Big buck, No luck, No kill. What would you do?

Tigerpaw · Post by **Tigerpaw** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 8:16 pm

I have an old logging road through my bush and I had a stand set up on it. After sitting a few days I continued to hear deer slip through the bush close bye. I went for a scout and found not more then 20 yards away was a good deer trail with a forearm sized rub and a good scrape. I went ahead and moved my climber to a tree near by and sat there today. Now around 4:45pm I hear a sound to my left on the logging road and there is one heck of a nice buck just walking past with no shot!

I can not believe it I moved the stand that was there the very day before!!

I am now wondering what the heck I should do? Do I stay set up were I am on a good deer trail or do I move back out to the logging road? He did smell my walking trail in because he let out a long wheezes and then vanished. We are only talking 20-30 yards apart but the bush is thick.

Tigerpaw · Post by **Tigerpaw** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 8:40 pm

My gut says stay put but go higher. He may have smelled me and circled around to get my sent thous ending up on the logging road. I am only about 15 ft. high but if I cut a limb I can go another 5.

On the other hand the logging road is about 7 feet higher then the deer trail I am set up on so he may have been using it to sent check for does. Now that he got my sent he may or may not come back but there could be others. Should I move back to the logging road? Will he come back?? Dang this deer hunting is full of questions eh?

spitfire125 · Post by **spitfire125** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:20 pm

do you use scent control?

Tigerpaw · Post by **Tigerpaw** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:31 pm

Yes I wear sent lock and use the spray.

DesertRat · Post by **DesertRat** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:54 pm

Now is the time of year to try a scent drag with estrous doe urine. If it works, you put the buck where you him to be. The simplest way is to drip some urine on a stick and drag is through the leaves on a path that you would want the deer to follow. When done, throw the stick in front of your stand. A stick is perfect because it is already scent free as long as you don't touch the end with the doe piss.

Worked for me this weekend.

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Wed Nov 14, 2007 2:05 am

Sounds quite typical and normal.
I know if I sit in location "A" the deer all pass location "B" and if I switch, so do they.

I've been setting in a blind watching a freshly harvested small cornfield and seeing up to 4 bucks and 10+ does about every evening, but never a shot opportunity because they stay out of range. I moved back to my location covering a small isolated field that borders the cornfield. I have a feeder and mineral block there, and eventually a deer is going to get his timing wrong and show up. I have a choice of seeing a lot of deer out of crossbow range, or seeing very few deer, but when one shows it will be in range - I'll stick with the long sits with a good chance of shooting one when it does show up.
I'd pick the location with the best shooting lanes and sit it out. You might want to try some scent trails, or a scent "wick" in a location that would give you a shot. Limited calling might produce results, too.
Just keep reminding yourself - deer don't grow old by being stupid & careless, but they do make mistakes! We just have to be there when they do make a mistake if we hope to kill one. So spend all the time you can in the stand and it will eventually pay off!
Good luck on getting him!!!!!!!!!

BTW - A "sure fire" trick to seeing him up close & personal is leave the crossbow at home and bring a camera. Works all too frequently, but digital cameras don't hold up well when thrown from stands.

VixChix · Post by **VixChix** » Wed Nov 14, 2007 9:43 am

Wabi - you've described my usual hunting situation pretty accurately!

flbuckmaster · Post by **flbuckmaster** » Wed Nov 14, 2007 12:43 pm

tigerpaw, can you split the distance so you can cover both the road and the trail? Can you trim a shooting lane or two to get a shot to the road from where you are set up right now. My experience has been to hunt the thick stuff for bigger bucks so hunting the trail might be your best bet. The buck you saw on the road was probably "trolling" for hot does but there are probably bigger bucks that are still using the trail for travel and cover. Also you might go in with a chainsaw and cut some lanes from your road stand to the trail. There is still plenty of hunting time and my experience is the deer will get used to it pretty quick as long as you dont clearcut the place.
jay

crazyfarmer · Post by **crazyfarmer** » Wed Nov 14, 2007 9:21 pm

this is hunting 101.. if you hunt corner A, then the buck will come out in Corner B.....

its a guessing game and sometimes we happen to guess right. But 80% of the time we are wrong LOL

I wouldnt worry about height, I kill pretty decent bucks year after year at only 10-15ft heights. Just have to play the wind right and know when to hunt a area. If that buck smelled you, I doubt he returns to that area. But its always more than one buck around