Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
I’ve killed one buck there so I’d do it hasn’t been super effective. I’ll find out this year cause I’m not going through the effort. I’ll put some out for inventory but not run it all season long.
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Baiting, I know this has been discussed and discussed this is just my rant....LOL
- Thread starter Turkey Creek
- Start date
Mortenson
5 year old buck +
Don't forget you passed up a stud shooter this past season!
BenA
5 year old buck +
I'm going in the reverse direction. Well, maybe. Yet to be determined. I've run bait for cameras in Kentucky, but not all season, and neither of the bucks we've killed have been close to bait. I'm going to have, most probably, a lot of summer food planted this year. If cameras show bachelor groups of mature bucks, regularly using my property, I won't bait, and try to kill one early season. If not, I'm going to bait all season.
I grew up hunting west Texas in mesquite tree country. Tallest tree you could find was maybe 20 feet to the tops. (other than narrow strips (2-3 trees wide) of cottonwoods in the river bottom)
We had brushed in archery boxes at the best feeders, and rifle boxes 150 or so yards away. In some boxes, you could see 300 yards in all directions.
Most mature bucks killed on the property were using the bait like you would expect them to use a community scrape or heavy doe bedding area…. Getting where they could see/smell the area, checking for does, maybe pick a fight with a rival… and then move on. It was just part of their circuit, rather than a food destination for them.
The only two times of year the mature bucks were consistently on the feeders in daylight were beginning of archery season and late winter.
I hunt almost exclusively public land now, and if I locate a feeder nearby on public, I assume the deer use it the same way. It has given me some good encounters over the years to hunt well away from someone else’s feeder knowing bucks will swing downwind to scent check it.
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From our experience - I would say about 30% bait killed and 70% non bait killed for mature bucks. We killed the majority of ours either during rut or in a food plot - but we hunt with rifles a fair bit. This year was an odd year - we did not kill a mature buck early over bait, even though we hunted pretty hard early. We killed four mature bucks chasing does in food plots this year and that is all we killed
Now, a lot of the southern third of the state where the leases are predominately commercial timberland piney woods with very little oak timber, the numbers would be somewhat higher. West and north possibly somewhat lower because of almost four million acres of heavily hunted public land where baiting is not allowed
I have eleven mature bucks mounted and one came from a bait pile. The majority of the rest of them came from a food plot during rut and a couple bow kills on public under an oak tree.
My half dozen small landowning baiting neighbors have killed two mature bucks that I know of in the last two years. Typically, these folks using spin feeders are not killing mature bucks. We have never killed a mature buck off a spin feeder.
My buddy who hunts the 1100 acres kills a mature buck with his bow every year over bait. First year this year in 20 years he did not
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
For sure. Would have shot it in hindsight if I’d have known it would have been shot over a feeder later in the year. Was hoping he would make it and be a giant next year
Would you have shot it if you had known it would be killed in a food plot later in the year?
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
Obviously. I’m just saying had I known it would have been killed I would have shot. I just had an unrealistic hope he would make it
They dont get bigger if they are not alive. About 75% of our harvest occurs Thanksgiving weekend or before. If I see a good deer I would think about passing, I usually dont do it unless it is after thanksgiving weekend. If much before - I dont - but That depends on where and what else I am hunting.
But to be honest, they dont get bigger in the freezer. Always a big chance to take.
H20fwler
5 year old buck +
I think here the majority of the “trophy” bucks are killed in early November every year. They may be close to feed but only because that’s where the does are.
As said earlier about some bucks seeming nocturnal, I’ve had the same here. A few year ago I had a really nice one only coming through during the night.
As said earlier about some bucks seeming nocturnal, I’ve had the same here. A few year ago I had a really nice one only coming through during the night.
I think a lot of folks, like myself, when speaking of nocturnal bucks are referring to a specific buck that is almost totally nocturnal when on the land you have access to. One of my properties is 62 acres. A specific buck may be 100% nocturnal on my land, but wander around in the daytime like a lost dog on other land where I do Not have access.
I do also expect there are some folks who believe when they get only nocturnal pictures of a buck, they also believe he is only nocturnal 100% of the time. I have read enough studies to know that is probably not true - but I wouldnt totally discount it.
