[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-targeting-specific-bucks\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-targeting-specific-bucks\/","headline":"4 Tips for Targeting Specific Bucks","name":"4 Tips for Targeting Specific Bucks","description":"For year-round whitetail junkies there\u2019s no better feeling than pulling trail cameras in July and August and seeing a few...","datePublished":"2015-09-03","dateModified":"2018-06-12","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/#Person","name":"Hector Agosto","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Legendary Whitetails","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","url":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","width":522,"height":226}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/RT128-e1441290596273.jpg","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/RT128-e1441290596273.jpg","height":624,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-targeting-specific-bucks\/","about":["Hunting"],"wordCount":1124,"keywords":["Hunting","Tips"],"articleBody":"For year-round whitetail junkies there\u2019s no better feeling than pulling trail cameras in July and August and seeing a few great mature bucks.\u00a0 However, capturing trail camera pictures in July is very different than watching your buck hit the ground in November.\u00a0 After compiling the right information, it can be as simple as putting hours on stand.\u00a0 Of course, this would likely mean you understand the local deer herd and have located the primary food sources \u2013 both key ingredients to successfully hunting specific deer throughout the fall.1 – Collect and Analyze IntelTo begin, you must collect as much information as possible about a buck.\u00a0 Usually this includes numerous trail camera pictures or your own visual observations throughout summer and fall.\u00a0 Multiple pictures of a qualified buck can give you a good place to start.\u00a0 Once you acquire a few pictures it becomes a little easier to decide where your buck is calling home.\u00a0 Throughout summer, even the largest bucks typically use the most common route to a field or bedding area, making it relatively easy to generate pictures, provided you have the deer.\u00a0 Come fall however, behavior changes drastically and the search for those summer \u2018hit-listers\u2019 can quickly become frustrating if you do not understand a deer\u2019s ever-changing behavior.\u00a0 After velvet shed, bucks undergo substantial changes to their body and attitude due to rising levels of testosterone.\u00a0 Survival instincts seem to be more finely tuned after velvet peel and bucks appear to be more hesitant to feed in open fields during the last hour of daylight.\u00a0 Not only are the bucks undergoing major changes themselves, but food sources are as well.\u00a0 Large food plots might begin to take a back seat to early acorns and soft mast trees, which change feeding patterns of deer.\u00a0Once acorns start to drop, deer become tougher to hunt because they can eat within the comforts of cover. \u00a0Finding the tree or lot that holds the acorn mother-load within a specific buck’s range is your best bet for getting a crack at him.2 – Adapt to the Changing FoodWhere is the food?\u00a0 Once you find the primary food source you can begin to put some clues together in order to formulate a precise plan of attack.\u00a0 Is he entering a food source in the evening or early morning?\u00a0 Most hunters don\u2019t prepare or focus on hunting near food sources early in morning come September, but on a property I hunt, I have had as much action, if not more during morning sits.\u00a0 I receive lots of trail camera information telling me bucks move during the early morning hours on a few select properties.\u00a0 Finding food, cover and understanding to the best of your ability how a buck moves about a property will help you select a proper location.\u00a0 After finding a proper site it is critical to get in and hang a stand with plenty of time to spare before you plan to hunt from it.\u00a0 Enter the area with rubber boots and scent free clothing during the middle of the day and if possible, hours before a steady rainfall to wash away foreign scent.\u00a0 Find a comfortable, healthy tree and hang the stand at least eighteen feet high if you feel safe doing so.\u00a0 Clearing brush and debris leading to your stand will help you enter and exit quietly.\u00a0 After completing your setup, get out and do not enter again until it is legal for you to have a bow in hand and blades on the end of your arrow!\u00a03 – Don’t Get OvereagerTrail cameras are perhaps the greatest innovation to the world of deer hunting over the past twenty years, but it is important to make sure they do more good than harm.\u00a0 Avoiding trail camera mishaps is a must when hunting certain deer.\u00a0 I would advise setting up trail cameras far from a stand designed to kill a specific buck.\u00a0 I have made this mistake many times and will not do it again.\u00a0 It is very tempting to setup trail cameras deep in the woods over a well-used scrape.\u00a0 However, I have discovered a field edge scrape will capture as many or more bucks, and hopefully the buck you are after.\u00a0 If you are someone like me who cannot always wait three weeks to check cameras because the excitement is just too much, then field edges are perfect for you.\u00a0 Keeping trail cameras on field edges has many advantages as it captures the deer you want and keeps your noise and scent out of your deep woods locations.\u00a0\u00a0Trail cameras placed along edges are easy to check and can give you clues as to whether you should be spending time on stand during the mornings or evenings. \u00a0Looks like these boys are a couple of early risers!4 – Sometimes it’s Better to be Lucky…Hunting and successfully harvesting a specific buck cannot be accomplished without smart choices and a dose of luck.\u00a0 Your dose of luck could draw from a hot doe being in your area while on stand.\u00a0 It is amazing to see how careless bucks can be around a hot doe.\u00a0 Coming across grunting, chasing and crashing whitetails in broad daylight doesn\u2019t happen on too many occasions, but it does occur and you simply need to be in the area to give yourself a chance.\u00a0 Whether you follow the weatherman or lunar calendar, no one can absolutely say when the first does will be receptive.\u00a0 Spending quality time on stand, using technology to your advantage and being focused in on the right food sources will increase your chances of tagging a certain buck.\u00a0 Good luck!"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Legendary Whitetail's Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-targeting-specific-bucks\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"4 Tips for Targeting Specific Bucks"}}]}]