Have you ever tried using a mock scrape to attract and/or position bucks for a shot? If not, I encourage you to give them a try. Based on my experience, the most important characteristic about a mock scrape is its location. Check out this video. It’s a great example…Read more at Winchester.com
Late November and early December can be a difficult time for deer hunters, but understanding deer biology can help you tag a late season buck!
Grant poses with “The Trashman,” a mature buck that was harvested when he was following a receptive doe fawn.
Trying to pattern deer, especially mature bucks during late November and early January is tough. By this time of year the deer have usually felt a high amount of hunting pressure. We know what pressured deer do don’t we? They become nocturnal. Nocturnal deer are very hard to hunt, but lucky for us nocturnal deer will still chase receptive does, even during daylight!
Over the next couple of weeks, doe fawns will be reaching the body weights of approximately 70 pounds. When they reach this weight they will begin puberty and become receptive. Unlike a mature doe who seeks shelter upon becoming receptive, doe fawns go about their normal routine. That routine may consist of bedding in a clear cut during the day or going to a food plot an hour before dark every afternoon. If this is the case, there is a good chance a buck will make an appearance at that food plot during daylight hours.
Game Plan: With our Reconyx cameras placed over most of our food plots on time lapse mode, we will monitor the fields for daylight activity. Next, we’ll search for patterns of doe fawns frequenting the plots. Once we find the fawns, we’ll move in and hope for a mature buck to make his appearance. Grant and I had a great hunt using this same strategy a couple years back as he tagged a nice buck we called “The Trashman.”
Finding the preferred food source during the late season is one thing. Finding the preferred food source with a receptive doe fawn will most likely lead to a very exciting night in the stand. Be sure that you’re not overlooking the doe fawns in your area; they may be the lure that helps you harvest your number one hit list buck.
Daydreaming of Whitetails,
Adam
Young Rae spots a buck coming into the food plot. He’s moving fast, but Rae is steely calm on her FieldPod. This will not be good for the buck. Once again, Rae gets to test a brand new Winchester bullet. It’s a special round that’s not even on the market yet, Deer Season XP. The impact results are dramatic. See for yourself. Also this week: Start with steep slopes and acorns, then build a bedding area, then add a couple Muddy stands at key locations. That’s where we’ll find Grant and watch his sweat equity pay off!
Tip of the Week:
Hunting The Last Days Of Prime Rut
Finding the doe that hasn’t been bred means action for you. Lots of bucks will be scent-checking feeding areas and cover. Hunt cover during mornings, food sources during evenings.
Ever wonder what rattling sequence bucks are most likely to respond to? My friend, fellow hunter, and research biologist, Dr. Mick Hellickson had a great opportunity to test different types of rattling sequences and monitor the response from bucks. Mick had placed radio collars on several wild, free-ranging bucks that roamed…Read more at Winchester.com
Almost every hunter that steps into the woods during the fall has one buck that they dream about, lose sleep over, strategize over and fantasize over. This is the story about that buck and the day it all ended.
Royal George was a frequent nighttime visitor to our Trophy Rock sites.
George Alexander, also called Royal George, showed up on our Reconyx cameras last summer and immediately caught our attention. At that time he was unknown and unnamed. Hoping he would make his living on the farm, we knew he would be our prized buck. About that time the news media was obsessed with a baby in England named George Alexander. How fitting could this name be? While a majority of the world was talking about George Alexander of England, Grant and I were obsessed with George Alexander of The Proving Grounds. After looking through the Reconyx images we decided he was immature and would receive a pass for the 2013-2014 hunting season.
Fast forward to July 1st. We laid our eyes on George for the first time in 2014. One word – WOW! Here in southern Missouri where The Proving Grounds is located, it’s tough for a buck to reach over 160 inches. It certainly happens, but when a buck reaches that size he is the talk of the neighborhood. Grant and I felt that George was 4.5 years old going into this hunting season, so he was the top buck on our hit list. Knowing how hard it is to hunt nocturnal bucks, and sensing our chance for success would be slim to none, Grant and I didn’t hunt George very much. We checked our cameras constantly throughout the fall, hoping for daylight movement of George, and it never happened. As the rut started to come into full swing we hoped a hot doe would lure him out in daylight. Through all of this, there was also concern that he might venture off the property. The fourth night of Missouri firearm season Grant received news.
