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Thread: Newbie questions about deer signs and what to do

  1. #1
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    Newbie questions about deer signs and what to do

    So I was just out yesterday walking around hunting for deer around Hope. I saw some signs and was hoping to understand what best to do in response to the signs I found..


    1. Poops and Beds

    While walk on a plateau full of dry dead branches I spooked what I believed to be a deer and it ran into the tree line. When I walked to where it initially got spooked I saw a bunch of droppings and some bedding imprints. Later, a the peak of a hill I once again saw a bunch of droppings and more bedding areas.

    In both these locations, there wasn't a hill nearby I could setup and get a good shot since once was flat and the other was at the peak.

    I guess my questions would be...
    - What is generally the best course of action? Do I setup near the treeline for the first scenario and wait?
    - Would the deer comeback to the area if I saw bedding signs, or does this indicate nothing more than that there are deer in the area?

    2. Hoof prints and tracking.
    This is a dumb questions and I feel like I know the answer but I must ask. I see some deer tracks and they sometimes head into the thick forest. Does anyone track them into the bush? I feel like I'd just end up scaring them away even further with the noise I'd make or get lost in there. I don't see how anyone can stalk hunt quietly in these bushes.

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  3. #2
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    Re: Newbie questions about deer signs and what to do

    Learn how to still hunt, when you arrive near your area that you think the deer are bedded in take a step and stop, freeze and using your eyes look around wait for at least one full minute, take another step, wait...try to move through the area as quietly as possible and slowly, I can't stress slowly enough. At times wait for as long as five minutes always looking for horizontal lines or a flicker of an ear.
    Using binoculars causes a lot of movement, just slowly turn your head and eyes, try to keep movement to a minimum. And go slow...slow...slow!
    MM

  4. #3
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    Re: Newbie questions about deer signs and what to do

    Your on the right track. Once you learn a spot in side and out you can intercept them coming from different bedding areas. Your best chance with blacktails is to hunt in the rain. The heavier the better. It pushes the deer out into the cuts but they will stay close to the tree line. Try to set up where you can see the trails coming from the thick stuff and wait.
    I personally find that I’ll see a deer every few times out when blacktail hunting. Seeing a deer is a good day.

  5. #4
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    Re: Newbie questions about deer signs and what to do

    Quote Originally Posted by oscargot View Post
    So I was just out yesterday walking around hunting for deer around Hope. I saw some signs and was hoping to understand what best to do in response to the signs I found..


    1. Poops and Beds

    While walk on a plateau full of dry dead branches I spooked what I believed to be a deer and it ran into the tree line. When I walked to where it initially got spooked I saw a bunch of droppings and some bedding imprints. Later, a the peak of a hill I once again saw a bunch of droppings and more bedding areas.

    In both these locations, there wasn't a hill nearby I could setup and get a good shot since once was flat and the other was at the peak.

    I guess my questions would be...
    - What is generally the best course of action? Do I setup near the treeline for the first scenario and wait?
    - Would the deer comeback to the area if I saw bedding signs, or does this indicate nothing more than that there are deer in the area?

    2. Hoof prints and tracking.
    This is a dumb questions and I feel like I know the answer but I must ask. I see some deer tracks and they sometimes head into the thick forest. Does anyone track them into the bush? I feel like I'd just end up scaring them away even further with the noise I'd make or get lost in there. I don't see how anyone can stalk hunt quietly in these bushes.
    Blacktails are the hardest deer species to hunt for a variety of reasons, not the least of which the rugged thick nasty jungles they live in. In my opinion, you will have much better success at hunting them if you wait for a rainy/windy day, because the extra noise from the rain/wind will drown out your own sounds, giving you more of an opportunity to get closer to the deer hideouts (it seems like you a found one). Trying to hunt blacktails when its really dry is darn near impossible in the thick timber because every step you take is really loud and they will hear you from a ways away and bolt out of there before you even see them.

    Yes the deer will absolutely come back to that area, and it could be tomorrow, or it could be next week. Blacktails are like nomads, whereas a lot of the time they will bed and feed in a certain area for a few days, and then move on to a different core area for a few days, and then repeat the same process again, and then eventually will end up back in the first area maybe like a few days or a week or two later (at least that is my experience). If I were you, I would wait for a rainy day and go back to that area, and sit back as far as you can in cover, and glass that edge of timber where you saw all the sign. You could consider a tree stand to get closer if you wanted too, but it might be a little late in the season for that, as you won't have time to clear shooting lanes etc. and might be better off waiting till after the season to get a tree stand setup (with cleared shooting lanes etc).

    Yes tracks are pure gold! Especially if you find big ones. I almost always follow big tracks as far as I can track them because you never know where they might lead you (to a bedding or feeding area); and even if they don't lead you to a deer at that time, it is very valuable intel that you can store in your brain to come and check out at later date.

