Factors Contributing to Killing Your Biggest Buck

WHat are some of the factors that contributed to you killing your largest deer? Some of these might be the weather, rut, blind luck, early in the season, special feed, change of blind placement, other hunters pushing deer to you, scrape, rubs, water, etc. What do you think was the determining factor/factors that helped you kill the biggest buck you have taken would be another ways to ask the question.

Right place with the right age structure at the right time.

I typically see and have killed my biggest bucks during the rut and immediately following the rut. I've great success catching old bucks coming to corn in the post rut. These are bucks that you wouldn't see at feeders any other time. They've been running hard and not eating, so they're hungry.

This has been universally true, regardless of region...south Texas, Hill Country or West Texas. The only down side to post rut bucks is that there's a good chance that their antlers may be a bit dinged up or entirely busted.

Knew the buck was in the area... took a week to hunt him... sat 4 strait days with only a few hours down time and saw very little movement... he messed up on the 5th day late into the morning... think I saw three deer the whole 5 days other than the morning I changed up properties to shoot a doe.. right place at the right time like said

Blind luck!

LUCK

Siting in the stand every chance I get.

Hard work, sweat, and then a lot of luck.

Luck, patience, and a great Father.

Was lucky enough to have the deer show up on a small LF south texas property. Was patient enough to watch him grow from an 8 point yearling to a 11 pt 2YO to a 13 pt 3 yo and shoot him as a typical 12 pt 4 year old, and I have a great father that passed him 2 times the week I shot him because he had already tagged his buck for the year. We hunted him the whole month of November, he was all over the cameras, but we couldn't connect and see him in person. The week before I shot him dad saw him and passed because he already had a buck, I tried to convince him to shoot, but he wouldn't. The weekend I shot him my dad saw him Saturday morning and I shot him Saturday afternoon.

Some don't consider shooting a 4 yo patient, but that is what we decided was practical for our property at the time. We have had pretty good luck with deer attaining 4 years of age and I'm more inclined to let them go a little longer.

Free range, no blind or feeder mule deer - willingness to go out in cold, crappy weather, especially the morning after a freight train of a front has blown through.

Blessed with the opportunity. Never seen the deer before or had him on camera even had someone scare him off 10 minutes before he cam out again.

Not being a "fair weather hunter". Two of my three biggest bucks were killed when I was probably one of a very few number of hunters who were in the woods at the time, and either on the front or back side of severe weather.

My story is similar to Nav's. Hunted a known East Texas buck for 5 days before getting a good bow opportunity. I never seen a buck at the feeder past 7:30am and never seen the buck I was after at a feeder in daylight hours (this is with THREE years of game camera pictures of him)

Cold November morning, almost 9 am and I know nothing is coming to the feeder so I'm slouched down in my 15 foot tripod, feeling deflated after 5 straight days of hunting, and I don't even have my release attached to my loop.

Decide to get down, but not before I try a few calls. Hit the doe bleet, grunt, bleet can, and then followed it up with a few snort wheezes (I honestly made these calls just to blow steam)

2 minutes later while I was getting down THE 10 point I've been watching for the past 3 years comes hauling arse directly under my tripod. I'm moving around trying to get into position all the while watching him breath heavily as he scans the open field he just ran into. He was so pumped about one or all of the calls he never sees me move into my seat or draw.

He ended up around 25-30 yards and slightly quartering away. Never found any blood (3 blade rage and only 2 blades opened), but he only made it 60 yards.

210 lbs, 13" spread, 135"

Brows were 7 inches long

I killed my largest East Texas buck after a lengthy walk to a somewhat remote area of the Davey Crockett National Forest. I'm sure it was the sound of hunters passing through the area on their way back to their camp on ATV's that "bumped" the buck past my stand around 10am one Opening Day morning. It was this, along with my knowledge of the spot being near a natural deer crossing, that put me in the right spot at the right time.

Walk more and stay late and you'll see more deer, especially if nearby hunters do neither.

Hunted a few years there when I was a young teen. That forest was crawling with hunters that kept the deer scared and moving. I thought using reflective tacks to mark trails was a good idea, but boy was I wrong the first early morning when I clicked on the flashlight

I know exactly what you mean. Nothing can give you an uneasy feeling any quicker that seeing what first looks like a glowing eye looking back at you.

