If you Google this topic, you will find that everyone has an opinion on the subject. We were posed this question by our web site visitors, therefore I have decided to share a few of my secrets. The simple response to the question would be, visit our web store at WildernessCalls.com and purchase several of the wonderful hunting products we offer. This would be useful but in my years of hunting, I have obtained a few other secrets to locating that elusive dominant trophy buck.
     When I was a young man we would simply find a big whitetail deer track and turn several dogs loose to trail the deer. (This practice is still used by a lot of whitetail deer hunters and I am not here to say it is wrong, it's just another way to enjoy the sport of hunting.) Then I was introduced to still hunting. For many years I was the typical still hunter, find a nice tree and put a stand on it. I will tell you it did not take long to learn that this practice was not enough to bag that dominant buck. The first secret I will share is a simple one. Listen to successful hunters!!!! There is no scent, call or bait that will take the place of experience. Each deer hunter has tried many different methods to bag that dominant trophy buck. Take notes and use what you find that has worked from the vast knowledge of successful hunters.
     The next little secret is one that a lot of hunters overlook. Hunting season is always when the buck is entering the rut, or the mating season. Throughout the spring and summer at Wilderness Calls we obtain hundreds of pictures of does and yearlings. When hunting season approaches and the mating season begins, we obtain pictures of bucks. It is as if they just appear out of nowhere!!! Through our conservation efforts, we have increased our herd and provided a natural lure for the large bucks. If you are hunting a new area, find where the deer are congregating or feeding. If the does are in heat the dominant trophy buck will travel miles to find them. This is the ultimate bait for the dominant buck. Just like the human male, the dominant trophy buck will do whatever it takes to mate with a doe-n-heat.
     As the rut heats up and the weather cools, the dominant buck will begin to mark his territory with scrapes and paws. The best place to find pawing will be on an old trail or narrow roadway that is not used. The large oak trees will also be a prime spot to locate the pawing of a large buck. The pawing will tell you that bucks are in the area, but will not necessarily tell you how large they are. Several bucks will visit the same pawing. When you have hunted the same area for a few years, you will find that the same trees will have pawing, each year, as the rut kicks into high gear.
     The hooking of trees will give you the best clue to where the larger bucks will be. Simply put, the larger the tree that is hooked by a dominant trophy buck, the larger his rack will be. Here is where it gets complicated. The dominant buck will roam over a large area to locate the does in heat. Trail cams can be used to help pattern the dominant buck, but as we have learned, this pattern does not always hold true.
These tips will help you locate where the dominant buck may be roaming, but a dose of Doe-N-Heat estrous will help you convince him to be in the area when you have the opportunity to hunt. The use of a grunter is also a useful tool, during the rut. If the larger dominate trophy buck thinks another buck is in his territory, he will investigate and seek out the intruder.

     The best part of locating the large dominant trophy buck is the enjoyment of being in the woods with nature. There is no sure fired way to find where that trophy buck will be at any given time, this is why it is called hunting. When you harvest a large buck, the hunt and preparation is worth the reward in the end. Now go forth and hunt!!!!!!