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How 10 of the Top Whitetail Experts Hunt Differently

All these guys have proven their skills in the deer woods, and they all hunt their own way. Find which tactic works best for you and apply it to your own trips afield.

How 10 of the Top Whitetail Experts Hunt Differently
(Photo courtesy of Dr. James Kroll)

Whitetails are some of the most elusive animals in the woods. They are difficult to get close to and even more difficult to kill, and pressured deer are even more challenging. Over time, deer learn how to avoid the bulk of the hunters in a given area, which allows these animals to reach older age classes. So, how do hunters tag these deer? Some get lucky, but most of the time these deer are harvested by expert whitetail hunters who hunt differently. Here are tips from 10 top-shelf deer hunters who implement mentalities and tactics that most hunters don’t use.

DR. DEER

MAP BUCK SIGN

Those who spend time hunting the same properties each year can take their off-season scouting to the next level. According to Dr. James Kroll (shown above), well-known to North American Whitetail readers as Dr. Deer, counting the buck rubs and scrapes on a property can help determine the volume of traffic, and how bucks use the area.

“Count the rubs on the place where you hunt,” Dr. Kroll says. “Do that and look at a map to determine how they travel on that property. Unless it changes habitat-wise, deer should use the same trails every year. Mark rubs as one-way and two-way rubs. That will provide more information. One-way rubs are rubbed on one side, and two-way rubs are rubbed on two sides.”

DAN INFALT

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As someone who mostly hunts public land, Dan Infalt prefers to find overlooked pockets of bedding or habitat that hold pressured bucks. (Photo courtesy of Dan Infalt)
OVERLOOKED BEDDING COVER

The Hunting Beast’s Dan Infalt says that most of his big bucks — say, the top 15 that surpassed the 5 1/2-year-old mark — were deer he knew about before harvesting them.

“I saw it on an observation sit, trail camera, or otherwise saw him in the area,” Dan says. “Then, I homed in on that area. Those deer survive to that age by finding a niche area that no one looks at. The majority of what I’m hunting is public. But even on private parcels, that still seems to come into play. They find a hiding spot no one would think of as a hunting spot. The average hunter looks at woodlots. Instead, look for the overlooked spots.

Dan’s niche is finding their bedding areas. Then, he moves in for an off-season scouting mission. “I get in there for one day during the spring, figure everything out, and don’t come back until it’s kill time,” Dan says. “At the same time, while in there, study the sign and figure out what time of year this buck is here. While some older bucks live in the same area all the time, most are in there for a span of time.”

DAN JOHNSON

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Dan Johnson studies when the doe groups in his hunting areas go into heat to help plan his hunts each year. (Photo courtesy of Dan Johnson)
STUDY DOES

Another tactic for hunters who spend a lot of time hunting the same properties each year is to learn the nuances of each doe group. This can help predict the timing of the rut.

“Know the deer herd on an annual basis and identify when the does are coming into heat,” says Dan Johnson of the Nine Finger Chronicles podcast. “Is it an early doe group? Is it a late doe group? If you spend enough time in the tree and observe the behavior, it will tell you.

“For example, on my main farm, the first five days of November are still pre-rut,” he continues. “There are no does in heat, and the mature bucks are still acting like it is pre-rut. When you identify this, you can then forecast when the does are in heat, and you can attack that timeframe. As it gets closer, I can hit my best stands just before the chaos of the rut ensues. Then, I’m able to target specific deer.”

GREG MILLER

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As a well-accomplished DIY bowhunter, Greg Miller utilizes cameras for fresh intel. He prefers to check his cameras as little as possible to avoid pressuring the areas he hunts. (Photo courtesy of Greg Miller)
CAMERA INTEL

North American Whitetail contributor Greg Miller knows big whitetails. He’s hunted 23 states, bagged deer in 17 of those, and most were DIY deals.

“More than anything, cameras are key,” Greg says. “I feel like the more you can put out, the better. When dealing with mature deer, and people put cameras out, they often check them again and again. That’s pressure. When running cameras for sensitive deer, put it up and leave it alone, or use cell cameras. It doesn’t take a lot for them to relocate, even slightly. So, when you start getting pictures of deer, check cameras less often. That’s the time to back off. Let him have some peace and quiet.”

