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  • lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Ha! That's funny. I killed her on the edge of a corn field. She then ran through the woodline and expired on a recently cleared farm field. It hasn't rained in so long that the soil looks and feels like concrete.


    Question: I notice most of these pictures are of does. Now that I've got a doe in the bag, I'll be moving on to being patient for a buck. Has anyone noticed daytime buck activity picking up recently? For those of you who hunt muzzle loader every year, do you typically get a buck in the morning or evening? I have Th-Sat set aside for hunting...I am planning to duck hunt in the morning and deer hunt in the evening. These surf and turf days are my favorite few days of the year! But this year I'm really interested in getting my first mature buck. Do you think I'm missing out on major opportunities by skipping the morning hunts? I'll hunt all day next moth during the rut, so I figured this is my chance to get out for ducks in the morning. Any thoughts welcome!

    Personally not enough experience. I’ve had some good bucks through my property, but I haven’t seen them in more than a month. I’ve got a couple button bucks and a spike I see during the day and in the evening.

    So far both nice bucks I’ve shoot were in the evening, early ML. But I’ve also only shot that nice 8 and big 5. Everything else has been a doe, button or spike. This is season 5 for me and 9 deer total.

    I’ve seen nice bucks during the daytime between Columbus Day and during early ML.

    Still remember 3 years ago scouting Patuxent and having a BIG 6-pt walk within 20yds of me on Columbus day at about 11 o’clock . I don’t scout without a crossbow in tow anymore unless it’s not hunting season.
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    If your hunting on the shore and theirs Sika around being in the woods or on a field is a good bet. Bucks will always move around in their core areas to some extent. A little rain will would help to creep in to some otherwise dry spots. I like to hunt a little in the mornings but often move to another area after coming out of the woods. I killed more than a few good bucks between 11 after taking a little leg stretch and chow break to about 2 even during maximum hunting pressure.
    Around my way (mid shore) often times you see a lot of deer heading to your spot while driving in the morning.( keep in mind right now the moon is big as a pie and it's warm) Most of the times these deer have been out feeding from 2 am to about 5. Right around 6 hours later is a good time to be in the woods because they are ruminants and like to browse. The problem is, if your hunting with some other people the deer they see on the way to a spot make them think morning is a premium importunity but the reality is the deer your seeing are going to bed for awhile and will be on there feet a few hours later. If you have a good spot where you can wait it out without worrying about falling out of the stand having the discipline to stay, can pay.

    I killed a nice six point (sika) one time broad daylight after watching them, it was pair, walk around the field and surrounding area one or two times before they came close enough to shoot with my ml. It was about 1:45 before they made it around to the hedgerow I was sitting at. I think I seen them initially about 11:30 after taking a nice nap after about 0930 till I woke up. Killed another one 4 pt. or two years ago standing in the field after I came out of the woods at 11:00 clock.

    Wt's will do the same thing if your patient and you can stay out of the diner which is my weakness. I watched a real big 8 point come out of a branch when I was on the western shore last week at 11:oo. It was in Upper Marlboro on buck lane right in town so i assume city deer do the same thing. he was a whopper too, way out past his ears.

    Good luck deer hunting this year. If I don't do anything Ill get some good sleep in after getting up early to go deer hunting a few times this week but Ill be right in the stand If I can help it. If I get one in the morning better yet I know I just don't have to wait as long.
     

    BossmanPJ

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 22, 2013
    7,057
    Cecil County
    I love practicing with a recurve bow. But not much of a bow hunter. And I suspect for a very long time to come that’s how most of my deer are going to get killed that way. So need to invest more time, energy and money in to it.

    I don’t regret getting my basic Barnett crossbow. Hasn’t screwed the pooch yet. At the same time, something a bit lighter, slightly more compact limbs and another 40-80FPS wouldn't be bad...

    Zeroed my ML in today. Switched from 240gr .44 XTP w/ 100gr BH209 to 300gr .44 XTP. Noticeably heavier recoil. Most accurate load was 103gr of BH209 measured volumetrically. Slightly more accurate than the 240gr were and should have a lot more down range smack to them. I’d tried upping to 110gr and the groups were having fliers so I backed it to 103 and the fliers disappeared.

    3 more days and a night and ML season starts!

    I'm waiting for ML as well. My CVA shoots lights out with 245gr power belts and 100 GR Pyrodex pellets.
     

    remrug

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 13, 2009
    1,762
    manchester md
    I have killed some really nice bucks in the early ML season.I have rattled quite a few in.....all in the evening.I dont know if it's my setup,if it works better in the eve this time of year or if it's just luck of the draw,but that's been my experience in Carroll and Balt Counties
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Never tried rattling anything.

    Anyone have experiences good, bad or neutral? Compared to buck or doe calls? What times of year work best (think rut, but maybe mid October to late December it would work?)

    More thinking the travel corridor in the woods behind my house during November. Or better just plan to sit all day and see if a nice one comes by.
     

