Only at night

[fadetoblack188]

So this guy has been showing up on my cam , but only after dark.  How do you make this happen? Wait till the rut and hope he comes by ?

 

 

[fadetoblack188]

[doebuck1234]

They dont get that big for no reason!!!he's a stud!Will wait for someone else to chime in but IMO hopefully he makes a slip up during the rut as u had mentioned

[sbuff]

Is he coming or going on your property?

[Jeremy K]

Get closer to his bed?

[Robhuntandfish]

Had a big 9 for three years never saw him once during daylight. We named him dark Knight. 

[ny hunter]

What an awesome deer....He is big and a few years old for a reason..

[cbyzerman]

On 10/12/2019 at 7:57 PM, Jeremy K said:

Get closer to his bed?

bingo...........    deer do not go far....  lotta times they are just walking back and forth or small circles.......  his bed is not that far......

[moog5050]

Yep.  Find his bed and a way to set up for an evening hunt real close (within 75yds) very quietly without being busted.    If he is not bedding at your place then you are probably hoping he cruises in rut.  An aggressive tactic that I have read can work but never tried is a bump and dump.  Bump him from bed in morning and set up hoping he returns same day.   

[BizCT]

Yep.  Find his bed and a way to set up for an evening hunt real close (within 75yds) very quietly without being busted.    If he is not bedding at your place then you are probably hoping he cruises in rut.  An aggressive tactic that I have read can work but never tried is a bump and dump.  Bump him from bed in morning and set up hoping he returns same day.   

Question for you (and others). When you have those 4-5am pics an hour or so before sunrise. That buck could be heading to bed 100 yards away or 500 yards right?


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[moog5050]

8 minutes ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

 

 

Question for you (and others). When you have those 4-5am pics an hour or so before sunrise. That buck could be heading to bed 100 yards away or 500 yards right?


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IMO - for sure Biz.  Which is why its always good to try to do that spring scouting and identify bedding sites before season.  But even if you haven't, you can take your best educated guess on where he is bedding and set up.  Or perhaps an early morning scouting/hunting trip where you think he may bed might yield the necessary intel and if you bump him while doing so, set up and consider wind when setting up and a possible J hook by buck if he returns.  Again, never tried it but its a tactic discussed on hunting beast often.  If you really want to hunt that buck, what do you have to lose by trying it.  I know I have had a few tactics work on first try that I was questioning.

[BizCT]

1 hour ago, moog5050 said:

IMO - for sure Biz.  Which is why its always good to try to do that spring scouting and identify bedding sites before season.  But even if you haven't, you can take your best educated guess on where he is bedding and set up.  Or perhaps an early morning scouting/hunting trip where you think he may bed might yield the necessary intel and if you bump him while doing so, set up and consider wind when setting up and a possible J hook by buck if he returns.  Again, never tried it but its a tactic discussed on hunting beast often.  If you really want to hunt that buck, what do you have to lose by trying it.  I know I have had a few tactics work on first try that I was questioning.

It definitely makes sense. I remember in 2017, when I saw an 8pt i was after and tracked him for over 1 mile in snow. He came back to the beginning spot hours later in dark on camera. Pretty crazy.

I guess my original question is this. What's the difference between a buck on camera at say 7-9pm vs. 4-6am? or no difference and both are bedded nearby?

[moog5050]

Just now, Biz-R-OWorld said:

It definitely makes sense. I remember in 2017, when I saw an 8pt i was after and tracked him for over 1 mile in snow. He came back to the beginning spot hours later in dark on camera. Pretty crazy.

I guess my original question is this. What's the difference between a buck on camera at say 7-9pm vs. 4-6am? or no difference and both are bedded nearby?

Hard to say Biz.  If I see a buck in early season at first light or later, I assume he is bedding nearby and try to guess based on the observed travel.  But at 4am, he could be bedding a long ways away.  Early season, the closer to light you catch one, the more likely it may be that he is bedding close by I suppose.  As the season progresses, all bets are off.

[BizCT]

2 minutes ago, moog5050 said:

Hard to say Biz.  If I see a buck in early season at first light or later, I assume he is bedding nearby and try to guess based on the observed travel.  But at 4am, he could be bedding a long ways away.  Early season, the closer to light you catch one, the more likely it may be that he is bedding close by I suppose.  As the season progresses, all bets are off.

makes sense, thx.

[njg0621]

I'm in the same boat with the mature bucks around me.  Until that thing between their legs starts moving they don't move until after dark.

[UpStateRedNeck]

I've got one my neighbor and I are patterning by committee, shows up on my cams at 8, headed uphill, on my neighbors cams at 4am or so.  We think he's hitting this "animal sanctuary" below my property for some free chow at dusk then going to our fields, then bedding someplace on the south east slope in the white oaks before dawn.  I moved a stand yesterday on a travel route from the white oaks to the animal sanctuary.  Need a SW wind for that spot.  Going to be another 2 weeks before I can hunt again so his pattern will probably be blown by then anyways.

[G-Man]

Wait for new moon deer mover later in am and earlier in evening..this weeks full moon made alot strictly nocturnal.   The rut is another time.. we are in waining moon now..