Bob Grewell challenges us to see the real reasons behind what might seem like unpredictable behavior of mature whitetail bucks.

Bucks can be in one spot at one moment, then gone from sight within seconds. If ever there was a secretive game animal, it has to be the reclusive, mature buck.

Whenever we hunt any deer one-on-one, we must be on our toes, mentally and physically. To be a maximum human hunter, we have to become predators 100 percent of the time. When we trespass into challenging deer habitats, ones that the deer are intimately familiar with, they can be hunting us!

There’s more diversity to older bucks than we give them credit for. Bucks don’t grow big racks by being careless. But, all age class bucks don’t react alike, either. Most bucks can be described as antisocial. They shy away from high-traffic trails and activity points that does and young bucks frequent. Even when they are excited by estrus does, mature buck senses are still fine-tuned.

Know when and where to hunt

Bucks learn to go to bed early, and then become active later in the evening. Shrewd hunters learn to be on stand before daylight, regarding legal hunting time. Then, they remain in the woods until the last legal minutes of daylight.

It’s also important to get off the beaten track. Enter the woods during scouting and go deep, searching for mature buck lairs. Then, go deeper, scouting for the buck’s private hiding locations. A buck might not appear at dusk along the outside edges of your hunting properties. But, he’s active somewhere. And, it’s usually away from hunter sites, deeper within dense foliage cover.

Be the hunter, not the hunted

Hunters never want a buck to hunt us, therefore, how we set-up to hunt deer is the very crux of how we ambush them. We study deer habitats and focus on isolated pockets that are void of human activities. We should work these locations before many hunters invade deer domains.

Whenever bow hunters set stands, it’s not so much where bucks go, but where they don’t go. They won’t come near you if they smell you. Therefore, hunting as scent-free as possible is imperative. Your first priority is to use the wind in your favor. You should try to remain as humanly scent-free as possible. When you’re seated on a stand for hours, monitoring the wind direction is vital.

The unpredictable, virtually unknowable whitetail

Whitetail deer are normally unpredictable. Their reactions are powered by their exceptional senses. Their unpredictability is based upon sensory capabilities that will individualize every deer.

Most animal reaction is based upon “instinct.” Their impulsive behavior produces what appears to be rational actions to various external stimulations.

Individual deer with exceptional experience

Whitetail deer are thought to be systematic animals. Although not all actions they portray are pre-programmed, hunters study what conditions dictate deer reactions. We have learned that the breeding phase causes unpredictable reactions from bucks, and does. Land feature contours, alterations through human land changes, alternating farming practices, loss of natural timber, and commercialization of landscapes each impact deer habits. Equally, weather controls deer behavior. Add hunter pressures, which will make deer more wary, and you’ll find that every event and aspect of the whitetail’s world cause an educational influence, which will create a sneaky buck that can play hide & seek with hunters. Obviously, deer are products of their environments.

Varied survival responses

Deer aren’t on a “production run” of game animals that all come from the same genetics, either. Some bucks walk and sneak. Others run from danger. Many deer stop and stare at you, playing the waiting game. And, it’s not unusual to face a buck that silently skulks away unnoticed. If you plan to be “the hunter,” be ready for anything.

In the final analysis, if you believe whitetail deer are worthy opponents that might be able to hunt you for their survival, this realization can keep you on your toes and make you a more skillful hunter. Although we can’t conclude deer actually think and reason, they do exhibit reactions that clarify they will adjust to different daily interferences. So, the next time a buck makes a fool of you, you might just wonder, are you the hunter, or the hunted?

For more hunting insights check out the October issue of MidWest Outdoors, available the first full week of October at the newsstand or by subscribing on our website.