Cruising Mature Bucks

[amicus]

Every season, usually at the tail end of a season I will see one or two outstanding mature bucks that I have never seen before. I typically see them mid day and they are on the move. How do you hunt them? There really is no pattern that I can see. Do they travel the same trails or follow scape/rub lines? I know they are looking for does but how do you think would be the best way to hunt them?

Gilbert

[LB_hntr]

Down wind side of known bedding areas and sit all day.

[Michael Arnette]

Yep, they are typically heading through known bedding areas. They will travel crossword most often...ie North wind would mean the buck would be traveling ne/nw or se/sw.

[woodchucker]

If you have a group of Does around, leave them alone!!!!!

Keep an eye on them though... As they come into heat, the Big Boys will show up!!!  

[30coupe]

Be prepared to sit for a long time. My luck is usually that, after sitting for hours and seeing nothing, about the time I'm half way down the ladder, with my bow hanging from a string, a nice buck will cruise by. The good thing is they often don't even notice me. The bad thing is there's not a darn thing I can do about it!

I keep telling myself I'm going to sit as long as it takes, but my arthritic back generally tells me it ain't gonna happen. I think I'm going to learn to shoot from my recliner then build a blind around it...scratch that idea...the snoring would probably give me away.    

[ISP 5353]

Originally posted by woodchucker:
If you have a group of Does around, leave them alone!!!!!

Keep an eye on them though... As they come into heat, the Big Boys will show up!!!      

This is great advice!

[Cwilder]

This time of year they are just roaming looking for the first does that are ready to pop.

[bear bowman]

Many years ago, on some private land that has since been sold, I had one day of vacation I could take. I had to schedule 2 weeks in advance. It was early november, close to the end of our season. Well, as luck would have it, it was supposed to get freakishly hot, 70 degrees! (my bad luck, so I thought)
Right after daylight, one hot doe walked past my tree. I wound up killing the 13th buck I saw that morning! I killed him at 9am.
I just think you have to be lucky sometimes.