We have all gotten those pictures of big bucks on our hunting property but after shooting hours. It can be one of the most frustrating situations we can face. Lots of us try to hunt that deer and it is like hunting a ghost. I myself have done this. However hunting that big buck may be the worst option, at least at the site you are getting pictures of him.

Before you go and try to hunt a ghost do your homework. Just because the pictures of him on that camera site are at night does not mean the buck is nocturnal. Look at the pictures he is in and try to determine what direction he is coming from. Use google earth or some other aerial photo map to try and determine potential travel routes and bedding areas the buck could be using.

Once you have done your homework here hang more cameras up on those potential travel routes, near bedding areas and even around potential loafing or staging areas. The information you gain from this may tell you that the buck is indeed nocturnal or maybe he is moving in daylight somewhere.  If you find he is using an area in daylight set up a stand and only hunt it when the wind direction is correct. Make that first sit count for it is usually the best sit.

However if you still find that he is not moving during shooting hours after doing this extra work Stay Out! Pressuring him and the other deer in the area will not help your cause in the long run. Not hunting him will be the best for you in the long run. Chances are neighbors will not shoot him either if he is only moving at night. Let him grow another year older and bigger. It seems as many bucks age they have a tendency to show themselves more during daylight hours.
This seems to happen more as buck reach about 6.5 years old. By this time he will have met his antler potential as well.

If you feel you need to hunt him during the season wait for the opportune time. When rutting activity is peaking I would start hunting him then. Not necessarily hunting him but more so the does in his area and hope he decides to show his face in the daylight looking for a hot doe. The next best time to hunt him would be late season. The rut will be over but winter weather is setting in and they have to eat. He will need to recover from the rut and put more body fat reserves on for the upcoming winter. Wait for that cold front moving in, maybe with some snow and hunt near that food source before and after the front moves through.

Good luck and remember to

Hunt Safe, Hunt Hard and Hunt Safe!
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Brett Kleinschmit

If you have never hunted Mule Deer finding a big mature buck sounds like a really tough task and it can be. However with the right optics and lots of patience it may be easier than you had imagined.  Where legal trail cameras may be a viable option in the right situations but I wouldn’t plan on that being too effective, especially if you are limited to a week of hunting. As with open country Whitetails, good optics is key to finding mature Mule Deer bucks.
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The first step is to find the potential feeding and bedding areas in the area you will be hunting. Feeding areas could be agricultural fields, fruit trees or open river or creek bottoms with lush native vegetation. For bedding areas look for deer draw or washes, bowls up on the sides of big hills with scattered timber or even big sage brush. Windblown areas on the sides of hill or on the point of a ridge can also be good spots. The bedding areas will change from early to late season and with differing weather patterns. For example on really hot early season days you will find deer deep in draws and in tree thickets versus maybe on a sunny hillside during a cold snap or after a fresh snow or after a rain they may be in the open to dry off. Either way though mature bucks generally will not fully expose themselves. Much of this research can be done by using Google Earth before you ever go hunt an area.

Once I have these two areas picked out in an area I want to hunt I look for a high point to glass off to the side. Often the deer will use the big drainages to go to and from bedding to feeding areas, often feeding on native vegetation both on the way to a feeding area and from back to bed. I want to find a high spot where I can see both feeding area and at least the start of the bedding areas and am able to see the entire drainage. This is where I will take my Nikon spotting scope and binoculars to sit and observe deer and see what kind of bucks are in the area and how the deer travel. You may even be able to pin point areas they are exactly bedding in, but at least I will hopefully find whether there is a mature buck there that I would like to hunt. Once I find that buck I want to pursue I begin to focus on the bedding areas.

Start glassing back just off the edge of the bedding areas and start looking for bucks. Often times you need to sit at least an hour maybe even two if you have the time before moving again. First use your binoculars to look for obvious targets if you cannot find them go to your spotting scope. I start by looking in all the shadows first. This is generally where you will find a buck especially in the early season. Looks in cut banks, rock out cropping around trees and big sage brush. Often times you will not find the entire deer exposed look for an ear twitch, an antler sticking above vegetation or obstacles or even a rump that is exposed. This is where a good spotting scope is critical; you need to be able to find the small details that may lead you to that buck of a lifetime.

Once you have sat one area looking for bedded deer get up and move to another high point to try and get another angle on things. I always try to move with the wind in my face while moving glassing points. If you do not see anything right off the bat do not worry and think there is nothing keep looking. Patience is key here. I would recommend sitting at least half an hour if not closer to an hour. It can take some time to find a buck down in there but if he is there you can find him. Also keep in mind that as the sun moves the deer too will get up a reposition himself back into the shade. It may not be for more than an little time to stretch browse a little and lay back down but it can be just enough for you to pin point his location.

Finally remember the wind. Often times a buck will bed in an area depending of wind direction. If you can a slight breeze you may find him bedded with the wind in his face and his back up again an embankment so nothing can come from directly behind him. Stronger winds they will likely bed out of the wind. However every buck is different and this may not be true of all them. However I feel shadows and sunlight seems to be a pretty good bet on where you can find them.

Good luck out there and remember,

Hunt Safe, Hunt Hard but Hunt Smart

Brett Kleinschmit