New hunter, second season - what I think I learned...

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Originally Posted by Wild one

We all started somewhere and it takes time to figure out your style of hunting

A lot of guys like to hunt the big openings that I see in most your pictures. Myself I like to get right into the thick stuff where I still hunt, call, or set up ambush. In many ways you hunt relying on having faith in the sign in the area and use your ears more then your eyes. It results in really close encounters with most game you find. Biggest thing is slow or don’t move at all.

Being a new hunter try different styles till you find what fits and there are many ways to get the job done

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Thanks for the advice Wild one. Still hunting in the woods is something I definitely want to do more of, I feel that will be a solo outing though. I’m not sure if my hunting partner is into the slow, quiet, stalk.

One thing I know for sure is that I LOVE to hike up hills or ridges (so far). Every time I see an elevated position, I want to get up there. I need to learn how to strategize that though, so I don’t blow opportunities.

I know the deer are in the the thick stuff, I saw them go in there! I’ll just have to try and build my slow and silent skills.

One question about mule deer:

Do their colours vary that much at the same time of year? I have a nagging feeling that the orange antlered buck may have been a WT (and legal to shoot), just basing that on the blonde coat and orange antlers. But I recall looking at the other ‘blonde’ mule deer and checking their tails for the black ends, which I believe they all had.

I googled some pics, but I didn’t see similarity in how the 2 pt antlers looked.

Cheers

Great story. Helped me pass the time in this cut block. It sounds like you know what to do. Sitting still for long periods is the hardest for me . I will set a ground blind up when I find a good spot. It helps with my adhd. I can fidget in it a bit. Cant wait for the story of you first big game harvest... good luck keep at it

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Originally Posted by Xbow

Great story. Helped me pass the time in this cut block. It sounds like you know what to do. Sitting still for long periods is the hardest for me . I will set a ground blind up when I find a good spot. It helps with my adhd. I can fidget in it a bit. Cant wait for the story of you first big game harvest... good luck keep at it

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Thanks Xbow, good luck out there! I can’t wait too :)

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Originally Posted by joshbazz

Thanks for the advice Wild one. Still hunting in the woods is something I definitely want to do more of, I feel that will be a solo outing though. I’m not sure if my hunting partner is into the slow, quiet, stalk.

One thing I know for sure is that I LOVE to hike up hills or ridges (so far). Every time I see an elevated position, I want to get up there. I need to learn how to strategize that though, so I don’t blow opportunities.

I know the deer are in the the thick stuff, I saw them go in there! I’ll just have to try and build my slow and silent skills.

One question about mule deer:

Do their colours vary that much at the same time of year? I have a nagging feeling that the orange antlered buck may have been a WT (and legal to shoot), just basing that on the blonde coat and orange antlers. But I recall looking at the other ‘blonde’ mule deer and checking their tails for the black ends, which I believe they all had.

I googled some pics, but I didn’t see similarity in how the 2 pt antlers looked.

Cheers

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Easiest way to be silent in thick bush is don’t move at all and wait in ambush. It’s a deadly way to hunt but it takes practice to pick good locations. After that it is mind over matter and you have to trust you pick the right location and ride it out

Yup mule deer are a different colour depending on the season. Colour can give you an idea on the species of deer but always confirm with a more stable indicator

Keep up the good work Josh, you're doing a lot of things right, including pointing your gun in the right direction, definitely get that thing checked...I would go back there for any buck season..sometimes the weather can be great and you won't see deer moving for whatever reason, they just keep us guessing...full moons can affect their movements too...

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Originally Posted by Wild one

Easiest way to be silent in thick bush is don’t move at all and wait in ambush. It’s a deadly way to hunt but it takes practice to pick good locations. After that it is mind over matter and you have to trust you pick the right location and ride it out

Yup mule deer are a different colour depending on the season. Colour can give you an idea on the species of deer but always confirm with a more stable indicator

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I'm going to try this throughout the season during the week starting in October. After stalking in the woods and basically seeing the deer's 'living room', I feel like I might be mising too much just sitting up above the blocks... Will see how good my patience is, thanks for the tips W1!

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Originally Posted by HarryToolips

Keep up the good work Josh, you're doing a lot of things right, including pointing your gun in the right direction, definitely get that thing checked...I would go back there for any buck season..sometimes the weather can be great and you won't see deer moving for whatever reason, they just keep us guessing...full moons can affect their movements too...

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Thanks Harry, October 1st can't come too soon (also Nov 1 for moose)! Will need to have my action (bolt firing pin?) checked out before I go.
Yes, that full moon with clear skies totally changed EVERYTHING we were expecting... I'm starting to understand why they have moon phases on the HuntBuddy BC app.

