I reflected back upon my early days as a member of Dan Infalt’s The Hunting Beast forum. Back then, I would pick properties where I knew shooters lived. Sometimes, I would pick the most likely set based on a favorable wind for the day of the hunt. Other times, I tried to incorporate hot sign first, then choose my set based on the best sign I could find on the day of the hunt.
While talking with a friend today, I came to realize that since I started deer hunting at the age of 12 years old, I have not killed a single 4.5+ year old buck outside of rut.
None. Even with all the effort, even with hundreds of miles under the soles of my boots and waders, I have not killed one 4.5+ year old buck outside of the rut. Constant effort analyzing the puzzle pieces collected on mature deer, and not one has fallen outside the rut. I have killed some very nice bucks outside rut and some mature bucks during rut. However, the realization that I have killed exactly ZERO early or late season was an eye-opening revelation.