Patience 
With all that going on it's only a matter of time.
With all that going on it's only a matter of time.
Advice!
Ok so I realize I really haven't introduced myself here and given a breakdown of what I use in the field...
I was raised most of my life in Montana/Idaho and thats where I cut my teeth hunting. I love to hunt and I can tell ya hunting in the Rocky Mountains is the best experience I have ever had. I now live in Kansas, ( Thanks to the Army! ) I finally was able to start hunting again and decided on Bow Hunting. Bow Hunting in Kansas seems like a new world compared to back home. Here is a breakdown of what I use and ya'all can give me your 2 cents on what ya think.
My Bow = McPherson Screamer
Trigger Release = Cobra
Arrows = RedHead Carbon Fury 4560
Broadheads = Muzzy fixed 3 blade
RedHead = 3-d Leafy Bug Suit
Call = The Original Can Doe in estrus call
Doe estrus Urin
I use the Hunters Specialtie's scent kit as well as laundrey kit. I read that whitetail deer see UV on clothes and in a sense your clothes can "glow" to a deer if you dont use the right laundrey soap to remove scent and UV.
Ok all this babble leads me to this, I have been out within the past week, 4 days hunting. I can get the deer in but I cant seem to get them that last few yards past the thick brush or out of the corn field for a "kill" shot. I can see the bucks antlers and they seem to be pacing back and forth like he is trying to make a decision. What am I doing wrong and what in the hell can I do to bring him in that last few yards??? I cant tree stand hunt and I cant really afford a blind. I do have camo burlap that I use to make a make-shift blind. The area I am in doesnt have big enough trees for a stand.
The area is a combo of 3 types of land:
1- On one side its a clearing with tall, thick cedar trees in grouped bundles scattered about.
2-The 2nd side is a tree line that has a ridgeline that drops off to about 20' and has a small meadow with a small creek running down the middle.
3- The 3rd side has a corn field, still now plowed down, you can see where the deer enter and exit the field and head towards the 2nd side where the ridge line is.
There are a lot of deer signs in this area and what has me going back is a set of HUGE deer prints in the mud. I have been able to hear grunts and scrapes but this is one smart buck. He refuses to come out or cross in an opening. I know I must be doing something to alert him that I am there and yes, I know my youngest girl has spooked a buck 3x's now. Any advice on what I can do to bag this buck would be appreciated! Think of the area I am as a pie divided into 3's, I set up about 15-20 yards off the trail and I always try and make sure I am set up down wind. i will be bale to post up some pics after today of the area.
:wallbash:
I was raised most of my life in Montana/Idaho and thats where I cut my teeth hunting. I love to hunt and I can tell ya hunting in the Rocky Mountains is the best experience I have ever had. I now live in Kansas, ( Thanks to the Army! ) I finally was able to start hunting again and decided on Bow Hunting. Bow Hunting in Kansas seems like a new world compared to back home. Here is a breakdown of what I use and ya'all can give me your 2 cents on what ya think.
My Bow = McPherson Screamer
Trigger Release = Cobra
Arrows = RedHead Carbon Fury 4560
Broadheads = Muzzy fixed 3 blade
RedHead = 3-d Leafy Bug Suit
Call = The Original Can Doe in estrus call
Doe estrus Urin
I use the Hunters Specialtie's scent kit as well as laundrey kit. I read that whitetail deer see UV on clothes and in a sense your clothes can "glow" to a deer if you dont use the right laundrey soap to remove scent and UV.
Ok all this babble leads me to this, I have been out within the past week, 4 days hunting. I can get the deer in but I cant seem to get them that last few yards past the thick brush or out of the corn field for a "kill" shot. I can see the bucks antlers and they seem to be pacing back and forth like he is trying to make a decision. What am I doing wrong and what in the hell can I do to bring him in that last few yards??? I cant tree stand hunt and I cant really afford a blind. I do have camo burlap that I use to make a make-shift blind. The area I am in doesnt have big enough trees for a stand.
The area is a combo of 3 types of land:
1- On one side its a clearing with tall, thick cedar trees in grouped bundles scattered about.
2-The 2nd side is a tree line that has a ridgeline that drops off to about 20' and has a small meadow with a small creek running down the middle.
3- The 3rd side has a corn field, still now plowed down, you can see where the deer enter and exit the field and head towards the 2nd side where the ridge line is.
