How to Hunt for a Trophy Buck

To consistently shoot trophy bucks, you need to understand their habits.

This means knowing where he eats, drinks, beds, travels, scrapes and hides.

This may sound obvious, but you need to hunt in an area that holds a trophy buck! It doesn’t matter how good a hunter you are or how great your equipment is, if there isn’t a trophy buck in the area you want to hunt, you’re not going to shoot one!

So the first step is determining if there is a trophy in your area.

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Once you have located an area with promise, the next step is working out his food, bedding and travel movements.

Trophy bucks have become the size they are because they have not behaved like younger and smaller bucks.

So he is different to most of the other bucks, but not impossible to catch out, especially during the rut. During this time he is still vulnerable to scents, calling, and rattling.

He doesn’t travel far when spooked, and lies low in places most hunters wouldn’t look because the hollow, or thicket, or swampy patch doesn’t look big enough.

Your pre-season scouting should have identified these hiding or loafing spots.

During the rut, he doesn’t get too caught up in the hype with younger bucks and doesn’t pursue the does with as much energy as the younger bucks. This means when you see a buck pursuing a doe, there is a possibility the big bruiser is in tow but some distance back. Having the discipline to pass up the smaller buck and seeing what else is following can be rewarded with a trophy.

The work involved in patterning your buck may extend over a few seasons, but will be worth it when you admire the rack on the wall.

So the key to successful trophy hunting is preparation, knowledge of your buck, and discipline and patience.