WHERE MONSTERS LURK
To successfully hunt giant white-tailed bucks during daylight hours, search out their forest-bound secret hideouts
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Check your trail cam remotely to keep your scent away from a buck’s favourite hideout (image: Bushnell)#2 MONITORING
Aside from that first scouting mission to locate staging areas, let a no-glow trail cam at the downwind side of each small clearing do the rest of the work, if possible. A staging area is a sacred space in a buck’s home range—one of its most trusted daytime feeding locations—so keeping disturbances to a minimum is key.
Cellular trail cameras are best for this situation, as they send the photos directly to your smartphone or computer, eliminating the need to revisit the location. If that’s not an option, get some extra SD cards and sneak in to swap them out as infrequently as possible.
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Ideally, you’ll find two or three potential staging areas with buck sign. Set up a trail cam in each one at least two weeks before you plan to hunt, then only check the SD cards a few days beforehand. Photo evidence of a bruiser in at least one of your set-ups will let you know it’s game time.