 TWO
ON BUCKS
The Dilemma
EDITOR’S NOTE: What would you do if you discovered
where a trophy buck lived? Would you bet that this older-age-class
deer wouldn't die or get killed before the next hunting
season? And, if you didn't bag this big buck yourself,
would you willingly share him with a buddy? Many hunters
face these questions each season when they hunt big
bucks. Before you answer, consider some of the reasons
buddy hunting is better than hunting alone.
Here's the dilemma. When a buck becomes 4-years old
or older, the likelihood of his dying from natural causes
drastically increases – especially if he dominates
the other bucks in that area. Just like the heavyweight
champion of the world, a dominant buck has proven time
and time again that he can whip any opponent that  comes
against him. However, even the champ can't fight every
adversary every day and still come out a winner. More
than just considering other bucks in his home range,
the dominant buck in any region has to...
* find food to eat,
* locate a safe bedding area,
* breed as many estrous does as he can,
* stay on the move looking for does,
* battle the bucks that come into his region from outside
areas and
* avoid and outmaneuver hunters.
This hectic, survival-of-the-fittest routine decreases
the chances of a 4-year-old buck making it to his fifth
year. A dominant buck may get severely wounded in a
fight with another buck and perhaps die from either
one or all of the wounds that he receives during hunting
season. Too, even if you locate an older-age-class buck
and plan to hunt him, you don't know if the deer will
pass by your tree stand.  During
an entire hunting season, you only may get one or two
opportunities to spot this buck. Also, by the time a
deer reaches his fourth year, he probably understands
more about how to dodge you than you know about how
to find him. Remember, this buck has lived on the land
many more days than you've attempted to hunt him. He
has familiarized himself with the terrain, the food
sources and the cover.
Intelligent and cautious older-age-class bucks make
difficult game to hunt on your own. You can roll the
dice on a 4-year old, and maybe you'll win an opportunity
to hunt him another year. But, to bag a trophy buck
this season, instead take your buddy with you, and then
you can have more confidence that the buck will ride
home with one of you that day. "I feel sure that
hunters can see and take more deer when two people hunt
together than when one person hunts alone," says
Larry Norton of Butler, Alabama, who has hunted deer
all his life. "When I hunt a bedding area where
deer meander in and out, I always prefer to have a buddy
with me. I like for him to set up about 60-yards away
in a tree stand parallel to me. This way, we can cover
more ground and take  any
deer that crosses our kill zone. If my buddy sets up
in a tree stand nearby, we both accurately can shoot
30 yards to our left and 30 yards to our right. Together
we can cover 120 yards of ground, plus we have four
eyes looking for deer instead of just two. Using this
tactic, both my buddy and I consistently get more shots
and take more deer each season."
TOMORROW: BUDDY HUNTING THE
GILES ISLAND MONSTER
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