I hunted more this year than any in the past.
I’m a self admitted usually shoot the first legal deer I see kind of guy. I have a handful of hunting spots that I know hold big deer so I’ll be patient, and some that have antler restrictions. But usually, I’m shooting.
I passed on small deer on two hunts at a place I wouldn’t normally, and was rewarded with an opportunity at a really nice buck both times. I blew it, but I had the chance.
But I had about 5 years worth of encounters with large deer (I’m not a measurement guy, but 130+ for those who care) in a 1 month stretch. Here’s what changed.
- properties with antler restrictions
- properties in a muddy river flood plain
- hunting during the week as a function of following cold fronts.
- hunt rut or week or two leading up to it, travel to allow more rut huntjng time.
- getting to my setup 1+ hour before shooting light.
- sitting all day when I could.
- ignoring a map, and using my hunter brain to think about what deer in real life would do when all the humans are reading a map and going to the places they think deer would be.
very little of what changed for me was strategy, per se. It was basically “be in good property that holds big deer for as many hours as possible when it’s below 40* and other people aren’t hunting as much.”
i look for deer sign over buck sign. Typically, I’m chasing the rut around the country. Bucks will be near does at that time. I won’t ignore buck sign, but I only use it to confirm “this area has big bucks”. I’m placing sets based on where does will bE - and trying to get downwind of that in a funnel to intercept cruising bucks. Usually I’m just setting up in heavy deer sign though.
I usually see one, maybe two really big deer a season between all my hunts. I usually kill a racked buck or 2 each year, and a couple does. I let 11 arrows fly this season, killed my biggest bow buck, and had at least 30 racked bucks within 100 yards of me, and at least 4 of those were the legendary “matooore deers”. What changed was hunt good dirt a lot, and during the week.