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As always, thanks for the advice guys. I try to soak it up and put it to use when I can get out there. Hopefully I'll have a success story to share this season... going to go hard as I can.... This hunt was the most real life hunting I've ever done, and I learned a lot, especially from my clear mistakes. Walking ground, observing, and understanding deer movement, where they go to eat, sleep, rest, and their routes is key. I'm starting to think in new way that I didn't consider before. There are so many variables, but the more I learn, hopefully the more I'll be able to predict them successfully.

Cheers,

Josh

Well, we went back to our spot opening day for any Muley buck... apparently our spot is not so secret...

Got in just at first light, not as early as we wanted. No camp this time, just got up at 4am, picked up my bro, and drove 1.5 hrs or so to our spot. Walked in where we saw all the deer 3 weeks ago, and ... nothing.

https://i.imgur.com/wfezg4f.jpg

It was -7 with snow when we got there, thankfully were dressed warm appropriately... and it did warm up in sun. Heard 4 shots go off nearby just after sunrise... Maybe a hunter was shooting at a moving target... or maybe a group were each having a shot... Stayed put, but didn't see anything come out, and not much tracks on my side of the ridge, though my bro saw sign on his side. Only saw a gigantic cow moose.

We walked a little but then decided to move location, to a busy area with tons of sign we had found on our last day of our hunt a couple weeks ago. We hiked in, chose 2 spots with a ton of views over deer trails. Sat there until last light, about 5+ hours. About 30 min before last light, 2 more gun shots go off. Crap.

I know it's totally unrealistic to expect to be successful with a one day hunt. But we thought we'd at least see one of the 20 or so deer we saw a few weeks ago, and more hopefully, one of the few 2 point bucks we had seen. I'm guessing the deer have moved down lower, and we didn't have any idea where to go find them.

All in all, 14 hours active hunting, 3-4 hours travel to learn another lesson.

I don't think I enjoy blindly waiting for deer to show up. I'd rather be somewhat active. I think I'm going to try to still hunt the woods close by the odd week day, when hopefully not too many other hunters are out. I some flexibility with my work hours. Might as well hunt the timber anyways until my scope gets back from warranty. I pick up my rifle Monday from Pro-tech in Penticton, getting a bed job done and had the trigger issue fixed.

I guess I gotta just keep getting out there :)

Slow clap for a beautiful thread nice work bro

I just read the entire thread,,,,after hunting for a long time, the reality of it is the time hunting is to be cherished.
My motto is...."the fastest way to ruin a good deer hunt is to shoot a deer".

Two ways I hunt any deer,,,, walk (sneak hunt) and natural ground blind (ambush) sometimes tree stand, usually only so I can be elevated enough to see into a swamp etc.

I have shot alot of game in the standing timber while setting up an ambush....its gonna be tough without knowing the area where deer like to frequent, and real tough if they figure someone is trying to shoot them.
I have shot all my whitetails (a lifetime and its alot) on the same ridges in an area no larger than 500 acres, I never had to go anywhere else.

The game needs to be confident that they are safe in the area or they wont be there or they wont show themselves during daylight. You need to be confident the game will show up, this is what allows a hunter to sit patiently for hours/days.

A combination of sneak hunting and ambushing is an exciting way to hunt, sneak up those ridges just off to one side...always into or best,,,across the wind.
I look forward to you getting a buck and posting it up here.

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Originally Posted by monasheemountainman

Slow clap for a beautiful thread nice work bro

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Thanks! Hoping my mistakes help other newbies, or provide entertainment for others. Always appreciate the feedback, gives me new things to focus on. Lots of great advice here.

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Originally Posted by 338win mag

I just read the entire thread,,,,after hunting for a long time, the reality of it is the time hunting is to be cherished.
My motto is...."the fastest way to ruin a good deer hunt is to shoot a deer".

Two ways I hunt any deer,,,, walk (sneak hunt) and natural ground blind (ambush) sometimes tree stand, usually only so I can be elevated enough to see into a swamp etc.

I have shot alot of game in the standing timber while setting up an ambush....its gonna be tough without knowing the area where deer like to frequent, and real tough if they figure someone is trying to shoot them.
I have shot all my whitetails (a lifetime and its alot) on the same ridges in an area no larger than 500 acres, I never had to go anywhere else.

The game needs to be confident that they are safe in the area or they wont be there or they wont show themselves during daylight. You need to be confident the game will show up, this is what allows a hunter to sit patiently for hours/days.

A combination of sneak hunting and ambushing is an exciting way to hunt, sneak up those ridges just off to one side...always into or best,,,across the wind.
I look forward to you getting a buck and posting it up here.

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Thanks me too! You’re right, I need to scout and confirm animals before sitting, laying and praying. I tried to still hunt a couple weeks ago in woods close to home, scared a big moose and her calf which sounded like an earthquake in the timber! Scared myself actually... I guess that’s an indicator that I need to move slower :)