    HogCommander

    Active Member
    Aug 10, 2013
    411
    Texas Hill Country
    I've had more luck rattling in bucks pre-rut. Last year in particular I saw a lot of bucks during the rut but they were already following does. They seemed much more interested in staying on the does than checking out my rattling.
     

    remrug

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 13, 2009
    1,762
    manchester md
    Between now and mid Nov has been the most productive for me.Once the firearms season starts it rarely has.I dont know if the rut or hunting pressure shuts it down,but it does shut down for me.

    BTW....I have never had any luck with a grunt call.On 2 occasions I had small bucks come into bow range with a Primos Can call tho.
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    Never tried rattling anything.

    Anyone have experiences good, bad or neutral? Compared to buck or doe calls? What times of year work best (think rut, but maybe mid October to late December it would work?)

    More thinking the travel corridor in the woods behind my house during November. Or better just plan to sit all day and see if a nice one comes by.

    Rattling works soon as the velvet peels off. I carry horns with me every time I go in the woods for 25 years or more. Interestingly enough, does will frequently respond to them. If they show up just wait.

    Maybe only three times have I had a buck come in quick, almost every time down wind and alert only killed one like that when they come in fast.
    Other times I have spotted bucks, rattled and they didn't even care, in fact they left. You rattle harder/louder doesn't matter they don't respond and why do you think that's so? When your set up, do it right before daylight as soon as you can figure you can see well enough to shoot.

    When you do choose to rattle, be ready because they know right where it came from just like calling in a gobbler. After a while like 45 minutes repeat but face the other way when you put the horns together so it sounds different.
    Get a light 6-8 point rack and saw the tips off them so you can carry in your bag, ones with some pearling at the base that will click real lightly. Works best when you use some scent like fresh killed buck piss and your in or near a core an area with good fresh buck sign. You get that by helping someone cut one up or when its being gutted but you have to capture it.
    Try not to smash your fingers when its cold and grip them tightly so they clack not thud through thick gloves.
    If your stands in a good area and you don't have any response don't worry about it. If you like to move around on the ground some, work a quartering wind which is risky but it will work especially if you know the area. Just move in a big circle and get the other side. I like to look for edges where dense cover intermittently juts out from a clear cut or different species of tree. Bucks will cut in and out when cruising for does paralleling a well worn doe trail with a secondary trail.
    The thing is, and this is important when your hunting on the ground and you see a deer, whether your covering ground or not, you will almost always have a shot especially where its flat but you have to be ready to shoot because their instinct is to bolt and look back later. Quit killing all them does at your house if you want to see a buck. They don't get horns by being stupid or by wondering where all the girls went all of the sudden. Kill enough of the big ones off and after a while they'll be none left to show the fawns where to go for safety or feed if you don't have others to push them to you. That's your best bait if you want to kill bucks. Good luck this year.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Rattling works soon as the velvet peels off. I carry horns with me every time I go in the woods for 25 years or more. Interestingly enough, does will frequently respond to them. If they show up just wait.

    Maybe only three times have I had a buck come in quick, almost every time down wind and alert only killed one like that when they come in fast.
    Other times I have spotted bucks, rattled and they didn't even care, in fact they left. You rattle harder/louder doesn't matter they don't respond and why do you think that's so? When your set up, do it right before daylight as soon as you can figure you can see well enough to shoot.

    When you do choose to rattle, be ready because they know right where it came from just like calling in a gobbler. After a while like 45 minutes repeat but face the other way when you put the horns together so it sounds different.
    Get a light 6-8 point rack and saw the tips off them so you can carry in your bag, ones with some pearling at the base that will click real lightly. Works best when you use some scent like fresh killed buck piss and your in or near a core an area with good fresh buck sign. You get that by helping someone cut one up or when its being gutted but you have to capture it.
    Try not to smash your fingers when its cold and grip them tightly so they clack not thud through thick gloves.
    If your stands in a good area and you don't have any response don't worry about it. If you like to move around on the ground some, work a quartering wind which is risky but it will work especially if you know the area. Just move in a big circle and get the other side. I like to look for edges where dense cover intermittently juts out from a clear cut or different species of tree. Bucks will cut in and out when cruising for does paralleling a well worn doe trail with a secondary trail.
    The thing is, and this is important when your hunting on the ground and you see a deer, whether your covering ground or not, you will almost always have a shot especially where its flat but you have to be ready to shoot because their instinct is to bolt and look back later. Quit killing all them does at your house if you want to see a buck. They don't get horns by being stupid or by wondering where all the girls went all of the sudden. Kill enough of the big ones off and after a while they'll be none left to show the fawns where to go for safety or feed if you don't have others to push them to you. That's your best bait if you want to kill bucks. Good luck this year.

    Thanks! Yeah I am off them at my place. On to (bigger) bucks here. I might take a doe on public land if that’s the opportunity presented. Nothing little. I want one more in the freezer and would rather leave the girls and the buttons and spike I see around my place. About 7 of them still coming by (mostly older does).

    I gotta get out of the wood early Thursday. Daughter has a Girl Scouts thing so I have to go watch my boys. Worst possible time to. Need to be heading out of the woods about 6. At least they are old enough if I jump something they can be home on their own for an hour or two. Would just need to be home to feed them and send them to bed.