If you're willing to do your homework, you can find areas of the Davey Crockett that never see a hunter.

I was still a little scared at the dark back then. Ha. A mile walk into the national forest at 13-14 in pitch black will make you start imagining things.

I believe the way you access your blind is one of the most crucial factors.

2014 season, at my blind, I saw more deer (and bucks) then anybody else on the lease combined, but my blind was easily the closest to camp. I cleared a small path from camp so I could walk in with no flashlight, (even when there wasnt a moon) without trampling a bunch of sticks and thicket.

Had a couple very nice bucks coming in, but with one more year they would be awesome. Late November, I saw one of the biggest bucks I had ever seen, but he was chasing a doe and wasnt able to get a shot off in time.

Fast forward to last season. We gave up the 600 acres our camp was on due to lack of activity (my blind was just on the other side of the fence on our other 800 acres). I changed my route to get to the blind and had to drive quite a bit through some prime territory to get to my blind (still walked at least a 1/4 mile in). Activity dropped dramatically from the get go. The 6-10 does/hunt I would see on a regular basis diminished to 2-3.

Did this for about 3 weeks, and decided to park at the corner of the 600 and 800, hoof it through some thick stuff, and mirror the way I would access my blind the prior season (with out trespassing of course). That afternoon I shot the largest deer I have ever harvested, a beautiful 154" 10.

Have put a lot of thought into why and how I was able to connect with such a great deer, and the only thing I can come up with is how I accessed my blind.

I'd say a willingness to put in the hours needed, and a lot of luck!

Passing on him for years until he got big enough to be a buck of a lifetime.

This but also being willing to hunt alone and to do what others weren't willing to do. I was pretty much on a lease where guys were more interested in drinking than hunting. There were too many on the lease, 8 of us on 650 acres. This was just outside of Mason. I saw a half a dozen bucks that were 150+ in my four years on the lease but it was always right before the season started. Once the season started they were gone. Way to much noise. I started waiting until Wednesday and coming in then and hunting Wednesday evening thru Friday before the other guys got there. I also was more aggressive with my feeding. Then it was simply being at the right place at the right time.

Many hours in a stand, I knew the buck was there, had to wait him out.

I like this. If I don't access it routinely by truck or wheeler I pay careful attention to route, noise, light, and wind on approach.

I have a good friend who refuses to hunt in ground blinds due to his fear of feral hogs.

And although they would never admit it, I'm sure it's their fear of the dark that pushes some guys to drive their ATV's close to their stands.

I agree. As a general rule, you want avoid walking and leaving scent in area where you expect or anticipate deer movement. However, walking in the dark without a flashlight should take into account safety. There are many hunters who would most likely still be alive today if they had only carried and used a $3 flashlight.

first of all, as a famous fisherman said, "if you want to catch big fish then fish where there are big fish"

So I try to hunt where there are big deer. Then I spend a lot of time hunting. You will not see a trophy buck in your trailer or camp.

Then I remain patient and wait for the right deer. I have no problem not shooting a buck every season - willing to wait for the right opportunity.

When the right opportunity presents itself I try to be prepared - I try to take the very best shot available to me - if that means getting out of a stand and getting myself into a range that I am sure I can kill the deer then that is what I do

Hunted my best deer ever taken for 4 days straight - was patient - when he finally showed, instead of taking a 200 yard plus shot near dark, I got out of my blind and went through the brush. Got to 100 yards, crawled out into the sendero and took a shot I that I knew would be a kill shot. He booked so it all worked out

Sticking with the plan. Being prepared to execute the shot. Hunting where mature bucks are. Putting in the hunting hours.

The wind.

Yes sir this.

Can't kill them if you ain't out there. Lots of azz time and luck.

Like Texflip said, you have to be hunting. And luck helps. And the rut helps, since it dumbs down the bucks a good bit.

