This 200-inch Iowa giant feel for a rattling sequence.
The biggest bucks in the woods are often the smartest and hardest to hunt. In many instances, the only opportunities you may have for a successful harvest are during the rut. It is one of the few instances where a big buck may make a mistake and wander into shooting range. I know a few of my own harvests would not have happened had a hot doe not drawn the buck into range.
Iowa is a whitetail hunter's paradise and there are plenty of big bucks for hunters willing to wait. Gabe Adair of Whitetail Properties has greater patience than most of us. In this video he passes multiple big bucks because his focus is on one animal.
The buck he's obsessing over is named "The Main Event" and it is a very fitting one, as you will soon see. After days of fruitless sits, this 200-inch giant finally shows up at 400 yards out. Thinking quickly, Gabe puts together a rattling sequence that draws this big buck in on a string.
We do not know about you, but we would never get to the point of having a chance at this giant because we would not have been able to pass up the other bucks Gabe saw on this hunt! Of course, this guy is rather privileged to be hunting in an area that offers opportunities like this. Most of us will never be that lucky.
Even so, big bucks do not always respond to rattling like this. Most of them circle around downwind to try and scent the deer they think they hear before walking into the hunter's setup. Sometimes they do not respond at all. He was in the right place at the right time of year and the buck was in an aggressive mood to defend his territory. It is what led to the buck's eventual downfall.
One thing is for sure, we are ready for the fall and the rut to start after watching this video. Hunting season can not start soon enough!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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