"Patterning" Bucks - CAN be Easy

[T.R. Michels]

This is based on my 10 years of deer research, and my Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual.

I'd been checking the weekly frequency that scrapes were used, and how often new ones were made, and the date they were used or made, for the first two years of my research study - and I'd begun seeing bucks along their rub routes, often near their scrapes, in the morning in the evening.

Then, one day, I walked in to check a scrape that was about 3 feet wide and twelve feet long (it had started out as three different scrapes under different branches under a plum tree, and then got bigger, and the scrapes connected as the rut progressed. It was early morning, and it was snowing pretty hard.

I approached the scrape from downwind, with a bunch of brush between me and the scrape. When I was about 15 yards from the scrape, I noticed a snow covered rock in the clearing. I didn't remember that rock, and as I looked closer, I noticed it was an 8 point buck (about 120), laying with its back toward me, facing into the wind. I watched the buck as it lay there for about 10 minutes, then quietly walked back in the direction from which I'd come.

Then, after Dr. Larry Marchinton (well known professor of wildlife, and deer researcher, at the University of Georgia, who also wrote for such publications as Deer & Deer Hunting) sent me every research paper and study he had ever been involved in - I looked at one of his graphs on Daily Deer Movement Times - and it really hit me - because peak deer movement occurred within two hours of sunset and sunrise each day - I should expect to see bucks - along their rubs routes - and/or near scrapes - at about sunrise and sunset.

Then, as I looked at one of his studies on the Home Range Size of White-tailed Deed, and another one on the time of movement each day of several deer, in relation to their Daytime Core Area, it struck me. Because deer left their Daytime Core Area at about the same time every evening - I should expect to see bucks most regularly, along their rub routes, and near scrapes, at about the same time, as they left the core area, in the evening - or as they went back to it, in the morning.

Daily Deer Movement was beginning to make sense to me.

So, as I continued my research project on scrapes and rubs the next year, on a property I had never been on before, I thought I'd try to see if I could "see" particular bucks, on semi-regular basis, along their rub routes, as they left their core areas in the evening, and returned to them in the morning.

Since this was a new property, which I had never even been on, I employed a technique I had learned while guiding for elk, with Dick Ray of Lobo Outfitters, out of Chama, New Mexico. I choose several hill tops and stand locations, from which I could watch the entire property, to see when and where the deer came out in the evening, and when and where they left the property in the morning.

I did not even set foot on the property until October 5th or so. And for the next week I watched the whole area, to see where the deer came out of the woods in the evening - and I "field scouted" it every day between the hours of 10 AM and 3 PM, to look for deer sign, especially doe trails, buck trails/rub routes, and beds.

Then on October 13, as I sat on a hill overlooking a railroads tracks, about 70 yards from where I knew a rub route crossed the tracks, I saw a 10 point 170 class buck cross the tracks, about a half hour before sunset.
Bingo, I had found my first buck to try and pattern.

Not contented to see the buck at 70 yards, I setup about 25 yards downwind of the rub route. As the sun began to sink lower in the sky, and it grew darker, I began to wonder if the buck would show up before sundown. Then, about 5 minutes before sundown, the buck crossed the tracks, not 25 yards from where I sat - on the ground. If I had had my Darton Viper (which was what I was shooting back then, because Darton had sent it to me to try out), along with Easton arrows, and the Rocky Mountain 125 grain broadheads that Bruce Barrie, manager of Rocky Mountain Archery, had sent me to try out, I could have arrowed the buck right there. ---

I had patterned my first whitetail !!!!!

Not being content to have the buck walk by me at 20 yards, I moved to another site, where the rub route would cross in front of me at 10 yards. I set up at about 5:30, expecting to see some of the does in the area early, and the buck to come by me at about 6:30 or so. I did not see any does that night, but at about 6:10 the buck walked by me, and I took its picture with the Canon Sure Shot I had in my pocket. The buck was so close, that it heard the click of the camera shutter, and looked directly me - at 10 yards. Because I did not want to spook the buck, so I could continue to see it during the rest of my research project, I held as still as I could, for what seemed like 10-15 minutes , but in reality was probably 10-15 seconds. And then the buck turned its head, and walked away, until it got to a low-hanging tree branch, that it stopped and thrashed with its heavy antlers - as I watched. Then it continued down its rub route.

Id' set up - on the same whitetail - two times in 5 days. At distances that any archery hunter could take it.

I've done this numerous times since then (over the next 7 years), on bucks from 125-200.


When I got home that night - I wondered why the buck had come in so early. Then, when I got the slide of the deer back, and looked at it, I realized it had been cloudy that night. As I checked my notes - on when I'd seen all of the other deer on that property, and the time I saw them, and whether or not there had been clouds when I saw them - I realized that the clouds could alter the light from the sun enough (make it darker at that time of day than if it was not cloudy), that it resulted in the deer moving up to 20 minutes earlier in the evening than normal, and staying out up to 20 minutes later in the morning than normal.


It can be that easy to pattern a deer (if you know what you are doing) - once you see (or photograph) a buck, in the same place, at about the same time, two times, you should not be trying to see it again in that place - You should be setting up in a location to take that buck, in the next few days.

God bless,

T.R.

[stevejedlenski]

so when doing this if you see a buck coming out into a field right at dark you go to that spot, a good distance away to see what direction hes coming from? and then if its a rub line follow that until you find a spot to set up close by?

i have seen bucks use these patterns all summer and then come hunting season and they are no where to be found. any advice??

[T.R. Michels]

Yea - get my book

Here is an excerpt from my Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual, that should expalin it.

Fall Home Range Shift and Dispersal Phase
Depending on whether or not the deer in your area use one or more Seasonal Home Ranges they may move to their Fall Home Ranges duringor priot to the hunting season. In the upper Midwest deer often move to their Fall Home Ranges after the bucks begin rubbing trees and scraping (which begins as early as the last week of August). This Summer to Fall Home Range Shift often occurs between mid September and mid October in the upper Midwest. As the testosterone levels of the bucks increase they become more aggressive, with the result that buck groups split up and some of the bucks move to their Fall Breeding Ranges. When this occurs you should begin scouting again to locate the deer, by looking for bucks in feeding areas; and by looking for fresh rubs and scrapes, which tell you that a buck is using the area. If you find rubs and scrapes, but not the bucks, you either need to spend time looking for the bucks to see what their racks look like, or use a trail camera.

In the evenings you may see the younger bucks move at about the same time as the does, and the older bucks to move about three-quarters of an hour later than the does. In the evening young bucks are more eager to get to the food sources and check the does than the older bucks are; older bucks are more cautious and often wait until the sun goes down before they head for evening food sources. If you are hunting older trophy class bucks get close to their core areas on their rub routes or in their travel lanes as they head for evening food sources to see them during legal shooting hours. 

In the mornings you may see the younger bucks move about a quarter of an hour earlier than the does, and the older bucks to move about the same time as the does, or slightly later. In the morning young bucks may be more anxious to get to the security of their core areas than the older bucks; older bucks often travel later than the young bucks on the way back to their core area, because they often take time to check the does for breeding readiness, or they are  reluctant to leave the does. If you are hunting older trophy class bucks you may catch them in or near feeding fields after sunrise as they check for does, or hunt them along their rub routes or in travel lanes near their core areas, when they may return later than normal.


Start scouting to find where the bucks went ...

God bless,

T.R.