Question

[ronn]

Tons of GREAT info their guys. May work for you, may not, but the more you know it can't hurt.

[joel the signman]

Exactly,ronn.

[muleskinner]

Originally Posted by Berk

where i am in ohio i mostly hunt over fields and staging areas. with the right wind i see alot of deer but not the bucks im looking for. i like to shoot does and let the small bucks walk.

I hunt Ohio as well. I actually asked a similar question on this site last fall. The advice I got then was to hunt the transition routes between bedding and feeding areas. This worked well for me. Although I did not drop a big one I saw more big bucks this year than the last 5 years combined. From my experience I only see small deer when hunting fields. You can shoot a lot of does hunting the staging area just inside the field.

[ronn]

In theory the closer you can get to the big buck bedding area the better your chances. Those big boys will hold up till almost dark especially after the season gets rolling. Early season before they get boogered they be on the move a little earlier but that changes quickly. You've got to balance getting back far enough with out getting in to far and mucking it up. Getting in the bedding real early before day light with out them crossing your trail or you walking through the feeding area will increase your sightings for in the morning. down side its easier to spook them out of there.

[East Texas Droptine]

Corn works the best for me (make sure that baiting is legal where you are) the deer seem to also like the oats

[Hunting Man]

The better you know a given area the better your chances are that you can set up for a buck. Take advantage of the lay of the land, ravines, funnels, ect. Generally speaking you will get one chance to harvest a big buck in his secret spot. Mess up and you will have to start over most likely on another buck. My experiences have taught me that I do best if I set up on the back trails that bucks use, usually well hidden, close to safety cover. I also don't live close to where I hunt so I have to know the area well to maximize my hunting time. Ohio farm land hunting is nasty as the deer do not seem to follow any set patterns. In PA where I hunt bucks travel in almost routine time frames and on consistant routes. We don't have monster bucks but we do have mature bucks to match wits with. Hunting the rut with the bow, it just doesn't get any better. The fun is in the chess game!!

[joel the signman]

i went to a deer seminar over the weekend and the speaker suggested you learn the deers escape route and set up on that and then use an alarm bleat and get ready

[wmi]

Joel I have heard about this but there is a catch. 1 the buck goes opposite of the call. 2 Big bucks will hold tight till after dark. To truly harvest a big mature whitetail consistantly you have to move right in as close as possible undetected. You have to be aggressive but a better term would be controlled aggression. Trophy hunting is like learning all over again the art of deer hunting. The videos and books I mentioned earlier WILL get you started in the right direction. You are going to make mistakes no question about it. If you are searching for fame so to speak you will have to take risks just as in life. There is an art to it that can never be mastered however you will never go anywhere by sitting back in a safe zone whether it be your front porch or in a stand. Now the other side of all of this is to sit back and wait for the rut when all patterns go out the window and it boils down to luck of right place right time or find the does find the buck.

[joel the signman]

i agree with ya and the guy giving the seminar said pretty much the same thing.try different things go to different locations.His name is Peter Fidducia,real nice guy.I bought his DVD on calling after i watch it i'll do a review.Ialso bouht a book and had him sign itI figured it was the least i could do cuz he gave me a deer drag called game sled at the seminar