Finding Bucks in the Waning Hours of the Day

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Hunt whitetails long enough, and you soon learn to prepare for action whenever does stop feeding and focus their attention in one direction. Two of them and their nearly grown fawns had been leisurely nipping clover along a powerline in front of my elevated blind when they suddenly froze, staring toward thick broomsedge that marked the transition point where the terrain sharply dropped off 100 yards to my left.

Late-afternoon boredom evaporated in a rush of adrenaline as a big buck charged into view, his head low in full “I’m coming to getcha” posture. He bird-dogged and whirled, trying to pinpoint which female was delivering a heady snootful of estrous scent.

The buck refused to slow down long enough to allow a full measure of his size. He had to be at least a mature 10-pointer, I guessed, with muscled front shoulders and a barrel chest. I lifted my Mossberg Patriot rifle, chambered in 6.5 PRC, and worked to locate the buck in the scope. He finally chilled out for a second, glaring at the does.

I readied the crosshairs, flipped off the safety and ... hit the brakes. Something was wrong. While the buck’s left antler was intact and impressive, his right side was a fractured mess, with at least two tines snapped close to the main beam.

I’ve killed bucks with busted racks before and this boy would have been one to talk about for sure, but it was still day two of a four-day hunt at the beginning of Kentucky’s “modern gun” season, which happens to coincide with prime rutting activity. Maybe the next outing would produce the warrior that damaged the broken buck. I lowered the rifle and watched as he squired a doe from the clearing.

KENTUCKY CALLING

I was hunting near Hardinsburg with Bluegrass Whitetail Outfitters (BWO). Adam O’Bryan is the operations manager, coordinating hunts and guides across dozens of leased properties spanning some 10,000 acres spread over four counties, with most acreage located in Breckinridge County. Hunters tagged 1,566 bucks in Breckinridge during last year’s season, and the region is becoming well-known as a big buck hot spot.

The habitat is characterized by rolling hills with large tracts of forests protected by steep slopes and cliff lines. Red and white oaks are prevalent. Pasture and row crops, typically corn and soybeans, dominate the open ground, especially the river bottoms and any flat ground or open ridges.

Multiple factors go into growing big bucks—namely age, food and genetics. This part of Kentucky certainly seems to have food and genetics. The number of young bucks I saw that already sported multiple antler tines seemed to indicate a predisposition for impressive racks at maturity.

Ryan Taylor, biologist for Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, said age is the biggest determinant in his state. A willingness by hunters to let young bucks walk is the only way to learn their true potential, and Taylor noted that Kentucky’s developing reputation for quality deer has been helped by buck harvest restrictions.

“County deer zoning with a bag limit of one buck has been very effective over the last decade,” he said.

While BWO likes their hunters to tag trophy bucks, O’Bryan told me his outfit recognizes that “trophy” means something unique to each hunter. BWO has no rigid rules when it comes to antlers, instead setting a “soft 125-inch” minimum guideline.

“I think it’s hard to define what a trophy is to each individual hunter,” O’Bryan said. “There are so many factors, such as the hunter’s age, experience, where they are from. While some people may see a 125-inch deer as small, I have other hunters that consider that a deer of a lifetime. I’ve had hunters kill a 110-inch 8-point and have tears of joy when they walk up on the deer. Others shoot a 140-inch buck and are disappointed. My purpose of the 125-inch soft minimum is to ensure hunters don’t shoot a small buck on the last day just so they can say they killed a deer. And so far, it has been successful.”

Not every hunter gets a crack at a 160-inch-plus deer, but a couple in each BWO group either see or tag such bucks.

The biggest buck taken by a hunter with BWO so far was a deer grossing 184 inches of antler.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Our hunting crew included television show and podcast hosts Clede Spooner and Brandon Houston, and Linda Powell, Mossberg media relations chief. Cameraman Chris Daniels shared an elevated box blind with Powell. The excitement began early on day one.

“A high-racked buck was chasing a smaller buck,” Powell told me later. “In hindsight, I should have shot that mature buck, but it was the first day of the hunt and having never hunted whitetails in Kentucky before, I wasn’t sure what to expect in the way of a typical buck for the area. But I never had an ideal shot with several does and a smaller buck all milling around, so I passed.”

Spooner and Houston, hunting together, also saw abundant deer from their blind situated along a small woodlot adjacent to wide-open agricultural fields. Spooner had to make a quick decision when an estimated 120-inch 8-pointer appeared in a hardwood bottom chasing a doe at full speed. He elected to shoot footage instead of a bullet.

In the following days, Powell and Daniels opted to sit in the same blind for each hunt. It was positioned about 300 yards from the far end of a meadow surrounded by timber and bedding areas. The entire field of view was accessible with Powell’s Mossberg Patriot in .308 Win.