    Another thing to pay attention too, is the fact that a lot of the blacktails in the Hope area all but disappear after September, and start migrating to their winter ranges (look on Imap BC to find where various winter ranges are). So even though you have found a pocket where the deer are now, they might not be there again in a couple weeks, and won't be back till the spring.

    All these points are things that you will learn over time and gain experience, as to where the deer are at certain times of the year. It takes time to learn these things. But you're on the right track. Keep it up. Good luck. And there are NO stupid questions!
    Last edited by Harvest the Land; 09-26-2021 at 10:45 AM.
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  6. #5
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    Re: Newbie questions about deer signs and what to do

    Thanks for the help all I'll keep adjusting my approach!

  7. #6
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    Re: Newbie questions about deer signs and what to do

    Blacktails are a totally different game.
    There are some old threads on here (granted many years ago now) on guys hunting them.
    More around Sqaumish/Whistler, but it gave some good insight.
    If you can find those threads, its worth looking at them.

    But yes, the terrain itself that these deer live in is what makes them a huge challenge for most people.
    Ans some areas i can only imagine are not that easy to hunt.
    And yes, areas around Hope don't look all that much fun, but a great area for them, exactly for that reason.

  8. #7
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    Re: Newbie questions about deer signs and what to do

    You should most definitely start still hunting around in the timber.

    You may find that timber that seems impenetrable actually isn't too bad once you're in there.

    Those beds you see out in the open in cut blocks and such are generally used during feeding where they will lay down and chew their cud. During the spring and summer you can usually watch them from a close distance as they alternate between walking around feeding and plopping down in those beds during the day time.

    As the season begins to change and the velvet starts coming off, the deer, particularly bucks start to become a lot more shy, solitary and nocturnal. Finding deer feeding or bedding in these open areas when it's light enough to see becomes rare and when it happens is usually a first light or last light show. The deer will be spending a lot of time in the timber feeding on lichen now.

    Those trails going into the timber are another story. Definitely pop into the timber and start exploring. You will find more beds along the hillsides and benches inside the timber and you will discover obvious trails where deer commonly travel. In steep Region 2 terrain, primary travel routes are often logical and the same way you would decide is the best way to get from point A to point B with the least obstruction and energy spent. It's very easy to spot trails when you see long stretches of turned up dirt, or even better long lines of "brown" through the a mossy floor where moss is absent because it's constantly walked on, and rotten logs along the trail are also worn down / cut out from being stepped in.

    You'll really start to find out how the deer use the area, routes up from one bench to the next, along those benches, up and down through saddles, which benches have beds, trail intersections, etc. They are just like roads... it will be obvious which are "side roads" vs main arteries. Beds will usually have primary trails and escape trails.

    I used to think still hunting in the timber when it's super dry and there is lots of debris is impossible. It's not. Even if you snap a stick that sounds like a gun shot, it's not a deal breaker as long as you continue to move slowly and stop frequently.

    I'll take a few slow steps, scan, a few slow steps, scan, etc. I know all the little vantage points along my routes (about every 30 yards) where I'll stop, stand, sit or lay down for at least 5 mins, sometimes a lot more. This actually keeps the deer at ease. No doubt they hear you coming and listen. You just don't want to startle them. If deer stood up and moved every time something was cracking through the woods they would never rest. If you move slowly and stop frequently, they will stay in their beds watching and listening, or even sometimes come out and investigate to see what you are.

    I'll make another post here in a few to wrap this one up...
    Last edited by caddisguy; 09-27-2021 at 04:00 PM.

  9. #8
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    Re: Newbie questions about deer signs and what to do

    So last September, likely in the same MU that you are hunting (which btw you are probably hunting the hardest animal to hunt in one of the most challenging places to hunt them, but if you play the game on hard mode, even if you consistently fail, you will become an assassin when it comes to other hunts/species) I was watching some deer bed out in those open areas all summer and they disappeared (no longer feeding and bedding out in the open) just before bow season.

    On the first day of bow season, I suspected they were bedding inside the timber on the adjescent slope. The basis for my suspicion... my wife heard a stick snap.

    So, I suspect these deer around bedded only approximately 70 yards from our camp. I wasn't about to walk through the cut and head directly towards them. Never take the direct approach. Approach through the timber was the only way. Plan was to walk about 1km up the road, drop down into the thick/steep timber, creep down and up 5 draws and MAYBE have a chance.

    Only problem was I'm watching all the pollen sail through the wind. The wind would be carrying my scent to them for the entirety of this lengthy approach. Soo, I sat around camp, waited and hoped. Then just like that, the wind switched. Game on?

    Went ahead with the plan, still not hopwful because the timber was like a dry bird nest the entire way.

