Hunting the New Normal: Tactics for Hunting Mature Big Woods Whitetails on Bareground

Cory Wells with his 2022 big woods buck. Shot in Maine, this buck weighed 225.5 pounds and scored 152” gross

Hunting the New Normal: Tactics for Hunting Mature Big Woods Whitetails on Bareground

Hunting season in the big woods of Maine often conjures ideas of snow, tracks, and massive bucks. In recent years, two of the three aforementioned were harder to come by. With these conditions, consider a shift to new hunting tactics and styles if you want to bag that elusive mature big woods buck.

With snow coming into the region more sporadically in recent years, I have shifted time once dedicated to tracking to trying other hunting disciplines, with varying levels of success. Here are some of my top tips for bare ground hunting the big woods, and hopefully getting a shot at that buck of a lifetime.

Bareground Tactics: Locating Hot Spots

Bareground hunting will never have the success rate of tracking. That is just a fact that cannot be overcome. But with some work and developing different skills, it can be far more productive than just pounding brush on a whim and a prayer.

First out of the gate I focus my time on proven areas known to hold either mature bucks or groups of does depending on the phase of the rut. This is of the foremost importance. If you are not where the deer are you are out of the game before it has even started.

If you are in an area that is ever-changing, as much of the big woods are, some scouting/hunting missions are in order. Look for fresh sign of travel corridors, feeing, and be mindful of pinch points that may serve you well to know when the rut gets swinging. Which brings us to our next tip. Pick your days to hunt the hottest areas you find. Killing days on snow (e.g., windy, rainy, or heavy falling barometric pressure days) are killing days on bare ground too.

So you have found some hot sign, and you have found some ground that gives you an advantage, and you have a killing day—now what? For me the answer with great success has been a mixture of still hunting and calling, with some caveats.

For example, the buck pictured above was shot using a combination of these tactics. After finding a one-year-old cut in close proximity to a known hot bed for deer activity, I moved into the area still hunting on November 13. After hunting across a system of cuts that wrapped around a 1.5 mile ridge system, I noted specific areas that had high concentrations of buck tracks in the bare soil where skidders had hauled out wood. I then moved out of the area and did not return until the next “killing day.”

November 15 came with a hard frost and a slight north wind. I knew from my still hunt / scouting mission exactly where I would begin. At first light working up a steep skid trail that was worn almost to bare dirt from the logging operation, I pulled out my grunt call. Knowing I was in the game right from the truck was a huge boost. I knew there were at least two massive tracked bucks on this mountain.

Lightly grunting and slowly working up the elevation, a deer blew. A large mature doe jumped in the winter beech to my right. Not startled too hard, she stopped and began feeding up the ridge. Then another mature doe followed. Knowing the time of year and the area, I was on high alert. “There is a buck here, I know it.” As soon as the doe broke over the ridge top and out of sight, the buck made his mistake. Not wanting to lose his dancing partners out of sigh, started to stride toward the skid road I am standing in. I was his final error. At 20 yards he stepped into view and with a decisive crack of the rifle he dropped in his tracks.

This may seem like luck, but it isn’t the first time these tactics have worked, and it won’t be the last. One of your strongest tools in the bag is the belief that you are going to see that buck. Believing that monster could be right behind that next blow down or just over this next rise oes more than it may seem for your confidence. It not only keeps the hunt fun, it keeps you sharp, and on alert. Being in the moment, every moment, will pay dividends when that key few seconds come.

Calling: When and what call to use

Calling is the other big piece of the puzzle and understanding when to call and when to be quiet is ket. Many hunters would have called when the doe jumped in this scenario—myself being one before learning it was doing more harm than good. When you know the rut is swinging and you think there is a big dominant buck the area, for me nothing beats a soft grunt. The majority of the time muffling the call into your coat or hand helps. Especially when you don’t know where the deer is. I also find that a grunt call that is too deep in tone is more of a hindrance than a benefit.

When the deer is there and you it is there, be it a doe or a buck, whether you see them or hear them, be quiet and do not move. Until you know it is time to make your move for a shot or that the deer has moved off and you need to give chase, its time to make your best statue impression. Try to always stop where you have a tree or brush in front of you or at your back to help hide your silhouette. The shadows are your friends as well. Anything to gain a slight edge.

Putting yourself in the right areas at the right time with a little finesse in your approach will surely pay dividends eventually.

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