Connecting the Dots: How to Tag Your Target Buck

Written by: Ryan Reading, Fall Obsession Pro Staff

This October 29th, I finally connected with the giant I had been chasing for months. Was it luck or hard work? It was the result of relentless scouting, careful analysis, and an all-out obsession with understanding one buck’s every move.

For hunters chasing mature whitetails, success isn’t about chance encounters, it’s about connecting the dots between bedding, food, travel routes, and timing. Big bucks don’t move randomly; they move with purpose. Once you learn their language, you can almost predict their next step.

 Summer Patterns to Fall Shifts

Like many hunters, I started the journey by patterning this buck all summer. Using trail cameras, 30 Tactacam Reveal cameras, to be exact. I built a living map of his habits. These cameras became my eyes in the woods, providing not just photos, but data. I studied time stamps, wind direction, temperature changes, and moon phases to identify patterns of when and where he appeared.

Summer bucks are easier to track; they stick to predictable routines. Mine was hitting corn fields and green plots consistently. But once velvet shed and crops came down, everything changed. He shifted into his fall core area, a new bedding zone with tighter cover and more favorable wind and thermal advantages.

That’s the hardest part for most hunters: locating a giant’s fall bedding area. Mature bucks choose these spots carefully. They want safety, elevation, and the ability to use thermals to their advantage. They’ll bed where rising thermals in the morning and dropping thermals in the evening keep their noses loaded with information.

The Power of Precision

Once I dialed in where he was bedding, I began mapping his travel corridors. Mature bucks often travel 75–100 yards from their beds before opening up into more visible terrain. That’s the sweet spot, close enough to catch him on his feet in daylight, but not so close that he detects you. That’s where you set your first stands.

This is where those 30 cameras became my most valuable weapon. Each one provided insight into how he used the land, what side of the ridge he preferred on certain winds, what time he exited his bedding, and where he entered food plots. I treated each photo like a puzzle piece until the picture became clear. A giant loop if you will of his travel safety routes. Tying those together will help you succeed.

If you understand that route, you can predict his next move, stop just hunting the one position at the end or beginning of his route. Be set up all along it or mobile enough to get the job done.

If he continues to pass camera 1,2,3 etc. on his route, you know his next move will be camera 4 if your cameras are set up properly, correct? These giants use the same safe travel routes to their advantage and as long as you don’t tip your cards and stay undetected he won’t know that you’re there. Then you have your ambush location set.

Stand Placement and the Perfect Setup

After countless hours of studying his movements, I set my stands according to the data. Each stand was positioned downwind of his most consistent travel trail, factoring in both wind direction and thermals. It’s important to remember that mature bucks trust their nose above all else. Even the slightest scent shift can ruin a setup, so being 100% scent-free as possible and hunting with precision winds is crucial. Even though we can’t eliminate all our scent, we can still take preventative measures.

I also placed my stands where I could slip in and out undetected, routes that avoided spooking deer bedded nearby or crossing his main line of travel. My food plots and mock scrapes were used not as bait, but as behavioral triggers to hold his interest and keep him patternable. 

When It Finally Happened

On the morning October 29, everything aligned. The wind was steady, the thermals were falling, and my cameras had shown him on the move during the same window for two consecutive days except the stand I hunted. There were other factors as to why I chose that stand that day but I won’t get into that here. 

I learned through my knowledge that since the corn had been harvested early, the deer had to travel a farther back pinch point to traverse East to West. My stand was set exactly for the moment and since they weren’t able to travel in the corn, this became a pinch point. I slipped in early, settled into my stand, and waited.

Just after sunrise I had a few small deer that came in and hung out around the stand. About 20 minutes later, I caught movement and seen a doe coming down the trail toward me rather quickly. As she got close, I was able to see about 30 yards behind her was the large buck that I was after. Time stood still. And was fast at the same time. 

There were other deer with them. There was a total of about 15 deer that had come in to my set roughly at the same time chasing that hot doe. 

 The Big 12 eased through, nose to the wind, following that doe out of his bedding area. When he slowed broadside at 25 yards, the plan came full circle. Although he never really stopped and was on the move, I made the shot. Some say it might have been luck in my favor, since the shot was back and we were able to recover this Buck within 40 yards. I’d say it was due to a higher power and I always thank God for the blessings.

It was unforgettable.

Lessons for Serious Hunters

Some say I’m different. Some say I’m crazy. I say I’m a man determined to crack the code of taking mature bucks and setting properties up to do just that. Execute the mission. 

If there’s one thing I want every hunter to take from this, it’s that killing a mature buck requires more discipline than luck. You have to think like the deer, be that animal. Understand how he uses terrain, wind, thermals, and timing. Use technology like Tactacam Reveal cameras not just for pictures, but for intelligence.

Hunt smart. Stay patient. Learn his bedding, respect his space, and never take away all his access and exit routes. If you do, he will leave. Also, never underestimate how finely tuned a mature buck’s instincts are. 

Success isn’t about getting lucky one evening or morning in October. It’s about connecting the dots every single day leading up to it. It’s about the chase and outsmarting one of nature’s smartest animals, the nature whitetail buck. 

This is for the 188 7/8” big 12 that outsmarted me for two seasons. I respect the harvest and I’m grateful for all the learning experiences he had taught me. Those experiences will carry on when I’m after my next, in search for the infamous 200 inch buck.