There are a lot of deer signs in this area and what has me going back is a set of HUGE deer prints in the mud. I have been able to hear grunts and scrapes but this is one smart buck. He refuses to come out or cross in an opening. I know I must be doing something to alert him that I am there and yes, I know my youngest girl has spooked a buck 3x's now. Any advice on what I can do to bag this buck would be appreciated! Think of the area I am as a pie divided into 3's, I set up about 15-20 yards off the trail and I always try and make sure I am set up down wind. i will be bale to post up some pics after today of the area.
:wallbash:
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
first off thanks for serving in the army.you can try using a scent trail to lure them into a kill zone or try a decoy.i use the 3 d bug suit too love it.the deer know they are safe where they are so you can try using that can call as the rut getsw going ,that combined with some wildlife research golden estrus should lure them in that last bit.come rifle season you will be able to reach out that extra distance
I know how deltagbear feels!
I am new to bowhunting and The last 3 days I have had a nice sized 10 point come down the trail cautiously like clockwork but stop short of my stand,,, look my way,,, then grub on some acorns while keeping an eye my way. He doesn't seem to care I am there, he just knows I can not get a shot at him where he stands, just out of bow range. Then his doe follows shortly after and they hang out in front of me teasing me for usually a half hour dining on acorns. Buck calls don't seem to bother him, he just looks my way and goes about his business.
In ohio here, we are allowed to bait, and I have thrown shelled and corn cobs and apples out for them, but they haven't ate it yet. Good thing is, I watch him rub his tree everyday for the last few, so hope one day soon he gets brave enough to move in closer. I can't figure out how to get him closer any other way, especially when his doe comes in.
I am new to bowhunting and The last 3 days I have had a nice sized 10 point come down the trail cautiously like clockwork but stop short of my stand,,, look my way,,, then grub on some acorns while keeping an eye my way. He doesn't seem to care I am there, he just knows I can not get a shot at him where he stands, just out of bow range. Then his doe follows shortly after and they hang out in front of me teasing me for usually a half hour dining on acorns. Buck calls don't seem to bother him, he just looks my way and goes about his business.
In ohio here, we are allowed to bait, and I have thrown shelled and corn cobs and apples out for them, but they haven't ate it yet. Good thing is, I watch him rub his tree everyday for the last few, so hope one day soon he gets brave enough to move in closer. I can't figure out how to get him closer any other way, especially when his doe comes in.
Big bucks don't get big being dumb. That said, trying to take a monster from the ground requires doing everything right 100% and then getting lucky to have him stroll past you in shooting range. Scent control must be to the maximum, in your case I would purchase one of the shower kits on the market for this purpose, buy a small bottle of spray scent elimation, using it everytime you go out on yourself and equipment. Both of these products would run around $25.00 total. Try to take a path to your spot without crossing the buck's normal travel. In your case I would not bait him nor would I use any scent products like doe-in-heat simply because you know where he is hanging and has several does with him. Try to locate where he usually comes in/out of the corn or woods and set up closer to one of those spots. Over hunting him and spooking him will in most cases lead to him vacating your area. Good luck chasing your buck, and thats why they call it hunting.:w00t:
G
if he's a big old buck there are 2 things i can think of in your case. 1 like hm said don't do the bait, scent, call thing........just yet anyway. 2 he doesn't know you are there. if he did you could color him gone.
try moving your stand tighter to the trail he is using or just wait him out. if you try waiting him out you take a chance of burning up the stand. do like hm said, pay real close attention to your scent control and move in a little tighter. if you do move thighter you may only get 1 chance at him if he busts you so be ready at the time of your move. I'd move the stand or bring in a second and sit it in it till he arrived that evening. good luck
try moving your stand tighter to the trail he is using or just wait him out. if you try waiting him out you take a chance of burning up the stand. do like hm said, pay real close attention to your scent control and move in a little tighter. if you do move thighter you may only get 1 chance at him if he busts you so be ready at the time of your move. I'd move the stand or bring in a second and sit it in it till he arrived that evening. good luck
One more thing, if the wind direction is not in your favor do not hunt that stand, select a more wind favorable location for that night. Try not to sweat when walking to your stand, you might want to carry your outer clothing and slow walk in to your stand to keep sweat down to a mimimun. When you get to your stand site spray yourself again with the scent elimination spray.
I have been using the scent away hunting soap and shampoo and washing my hunting clothes every other day with the scent away hunting fragrance free soap. also rubbing apples on various trees to put out a food attractant scent close to the stand. but he seems not to care about apples. He Loves those acorns though.
oriole it sounds like the deer knows you are there try moving your stand.every knows about the wind but thermals are harder to get right use a wind checker
G
baiting doesn't work so good if there is plenty of natural food in the woods. also i believe that deer especially older deer know where apples and the like should be and where they should not. if its out of place they pick up on it. its like you coming home from work and smelling cigarettes and no one in the house smokes. you know some one has been there that does smoke.
