnerable. Some place he has no possible way of getting downwind (river, ditch, brush pile, or even a road). They all make mistakes eventually. If you can only find one spot on the whole farm where you think you cant be busted then thats the only place i would hunt.