MARK DRURY

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Dubbed by many as the “Mad Scientist,” Mark Drury intimately studies each target buck on his properties and how their behavior correlates with various weather and hunting conditions. (Photo courtesy of Mark Drury)
RECORD ALL DATA

Mark Drury’s big-buck hunting secret is all about gathering information.

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He uses recordkeeping at the highest level, to decide when and where to hunt specific target bucks. His methods especially apply to trail cameras. “If anyone wants to take their game to the next level, keep every picture and all data that comes within those pictures,” Mark says. “Then, start making assessments and decisions based on historical information, as opposed to information in the here and now. It has changed the game for us. That’s a differentiator for me.

“I have every rack buck photo I’ve ever taken from 2007 to present day,” Mark continues. “I have every year’s moons documented, so I know when it was dark of the moon and full moon. I’ll go back and look at a particular buck and identify when he was in my hunting area, as home ranges vary. But oftentimes, they are habitual in when they are around and when they will daylight. I’ll look at photos of bucks for years at a time and put a file together on a particular buck. More specifically, I’ll find years with similar moons and look at when daylight activity was greatest on a moon that was full on Nov. 7 versus Nov. 17. And then I’ll compare it to what it was like that October or November when we had the same conditions eight years ago.”

Of course, he stresses that weather trumps moon. Even so, he says year-over-year moon phase trends reveal patterns in rut activity and daylight deer movement. These patterns will show correlating daylight movements.

“We kill 70 to 80 percent of our bucks in and around the full moon, including the seven days that precede and follow the full moon,” Mark says. “The two weeks are when we see the most daylight and kill our best bucks.”

So, don’t just react to real-time trail camera data. Instead, analyze all facets of historical trail camera data for generalized trends, and then get more specific on target bucks. This will help to anticipate future deer behavior and movement.

NICK MUNDT

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With experience hunting whitetails all over the continent and guiding hunters, Nick Mundt believes it is important to always go with your gut. As a former guide, he says that not going with his initial gut feeling is one mistake he has seen bite him multiple times. (Photo courtesy of Nick Mundt )
GO WITH YOUR GUT

Bone Collector co-host Nick Mundt has killed a lot of deer and learned a lot of lessons. Despite all these to pull from, it’s a simple yet profound one he urges deer hunters to remember.

“One thing I learned when I was a guide, is that I let people talk me out of my first instinct,” Nick says. “For years, people would be like, ‘Let’s not set up here. Let’s go down the ridge and set up there.’ We’d do that, and then we should have been where I wanted to be. It bit me in the butt a bunch of times.”

Today, he goes with his gut instinct, which is usually his initial feeling. He says it’s easy to talk yourself out of the right situation, but when you feel strongly about something, listen to it. That feeling is usually correct. Then, invest some tree stand time and envision success.

“Time spent is the biggest asset,” Nick claims. “I don’t get discouraged. Sure, there are times when I’m not seeing deer, and I’ll get out of there. But when the time comes to seal the deal, you should’ve played that scenario out in your mind of being successful over and over and over. When that buck comes through there, you must make it count. Whether it’s 10 yards or 50, be ready to execute. In that moment of truth, there are a lot of people who can’t put it together to seal the deal.”

GORDON WHITTINGTON

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Although Gordon Whittington has hunted all over the world for whitetails and has seen nearly all accepted tactics for big deer have success and failure, he has seen one tactic prevail in various regions: mid-morning rut hunts around food sources. He says he’s seen plenty of big bucks cruising food sources for does between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. (Photo courtesy of Gordon Whittington)
MID-MORNING FOOD SOURCES

North American Whitetail’s Editor Emeritus, Gordon Whittington, knows more about mature whitetails than most hunters will ever hope to. Throughout his career, he’s hopped around from state to state, and he’s learned to be open-minded about tactics that work for mature whitetails. But that doesn’t mean these tips work in all areas, or during all times of the season.

“Many tactics are great in one region but for some reason don’t produce as well elsewhere,” Gordon says. “Others are fantastic during a certain part of the season but practically worthless at other times.”

However, no matter the habitat type he’s hunting, he’s had good results conducting morning rut hunts around major food sources.

