Today's episode provides as update for the farms Kent and I are hunting.  Kent hit a shooter buck on Saturday Nov 2nd and we will discuss what happened and what he learned from the encounter.  I am on the heels of an close run in with Two (Skinny) and get some good action on a edge line scrape.  We talk practice, wind, milkweed, thermals, tracking and strategy off info from trail cam pics.  We hope you enjoy!

Preparation is the Theme

In today's episode Kent and I discuss how important it is to hunt cold fronts.  You can usually see a cold front coming on the forecast.  If the winds die or the temps drop more than single digits in a 24 hour period...you should be in the stand.  As Drury says...LOG LONG HOURS!We also look at scent control.  We discuss cover scents and Ozone.I had a close encounter with one of the target bucks on the St. Croix County farm.

Cold Fronts Hot Sits

Episode 3 is a detailed look at how I have used trail cameras in identifying and targeting mature bucks.  I detail my journey and what I have learned along the way...including the mistakes I have made.I also give a full review of the CuddeLink system and how I installed and have used it this fall on one of the farms I hunt.

Cell Yea!!

In the 2nd episode of Buck Up we will give updates on the bucks we are hunting.  We will also go over moving stands in season and why you would need or want to.  We talk about the importance of knowing the updated regulations and how it ties into preparation.The trail cam pics are heating up for Split 2.  Split has yet to show again since velvet in August.  Waiting to see if he makes an appearance.  Split 2 is showing on a few scrapes on inside field corners and field edges.  Tying his movement to bedding is my priority.  Soon the focus will shift to funnels and leeward ridge movement as the pre-rut gears up.  Only a couple of weeks away from the all day sits.

Make Your Move

Welcome to season 2 of BUCK UP!  In this first episode we will go over the plans for the podcast for this season.  We will talk about target bucks we will be chasing in 2019.  We will also go over the process of preparation for the season and when you should be putting the time in.Megatron lives on in story but luckily this season we have a couple big boys to track on Kent's farms and four bucks on the farms I hunt.  One buck, Split, is going to be in the 160s with a lot of character.Here we go!

Season 2 Kickoff

Welcome to Buck Up!  I’m your host, Brew.  This is episode 10! “Satisfied” The conversation takes place the evening of Nov 15th…two weeks after SK shot Megatron.   What is it like after you shoot a monster buck?  Obviously a lot of good…but it can also create some challenges. Looking back over the journey SK says the observational sit back in September was the key to the harvest.  Probably more important than the trail camera pics.  The entry and exits were really important as well. Today’s Buck Up point is the fail of loose lips sink ships.  If you have a big buck you have worked hard to locate…be careful who you tell.  Otherwise you will not be the only one hunting him. Ok…here we go with the final Megatron episode.

Satisfied

Welcome to Buck Up!  I’m your host, Brew.  This is episode #9! “I Got Him!!!” Before we get going with the podcast today I wanted to let you know we now have a Facebook page.  You can look at the pictures of the story and Megatgron.  We’d love for you to share the page with your friends. OK….when we left off…SK said he was not able to hunt the night of the call because of work.  When I got the text “I Got Him!!” I wasn’t sure what he was talking about.  So in today’s episode the The story of Megatron comes full circle.  We will take a look at how the events went down and what SK did right in harvesting the buck and how he learned from his past mistakes to seal the deal.  It all happened at 6pm on November 1, 2018! Today’s Buck Up Point is the problem many of us have in actually making a good shot when it’s go time.  How many of us have done everything right or at least gotten lucky enough to have a shooter in front of us only to miss the shot?  The only remedy to this problem is practice, practice and more practice. Practice with the clothes that you will be hunting with.  Shoot from different angles and from different directions.  Know your maximum range and practice at very close ranges.  When to draw?  If you have to wait for the shot…once you know you have a shooter…don’t look at the rack. Focus on the body and where your placement will be.  Learn to control the adrenaline and the nerves.  Breathe!   

I GOT HIM!!!!

Welcome Back to Buck Up!  I’m your host…Brew.  This is episode 8!   “You Gonna Hunt Tonight?” The conversation takes place on Thursday November 1stand the plan is put in place for the upcoming weekend hunt.  SK plans a vacation day for an all day sit.   Megatron shows again on camera two nights October 29th and 30thleaving his core area headed for the does on a back 400 acre chunk. We are all over the place today… Can you pee out of your stand?? Using trail cameras to directionally track deer Locating Big Buck Bedding…getting as close as you can get Picking out killing trees Scent control??  New ideas…ozone?  Mouth and head odor? Raking entry routes to stands…as quiet as you can be Today’s Buck Up point is the fail of lack of scent control.  Too many times I have cut corners on my scent regiment. When you are chasing a mature animal…everything you can do to contain your scent matters.  No scent elimination spray is going to cover up a bad scent regiment.  So do the research and take your time in managing your scent and it may be the thing that gets that big boy in just close enough.

You Gonna Hunt Tonight?