Grant gave me a call and told me to check my email. I scanned through pictures sent by the neighboring landowner and all our dreams of harvesting George were erased. Our neighbor had shot Royal George late that evening right under his tree. I was immediately upset and got very little sleep that night thinking about that great buck. This is an ending that every hunter has or will experience. It’s unpleasant, but it’s part of managing free ranging whitetails. Sure, it would have been great to see George at The Proving Grounds, but we’re happy for our neighbor and what he was able to accomplish. At the end of the day we need to be thankful for what we got out of the pursuit. George wasn’t poached, or hit by a vehicle, he was harvested by a landowner who was perched in a tree enjoying the evening just like you and I.
As the book closes on this great whitetail, I’m sure another buck like George will come along soon. As deer managers, we will continue to let young deer walk and improve the habitat to grow bigger deer. Congratulations to our neighbor on harvesting such an incredible whitetail!
Daydreaming of Whitetails,
Adam
Watch young Rae Woods try out the new Winchester Deer Season XP. Wow, see the results for yourself! Then Grant and the boys head to Kentucky for some peak rut action where Grant gets “on the board” when he launches a deadly Havoc broadhead. Planting a tree plot during the rut? Either Grant’s off his rocker or this makes good sense. You decide.
Tip of the Week:
If the ground isn’t frozen, it’s a great time to plant a tree plot! Fruit and nut trees planted in locations that allow hunters to approach, hunt, and exit without alerting deer can be very attractive to deer and great stand locations!
There was a fairly good crop of white oak acorns this year throughout much of the whitetail’s range. Deer seek and eat fresh white oak acorns. They will abandon most crop fields, food plots, etc., when fresh white oak acorns are available. Folks that scouted and placed stands near…Read more at Winchester.com
Over the past few weeks scrapes have played an important role in the GrowingDeer.tv Team‘s hunting arsenal. In a recent episode, GDTV #257, we discussed what scrapes are and how to use them for hunting the pre-rut. Even though bucks will continue to use scrapes throughout the season it will be less frequent and with no distinguishable pattern. As the first does enter estrus, bucks begin to focus on does. Scrapes are no longer the primary focus of our hunting.
This mock scrape is at the end of a travel corridor. Bucks still check it out but it’s not as active as it was before a high percentage of the mature does in the area became receptive.
Maybe you have already observed does being chased by several small bucks followed by a larger buck. When this occurs, does get tired of constantly being pushed around and will seek out shelter. Time to shift focus and hunt stands that are near or overlooking areas of dense cover, like a thicket or a clear cut overgrown with saplings. The goal is to catch a buck searching for a doe that has or will take refuge in the cover. You can see how Grant put this strategy to use in episode #157.
In addition to hunting cover, our other preference this time of the year is travel corridors. Travel corridors are areas that deer prefer to use as they travel to their destination. These corridors tend to be paths of least resistance for deer and usually allow deer to move in relation to the wind. We know that does will be using these areas and that bucks will follow.
We also know that now is the prime time. As every day passes more does will become receptive. This means bucks will not have to look as hard for a date, and buck movement will decrease. When that happens, it will be time to shift hunting strategies once again!
I hope you get the opportunity to experience this exciting time of the season.
Managing whitetails with you,
Daniel Mallette
The deer had become the bane of my existence. That may be overemphasizing things a bit, but it’s accurate to say that its hanging belly, dark chocolate antlers and Roman nose consumed my waking thoughts. It started in the summer, when trail cameras I’d strategically placed captured the whitetail and its burgeoning rack. By September, the buck was a bona fide Boone and Crockett trophy, and I was determined to bag it… Read MORE HERE
She’s growing up fast! Raleigh Woods gets her first buck with a bow. She makes a great shot and we have the footage! Plus, Grant and Adam both put more venison on the ground! 3 deer down in this episode.
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