Bucks, bucks and more bucks!

[T Bone]

Hit the jackpot tonight! I've been scouting out an area near home that is an archery only area (Miller knows exactly where it is). During turkey season I was only seeing does, but tonight I went to a new area and counted 11 bucks in one bachelor group. 5 of them look to be good bucks with good growth, the others are dinks. Hopefully they will stick around til season opens up.

I'm a newby to whitetails. Do the bucks change patterns much between now and rut?

 

[dgibson]

TBone, in my neck of the woods (which is not too close to yours ) they'll stay put as long as they're not disturbed too much and there's plenty of water nearby through the summer. I've seen the same dinky buck following the same path in the same area 3 years in a row. But the deer here are used to cars, ATV's, dogs, cats, etc., etc. and can take a little pestering. I would still keep tabs on them as much as possible without constantly bumping them, though.

 

[mtmiller]

Good luck on the bucks Tyson, sounds like some good ones. Those deer should stay pretty close to the same area, but there are decent bucks throughout that area. There is another area across the highway (not interstate) near the water tower that is archery only and holds some good bucks. Easy place to glass from a distance and is pretty wide open into some large fields.

How did the turkey hunts go for you? I struck out, but was on birds every morning. I did pass up a jake on my last day in town. Maybe next year.

 

[Gunner46]

I've only hunted Eastern Whitetails, take that for what it is.

The Bigger bucks will hang in the same loose area, you just may not be able to find them. Put just a bit of pressure on 'em and they turn into ghosts real fast.

During the rut, they'll be on the move, going to the does, no matter they are. Find a couple of doe home ranges near where you see the bucks now, and 'hunt the does' when the rut is in swing.

 

[T Bone]

Miller,

I'm continually amazed at the numbers of deer around here. I'll check out the north side of the area. Haven't ventured up there yet. Looking through your album at your 2000 SD whitetail with the broken main beam, that hill in the background looks like that exact area if I'm not mistaken.

Turkey season was fun but marred with the distraction of getting moved in. I center-punched one at 18 yards but he took flight and I never found him. The weekend you were in town I missed a 25-ish yard head shot on a big tom that was periscoping me over the top of some rocks. Turkeys are fun, but don't kindle the fire that big game does.

Hopefully I'll pull a tag or 4 for deer. Elk, I zeroed, but have my name in for the 2nd cow draw. Sheep and goat I won't even entertain the idea of drawing.

 

[BareBack Jack]

Here in our neck of the woods,the normal white-tail will hold a 2-3 mile home base and won't realy leave unless realy pushed hard.Even in northen MT where I hunt whitie's every now and then,I can usaly find the same bucks in their normal spots,seam to hold a 2 mile radius.If white-tail bucks get pushed hard they moren likely become nocturnal than leave a area.
Now mulies are diffrent they seem to roam,but usaly come back to the same spot at one time or another.
BBJ