The Big Difference
Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-tow: so for some average hunters they think that any buck that comes in sight of their crosshairs is a trophy. But age does makes a difference in knowing if the buck you tag is the biggest of them all.
Depending on which State has a large population of prime bucks, sometimes it takes a good amount of luck to tag one. But given the instance that mature bucks are more aggressive by nature, have the drive to breed and to survive, there are some factors and hints that may earn another trophy on the wall.
From Mr. Bigalow to the Boy Next Door, size may matter most, but it's good to know about certain behavioral patterns, especially when it comes to bucks in their prime and the bucks just enjoying their first time losing their virginity. First, the amount or even how the buck starts rubbing its antlers on the tree is a significant part whether it's Mr. Bigalow on sight. Sure the younger bucks will do the same, but they'll be intimidated first before actually trying to get close enough to cross the prime buck's territory. The younger ones tend to be a bit more playful, almost to the point they may even frolic a bit with the herd of doe. Call it gym time for them where they just do the silly things. Prime bucks just want to survive and breed until winter.
Breeding is the next best thing and one of the prime buck's main weaknesses until it's tagged. While most of the younger ones may be selective, the prime bucks know the same old routine to mate with as many doe as possible. That will be the best and possibly the biggest.
Some lures or even traps will help bring in one of the prime bucks as it urges them to get aggressive and eventually they'll have to investigate. Sometimes it may take a few hours but it wouldn't be too bad to pass up the opportunity if the hunter thinks that it's still too young. A prime buck would think little for its own safety, causing it to charge in and eventually to be tagged by the hunter.
Patience and a little bit of deviltry is needed to bag the prime buck to mount on the wall. Decoys may work, but it can be pretty risky since they can be aggressive creatures if they want to be. But as long as some safety precautions are practiced, there will be a big buck to tag in the future.
