When it comes to holding out for mature bucks, one thing I believe many hunters lack is patience — especially when other deer are on the field.
It’s very tempting to quickly add venison to the freezer when fat does and bucks with marginal racks appear.
I have learned the older, smarter bucks are lurking back in the shadows, sometimes for a long while, waiting for the does and immature bucks to enter the field and graze a while.
These deer become guinea pigs for the mature bucks. The longer they stay in the field and become settled, the more likely Big Boy feels confident it’s safe to step out.
Nearly every time I have taken a mature buck, it was because I allowed the field to fill up with other deer. Most of the time, I had to watch and wait for hours, knowing the older, wiser bucks were studying the situation, waiting to see what would happen to the others.
If it’s a trophy buck you’re after, use your binoculars a lot to enjoy observing smaller deer — even tempting bucks — and let them give the monster of the woods a false sense of security. It really works!
– Editor’s Note by Tim H. Martin
Here’s a prime example of why Melody’s advice is spot on.
A couple years ago, I climbed into a ladder stand set up deep in the woods, overlooking a swamp, while a friend of mine and his son were sitting in a shooting house 250 yards away, observing a food plot.
As the sun began to sink, a small 6-pointer with a twisted rack tiptoed past my stand, soon followed by a gorgeous mature buck with ten typical tines and several sticker points. They were headed toward the field where my friends were sitting!
Because I’d already taken a nice buck that season, I passed up the shot, hoping my friend’s son would take home the wall hanger.
Sure enough, 30 minutes later, a single shot rang out and I silently fist pumped, knowing the big buck would be surely taking a ride home with my buddies.
When I arrived to the field, they were kneeling beside the 6-pointer.
They described the young buck coming onto the field, with another deer behind it that “hung back in the woods.”
As happy as they were to have venison for the freezer, and a skull mount for the son, they couldn’t help but wish they’d watched and waited a few moments longer.
Here’s another tip about how to tell if a big buck might be about to enter your field: Body Language Tells Tales
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