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Damn nocturnal bastards!

BlueSpruceOutfitters

BlueSpruceOutfitters

Junior Member
941
71
Valley City, Medina Co. OH
Okay gents. Need some ideas. Trail cams up and running have caught a bunch of nice bucks including the one I've been after for two years now in a small section of woods near a cut bean field. They bucks show up really regularly but all at night. What have you guys done to get on nocturnal bucks by you? Legally of course. Lmao. Here's some pics. ImageUploadedByTapatalk1420125238.558958.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1420125248.002105.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1420125254.752412.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1420125261.102543.jpg
 
Very nice bucks.. That is a monster 8!

Naturally deer are nocturnal, younger deer don't always follow the script and there are many factors that can play into it and change things a bit but the big boys usually follow it to a T and that's how they get to be mature... Bed during the day and feed during the night. For the most part only times you may find the big boys doing other wise is chasing, or if food sources are low. You have to catch them when they slip up.
What you need to do is get closer to the bed in the mornings, and hope to catch them running a little late.. In the evenings they may hit food the food sources but typically they will wait until after legal shooting light so if you can find staging between bedding and food that's you were you'll have the best shot.
Now's also the time to start considering extreme tactics to that you wouldn't do earlier in the season.
You can go get in bed with him, getting late enough in the season to try this. Get in the Woods very very early and set up quietly. Or you can "bump and dump" stand on back bow in hand and go purposely try to bump him off his bed then set up shop waiting for him to return.
 
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Try to find where he is bedding and move closer to his bed. He is that big because he is smart and nocturnal. Him messing up is rare but I could still happen. Late season I normally harder to find food sources and he could start spending more time searching. How big of an area do you have to hunt him?
 
Doublej and Strothers23 both offer great ideas. I'll just add this. IMO, this time of year another way is to set up on funnels or escape routes between bedding areas and have someone just mill around no closer than 150-200 yards away from you maybe getting one of these mature nocturnal deer up on his feet. Thats the main obstacle right now. You can be in the best setup near bedding or feeding but if they stay down till after dark what good is it?!? Until really bad cold temps or heavy snows or ice covers up the food and gets them up on their own a little light forced movement might be your best bet right now.
That 8 is a friggin dandy of a buck!!!! Good luck with him!
 
That 8 is a stud.I myself only hunt evenings late season as most mature bucks seem to bed down before light and we tend to just alert them when heading to our stands in the dark.
Like the others said get as close to his bedding area as you can without bumping him.
Rics idea is a good one also.
 
doublej said:
That could be a factor if the tract you hunt is smaller and the bedding is on a neighboring property, could limit you a good bit
Click to expand...

It's actually a very large area. Around 500 acres or so. I own part and have exclusive hunting rights to the other part. The problem is that with a normal SW wind, I can't even get close to the bedding areas without busting him out. I think I'll try and get him moving during muzzleloader this weekend and see if I can crack him that way but only time will tell.
 
The problem with busting him in his establish bedding area, is that with as much acreage, they'll just relocate and you'll be back to square one.

I'd get as close as you can to the bedding area, as early as you can and see how it goes. However, during a full moon, I'd hunt mid-day.

Bowhunter57
 
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