ohhh forsure the bucks are there,,(bigger bucks),,,,,,they are not un-wise,,,,,,,i have many spots i scout in direct relation to kamloops,,,with the farthest being aprox 25-30 min drive from town,,,,,like i said in earlier posts in this thread,,i been studing whitetail in kamloops region for a very very very long time now,,,,,,,#1 rule i found with myself,,,,remember this just me,,,,,from July on,,,,take a mental pic of EVERY place you see a whitetail,,,,,work those spots,,,,,,i found in the years,,,,its like a radiating chart,,,,,,,,find the does,,,,,,Aug-early sept,,,smaller bucks(spike,,2 point),,,will either be with the does,,,or not far behind,,,,,,,,further out in that radiating circle,,,,,the more mature bigger bucks,,(batchlor groups),,,,will be in the vacinity,,,but a little further out,,,,,,,,,come mid Sept,,,,after all scouting,,,and comfortable with an area,,,,,for me as a rule of thumb,,,,,,i start to use a rattle bag 3rd week of Oct,,(pre-rut),,,,,i use it sparingly,,,,,just enough to catch the attention,,,,,,but like stated above,,,,,,its some pretty thick knarly stuff,,,,,,but remember in the thick stuff,,,,its just as important to hunt by sound as by sight,,,you dont wanna be caught looking left,,,when they appear right,,,giving you NO time to raise rifle,,,,,,,,tree stands are great,,,,,but i do most of my hunting on ground with self made blind,,(logs,,brush,,branches),,,i will always set my blind on the highest point possible,,,and always if possible 40 ish yards from the trail,,,,,,,but each and to their own,,,,,everyone has a way to hunt them