As the weather becomes colder, scientific studies have revealed that most bucks will bed-down within 250 yards of their primary food sources, whether that food source is acorns, green fields, agricultural crops, greenbriers, honeysuckle or any of the other more than 400 varieties of foods deer eat. Start looking for deer trails, rubs and scrapes within that 250 yards of the primary food source.
Larry Norton of Butler, Alabama, an avid, longtime deer hunter explains. “To find a big buck, don’t check heavily-used deer trails close to the food source, because often those trails have been made by does and younger-age-class bucks. I’ve learned to look for dim deer trails, usually 25-50 yards off the edges of green fields, primary deer-bedding areas and winter food sources. Mature bucks during and after the rut generally will circle out of sight downwind of where does feed and bed to use their noses to determine whether an estrous doe or another buck is in the green field, and if a hunter is upwind of the green field. Then that buck can make a better decision as to whether or not he wants to go out into the green field before dark. When a hunter sets up downwind of that dim trail to hunt just before dark, he’ll have a reasonably good chance of taking a big buck.”
To learn more about hunting for deer, check out John E. Phillips’ deer-hunting book, “PhD Whitetails: How to Hunt and Take the Smartest Deer on Any Property,” available in Kindle and print at http://amzn.to/WIEUoo and Audible at https://www.audible.com/pd/PhD-Whitetails-Audiobook/B08VYMWS6J. You may have to copy and paste this link into your browser. (When you click on this book, notice on the left where Amazon says you can read 10% of the book for free). On the right side of the page and below the offer for a free Audible trial, you can click on Buy the Audible book. To see more of John’s deer-hunting books, visit www.amazon.com/author/johnephillips. John’s latest book, “Elk: Keys to 23 More Hunters’ Success,” was just published in Audible on November 15, 2021, and is available now in Kindle, print and Audible at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09B2H9V6Y/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i10.
Tomorrow: Pinpoint Small Sections of Land for Deer