1469461495469_3589023095From our good friend Zach:

Hey Mike, I finally got around to setting out another camera and these are the bucks that showed up in just one week. All three are new on the farm and can’t wait till they are out of velvet. For the past two years I’ve been watching this certain piece of property that’s only about three acres and has a creek running through it. Last week I decided to set up a camera and, well, these are the bucks that are hanging in there. Can’t wait to get a stand up!–Zach

This is the most recent proof of 3 things I’ve been writing and blogging about for years. I hope you have been heeding this advice, but if not do it now and you’ll find and pattern more bucks to hunt in a few months:

–It doesn’t take a lot of land to hold big bucks. In this case, only 3 acres. While it’s unclear whether all or most of those bucks will hang in the vicinity come bow season, it’s a good bet that at least one of them will be around for Zach to hunt. Don’t overlook small parcels of land for cams and tree stands.

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–In late summer and early fall, bucks LOVE to hang in cool, shady thickets near a creek or river; hang a camera in these areas and you’ll find bucks like Zach did.

–There are places on the land you hunt where for whatever reason you have never scouted or hunted. (My theory is that we are habitual creatures, and once we get comfortable hunting a certain area, we keep going back and back and neglect other spots that might actually be better.) Well, right now pick 2 or 3 small ridges, bottoms or pockets of cover that for whatever reason you have never investigated before, and hang cams in those spots. Bet you’ll find some bucks, and maybe a good one.

Send me your trail cam photos to share, I’ll never reveal the location of the bucks.