Ani-Logics Outdoors

November is a special month to be hunting love-crazed bucks, and this year was no exception. I hunted a total of 3 days and put eyes on over 40 deer in that timeframe. I capitalized on the first opportunity a shooter buck gave me. Here is the hunt breakdown for Bogtrotter, a 4.5 year old brute that often had muddy feet from walking in the wetlands around where I hunt.

This story started back on a snowy evening in 2022 when I got the first pics of the buck I would later call Bogtrotter. 

He wasn’t anything I wanted to chase then, but it was good to know a solid young buck was in the pipeline. 

The following year in 2023, I captured him again on my post-gun season survey. He had added a G4 and had a noticeably thicker neck, but the rest of his body didn’t match the neck, so he was a classic 3.5-year-old.

Fast forward to this year, and he shows up again, this time with mud on his feet from traversing the wetlands, and he was finally old enough to earn the name Bogtrotter. His neck was once again getting full, but this year his body matched.

He lost a little length on his G4 but he made up for it with mass and lengthening every other point. I could tell he was never going to be a mega giant, and he was taking up space/resources so he made the hitlist. At my stage of life, I pick out the top 10% of deer in my area and put them on the list. There were 5 bucks I would have gladly filled my tag with, but I’m an equal opportunity buck hunter, so if any of them present a shot opportunity, I’m not going to pass it up!

Here is a late October pic that really shows his body mass:

Now for the hunting strategy, I’ve watched deer cross a wetland in the same spot the last couple years heading toward the food plots. The food plots were in Pro Bean Blend, Amazin’ Grains, and Pro Brassica Blend. No matter what direction they come from or are going they always cross in this one spot. I couldn’t hunt the edges of the food plot as there were too many deer there in the mornings and evenings when I would be entering/exiting the woods, so I focused my efforts on the wetland pinch leading up to the plots. On the mornings of November 2^nd and 3^rd, we had a southerly wind that didn’t allow me to hunt the spot. I sat back and watched this funnel from the opposite side and watched countless deer pass by within easy range of a pine tree near the crossing. 

On November 4^th, I finally had a Northwest wind that I needed and got to the tree just after lunch. I watched a doe and fawn pass by around 3, then at 4:15 a young buck and a 3.5 year old buck walked by one after another. I could hear more footsteps, so I prepared for a shot in case it was a shooter. In this spot, I cannot see the deer coming from far away so when I see them, they are in bow range. I saw antlers in the cover, and when he stepped out I could tell it was Bogtrotter by his massive neck. It took him about a minute to cover another 5 yards and present a broadside shot, and I buried the pin right behind the shoulder. When I shot, he ducked and I hit him in the spine. Honestly not proud of the shot, but it was effective, dropping him in his tracks. 

Here is a screen shot of the moment just before impact:

Once he was down the work began, dragging him about 700 yards with the help of my beautiful and strong wife for half of it, and a good buddy for the final half. We took him over to the food plots for some professional pictures with Damia Cole Photography:

His rack came in at 130” but more impressive his neck taped out at 28.5”. There is still plenty of time to capitalize on daylight movement of mature bucks that the rut brings. As we get farther into November and into December, food will play a larger role in where deer spend their time. Good luck hunting, and don’t forget to share your harvest with our social media platforms!