How to keep a trophy buck around

[ZakbassZak]

I've had a big buck show up on my trail cam 3 nights in a row between the hours of 9:30pm - 6:30am. Bow season is still a ways out here in Ohio so is there anything that I should or should not do to keep this brut around? Thanks!

[mrbb]

well this time of yr food is the real key to keeping them on your lands( come closer to the rut and it will switch to where there are doe)
and after food its going to be cover and security or honestly need all 3 in a close area for ideal set ups! if you ask me!
and the less pressure you put in his area the better, most bigger bucks like privacy if you ask me!, and many seem to live away from the rest of the local herds too!

But sadly this is a question I have been trying to answer for yrs at my place as well, as I really don't have the cover, and just cannot seems to make any that they like or will last

and as such deer just live off property and come to eat, as I am the major food source in the area
but sadly, once a little pressure starts
and that typically starts here once they shed there velvet about 2 weeks+ before the hunting season starts(with poaching)
most of the deer thus know they can just show up at nite in the crops/food plots and be gone before light making nocturnal deer at my place

if you figure out a better way to keep a BIG buck, let us all know, sure more than me would love to know how

best answer I could tell you is to buy lots of land, a good 500+ acres should be enough to hold deer all yr if managed right
I have about 200, and its just not enough here!, here deer travel a few miles every day and think nothing of it

[ohiobuckhunter]

Very little pressure don't hunt him until the conditions are write

[ZakbassZak]

I understand the low pressure thought. The only down side is that the property owner routinely cuts firewood near my stand. Last year I shot a 8 point shortly after the property owner left the area. I'm going to continue to put corn down once a week and check my camera at the same time. My guess is that this buck is at least a 150-160 class deer. My plan is to hunt him early in the bow season before the rut begins. Any other thoughts or suggestions? Should I hunt him in the morning or evening or does it matter? Thank you all for your advice!

[ghunter]

How about a picture of the buck? We all love to see a monster deer.

[Big_Holla]

Don't bugger him!! A lot can change in the next several weeks when it comes to his habitat and the more pressure you or anyone else puts on him will surely send him packing.

[ohiobuckhunter]

Only hunt him when the wind is in your favor

[ZakbassZak]

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[ZakbassZak]

Thanks for all your advice, I have learned a lot. Good luck to you all!

[Jim D]

I might even think of taking the camera out. You know he is there. Make a food run out now and the one the week before season. Pack a lunch, get to your stand real early, hit a cup of coffee and sit in for the long run. I would for sure leave the area as quit as possible til opening morning. As far as keeping deer around mrbb is 100% correct, you need a ton of land, load of money for plots, airplane to track, and a bank account that allows you to do this year round. Patients and time in the woods paying attention to the small things will get you a shot at him. Good luck.

[MQ1]

Man that is my type of buck i like em wide when i can get em! we have alot of high racks here it seems.I used to feed 365 days a year I have full time night and day security cameras out 1200 feet of burried cable to the house on its own tv. till the corn went crazy not to hunt off of just to keep track, i feel your pain , here is what i have seen , I would have 12 bucks or better all year long coming and the week before season GONE , and the sad part is i may get to see one of them in season, hopefully he is the dominant buck in your area , Size doesnt matter who the Bully is , is the problem .The most aggressive will be the boss and that is what you are left with, and it sux sometimes. When they get to breaking up the Bully wins. I really hope for you that he hangs around , he is very nice, But i also hunt farm land area, and they do cut wood, If the deer are raised around that it doesnt effect them, now a hunter doing different things will.That is what they notice the most odd activity . Just always keep in mind , you are entering their living room , they know where every chair is setting and how they smell. Just keep that in mind and act accordingly and you will do fine. I do agree you know he is there move the camera out , If he is coming to the area where the camera is in the wee hours of the AM you will need to think about where he may be in the daylight to get to that area.Dont get in his bedroom, its way to late for that but get as close as you safely can , thats the hard part. Good Luck and keep us updated on that boy.

[Bushman]

Why you werent kidding were you. Great buck. Hunt elsewhere early season-oct then once nov comes around slip in on him.

[ZakbassZak]

Thank you again for all of your suggestions - Its been over a week since I check my camera last, I plan to go in the morning to retreive it and move it to the other side of the property. I also plan to put a little more corn out with some wildgame acorn rage. I have my stand up in the area and measured the distance from my stand to where the trail comes into the area. I have been practicing that shot every day! The property, where im hunting is only 23 acres surrounded with a lot of roads and houses, and unforantily I am right on the property line and am unable to move closer to his bedding area.. Hopefully my next photos will have him around a little more during the daylight areas - that is if he's still around! I will give you all an update along with some more photos..hopefullly.. tomorrow.