“I’ve had surprisingly good results hunting around major food sources in mid-morning,” Gordon says. “Conventional wisdom holds that fields and food plots are evening locations, but during the rut, I’ve often found big bucks cruising the edges around 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., hoping to pick up “hot” does. This activity tends to come after does and young bucks that were feeding at first light have made their way back into cover to bed. I’ve learned that if I just hold tight and be patient, I’ll often get a crack at a good buck several hours after daybreak.”

MILES FEDINEC

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As a big game hunting guide, Miles Fedinec is experienced at spotting and stalking various species. For whitetails locked down with does, he prefers to stalk them in open fields. (Photo courtesy of Miles Fedinec)
FIELD STALKING

Big game hunting guide Miles Fedinec spends a lot of time chasing American critters, including the white-tailed deer. He spends time in the Southeast, Midwest and West, hunting all manner of game.

“I’ve killed a lot of big whitetails hunting them like I would a mule deer,” he says. “Like, in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Kansas and Texas, during the rut, we drive around and find bucks bedded in CRP fields instead of the woods. They get a doe, take them out there and lock down. Then, we stalk those bedded deer with bows. If you would have sat in your tree stand in the woods, they’re never walking by you. During the lock-down, people think they must sit in a stand and ride it out. But I’ve killed a lot of deer by searching and catching them bedded in those fields where no one looks.”

BILL WINKE

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A proven big buck killer, Bill Winke says he always tries to prevent any deer on his properties from knowing that he’s hunting them. (Photo courtesy of Bill Winke)
DON’T SPOOK ‘EM

Perhaps the best tactic that Midwest Whitetail founder and outdoor writer Bill Winke implements, is staying off the radars of all deer in the area. “If there is something that I do better than most deer hunters, it is probably going to extremes to keep the deer from knowing I am hunting them,” Bill says. “If the deer don’t know you are hunting them, you can kill them, eventually. That is the whole basis for all my strategies — keep them in the dark and put in the time.”

Naturally, if you spook a target deer, you aren’t likely to kill that animal the same day, or even soon. “But not everyone knows that even bumping non-target deer can be a real hunt killer,” Bill says. “Their body language while moving in that area will tip off other deer that something isn’t right. All the deer become more cautious and stop moving naturally. Go to extremes to control how many deer you bump by taking a thoughtful look at every step you take. Apply a creative approach to get past the tricky spots.”

Sometimes, that might mean catching a ride from the farmer, using water access, or another creative strategy. All said, be creative and use micro-management to overcome challenges. Of course, don’t blindly follow what everyone else is doing. Instead, take all possible measures to keep deer from detecting you. Bill says if you can’t do that, you might be hunting the wrong spot.

AARON WARBRITTON

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For Aaron Warbritton, adapting to the situation and micro patterns he’s seeing in real time are key for success on mature bucks. (Photo courtesy of Aaron Warbritton)
SITUATIONAL TACTICS

The Hunting Public’s Aaron Warbritton covers the element of situational tactics. These are tactics that focus on micro patterns that might only last a day or two.

“Unless hunting a giant managed property, you’re dealing with a buck that’s dealt with hunters. The biggest bucks I’ve seen, hunted, killed or screwed up on, have been in a unique situation,” Aaron says. “When I look back on these situations, they’re very specific. You might find similar aspects to compare, but when you find mature bucks that are really old, situational tactics play a major role.”

He used an example from last season to illustrate this concept. It was during the Iowa late season, and he was hunting during a blizzard. “We knew of a location with south-facing solar and thermal bedding cover with cedars and pines,” Aaron says. “Along the back edge of that south-facing bedding cover was some lowland transitional habitat. It goes from timber to marshy terrain. Along that transition, there was a lot of honey locust. Deer love those pods, especially when it snows and during the winter. All these factors contributed to several large bucks bedding in this spot. They were bedded in the thick cedars during the blizzard and came out on the low side of that — to encounter less wind and snow — and fed in that sheltered area below the bedding.”

That’s a specific example of situational tactics, though. It isn’t repeatable all the time. It was specific to that blizzard, which gusted 40 mph winds and dumped 10 to 12 inches of snow. However, the conditions forced the deer into that spot. Hunters who learn to study the conditions surrounding the local deer herd can better predict what deer are doing. Don’t think of patterns in months or weeks. In many cases, patterns are measured in days or even hours. That’s why situational tactics take center stage.




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