Bag that trophy buck early!

In 2007 I harvested the biggest buck of my life. The date was October 1st. The deer grossed 190 inches. If I wouldn’t have got a shot at him then and continued hunting him, I do not believe I would have ever seen him again. He would have figured it out way to fast. A couple of other big deer I have taken have also been in early season. There is a reason for this. Most hunters do not usually get fired up about deer hunting until it gets cold and the rut draws close. I do agree that it is a great time to be in the woods then, but why wait. Yes, it can be hot in early October but the rewards can be great. I like to have my stands up by early September and not go back into the woods until opening day. The bucks are in their bachelor groups still and it is a perfect time to get that big one. Big bucks don’t get big by being stupid. You can use all of the scent control you want, but if a big buck gets downwind of you, you’re finished. By staying out of the woods until opening day, then you have a chance. The deer are in the last stages of their summer pattern and are oblivious to hunting pressure this time of year. A few trips to the woods after season opens and they disappear. I have a lot of friends that have some great bucks on their trail cameras but once season rolls around, they are gone. So what is the answer? My thought is this. If you can hunt the first couple of days, do it. It doesn’t matter how hot it is. The deer aren’t looking for anything out of the ordinary just yet. If you do not get one in that time period, lay off your spot until the first week of November. It is hard to do, but staying out of an area for an extended period of time during season relaxes the deer and they get back to their normal everyday life. I think that you can catch a big buck off guard very easily in those first few days. From other articles I have read, the best time to kill a big buck is the first time you hunt that stand. Why? Because he isn’t expecting it. Most hunting shows are filmed during the rut because the bucks are chasing the does and a lot is happening in the woods. That is all great but wouldn’t it be nice to sit back and know that you already have your big one down in early season and now you can hold off for an even bigger buck. Trust me, it can work.