Mature buck field reports

[Old Buck]

OK guys. We've got a real chance to expand our understanding of mature bucks with all the 'field observers' that will be out the next couple months. How about sharing observations on mature bucks (3 1/2 or older)? When did you see them relative to sunrise and sunset? What were they doing, feeding, fighting, looking for does, etc.? What kind of cover were they using? In the thick stuff? Crossing an open ridge? Following a fence line between timbers?

If we combine our observations it should start to paint a picture of when mature bucks do what and in what kind of place they do it.

I'll start. I've only seen one 4 1/2 the last few days. It was about 15 minutes after sunrise. He was deep in the timber in really thick stuff. I only saw him for a few seconds and couldn't tell if he was feeding on the red oak acorns nearby or checking on the local doe population.

Do you have a mature buck field report to share?

Old Buck

 

[Greywolf]

Great idea Old Buck. If I had to guess, I'd say your buck wasn't after red oak acorns this time of year. I've seen them hit bur oak stands hard and they go for white oak acorns in September and October too. But usually it's late winter (when everything else is eaten) that they go for the red oak acorns. At least that's what I've seen here in south central Iowa.
As for mature bucks, the only ones I've seen this fall are on film... Two different bucks, both following does through thick woods at sunrise.

 

[Bowhunt]

October 2nd: Saw a mature buck with a bachelor group of 5 other bucks. They were on a alfafla field an hour before dark.

October 18: Noon went to look at a pheasent hunting spot with a waterway that is in a depression that you can not see from the road. The field is 5 miles from any timber! Just groves and fencerows. There was a mature deer bedded in the waterway with a doe. waterway is surrounded by corn on 4 sides.

4pm. I had been seeing an nice buck coming out of a cornfield the last three days. They were picking that field so I hunted a small wood lot next to it that is also surrounded by corn. I went into my stand and he was bedded 15 yards away.

So the last week I have seen buck getting pushed to non-traditional bedding areas from the corn they have been in. The last two deer I am sure came out of the cornfields that were combined in the area during that day. I bet they did not want to travel much during daylight so just settled for a overlooked smaller bedding area. That is easy to escape from, and almost impossible to hunt them in without spooking them.

 

[vike4life]

Oct 23rd 7:30ish a.m. temp 40's
Saw a deer coming down an oak ridge about a 100 yds away. It spun around tail in the air and beat feet. A second later. My dream buck trotted up the ridge directly after what ever dared come near him. Hopefully this is only part one of the story!

 

[moosehunter]

Oct 12th, 4:00 pm, watched a 3 1/2 yo 12 follow 3 does from heavy brush, then he stayed around me for 30 min or so. He left on the same trail of the does. Oct 13th saw 2 large mature bucks together in heavy brush. Oct 16th, same 12 (I think) as before following does again. Besides the 2 I saw together I have not seen any bucks together for the last week and half. All have been singles. Almost everytime I'm in the stand I hear some rattling, but no major battles as far as I can tell. This last week I have been out 3 times in different spots and have not seen 1 buck. It's getting closer..........

 

[WhitetailFan]

Last night - about 6:15pm - several does and 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 year old 10-point came out of timber into picked corn field. The buck was chasing around the mature does in the group. Seemed like he was pursuing one in particular, but she wasn't interested.

 

[BW]

Up until last night and this morning all the high calibre bucks where I hunt have been moving before or after legal shooting hours.

But last night 10/23 I had 2 mature bucks chasing does by me at 5:30. They were lathered up and tongues dragging. Temp for them was HOT

. Ambient was probably 56 deg.

This morning 10/24 I had one walk by at 7:30 (with the wind) definately roaming for does. Ambient temp 40.

Suicide.......

 

[Old Buck]

Great stuff guys! After reading the reports I think it would be helpful to also give the date, time and temperature. Any more mature buck reports? I bet we'll have a bunch soon with the cooler weather coming.

Old Buck

 

[sp69]

October 11th 6pm 60 degrees
A 11 point 150 class buck came out of some thick stuff about 5 minutes after some does and a small six-pointer cleared the area assummingly heading for a watering hole.I harvested him with my muzzleloader. Field dressed he weighed in at 235 lbs.
October 24th 6 pm
After watching a couple of small bucks chasing does all around my tree for about 20 minutes a shooter passed by at about 45 yards. I would put him about the same size as the buck I took Oct 11th. 150 class. I drew but passed on a 40 yard shot. Man was I excited but ultimatly decided that I was hunting this stand for the first time this year and I would wait for a better shot.He went from the woods to a recently picked cornfield and headed towards a bean field after some does. I saw 6 bucks total this night and about 8 does. Lots of chasing going on.

 

[HUSKERBUCK]

Would you knock it OFF!!! With harvest in full swing, Sunday morning and evening is my only chances to hunt for a week or two. You guys are killing me with these reports!!

God I can't wait!!

 

[Cornfed]

I saw a real dandy this evening at 5:45pm..... 5x5 with 3 sticker points... he fed along 50 yards above my stand location thru some real thick brush.... I tried grunting to him but he never even acted as if he heard it... it was windy with the breeze blowing toward me away from the buck... temp. low 40's....

 

[fgruetzmacher@msn.com]

Yesterday morn 8:00 on the dot.. a mature 10 with good mass followed 3 does right passed me at 40 yards.... Did I get a good shot????,,,,,, yep,,, did I make it count??????? I thought I did but the buck jumped string and i clean missed him high.... Man... My WI buck stands out at 70 yards in the open hardwoods looking at what just scared the crap out of him...... And I sat there bawlin in my tree.....Second time I have saw this buck... Both times it was around 8 in the morn and the first time was 10/18 around a quarter till 8,,,, he was strollin for does and yesterday he had found some and had the herded in front of him.... Both morns were around 38 degrees and yesterday was really foggy...... O.k. let me have it..... I screwed up.. I know.. But that is Bow huntin and is why I love it...

 

[Baby-G]

Yesterday in the late morning (Illlinois) around 10:50 while hanging a couple of stands I saw a 3.5 to 4.5 year old buck cruising from bedding area to bedding area. He was taking is ole sweet time just checking things out. I hope he does the same thing Thursday morning, because that is when I am taking a 4 day weekend. Hopefully either me or my brother will run an arrow through the buck I saw yesterday morning. He was a solid 150" deer, really big bodied. Then here at home in KY I was a 130" eight pointer that was 3.5 year old just this afternoon arond 3:00 p.m. standing in the middle of a field just looking around. I think they are starting to move around a little!

OH, the temperature in IL was in the mid-50's and in KY today it was in the low-50's.

 

[muddy]

friday night saw a 2 1/2 year old 10

today i saw 1, 4 1/2+ year old
3, 3 1/2 year olds
1, 2 1/2 year old
1, 1 1/2 year old

 

[mu1147]

Saturday oct. 25

While pheasant hunting an eighty acre switchgrass field had a 175+ 14 pt run by at a distance of two feet. If I hadn't moved over he would have trampled me. Thirty yards further kicked up an even larger non typical with eight inch drop tine. Both were in the middle of the field bedded down at 10:30. Also kicked up a 150 class twelve in a 30 acre crp field at 11:30 just down the road from the larger field. Guess I should have been bowhunting, but couldn't miss opening of pheasant season. But on the bright side I have 11 straight days off starting thursday, hopefully the moon and stars will be aligned in my favor and I can tag any of these three.