I think 5 years old is a little bit of a tricky age to pick because from what I’ve seen a 7-8+ year old buck is a totally different creature. I don’t know that an old doe changes quite as much although she may. We call 5 mature but behavioral changes still take place in the years following no different than a 3 year old going to a 5 year old…... They become really reclusive acting. I’ve had a circus preforming in front of me in the street light with does and young bucks….knowing that there was at least one or two mature bucks in the cover but would not come in. I messed with one with a grunt call enough one night that he got pissed off and ran into the light long enough to see he was tall and tight…..and then he dipped right back into the cover and darkness. I have a new appreciation for them to say the least. If you want to kill a buck that’s 7+ then you’re likely gonna have to play chess and not checkers. You might luck up but the odds are not in your favor for sure. ..Even if you play chess then you may still get beat and very likely will most times. I’m about to the point of questioning whether I really want to even play the game that hard anymore. The great thing about this though is that often times with big bucks….less is more…….
I have one deer that’s shpws up out of nowhere late in the season that I’ve seen once each of the last 3 seasons that’s probably 9-10 years old. He has nothing but a big main beam on each side now but he smells like a goat farm. Strong enough that I could smell him at 80 yards. Thermals and sinking air hold that scent down more at night so I think that was part of it. He’s #1 on my hit list this year…..If he were to walk out with a 140 inch buck or something like that it would definitely put me in a conundrum over which to shoot. This old buck would be lucky to score 40 much less 140…..He’d be a rare trophy though that’s far more special than just another big buck. Old age will likely catch up with him before I do. We'll see though...I've figured out how they're dickin me during the daylight and I've got a trap ready to spring this time.
Last edited by CNC; 11/10/19 04:27 PM.