Powell was kicking herself a little for not trying harder to get on the first day’s big buck as the hunt wore on. And then on the third day, opportunity knocked again.

Daylight revealed abundant deer coming to the meadow to feed or transitioning from bedding areas to wooded areas. After that early rush of activity, though, things quieted until late morning.

“Chris and I had let our guard down and were chatting about life in general,” Powell said. “Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of movement from our right, moving to the left, and realized it was a buck. In fact, it was the buck I passed on the first day, and it was chasing another deer!”

In what Powell described as a “poorly executed fire drill,” she scrambled to get in position to shoot while Daniels readied the camera. With her rifle in a blind window, she got on the deer and had a shot at 50 yards.

“Unfortunately, Chris had no visibility and couldn’t see the buck, which had slowed to a walk and was moving toward the timber on the left side of the blind,” Powell said. “We adjusted our positions. I confirmed with Chris that I was on the big buck—the deer from day one. What we didn’t know was that there were two bucks, and we were looking at different ones, when I shot. I missed! The bigger buck ran off and the second, smaller buck presented a shot. Chris had him in the camera and we got a great show, but I am a bit haunted by missing that bigger buck and passing on him on day one.”

Spooner and Houston split up for day three. Spooner opted for a ladder stand near a cut cornfield, nestled alongside prairie grass and field edges. Daybreak revealed two small bucks cruising. Forty-five minutes later, he spied a young 8-point walking toward him, some 500 yards distant.

“He was acting funny, like he wanted to get somewhere but something was stopping him,” Spooner said. “Then, out of a ditch stepped a big 4- or 5-year-old 8-point. As the sun came up behind him, I could tell he was mature—a shooter. I watched this deer for about 15 or 20 minutes and could tell he had a doe with him somewhere, but I never saw her.”

With the buck standing broadside, Spooner ranged the deer at 390 yards. He knew the reticle in his Bushnell Engage scope would let him hold the third line dead on the buck. Spooner took the shot, and the buck dropped. When Spooner walked out to the deer, a doe that had been lying next to the buck the whole time got up and took off.

AFTERNOON ACTION

The third afternoon of any short hunt often sees hunters doing a little internal negotiating, especially if they are like me and value venison in the cooler as much as, or more than, antlers on the wall. The previous afternoon was full of deer sightings, at least until Old Busted Rack came to the party. I decided to revisit the powerline. This day wouldn’t include any lunch break; I had packed for an all-day outing. After all, the rut was in full gear.

The chilly early morning saw nonstop action: 18 deer, mostly does with youngsters and a couple small bucks, including one 6-point that paused to demonstrate a classic flehmen position. He lifted his head and curled back his upper lip, exposing his front teeth while inhaling for several seconds—something like an Elvis-meets-Billy-Idol version of a whitetail. Bucks do this when they smell a doe or urine, pulling the molecules into the vomeronasal organ located in the roof of their mouth. The would-be Romeo postured toward a doe and was promptly rebuffed. Things settled, they amicably agreed to share a light snack.

Then there was the turkey show, 23 birds in all. They made a pleasant ruckus in the predawn treetops, stretching their wings and talking to one another. As the sun cleared the frost from the clover, a parade of hens and their nearly full-sized offspring marched in and began feeding around the blind. One mama sported a nice beard. She acted like the boss, directing traffic and dictating when it was time to seek cover, which happened to coincide with me moving ever so slightly inside the blind.

The chilly morning transitioned into an unseasonably warm late afternoon, one conducive to napping. Maybe a twig snapped or leaves rustled, or perhaps it was some innate hunter’s sense that lifted my eyelids. Two deer were moving in from the woods to my right. Soon after, another young, nicely antlered buck emerged.

The activity was fleeting. By the time the sun had almost set, the powerline was devoid of deer.

With the clock ticking down, movement in the woods across the powerline caught my attention. I placed the rifle on the shooting stick inside the blind and oriented it toward the approaching deer.

Trees obscured the animal. Then I saw antlers, a full left side and enough of the right to know it wasn’t the same deer from the day before. I judged him as a 10-pointer, assuming the other side matched. Like many mature bucks, he wasn’t going to head into an opening unless there was something in it for him. He turned and walked inside the woods edge, just downwind of a scrape 70 yards away.

The buck was seconds from reaching the point where the terrain dropped off and he’d be out of my life forever. He paused in an opening before heading downhill, presenting a strong quartering-away shot. I centered the Steiner’s crosshair, let out a breath and squeezed the trigger, figuring we’d sort out how big the buck was on the ground.The deer bolted forward and disappeared.