How far away is he when you see him? if it less than 100 yards he doesn't know "you" are there otherwise he'd blow out of there and be gone. he wouldn't continue to eat. he may find it odd to smell apples there though. if you are in the oaks and have acorns all around you he may work your way as the acorns get eaten up.
How far away is he when you see him? if it less than 100 yards he doesn't know "you" are there otherwise he'd blow out of there and be gone. he wouldn't continue to eat. he may find it odd to smell apples there though. if you are in the oaks and have acorns all around you he may work your way as the acorns get eaten up.
He has been as close as 30 yards but at a bad bow shot there.
Today he came down the same trail but cut left about 60 yds in front of me, a little earlier than prior days. I think the wet weather today had him detoured.
Today he came down the same trail but cut left about 60 yds in front of me, a little earlier than prior days. I think the wet weather today had him detoured.
If he's coming in that close and you ain't got busted yet all you need is patience.
G
A big X2.....sit tight. he'll make the mistake. just don't fight the wind if its bad don't sit the stand.If he's coming in that close and you ain't got busted yet all you need is patience.
i gott disagree with ya ronn on the apples thing . i do the same thing i eat em but peel em first and keep the peels .deer dont know where allthe apple trees are and many deer roam all over,so to say they "know" where apples belong ....well i aint buying it
G
maybe it has something to do with deer density, I don't know, and you see something different than I, Joel? you may be right and deer aren't smart enough to know better. but i know that if there is any kind of change in the woods here regardless of the size or type of change the deer change their pattern. they may get use to the "new thing" but for a time they are elsewhere. just what i've noticed here. i guess i era on the side of caution.
peter fidducia also believes that deer dont know where all the apple trees are and oten uses fake apples with apple scent applied as a decoy both visual and offactory I got this tip at one of his seminars.but like i said i keep the apple peels from the apples i eat on stand and rub the cores on my hands hat etc.think about it during the rut some bucks can roam miles from their home range how they supposed to know whereevery apple tree is.now a matriarch doe that doesnt wander far may be more in tune and yes maybe deer density has something to do with it.New Hampshire is a small state maybe the deer do know where all the apple trees are .lol
G
its possible, it is a pretty small state.lol
I don't know peter fidducia, personally, but I've tried to read his books and i use to watch his show, i don't know what i think of some of his theories, like that blowing at a deer thing.
i still believe that like me knowing where everything is around my house, barn, and yard, except where that sock goes when its not in the dryer, a deer knows its home as well or better, especially older mature deer.
most bucks that are shot are 1.5 years old, not exactly the sharpest age group in the herd. allot of them are shot because curiosity got the better of them. older deer have learned that being curious about something is itself a warning sign. I don't believe deer wander aimlessly. I think they know where they are going at all times any time of the year and have a reason for being/going there. with one exception and thats when mom boots her young son out of the territory. its up to us as hunters to figure out the why, where, how, and for how long. but hey maybe I'm giving them to much credit. I got no problem shooting the dumb ones.lol
we know what joel thinks and we know what i think, what do you other guys think? I'm not looking to be proven right or wrong. just think its a great topic.
I don't know peter fidducia, personally, but I've tried to read his books and i use to watch his show, i don't know what i think of some of his theories, like that blowing at a deer thing.
i still believe that like me knowing where everything is around my house, barn, and yard, except where that sock goes when its not in the dryer, a deer knows its home as well or better, especially older mature deer.
most bucks that are shot are 1.5 years old, not exactly the sharpest age group in the herd. allot of them are shot because curiosity got the better of them. older deer have learned that being curious about something is itself a warning sign. I don't believe deer wander aimlessly. I think they know where they are going at all times any time of the year and have a reason for being/going there. with one exception and thats when mom boots her young son out of the territory. its up to us as hunters to figure out the why, where, how, and for how long. but hey maybe I'm giving them to much credit. I got no problem shooting the dumb ones.lol
we know what joel thinks and we know what i think, what do you other guys think? I'm not looking to be proven right or wrong. just think its a great topic.
good idea ronn.I'll open another topic based on this question
more acorns and maybe some corn will do the trick but as someone else said bucks don't get that big by just walking out in front of you broadside.
be patient and let us know how it goes. i want to see some pics when you finally bag him
be patient and let us know how it goes. i want to see some pics when you finally bag him
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
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