The dreaded white flag. When you’re hiking into a stand, there are few sights more disappointing than a white tail, bouncing away, and a big rack just above it. Most hunters assume that a bumped buck spells imminent defeat and a failed hunt. But does that have to be the case? Not always.

Dan Infalt, a well-known DIY big-buck hunter from Wisconsin, says it depends on the encounter.
“If I bump into a buck and my wind is blowing right to him, and he jumps up out of his bed and barrels out of there—it’s over. I’m packing …read more