And there's one thing few people mention. The big bucks are way smarter than most folks think, and they usually know where you are. They will avoid you if they know where you are, so hunt outside of your pattern. I killed a lot of big bucks by being where they thought I wasn't. I killed quite a few big bucks while they were looking at the stand they thought I was in. Shot em in the back, I guess you could say.

I experienced this first hand many years ago while hunting a small tract of land that I had hunted for many years during high school and college. I decided to throw up a ladder stand in an area between a food plot and thicket that I felt certain deer were using as a bedding area. I also picked the area because it was between two longstanding box stands. My thoughts were that if I were a buck trying to reach the bedding area without being seen by hunters in the box stands, that would be the route I would take.

I took a wide (18-inch) eight-point about 45 minutes after throwing up the ladder stand as he was headed straight towards the bedding area.

I also believe firmly that older bucks are smart enough to use their nose to stay just beyond where you can see them. And unlike younger bucks that often blow at you, older bucks will stay silent so that you never know they were there.

Time in the stand. Biggest buck on my lease killed after Christmas. Made an appearance 6 times total on different cameras. He saw a young buck near a feeder and ran to him to run him off and boom. Still was never going to the fender though as hqe was never seen there.

Biggest I killed was at 10:40 am chasing a doe being chased by 4 other bucks. Large ranch with no feeders. Most people are at the house then. 215 yard shot in December in Bosque. They were still rutting.

Other big one for me was at 10:30 am in Dec in S. Tex.

Three things that many deer hunters ignore most. The biggest bucks are seldom killed at feeders, it pays to remain in the stand when others have long since returned to camp or gone home, and not spending time at the range usually comes back to bite you.

What TX Dan said.
Plus my largest deer have all been taken when others were either gone or sitting in camp and during really extreme weather conditions (my largest was actually taken right in the middle of a horrific thunderstorm that I was actually looking for a break in to get down out of the stand for safety when suddenly through the down pour/wind howling I saw a nice 8 point coming through the brush followed by a 12 that had not been seen or on any cameras. I back off feeder locations a couple of hundred yards and hunt tripods or ground blinds, only hunt with favorable wind for location, and walk long distances to get to hunting spot and I firmly believe in the Dead Down Wind products, do not wear my hunting clothes or boots in to camp or vehicle. I keep them stored separate and dress after I park and step away from veh, 4 wheeler, utv etc and undress before the return ride. Works for me. I believe big deer do pattern hunters/box blinds. However, when the rut is in full swing for those magical few days, I believe you got to be out there as much as possible because that love craze just makes the boys stupid and they can show up anywhere at anytime. Right place, right time, right deer structure, and yes luck. Control what you can, hunt when and as often as you can and be patient.

I killed my biggest 30 minutes into the 2010 regular season. Honestly, for that one, trail cam scouting was the biggest factor. I knew he had been there several days the week before. We had it narrowed down to the two most likely pastures and i was in the right spot when the sun came up.

Rattling. Early in the season.

Stay out of the area until all the conditions are right.

The rut has been a factor in almost every good buck I have taken. Either with a doe, actively cruising, or coming to the sound of another buck chasing.

Pure f*(k*$% luck............

Luck, my biggest deer was coming to the protein feeder all summer had 100's of pics during his growth phase. Then season opened and he was gone, figured someone else got him. 3 rd week I'd season leaving ranch to go to town to pick up cattle cubes and lunch at 11:30 I look across the pasture and see a buck thrashing a mesquite. Stopped got out and watched the show for a minute and when he stopped and picked up his head I could not believe it was him. To date he is the biggest buck ever taken on the place. You never know when the big one will show up so Hunt when ever you can.

Just hunting often.
Blind and corn feeder, they will come

as a guy told me years ago "feed heavy"

I attribute this one to not being pressured. New area last year. hadn't been hunted in a few years. feeder and pen went down early. but, because of all the rain last fall I didn't hunt the tree stand early for safety reasons. the big 6 I was looking for didn't come out until after I shot the little 10.

My biggest was in 30+ mph winds with a cold front blowing in. 3 of us were drinking a few beers in camp debating on whether to hunt or not! My F-I-L is old school and swears deer don't move in high winds (LOL...he is a democrat, but that's for another post) so just to prove him wrong I said screw it, y'all stay and drink I'm going to my blind. I took 2 beers and didn't even have time to drink the first one before ol boy showed up.

