From traveling across the country and talking to hunters in many different states, I’ve learned that most hunters assume they’ll take a big buck this season. However, they haven’t done the homework required to make that dream of taking a trophy buck come true. Taking a big buck is just like passing a test at school. You can assume you’ll make an A, but if you don’t study the material that will be on the test, more than likely, you won’t. I believe there’s a system to taking trophy white-tailed bucks.

1) Hunt the bucks where they’re located. Research the areas you want to hunt. Start with your local conservation officer. Talk to the wildlife biologist for that particular section of the state. Find out from him the number, the size, the weight and the antler development of the deer being taken in that area. Also, talk with other hunters who’ve hunted that region. Learn the kind and the size of bucks they’ve been taking.

If you’re hunting a state’s wildlife management area, check the previous year’s kill records to see the size and the number of bucks taken. Before you decide to go hunt a big buck, make sure there’s a big buck in that area or that the region has been known to produce big bucks.

2) Pinpoint the exact spot where you can see trophy bucks. Use motion-sensor cameras, spotting scopes and binoculars to scout the area you plan to hunt. The real key to finding a big buck is locating him before the season, and then, staying as far away from him as possible, while you learn where he goes, and when he goes there. You need to know exactly where the buck you want to take is coming out into an agricultural field or crossing a power line or working a scrape. Know where that deer’s showing up, so that you possibly can get a shot at him.

Identify the food source he’s feeding on and the time he’s getting there in the morning. Locate his bedding area and the trail he’s using to get there, and determine what time he’s traveling that trail. Remember, you’ve got to stay away from the deer while you’re learning how to hunt him. You don’t want the buck to know you’re hunting him until after you’ve released the arrow or squeezed the trigger on the gun. Once you’ve located the spot where you plan to take the buck, find the best stand from which you’ll take the shot.

3) Pick the exact tree where you plan to hang your tree stand before you hunt this buck. You need to be conscious of the wind direction to know how to get to the tree with a favorable wind and what kind of wind you’ll have to have to hunt from that tree without the deer’s smelling you. Look for pinch points, which are narrow areas that a buck has to walk through to get from one wooded lot to another.

I use all of the Hunter’s Specialties’ scent-free products: I wash my clothes with Scent-A-Way; I wash and spray my body down with Scent-A-Way Spray; and, I use Fresh Scent Wafers. I make sure I have all the scent preparations I need to hunt at my stand with me. Eighty-five percent of the time, the way the wind’s blowing will tell you which way the deer will travel. For instance, if a buck’s traveling in search of an estrous doe, he’ll usually walk quartering-away from the wind where he thinks the herd of doe will be. That buck knows he can cover a larger area with his nose and find a larger amount of does ready to breed by walking against the wind rather than with the wind. Once the buck picks up the smell of an estrous doe, he’ll turn into the wind to go straight to that doe.

4) Prepare yourself for the shot, before you hunt. If possible, I always want the sun to my back and the wind in my face when I get into the tree stand. If I can, I want to trim all my shooting lanes before I hunt. I try not to cut limbs and leave them under the tree. When I cut a limb, I don’t cut it all the way in two. I cut it so that it will simply hang straight down from the limb. I don’t want to leave any branches on the ground. Even before I climb into my tree to hunt, I pick the spot where I’ll take the deer, and 50% of the time, the buck will be in the place where I plan to take him in the morning or the afternoon.

5) Plan how you’ll make the shot. When you’re practice shooting, if you’re shooting at a 3-D target, practice seeing the deer before you shoot at the target. Imagine where the deer will be when you get ready to draw. Slow down your breathing, make your draw, direct your arrow where you’ll shoot, and then release the arrow. When I’m practicing, I practice from imagining seeing the deer to choosing the spot where I want to shoot him, deciding where the deer may be when I draw, aiming at the spot I want to hit, and then releasing the draw. The more mentally prepared you are for the hunting environment, the straighter you’ll shoot, and the better your odds will be for taking the buck.

6) Wait for the buck to appear, the very last thing on your list to take a big buck. All the preparations you’ve made ahead of time not only ensures there’ll be a big buck in front of your stand, but it drastically increases your odds of taking that buck if and when he shows up. However, also remember, no matter how hard we practice or how well prepared we are, there are no guarantees in deer hunting, as with anything in life. At the same time, the more we practice, the more prepared we’ll be, and the greater our chances are for taking the buck of a lifetime. Good luck this season.