Welcome Back to Buck Up!  I’m your host…Brew.  This is episode 7! “They’re Starting to Move” The quest for the monster buck Megatron continues! After a three week Ghost show…Magatron returns to the camera! October 24th2:43am the old Cuddeback went to work and caught three very good pics of the big boy working a scrape. The pictures give us a better look at just how big this buck is…SK and I guestimate on the Boone and Crockett score. It’s the 28thof October and SK is making the move in on this buck.  He continues to hunt the wind and will try to catch him coming out of bedding working two stands on either side of his bedroom.   Today’s Buck Up Point is the mistake of checking trail cameras too often and without any scent control.  SK talks today about being purposeful when he grabs his cards and the importance of not making extra trips into camera spots just to grabs cards.  Scent control on your boots and hands are critical pieces of staying as undetected as possible.  I check my cameras on my four wheeler and never step a foot on the ground.  Big bucks are already leery enough of cameras…we shouldn’t make the mistake of giving them more reason to avoid them.  

They're Starting to Move!

Welcome to Buck Up!  Episode 6! “The Plight of the Average Man” The date is Oct 22 in the heart of the so called lull.   SK is introduced to two new bucks while Megatron has gone AWOL.  Again we talk about the frustration of dealing with other hunters on the same ground.  It’s probably no coincidence that Megatron has disappeared soon after SK caught a trail cam pic of another bowhunter on a walkabout.   In this episode we discuss big buck competition and how that will lead to good sign.   The addition of a couple of mature deer on camera has ignited the mature buck sign around the farm. We also discuss the reality of Losing ground….after 20 years of hunting a beautiful MN farm and the spot he shot a 200”…SK loses the access to hunt. A quick follow up note on the issue I mentioned last episode about the other hunters on the ground I am on…I adjusted my attitude and have actually had some good information come my way from them.  They are good guys just out trying to hunt like myself. Today’s Buck Up point is the fail of mistaking young buck sign for mature sign.  Young bucks tend to be more active with rub and scrape activity.  Don’t let a lot of low rub sign lead you to set up on it.  Rubs and scrapes not tied to bedding is misleading….and could very well all be taking place long after the sun sets.  

The Plight of the Average Hunter

Today’s discussion recalls the week of October 8ththrough the 15th.  We talk about Rub and scrape lines tied to bedding.  How dominant bucks will Freshen scrapes after a rain.  We also discuss the Struggles with dealing with other hunters and how they impact your hunts.  I have a lot of respect for the public land hunters that hunt mature bucks fighting off the masses of other hunters.  How these guys can hunt around other hunters and actually use them to their advantage is impressive.  It is one of the goals I have to continue to learn their tactics and how they discover and hunt big buck bedding.  Tactics we certainly could extend to hunting the private ground we have permission on.  Today’s Buck Up point is the mistake of letting things outside your control impact your approach to hunting.  Most hunters have to deal with obstacles outside of their control.  Too many times I have let other hunters, or poor weather or the success of other hunters I know affect my mental game. The key is developing the mental toughness to turn these events into advantages for you.   We are hitting a bit of a down time in the hunt for Megatron.  How do you hunt through it?  The colder temps and upcoming rut is bound to turn up the heat. Here we go… 

Sometimes There's No Way Around It

Episode 4 will take a look at Missed opportunities.  Real life does not always allow us to be in the stand at the right time.   SK misses a perfect weather night on the heels of a cold front.  We discuss the infamous October Lull.  We also hit on the weather and movement, a dominant bucks home range and how crop harvest impacts movement.Todays Buck Up Point is the mistake of missing a cold front.  Deer will move more consistently for 24-48 hours after a front moves in.  Any change is something to look at but a temp drop of 10-15 degrees associated with a wind direction shift, precip, and a rise in pressure…you should try to find a way to get to the stand.   

He Aint Going Anywhere

Welcome to episode three!  The keypoint today is entry and exit!  As you will hear Super Kenny has tried something a little different to get in and out of his stand.  He has made the move to the woods but is staying on the fringes and hunting high. He has brought an old bike along to ride in.  It’s quiet and speeds travel up.  No ground scent is important.  Today’s Buck Up Point is the fail of entry!  Too many times I have entered and exited in ways that deer can see or smell me and little did I know the hunt for a mature buck was over before I got in my tree stand.  Look at aerials and map out your entry.  Leave a different way.  Take a long way if it is better.  We have all been running behind and just taken the shortest path to our stand but it kills your chances.  Your entry and exit is really the first determining factor in success on mature deer. 

Ride A Bike

Welcome to the second episode of Buck Up!We will discuss wind direction and food relating to mature buck early season movement.  I get a text on October 2 2018 with a picture of Megatron up against a field edge.  At first you can't really tell anything is present but as I zoomed in on the picture...riught in the middle stands the King.  There is no mistaking his headgear.What tactics are being looked at in how SK will move forward hunting Megatron?  Work is a reality for most of us.  SK sees Megatron on the hoof and has to wait two more days to get back out on the chase.Today's Buck Up is the fail of moving in too soon on a mature buck.  He simply cannot know you are hunting him.  Period.  There are no second chances.  So, while you have to time up the patterns with the food transition...you cannot move in too soon.  Enjoy!

Not All About Tree Stands

The first episode of Buck Up is an introduction to our ideas for the show and the first look at the hunt for Megatron.  This 5 1/2 year old typical framed 10 point monster makes your heart skip a beat when you see the trail cam pic kind of buck.  Super Kenny hunted the buck the end of the 2017 season and was fortunate enough to catch him again on the cameras in velvet the summer of 2018.The theme of the show will be a focus on failure.  Adversity if the best teacher and the drive behind our work will be to share these stories.  Each of the first 10 episodes will feature a different conversation surrounding the ideas, thoughts and tactics that go into hunting a trophy mature animal on a door knock farm.Welcome to the podcast and the idea.  

Buck Up

Buck Up

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