[ZakbassZak]

Big guy is still around! Went and check my camera this past Saturday and for 4 days straight he showed up around 6:30-7 pm and stayed around until 1-2 a.m. I really think that I'm hunting his bedding area?!? However, I did not see him the last 2 days before I went to check the camera. The corn was completely gone and I think that kept him from coming back..hopefully. I put down more corn with some more acorn rage - hopefully that will keep him around. I know some of you advised in taking down the camera but I just couldn't do it! I have to see for myself if the big guy is still hanging around. I'm going back to check again on Thursday (4 days since the last time I checked) to put down more corn and check my camera. If he is still there I am going to remove the camera and keep quite until opening day. Any thoughts? Am I doing the right thing? Thank You.88648865886688678868

[Crossfire]

very nice!

[ZakbassZak]

Do you think this deer could score a 180?

[C-CREEK]

Kill this stud on opening day. If he's coming in every day (or close to) you gotta give it a try. They are in their feeding patterns and he hopefully wont be pressured to change his routine. If you can get in with the wind right and not alert him, you got him.

[C-CREEK]

By the way, I'm showing him measuring 156" gross and 147" net using buckscore for what it's worth.

[Buckeye360]

I really hope you get a shot! Double the bait, hunt the wind and kill him the first day!

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

[ZakbassZak]

Hey Guys - I'm a little worried. I went and check my camera today and to put out more corn and I have no photos of the big guy. It's been over a week since I've seen him last. Any ideas or anything I can do? THanks

[hortontoter]

If you look at your last set of photos he knows the camera is there. In the last photo it looks like he was moving in to investigate its presence. Hope this didn't spook him away.

[ZakbassZak]

I guess that could be true.. I've had my camera up for over a month and I have multiple photos of him up close looking at the camera. All I can think of is that I was feeding him frequent enough. He only showed up when there was food. I have been mixing in that acorn rage stuff in with my corn. Buck bomb makes an acorn rage scent. I'm thinking about putting more corn out the Wednesday before opening day and setting off that can... Not sure though..

[hortontoter]

I have the same issues with bucks at my place. Seems they are around all summer but disappears as September rolls around. The property to the south of mine gets squirrel hunted pretty hard. I think the sound of shotguns moves by mature bucks away for a while. Seems around mid October they begin to filter back in. But, this filtering may be due to the onset of the rut at that time also. They keep us guessing which keeps the game interesting.

[ZakbassZak]

Will making a mock scrape work you think?

[hortontoter]

I don't think I would do that. The more you disturb the area the more wary he will become. I'd just hunt the area ONLY with the correct wind. Hopefully sooner or later he shows for you. These deer we see all summer don't up and move miles away in my opinion. They are in the same area we just need to be there at the right time. I hunt by the odds. By that I mean I am on stand as much as possible in hopes that I am there when the buck I am pursuing shows up. Some seasons it works some it doesn't. But, the more often I am there I shift the odds more in my favor.

[MQ1]

Hey Guys - I'm a little worried. I went and check my camera today and to put out more corn and I have no photos of the big guy. It's been over a week since I've seen him last. Any ideas or anything I can do? THanks

Stay away and hunt smart when season gets here , they become touchy when the bone turns hard. One mistake on a mature buck can make him avoid the area for several months.

[Big_Holla]

The more you do around there the more you will send him packing. He is there for the food, not a mock scrape so the chance you leave any scent behind while making it will surely alert him to that. Just keep doing what you are doing. As far as the scent bomb it would do you no good to put it out before season, he will get there and find the can with probably your scent on it if left behind. JMHO I would not change a thing and hunt him the first day or two you hunt him. If he doesn't show then maybe pull out the acorn scent bomb.

[00buck]

keep on feeding him and hunt it with wind in your favor and hunt it opening day or as close to it as you can and sit all day and be patient

[ZakbassZak]

Thanks guys. I checked my camera and put more corn out Wednesday. Im going to go completely scent free tomorrow where I will check my camera and remove it and put more corn out. I'm going to leave it alone until Saturday where I plan to hunt form 2 to dark. Hopefully he's on my camera tomorrow - it sure would make me feel better!! I'll let you know what I find.

[ZakbassZak]

Still no sign of the big guy. I do have 2 small 6 point bucks that I've never seen up until the big buck was gone..Could this be a sign? Also, I and see lots of buck dropping around the feeding area. Is there any chance these smaller bucks have anything to do with the big guy missing?

[PlayTheWindMike]

If you don't get him before the rut just make sure you are planted on the doe runs come the rut. You will see him, if not his uncle or another big or bigger one. I have hunted for nice bucks and all of a sudden a bigger one I had never seen shows up around the rut and just makes me wonder where has this buck been or come from. good luck

[ZakbassZak]

He's Back! Check my camera today and he showed up for the first time in 12 days yesterday around 1 p.m. Looks like its going to be a long day Saturday!

[Big_Holla]

Dang, that's great he's showing up in the daylight but kind of sucks as you don't know when to be there! Yep, a long sit...better get comfy!

[Retired2hunt]

A very nice buck you have there - he is a nice one. Good luck and hopefully you are not sitting there a long time waiting for him to show a perfect side shot!