John's Journal...

The Dominant Buck Deer Theory with Dr. Larry Marchinton

Day 4: Knowing the Best Time of Day for Taking Trophy Buck Deer with Dr. Larry Marchinton

Editor’s Note: Scientific research has learned some facts about big white-tailed bucks that can make your hunting this year your best ever.

Click for Larger ViewClick for Larger ViewKnowing the best weeks and even the best day to hunt the dominant buck is helpful, but longtime deer hunter and researcher, Dr. Larry Marchinton narrows the hunt for a trophy deer down even more. Marchinton explains that, “I have found that from 9:00 am until 10:00 am seems to be the best hour to see a trophy. Of course, a dominant buck can and often will move all day long. But the log I keep indicates that from 9:00 am to 10:00 am is the time the most big bucks are spotted in my hunting area. Of course there may be a very-logical reason for my picking this hour. I suspect that one of the primary reasons for this one hour’s being the most productive for me personally is because of the places I choose for stand sites.”

Is there a way to determine the most-productive area to locate a stand for the dominant buck? What constitutes a good stand when a sportsman is hunting a trophy deer? Marchinton answers that, “I don’t pick my stand sites strictly for the opportunity to see a dominant buck. I choose a stand site that provides me the optimum chance to view the most deer. If I am on a stand in an area with quite a bit of deer movement, then my opportunities of seeing a dominant buck are greatly increased. Remember, the dominant buck must move often during the rut to find the does that are in estrus, so he can breed. Therefore, the kinds of regions where I put my stands are where the habitat is constricted. Then the deer moving through a broad area have to be funneled down to within shooting range. A funnel area is any place where there are two-different habitats nearly coming together.

Click for Larger ViewClick for Larger View“For instance, you may find a small neck of woods with a creek on one side and a field on the other. This small neck may have hardwood forests on either end. Therefore the deer that want to travel from one end of the forest to the other end must pass through this neck. If the animals don’t go through the neck, they have to swim the creek or walk in an open field. And deer, that haven’t been harassed, rarely will choose to walk in the open or swim a creek. So, by placing my tree stand in the neck of the funnel, I will see most of the area’s deer. Because of my log, I know that the most deer pass through the funnels I’m hunting during the 9:00 am to 10:00 am hour. The main reason that the dominant buck is most likely to show-up in front of my tree in this region is because he will be hunting does during this time of peak deer movement. Before the rut, these funnel areas are also productive places to hunt – but not necessarily for the dominant buck.”

For more deer-hunting tips, get John E. Phillips’ Kindle eBooks “How to Hunt Deer Like a Pro,”
How to Hunt Deer Up Close: With Bows, Rifles, Muzzleloaders and Crossbows,” and “PhD Whitetails: How to Hunt and Take the Smartest Deer on Any Property,” or to prepare venison, get “ Deer & Fixings.” Click here on each, or go to www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks, type in the name of the book, and download it to your Kindle, and/or download a Kindle app for your iPad, SmartPhone or computer.

 

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About the Author

John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors. Click here for more information and a list of all the books available from John E. Phillips.

Tomorrow: Using Scrapes to Identify Places Where a Dominant Buck Deer Is with Dr. Larry Marchinton


Check back each day this week for more about The Dominant Buck Deer Theory with Dr. Larry Marchinton"

Day 1: Learning about the Dominant Buck Deer with Dr. Larry Marchinton
Day 2: Finding the Dominant Buck Deer’s Achilles Heel with Dr. Larry Marchinton
Day 3: Choosing the Best Days to Hunt the Dominant Buck Deer with Dr. Larry Marchinton
Day 4: Knowing the Best Time of Day for Taking Trophy Buck Deer with Dr. Larry Marchinton
Day 5: Using Scrapes to Identify Places Where a Dominant Buck Deer Is with Dr. Larry Marchinton

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Entry 748, Day 4