How to Kill Your Next Mature Buck Now

Whitetail Landscapes - Hunting & Habitat Management

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Steve Sherk (Sherk’s Guide Service) discuss post hunting season planning and recent success. Jon explains the differences in hiring a consultant that has experience in highly pressured hunting areas and how that creates a different atmosphere of understanding and knowledge. Steve discusses a particular deer he planned to harvest and explains multiple encounters with this deer and his process to dialing in on one individual deer.

Steve dialogs about hunting New York and Pennsylvania, and his expectations of shooting a deer in his home state. Steve details the location his target deer spent much of his time and the related weather conditions and hunting pressure that created the ideal location for the deer to remain in a specific area. Steve details why deer shift into areas on how to concentrate on predictive planning to stay ahead of deer movement. Jon explains the specifics and considerations on where deer go when they are pressured and the attention given to temperature changes.

Steve discusses how deer act during post rut activity and what conditions put deer into specific locations when pressure is high and deer need to recover from rutting activity. Jon provides the top several considerations when looking at the landscape for deer activity during post rut. Steve talks about getting close to a mature buck and how to dial on a bedding location and individual beds. Steve explains a tracking technique that will help with a wounded animal recovery.

Steve discusses finding buck beds and why mature deer use specific areas. Steve discusses wind-based bedding and when deer use specific landscapes types. Jon explains habitat preferences on the landscape and how to produce ideal conditions for seasonal, winter habitat for deer. Steve explains his process going into winter planning season and what he anticipates for the next hunting season and provides a story on the individual deer he plans on hunting.

Steve and Jon discuss postseason planning and looking at trail camera data and using this information to kill your buck next season. Jon explains specifics on deer activity and how he individualizes deer and looks at sociobiology and social behavior. Steve explains his data analysis plan and diving into a specific deer he plans on taking next season.