Driving to my hunting lease on a morning where the rain was coming down sideways with wind and thunder and lightning flashing and me wondering why in the heck am I not still in my nice warm bed?
I almost turned around and went home that morning but kept pushing on for some reason.
I had to wait in the cabin for a while until the rain stopped as the front pushed through to the south and the lightning stopped.
I settled into my stand and didn't need a flashlight to walk to my stand as it was daylight enough to see.
Just as I sat down and looked up into my clearing there stood four deer at 20 yards.
One was a huge buck and I raised my bow and let the arrow fly.
12pt. 20" inside spread and scored 158 pope & young.
Glad I didn't turn around and go back home that morning.

LUCK - I killed my biggest by hunting the last place anyone would think to hunt. There was one pecan tree in a coastal field at the front of the property within sight of where we parked our vehicles. Instead of hunting all the oak trees on the rest of the property like always, I climbed that tree and the buck followed a doe directly under me that evening.

Luck, sitting different stands, habitat management, passing him up on the first day of season as it would have been an iffy shot. And did I mention luck!?!

I shot my biggest last year. I attribute it a lot to just a well managed family hunting place, and partially just to dumb luck. the fact That the deer was there period is attributable to all the work and patience we've put into the place. the fact that I got him was just lucky. I shot him shortly after 7am Jan 2nd. I walked to the blind in the rain and fell asleep in the blind. I woke up at 7am when the feeder is supposed to feed happy to see a familiar buck that was on our cull list and had every intention of taking him when a much larger deer stepped onto the scene. After spending too much time in the low light and fog trying to figure out if this was a deer we had seen before or not, He acted like with the increasing light that he was going to leave. So I figured it was time to take action. As it turns out he was not a deer the we had seen many times before. or at least not that we could tell.

frame 9pt. 145 5/8 gross. 19.75in spread. 4.5-5.5yr old. 180lbs on the hoof.

Hunger. Not mine, the deer's.

Patience.

That first hour or two immediately after a heavy or lengthy rain can be pure magic when it comes to seeing deer.

And with today's weather apps, a hunter can know just when to expect the weather to clear and be in the stand ready and waiting when it does.

Pure luck and sex . Was sitting in a blind on a power line in Marion county one morning the day before Thanksgiving back in ninety three. Saw a doe cross the right of way, so far away she was just a speck to the naked eye, anyway buck walks out following her and even at that distance u could tell he was a goodun and there was no way that I would have a chance at this deer. 15 minutes later doe pops out running straight down the power line at me with the same buck in tow . She runs up 10 yards from me and stops needless to say luck and sex played the part. He scored 138 the best east tex buck I've ever taken.

The rut and luck.

He saw another buck and stopped long enough for me to get a shot.

I was watching a decent, but not great buck following a doe to the West of my blind. When he stopped and stared to the East - I turned and saw a really heavy buck. The good one was almost all the way thru the clearing, but stopped to look at the smaller buck.

JR

Research, preparation, patience! Every hunt every time.

Rut, open space, food sources, plenty of does and my good luck charm - the mrs. Shot my biggest buck to date when my wife finally decided to go hunting with me last year. Whether she realizes it or not, she'll be coming with me to the lease every weekend now.

He was an older 8 and the ranch manager wanted him gone. Happen to walk out in front of me (about 6 of us had picture of him in the blind). Boom. Dead. 132 inch 8 is my biggest buck, sadly. Been hunting 20 years.

Being a hunting guide on a place where nobody wanted to shoot a deer less than 165 or so.

luck. patience. not very much pressure in the area you're hunting

1. Rut
2. Post rut
3. Dumb luck
4. Fog/fronts blowing in

I recall in Bracketville (near AJ Foyts place) many moons ago with papa, had 3 trophys chasing tail. Needless to say, we ended up with 0. Even as papa aged and had dementia set in, he NEVER forgot that special hunt.

Nowadays in Sutton County, 190 lb on my wall was chasing 3 does. I ALWAYS hunt the fog.