Ten minutes remained until complete darkness when I located the buck, some 30 yards down the hill, dead from the Barnes bullet that passed through at least 3 feet of his body before exhausting its energy. He was a fine Kentucky whitetail with heavy antlers, each carrying five points, and he had cruised by my blind just in time.

WHY KENTUCKY?

Nice bucks and well-timed seasons make the state a worthy destination.

Breckinridge County, where Bluegrass Whitetail Outfitters (BWO) holds most of its hunts, consistently ranks as a top Kentucky county for whitetails. According to Ryan Taylor, biologist for the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, a 208-inch non-typical buck was killed in the county in 2020. While we were in camp, a teenage hunter took an impressive buck that reportedly scored 178 inches.

Adam O’Bryan, co-owner and operations manager of BWO (bluegrasswhitetailoutfitters.com), says a hunt in his part of Kentucky is special for several reasons. He notes the area has mature whitetails that routinely exceed 145 inches and 200 pounds.

“Kentucky offers deer seasons that are very conducive to the hunter. We offer an early archery hunt in September when the deer are still in velvet and easily patternable. Then our rut coincides with our gun season, which allows hunters a better opportunity to witness classic rut behavior. But, if a deer in velvet is on your bucket list, a September velvet hunt also lets you work in a couple of dove hunts over incredible sunflower fields, a two-hunts-in-one proposition.”

O’Bryan and his crew—nearly half of them veterans—pay close attention to hunter safety, comfort and convenience. The goal, O’Bryan explains, is for hunters to not have to travel great distances from base camp, a converted church and former community center building, to get to their stands. Hunts are often within 30 minutes of the lodge. Nearly 200 stands—mostly a mix of ladders and box blinds in various sizes and configurations, plus a few lock-ons—are available.

A hunt with Bluegrass Whitetail permits the taking of one buck and one doe. A well-equipped skinning facility with stainless steel tables and running water is available for those who want to quarter and process their own animals, or professional processing is included with the cost of the hunt.

“Our theory is that these hunts are expensive,” O’Bryan says. “If you harvest something it should be sent home in a manner that is ready for you to eat.”

RUT RIG

Rifle, optics and ammo for Kentucky bucks on the prowl

Everyone in our hunting party used Mossberg Patriot rifles . These easy handling, affordable and accurate rifles come in a multitude of configurations. Standard features include a detachable box magazine (3+1, 4+1 or 5+1 capacity depending on chambering), spiral-fluted bolt and Mossberg’s patented LBA user-adjustable trigger. I used the Patriot Predator version in 6.5 PRC, which has a 24-inch fluted barrel with a threaded muzzle for attaching a brake or suppressor. The barrel, bolt and oversized bolt handle have a Patriot Brown Cerakote finish, and the synthetic stock is covered in TrueTimber Strata camouflage. The rifle’s weight is 6 1/2 pounds. ($655; mossberg.com)

I topped the rifle’s included Picatinny rail with a Steiner Predator 4 scope, the 4-16x50 mm model desirable due to aging eyes and the knowledge that all hunts would be from stands with rests available to steady shots. The scope has a 30 mm main tube and features an illuminated, second-focal-plane E3 reticle with 11 levels of intensity. The reticle provides bullet-drop-compensation marks along the lower vertical crosshair, each with 5 mph and 10 mph crosswind reference marks. ($1,273.99; steiner-optics.com)

The Barnes VOR-TX Long Range cartridges that I loaded in the Predator feature solid-copper, polymer-tipped 127-grain bullets that leave the muzzle at an advertised 3,010 fps. While not as heavy as many 6.5 mm projectiles, the 127-grain bullet is still traveling at 2,076 fps at 500 yards. Energy at the muzzle is a potent 2,556 ft.-lbs. and a capable 1,226 ft.-lbs. at 500 yards. The bullet’s all-copper design delivers incredible penetration, even after hitting bone. ($59.99 per 20 cartridges; barnesbullets.com)

Everyone also carried Bushnell Fusion X rangefinding binoculars —36-ounce, IPX7-waterproof units with lots of capability, including 1-mile ranging and an ActivSync display that quickly and automatically adjusts to the background for readouts that are easy to see. Coated lenses protect against the weather, dust and grit, and Bushnell’s High-Definition Optical System results in clear images during low light. The 10x42 mm Fusion X provides angle-compensation information within 1 degree of accuracy, giving hunters the true horizontal distance to the target plus line-of-sight distance, enabling proper aiming for uphill or downhill shots. ($699.99; bushnell.com)

We wore Bushnell Vault Modular Optics Protection System Binocular Packs to keep the Fusion X binos handy and protected. The bino harness features a strong magnetic closure and stretch pockets on both sides, along with a compartment on the back that can house most cell phones. ($54.99)

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• This article was featured in the November 2024 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.

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