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davetucker

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i feel realy stupid aking for help but here it goes.First of all i live in maine were there are nice big scoreable whitetails.Was around it all my life and know the basics of hunting whitetails.Saturday is the opening season on firearm hunts,can anyone please offer me some info on how to go about harvesting a nice trophy.Remember i'm in maine the deer here are plentyful but bucks are 1buck to every 9 doe so its a little harder to be put on a nice mature buck.Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!!! Thanks

Dave Tucker in maine

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Hi Dave, welcome to the forums.

I've never hunted in Maine (fished there though), but in general you'll have your best opportunities during the rut. Find out when it starts in your area (should be soon) and spend as much time in the woods during that period as possible. During the rut, mornings are usually better than afternoons, but there is a chance of seeing a good buck at anytime. And don't overlook midday either. Good luck!

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I'd start by looking for 3 things...feeding areas, bedding areas, and funnels. Figure out where the deer are feeding and bedding first and then see if you can figure some nice travel routes the deer use to get to and from those locations....if you find any funnels in these areas the better.

For the opening morning of gun season I would be not far form the thick stuff (bedding area). Big bucks like the thick cover, I'd find a couple heavy trails running in and out of the that stuff and start there.

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Welcome to the forums Dave.

Pay attention to the wind...which way it blows usually. Set your stands based on the wind. Big bucks don't get to be big bucks by being stupid. The wind can be your best and worst friend.

Don't over hunt a particular stand. Deer can pattern you and stay away. Keep your hunting clothes scent free. This is a biggie.

Sounds like you need to shoot a lot of does with a ratio like that of 1:9. But where there are does there will be bucks.

Look for rubs( on trees) and scrapes( on the ground), but don't set up on the trail. Set up 15 or 20 yards off the trail.

I like hunting from a elevated stand. A climbing stand. A Summit to be exact;). Hunting elevated gets you out of sight and out of the scent plane that helps the animals detect you.

Ground blinds can be productive too if the wind is right.

Practice with your weapon and become proficient with it.

Lures are good during the rut and so is a mock scrape, make one of your own and the dominant buck will check it looking for the buck that made it.

All I can think of right now.

Good Luck!

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Welcome to the forums Dave.

I'd start by looking for 3 things...feeding areas, bedding areas, and funnels. Figure out where the deer are feeding and bedding first and then see if you can figure some nice travel routes the deer use to get to and from those locations....if you find any funnels in these areas the better.

For the opening morning of gun season I would be not far form the thick stuff (bedding area). Big bucks like the thick cover, I'd find a couple heavy trails running in and out of the that stuff and start there.

don't shoot first buck see hold out til big one comes in

Some good advice right there.

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