what do you guys do to help you get that big one?

[lentz]

what attractants do you guys use? and have had succsuss with or calls that work

[deadeye]

I don't go nuts with any one thing, but I do at one time or another use most everything out there.  Here is my assesment of the following items.
1. Scents.  Unually doesn't hurt and often is worth the effort.  On occasion it will spoke a doe with fawn.   May make a buck stand offish but won't scare him.  Drag lines work also.

2. Rattling.  Hit and miss here.  Never use them if you are doe hunting.  It scares the bejesus out of them.  Some deer may be attracted but must just ignore.  Usually will not hurt buck hunting.

3. Scentlok.  Probably not worth the cost (if used just for scent control).  Most of these are made well and are worth the cost for comfort and functionality.  All the things I have read indicate the deer will most likely scent you even if you shower, spray and wear scentlok clothes.   I have them and would agree with the research.  For some reason, one deer will walk right down wind of you and not care one hoot while the next will jump and bolt out of there like you whacked them between the eyes with a 2X4. 

4. Decoys.  Hit and miss here.   Usually will not hurt and will sometimes help.  Both does and bucks will be attracted to a decoy.   Some deer will shy away.  Everyone should have one in his arsonal.

5. Camo clothes.   As long as you stay away from clothing whiteners, I doubt camo does little more then make you feel like nothing can see you.  I have and use camo but rely more on being still than thinking the deer can't see me because I have the latest camo pattern.  Just think about all the deer that go by people wearing solid blaze orange. 

6. Grunt tubes.  Gotta have a couple of these in you bag.  Doe bleats and grunts can and do bring in some bucks.  Best is the grunt-snort-wheeze when you see a buck.  I don't know if I ever blindly grunted and a deer showed up, but, I can get them to change course by grunting.  I don't know if I believe the tv shows where they say the deer was 250 yards out and one grunt brought him in on a string.  I that was the case, I'd never hunt from a ground blind!

7.  Ground Blinds.   Need one set up for the rainy days.

8. Hearing aid.  Never used them.  Maybe would help but hard to distinguis deer from grouse.

9. Bait.   Not legal in MN.  Obviously works in other states.

10.  Mineral licks.  Deer use in Spring and Summer.  Pretty much ignored in fall.  Can be used to get deer used to a travel route.

11.  Food Plots.   Yes, deer use them.

12. Thermocell.  Works when bugs are an issue.

13. Binoculars.  Yes, everyone should have a small compact pair. 

14. Scouting camera.   Never hurts to know what "was" there.  I have hundreds of pictures of bucks but only a couple of bucks we actually shot.  However, just knowing what could be there, is worth the price. 

A couple of the more imprtant things to use to get the big one is LOCATION and TIME.  You can put in all the time you want in a location that doesn't have a big one and you still will not get a big one.  If time is an issue and you only can bow hunt 5 days, pick the last days of October and the first days of November.   

[lentz]

i love the primos doe bleat can cant remember the name exactly but when me and my dad were hunting (bow) we were hunting 30 yards inside of the field/marsh (tall grass aproxametly 3 ft high with 0-6 inches of water)they started about 200 yards away and we used it they looked did it 1 more time they came walking when they got to about 100 yards away they did it again. they got to the edge of the field and then they spooked

[dakids]

If you have a lot of hunting pressure hunt escape routes and the thickest cover that other hunters will not hunt.

Hunt the wind.

[Cody Gruchow]

i agree with pretty much everything deadeye said, except a few. i do beleive camo works, BUT the biggest thing ive noticed is when your on a stare down with a deer, they usually know something is up, so camo or not your busted. i to wear scent-lok not because i beleive that i can sit there and S**t my pants when theres a deer 20 yards away and they wont smell me, but because its very comfortable and it breaths. i had my first deer respond to a grunt call this year and he came in looking to whoop someones arse. rattling dont work im positive of it(just my opinion)

[bweyer]

I grunt and bleat. I've had the most success with the bleat. I use drags and mating attractant. Of course all of these at the right time of the season. Otherwise scouting and more scouting and hours and hours of sitting in a tree.

[lentz]

cody i have to disagre with your opion on rattaling my dad had a spike buck run in after rattling as it left he did it again and he came back and he did this like 5 times

[deadeye]

Welcome byweyer.  You are right about scouting and sitting in a tree.  Even though I may not think too much of some of the "accessories", I usually have them with me.  Sometimes you need to throw the whole arsonal at them. 

