Talk about making the right move! On Oct. 1, 2005, Ohio’s archery opener, author Mike Rex correctly second-guessed this 218 6/8-inch non-typical megabuck and closed the deal with a perfect shot. Mike’s awesome buck graced the cover of our January 2006 issue.

Like humans, deer aren't all cast from the same mold. Some are passive or shy, while others appear almost aggressive. Combine this with the fact that their demeanor can change in an instant, and the idea of teaching yourself to "think like a big buck" could be very helpful.

A handful of bucks I've bowhunted over the years stand out from all the others. These were not necessarily the highest-scoring or most impressive animals I've pursued, and I never did get within bow range of some of them. However, these bucks taught me the most about patterning (if that's possible) or how to think like a mature male whitetail. The real "trophy" from each of them was the experience gained from pursuing these cagey veterans.

Most of the areas I hunt are not very conducive to glassing or summertime scouting. I do have a few agricultural fields and food plots that help with pre-season inventory. But for the most part, I hunt big woods by Midwest standards. For this reason, most of my pre-season strategy revolves around sheds found and visual sightings from the previous winter.

DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING
Early one spring, I found a shed from a genetically promising 3 1/2-year-old buck. I had seen this buck numerous times the previous fall. This deer spent a lot of time in a fairly small area (less than 50 acres), and I would see him in the same clover food plot most evenings.

The following fall, the buck had grown tremendously. As a 4 1/2-year-old "breeder" buck, he had grown a few stickers, and his easily recognizable rack would potentially gross in the 170s. It would probably net over 160. When bow season arrived, I had four strategic stand sites set up to ambush this great buck in the area he had frequented the previous fall. My confidence level was high. There was no reason, I thought, to try to climb into this buck's mind. This was going to be easy! After all, the year before I could barely "shoo" him out of the clover plot.

However, to my great disappointment, this was the year I discovered how far mature bucks can travel during the fall, especially when more-dominant bucks might inhabit the same area.

My first sighting of the buck during archery season was over 1 1/2 miles from where I thought his home range was located. Later that year, I bumped him out of the food plot and immediately assumed "He's back." In a six-week period, I saw this buck twice from a tree stand. He eventually wound up falling to a hunting buddy's arrow two years later.

Sometimes, to think like a big buck, you've got to broaden your horizons. In the case of the aforementioned buck, I erroneously assumed his home range would remain the same as he matured from a 3 1/2-year-old subordinate buck to a 4 1/2-year-old breeder. With other bucks of at least equal status within the local population, it is logical that he would have to expand his territory during the fall rut.

page: 1 | 2 | 3