Roebuck hunting in June – Tips & Tricks for a tough hunt

Why is buck hunting difficult in June?

Roebuck hunting in June can be extremely difficult – in fact, it can sometimes seem as if all the bucks have disappeared from the face of the earth.

There are, of course, several reasons why buck hunting is difficult in June.

One reason is that vegetation and crops are often so high in June that you simply cant see a deer when it is out in the fields and meadows. Even in the forest, you will often experience such a high undergrowth that a buck can be difficult to spot.
Another reason is that the buck’s movement changes during the season. Especially when the high temperatures really get a grip, the animals become “lazy” and can be incredibly difficult to find.

But fear not! There are in fact a number of advices, that can help you in getting more succesfull on your buck hunting

Look at the end of the rainbow

If I had to choose only one time, to go buck hunting in June, then it would always be right after a good rainshower. The bucks simply become more active as soon as the sun comes out again, after rain.

First of all, the animals want to go out and dry themselves in the open, where they can catch some sun and heat up again. Secondly, the scent markings from the bucks have been washed away, and therefore they have to go out and refresh the scrapes and rubbings, so that the other bucks knows where the boundary goes. Both scenarios means that the buck will have to move around the terrain, and you will often have the chance to “catch” him in an open area if you position yourself correctly.

So if you only have a certain number of hunting days, available in June, I would recommend that you check the weather forecast and choose the days when rain turns to sun

Try new tactics

Hunt were the buck hides

If you have hunted in the same place for a while without seeing a roebuck then it is a good idea to change location in the terrain. Often the buck will be lazy in June and it may not come out in the open very often. So it is a good idea to place yourself close to scrub and thickets, were you expect the buck to hide

This tactic, of course, requires you to be able to position yourself in a place where there is sufficient backstop to catch the bullet when a shooting situation occurs. This can be difficult if you are hunting on flat terrain. However, this problem can be easily solved with one of our light and foldable treestands. With these you can follow the bucks movements on the terrain, throughout the season.

Several of the treestands can actually be carried as a backpack, and can therefore be used from hunt to hunt. This way you can position yourself according to the wind direction, and were you think the buck is staying.

Try a “early season” Roebuck call

Most buck hunters probably know that you can call in the roebuck with a buck call, during the rutting period (late July – mid August). But did you know that there are actually some buck calls, which are designed to call in the bucks in the early season, before the rut?

These calls are designed to make the territorial buck believe that another buck has entered his domain. He will most often respond to this by storming towards his “opponent”, and thereby you can entice him to leave his safe zone and get him out into the open.

Check out the call below

Scents & Lures can do the trick

One last trick that can sometimes help on the lazy roebucks is lures / scents. Some of these are used to blur your own smell and others have a strong luring effect on the game, including roe deer.

Lures for hunting are a bit overlooked in Europe, but in the US it is used by many hunters. Especially bow hunters, who need to be close to the game. Americans often use a fragrance to mask the human scent to spray under their boots and a synthetic buck urine to lure the buck forward with.

We have even tested several of our lures, in front of a game camera, and the conclusion is that it works quite well. So have you chased the buck without success? Then it’s actually a pretty good trick that can tip the odds in your favor.

To round off this guide, it must be said that you can of course be successful on the buck hunt, with other tactics than the ones we describe here. These are “just” some of the experiences we have made ourselves and tactics we will use when buck hunting becomes difficult.