[dpalmer]

Hi guys, I'm new to the forum but minus the technical stuff (like calls and my rifle) my story for success is always being aware and on top of the weather since I think that has such an effect on my ability to snag a big buck!  My good friend showed me http://www.scoutlookweather.com which is by far the most comprehensive and accurate weather site around in terms of hunters.  It also has some pretty sweet tools.  I don't like to waste a hunting trip so I always plan and map out the weather and strategize from there.  This might be boring advice but it's always helped me have a great season!

[lentz]

  dpalmer

[Go Big Red!]

First one up and out the door to start and knowing a heavily used travel route.

[Cody Gruchow]

well i was only stating my experience with rattling. never works for me. but my most effective way is hours and hours during the summer patterning the deer but most of the bucks dont follow the same pattern in the fall. if its rifle/slug season i hunt the doe bedding areas in the A.M. to me thats the most effective. will only hunt these areas when the wind is right, because lets face it you have no chance if they can smell you. im always the first one out the door as well, i like being in my stand a hour before shooting light to let things settle down, i know lots of people that dont make it there stands until after first light or just minutes before. my best success has been the first 20 minutes of legal light. weather also plays a part in that, i hunt in all weather, but if its super windy the the deer shut down,  because they cant hear you and they have a hard time smelling you.

[T.R. Michels]

Find a place in Minnesota that has a big one it. Spend a lot of ti3em scouting the are, until I find sluba sand scres aht might hve been mae by a big one, spen a lot of time either watching the tiopery, or using camears until I actually seeone.Once I do, I watch some more, until I can tell whioch way it is gong on what rub route, then I bcktrack the rub route until I get close to a buck's daytime core area, (where it spends the majority of its day before the rut), and setup to watch it and take it s it comes out to feed in the evening. Or I may look for the rub route it uses on the way bakc to the core area, and set up there as it comes back in the morning. 


Loct a big buck byu souting and watchint, pattern te buck by mor3e watching, choose a locatin near its high use ares in the mornign or evening, and watch it some more, get close enough to shoot, wait untl conditions are right and shoot.

God bless,

T.R.

[Onin24Eagle]

2006 - 10 pt buck, scored  145 6/8
2007 - 12 pt buck, scored 158 3/8 (nontypical - score was with no deductions - only scores 117 with deductions)
2008 - 8 pt buck, scored 131 0/8
2009 - 12 pt buck, scored 162 6/8



2010 - 10 pt buck, scored 157 1/8



2011 - ?????

This is a list of the deer that I've shot in the past 5 seasons.  I had been on a drought that lasted from 1997 to 2006 with ZERO bucks taken in that time.  What changed?  2 things, and one of them is going to sound really silly:

1.  Don't stink.  Shower every morning with some kind of unscented or scent killing soap (I use plain old Ivory soap, it works well) - don't use shampoo unless it's unscented.  Wash your clothes with unscented detergent, dry them in your dryer but DO NOT use a dryer sheet, hang them outside to air out after they dry.

2.  Get a handheld video game (obviously with no sound).  I bring several with me.  I have Yatzee, Blackjack and Texas Hold 'em Poker.  Every one of the deer mentioned above was shot while I was playing a handheld game.  As funny as it sounds, this keeps you from fidgeting in your stand.  You end up sitting very still.  USE YOUR EARS!!  Glance around every so often (like between hands in Poker).  Doing this keeps you still and also helps keep you in the stand as it can make a long day of sitting on post go by faster.  Those two things will usually help you get more deer.  I know for a fact that without it I would probably get bored by 10am and try walking around.  Doing this helps me stay put.  The results speak for themselves....

edit - added pics of the last 2 bucks.  I need to search my files and see if I have digital photos of the rest.  Otherwise I guess I could just post pics of the racks on my wall....

[Sew Sille]

I use sents, doe bleets(can) for all seasons. Use rattling and buck grunts and can last week in Oct first 2 weeks in Nov. I have had big bucks come after a rattling and the can and buck grunts both bow hunting and rifle. Most times they come in with there head up ready to kick some AZZ. It is unreal and hard to beleave tell you see it. A paine to carry the stuff,but worth it. I will try a decoy this year. Good Luck and be safe.