scout from a distance if you can find any crop fields set up with a spotting scope or bino's. set trail cams near where you found the shed may get lucky that way but short of just getting in the area and scouting thats the best medicine for him. also go back to the area and try and find a rubline on some of the larger trees that would be a good starting point.

 

the field i found the shed in is perfect for watching. there are 3 low corners of the field and 1 high corner, so i can sit on the high corner and watch the entire place very easily. i can set a watch to does coming out in the field and 2 years ago remember a pretty decent buck with a wierder lookin rack that came out regularly, so perhaps thats him? never got a clear view of it, but looked like a main frame 6 or 8 with a sticker or two, so im guessing its him but older. its pretty nice during the summer ive shot groundhogs with my 22 while deer were in the field and they looked at me a minute then jsut went back to eating! i would bet that he goes into another field as well, but only scouting will tell. dont have a scope but 16 power binoculars otta do the trick. this buck should be VERY easy to identify from the others based on the other deer ive seen in that woods. thanks for the help!

 

Early season bucks can be very predictable and respond very well to bait. Utilize a trail cam and corn....don't visit the site too ofter. Check the cam once a week for 2-4 weeks prior to the season and if you're lucky, he will be visiting that location at approx. the same time every day. Not the most favorable way to hunt them, but when you're limited on time, it can be effective. Good luck.

 

From my experience patterns change dramatically very early into the season. Scouting early will give you a good indication of bucks in your area. Keep in mind the bucks you see where you can hunt will likely be on the move, so its also a good idea to glass nearby areas you cant hunt as you very well may be hunting those bucks during the year. Once the bachelor pad breaks up, the deer you get on camera will be the deer you can expect to see more often during the year and into the rut. Once the rut hits, anything can happen. As for keeping deer around, the best thing you can probably do is try not to give them a reason to leave. Apples have always worked to keep deer traveling certain paths. But they are inconvienient if you have to lug them far.

 

i would put some corn out with in a few spots with cams last year once i put corn out i was getting over 150 pics a day just at my house alone. good luck this season. -Nick-

 

The best advice I've read on this thread was to scout at a distance. Watch with binos/spotting scope from a far. Don't go in to the woods other to hang your stand, or better yet use a climber. Hang your stand just prior to the opener where your spotting dictates. If he steps out consistantly in a certain corner, then get there up high and down wind. You might get a crack at him or another fine buck early. If you want to bait him, dump enough corn to last 3 weeks and never set foot in the woods till the opener. Wind direction is a must before you pick a tree to hunt from. You can get him as long as he doesn't smell you first as he approaches the fields at dark. A shed antler tells you that you are in a big buck hangout and you should hunt where the buck you want exists! I hope this helps you get him. Good luck and thanks for your service.

 

Check the fields from the roads later this summer within 2-3 mi. from where your hunting. Alfalfa,clover, and soy bean are your best bets. Try to locate where he is feeding. From what you say with all the hunting pressure in the woods your hunting there's a good chance he was only there because of the food in the winter months after hunting season. So don't just scout that single area. Hope you find him. Good Luck!