    Or get in the car while we drive a deer up to the butcher.

    Still leaves almost all of 3 days to hunt.
     

    Striper69

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 31, 2014
    1,400
    Iowa
    A buck with a nice rack on the median of I-29 here in Iowa today. They pick them up pretty fast here so it must've just happened.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    A buck with a nice rack on the median of I-29 here in Iowa today. They pick them up pretty fast here so it must've just happened.

    Gotta be careful with that. Don’t know where they’ve been or what’s going on with them. I know it’s tempting to pick one up you see on the side of the highway if it has a nice rack, but STDs and serial killers are still a thing.

    :lol2::lol2:
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    It just occurred to me my biggest problem with long sits in my stand is total lack of lumbar support (stand doesn’t have a seat back). Something I intend to fix in a season or two getting a nicer aluminum climbing stand with a real seat (and seat back!)

    In the mean time, it sucks after 3 hours. That’s about my limit before I have to start standing and stretching every 10 minutes or so. Which isn’t great.

    Sometimes I can get the stand at just the right angle in the right try and a spare shirt tucked behind the small of my back to make it not so bad.

    Occurred to me Amazon exists and maybe a solution might also. Found a camping/travel inflatable pillow/lumbar support with an adjustable strap. Should allow me to clip it around the tree so it doesn’t fall to the ground if I shift around wrong and at 4.5” thick max, should be able to get it adjusted to give me some good lumbar support.

    Time will tell, but hey, next day delivery so it’ll be to me in time to try it Thursday morning and see if I can manage a few hours in the stand before getting uncomfortable.

    Partly it’s been the realization watching the deer on my property it isn’t remotely like first shooting light to an hour or so after dawn deer are moving. I don’t get many mid day, but I get as much action at 9am last couple of weeks as I do +\- 30 minutes of dawn.

    Usually I tough it out till about 9, but it is encouraging me I need to try to stay out till 10am before moving my stand (if so inclined) or still hunting. Same with evenings. I get more action later, but still get deer coming in starting at about 3 and really picks up by 5. The most is around sunset, but not an enormous difference. Another “get in a stand before 3 and sit my butt there till I run out of light. So I need to find a way to manage 4hrs at a time in a stand for the best odds.
     

    Archeryrob

    Undecided on a great many things
    Mar 7, 2013
    3,064
    Washington Co. - Fairplay
    It just occurred to me my biggest problem with long sits in my stand is total lack of lumbar support (stand doesn’t have a seat back). Something I intend to fix in a season or two getting a nicer aluminum climbing stand with a real seat (and seat back!)

    These Ameristep Back Lumbar Support work pretty good and take a lot of that strain on your back out for hand on stands.

    I also add these on the cheap doubles we got years back. These stadium chairs turn that "my azz hurts" in 1 hours to 4 hours in this stand aint that bad. I got them for $40 and seems like the price went up a bit since then.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    These Ameristep Back Lumbar Support work pretty good and take a lot of that strain on your back out for hand on stands.

    I also add these on the cheap doubles we got years back. These stadium chairs turn that "my azz hurts" in 1 hours to 4 hours in this stand aint that bad. I got them for $40 and seems like the price went up a bit since then.

    Those look like they’d work well for a fixed stand, but I am using a climber. So it needs to pack small and light to go in my pack. Something I will keep in mind for next year as I am thinking of getting some climbing sticks and a hang on stand for my back woods.

    But for this weekend, it’s to public land I go.
     

    Archeryrob

    Undecided on a great many things
    Mar 7, 2013
    3,064
    Washington Co. - Fairplay
    They have an adjustable strap, to go around the tree. Just strap it to the climber and clip it there for pack in and out. I have hung them on my backpack to carry them in before later on.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    So it sounds like it’s supposed to be really windy tomorrow. Might end up staying on the ground. I’ll at least take the stand out with me in my car, but I might leave it behind when I get in to the woods. With all the leaves on the trees, I don’t much care to be swaying back and forth a couple of feet.

    Hopefully it isn’t that windy.
     

    Speed3

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 19, 2011
    7,816
    MD
    So it sounds like it’s supposed to be really windy tomorrow. Might end up staying on the ground. I’ll at least take the stand out with me in my car, but I might leave it behind when I get in to the woods. With all the leaves on the trees, I don’t much care to be swaying back and forth a couple of feet.

    Hopefully it isn’t that windy.

    Good luck tomorrow, I'll be out Friday
     

    newmuzzleloader

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Apr 14, 2009
    4,765
    joppa
    So it sounds like it’s supposed to be really windy tomorrow. Might end up staying on the ground. I’ll at least take the stand out with me in my car, but I might leave it behind when I get in to the woods. With all the leaves on the trees, I don’t much care to be swaying back and forth a couple of feet.

    Hopefully it isn’t that windy.

    If you go out tomorrow make sure you look up at the trees you're under. High winds will snap out dead limbs. I know in my woods most of the ash trees died out this year(that emerald ash borer I suppose) so there is a lot of dead wood hanging. I have a stand on one of them so that one won't be used when it's windy. Good Luck
     

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