Little advice on hunting the rut in new territory

[twoSevenO]

Another big mistake I used to make is

1.not realizing that animals move. Just cause there is sign in the area and even if its reasonably fresh it doesnt mean the animals are there. The animals have staging points and sometimes they just pass through. Try and learn where they are at any given month of the year. Some areas are only good in September. Some areas are good only in November. Some areas are good all season long.

2.pockets. it's easy to give up on an area when you aren't seeing much, but know that sometimes a BIG area can only hold a population of deer in a small pocket, especially bucks. So you might be 2km away from a group of nice bucks and not even know it because you didnt see any following the does yet. A lot of guys who have taken MONSTER muleys out of reg 3 say the same thing.
3. Learning an area takes a while. If you dont have a mentor, its gonna take some time

Most people who start hunting and have immediate success, especially GOOD success are people who are lucky to have someone mentor them and give them a few spots to start out with. If you're doing it all on your own like I did, its gonna take some time.

[rageous]

Take everything said above with a grain of salt.

[ghost]

in the timbered ridges use binos to find deer.try to walk into wind or perpendicular to it move real slow.if you see a deer start scanning the area.most likely there will be others,hopefully a legal buck.in my area of reg 3 most of the deer i have seen have been on the east side of north south ridges

[Aaron600]

Another big mistake I used to make is

1.not realizing that animals move. Just cause there is sign in the area and even if its reasonably fresh it doesnt mean the animals are there. The animals have staging points and sometimes they just pass through. Try and learn where they are at any given month of the year. Some areas are only good in September. Some areas are good only in November. Some areas are good all season long.

2.pockets. it's easy to give up on an area when you aren't seeing much, but know that sometimes a BIG area can only hold a population of deer in a small pocket, especially bucks. So you might be 2km away from a group of nice bucks and not even know it because you didnt see any following the does yet. A lot of guys who have taken MONSTER muleys out of reg 3 say the same thing.
3. Learning an area takes a while. If you dont have a mentor, its gonna take some time

Most people who start hunting and have immediate success, especially GOOD success are people who are lucky to have someone mentor them and give them a few spots to start out with. If you're doing it all on your own like I did, its gonna take some time.

This is very correct imo. I've been hunting for only 5 years and all self taught. I've been studying my one hunt spot for about 4 years now and have only recently been putting up trail cams. I would have bet all my savings$$ that the deer would have all left after the 2.5ft of snow dump we got in early Oct. My cams showed in 1 small pocket, 2 huge 4x4 bucks, four 2 point bucks and one 3x2 buck in that 2.5ft of snow. Every hunter in the area had only seen a couple doe's. They were all of 1000 yards from this little honey hole.

Set up some cams and study the area. Before I knew how to hunt this spot I would have sworn it was void of life.

[moosinaround]

Boy deer are looking for girl deer! If you find girl deer, so will the boy deer! Moosin

[Bugle M In]

Boy deer are looking for girl deer! If you find girl deer, so will the boy deer! Moosin

Simple and to the point!!!
Come rut time, this is the full and only truth you need to know.

Bucks will move in and out of an area, but always from one group of does to the next during the rut.
That's when you catch them.
IF you find dirty brown pee, then stick to that area, as you have a Doe in heat!
And if a Doe is in heat, a buck will find her, tail her, and be absolutely stupid at that time.

Again, finding and area that holds a lot of deer sign on say a hillside, all over, criss crossing, right at the height of the rut, usually is a
sign that deer are there.

Just too things:
They do move around all day, and can be on the next hillside over that day.
And,
They can be grouped up pretty tight, so you can feel like there are tracks all over, but no deer around physically, because they are in one
small spot, in groups (sort of like elk during the rut), and you have to hit that "spot" (thus the "hunting" part).
And also, you can be only 30 yards from them, with some evergreens in between you and them, and never see them!! and they will just wait
it out till you move on.

One thing, fresh snow, and a fresh rub with debris on top of snow, is a dead give away you are in the right area.....
Then it is worth following those tracks!!!

[xlcc]

Mulies have favoured areas they like to frequent year after year during the rut.If you can locate fresh tracks in the snow you can back track to find their bedding areas.These are good spots to hunt in the middle of the day.Try some grunting with a deer call preferably below a known bedding site.I have done this a number of times with good success.Bucks will get out of their bed and slowly come down to investigate.It will take patience.Easier to kill one when they are hunting you.
If you can find an area that no motor vehicles are allowed means less hunters.I like to hunt ridges and steep side hills.The bucks like to cruise the ridges and the does like the steep side hills as they get less disturbance from hunters.

[Lugg]

Everyone, thank you. Lots and lots of good advice here.

I know how much harder it is to learn to hunt when you don't have a mentor, and some of the information here is what I'd expect a mentor to teach us. Some advanced techniques and some simple observations. Now I need to put some of it to use and try to retain it.

Thank you,

[todbartell]

Lots of good information posted. Have patience, sit on good spots if the sign is hot. Don't go back to camp mid day for lunch. Pack enough food and water so you don't have to go back to camp until dark. Don't sleep in, and don't go home early because you haven't found success yet. Stick to it

[Bugle M In]

Everyone, thank you. Lots and lots of good advice here.

I know how much harder it is to learn to hunt when you don't have a mentor, and some of the information here is what I'd expect a mentor to teach us. Some advanced techniques and some simple observations. Now I need to put some of it to use and try to retain it.

Thank you,

I wish you well out there, as I know/understand that it is hard for some folks to get into hunting if they never had people around to take them.

Also, try not to hunt too much around places like Princeton where there is lots of weekend traffic due to proximity to LM.
Get up past Cache Creek, and actually even past that to get away from folks.
Or east of Kammy and beyond.

Very hard to hone your skills and stay focused when an area is pounded continuously and you never see much game.
Also, I think there is a Hunter looking for another "hunter to buddy up with thread" on HBC.
Try posting in there, you may find someone who wants to share expenses and also has some knowledge.

Good luck