During the early seasons, bucks mostly stick to their summer patterns. This means that your hunting locations should be chosen based on their proximity to late-summer food sources and travel routes. (Photo courtesy of Josh Honeycutt)
September 09, 2024
By Josh Honeycutt
Whitetails are smart animals. Give one several seasons to learn the ropes, and they become downright difficult to hunt. Outwitting mature bucks on their home turf takes critical thinking, serious forethought, situational interpretation and accurate reaction. Of course, there are certain locations where mature bucks are more vulnerable to deer hunters. What follows is some of these locations and why they qualify as the best places to ambush big bucks.
THE EARLY SEASON The off-season of sadness and withdrawal from tree stand therapy is over. Deer season has arrived, and it’s time to release some bullets and arrows. Of course, the latter begins first, and early archery seasons offer late summer and early fall opportunities at whitetails that are focused on predictable bed-to-feed patterns. Just as much of the year is, the key focus is food.
The Best Summer Bedding: Whitetails need different types of bedding throughout the season. When it’s warm, deer seek areas that are cooler and offer reprieve from the harsh sunlight. This is commonly on north-facing slopes, bottomlands and areas that receive consistent wind flow.
Early Season Food Patterns: Whitetails are creatures of habit. That said, individual patterns can last a few days or a few weeks. Generally, early-season patterns last longer; and as the season progresses, they shorten. Finding an early season bed-to-feed pattern that target deer are using is a great way to catch a buck off guard.
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Isolated Water Sources: A mature buck can consumer between 3 and 5 quarts of water per day. They get some of this from moisture-rich food sources, but this is more so during the spring and early summer. Once deer season arrives, whitetails must get more of their water intake from direct sources. This makes an isolated watering hole close to bedding an excellent place to find success.
Pockets of Falling Fruits: Whitetails love diversity, and fruit trees offer an element of that. Apples, crabapples, pears, persimmons, plums and other fruits are excellent food sources. Deer target these heavily when they begin falling. Because fruits go so quickly, I’ve seen increased daylight movements as deer attempt to consume these great foods before they are gone.
First and Last Acorns: The first acorns to drop are generally members of the white oak family. This is good for two reasons. First, deer prefer white oak acorns over those of the red oak variety. Secondly, deer start hitting these as soon as they begin falling. Hunters who focus on these have higher odds of intercepting a target animal, especially if the acorns falling are concentrated in a specific area. Of course, once acorns start falling, the early season is fading, and pre-rut is near.
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