    On top of the second to last draw before the deer, I had to change plans because there was a bear up there (wouldn't have even noticed without all the stopping and waiting) I knew if I spooked it, he was going to bolt and sound like a freight train, so I went down and around.

    As I got closer to where I figured the deer were bedding, I find myself face to face with "a doe" (maybe 15 yards) ... I didn't even hesistate, before she stomps and blows me out I started crunching around in the leaves, toe heel, toe heel, then pausing to scratch my neck, extending my elbow as far out as it would go to exaggerate it, then crunched more leaves and repeated scratching with the other arm. Then I plopped down just like a deer would (its not particularly graceful once they lower themselves and then let gravity to the rest) made another big crunch in the leaves. I could no longer see "the doe" (turns out there was a "second" buck standing beside her that I didn't even notice despite filming it) anymore.

    I lay there for 20 mins, then continued the remainder of my approach. As I got to the hillside where I believed they were bedded, I ran into the doe again. She was laying beside a log and I just noticed her ears. I repeatedly the scratching routine and "bedded down" again. So now I'm laying about 10-15 yards from where the doe is laying. After about half an hour bedded with the doe on the flat timber floor, noticed movement on the hillside above her. It was the bedded 3 pt.

    I concluded this would be impossible. To get close enough to the buck to stick him with an arrow, I'd have to walk right up to that bedded doe, draw back and let it rip while she watched the whole thing.

    After some contemplation, that's exactly what I did. I walked up to a spot about 5 yards away from her and drew back, buck stood up and I let the arrow go. He crashed off with the arrow in him and I sat next to that doe (5 yards away) for another 30 mins to make sure the buck expired. Even filmed her a bit while talking to her. She was completely comfortable with me. Didn't even flinch or stand up.

    Hopefully this inspires you in some way to explore and hunt that timber. Region 2 is a busy place, but in all the years I've hunted it, I've never come across another hunter in the timber.

    Remember, deer are very hard to spot in there. As mentioned I didn't even notice the first buck right in front of me when him and the doe came to investigate me and they were even standing up. And when I found the doe a second time, it was only her ears I noticed, and it took half an hour to notice the 3pt bedded behind her. It's movement, ears, throat patches, antlers, etc you are looking for. Seeing a full deer shape is an exception, not a norm. You need to move slowly and pause a lot, leaning against trees, sitting behind deadfall, laying just below hill crests subtly peaking over. Avoid being out in the open, stick to obstructions, scan with your peripheral, avoding moving your head. Expect deer to be doing the same. My wife and I were joking, having a Pedometer app on your phone in your pocket, moving slowly through the bush, less steps it detects the better you're doing. It's a game of hide and seek where whoever moves first loses, but you still gotta move.

    BT's are more likely to sit still, watch you pass by, then slip out the back door vs standing up or running off.

    There is something mystical, almost magical, about still hunting your way through mossy fern covered old growth rain forest jungles. It's addicting but can be frustrating with the expectation harvest will come easy. Main thing I've learned is everytime I think I have it all figured out, I don't, and still know little to nothing.

    Slim pickings for my stomping ground now (thought it would be a gimme like last year when we made two trips and cut tags first day each time) and will probably be the case until the snow is half way down the mountain brings migratory bucks and/or rut when bucks cruise through. There was a cougar pounding the area all summer and careless (and quite illegal "recreational target shooters"... big problem around Hope/Wack, even 800 yards in the timber it's amazing how far those bullets sail cleanly or ricochet through that seemingly impenetrable timber, so be careful, lots of wreckless clowns out there, even 1km into the woods isn't safe from LML mall ninjas, gansgters, recreational shooting cut block soldiers and their tacticool SKS's, 25rd burst after 25rd mag... even talked to some of them "oh we were just shooting up at the rocks up the mountain side for fun, it's crown land we''re allowed" even though they are within 400M limit/restriction of the main road and didn't even know) blasting into the treelines with no regard for where the bullets go (my wife had bullets whistling/zinging by and hitting all around us and literally needed to crawl out a few weeks back) Never know what to expect around Hope, 1km deep in the timber up the mtn with bullets raining down all around you, or a big rave party. We had a rave party going from 6pm Saturday to around 5am Sunday morning, bass echoing through the mountains. Didn't see anything or get a wink of sleep with everything vibrating. That's LML hunting for you, unless you hike in 10km (and risk coming back to a shot up / looted vehicle/camp next day) it is what it is.

    Until snow flies and/or rut, I've been playing cat and mouse with the only "resident" buck (a 2pt, there were a half dozen bucks until early August) all over the mountain (a sane person would move on for now) I don't know why I can't find him. Checking trailcam footage, he follows my routes and sniffs everything I touch like he is trying to find me. I'm not even sure if I will shoot him. I just want to be in the position to say I could have. I'm honestly enjoying the workout he is giving me playing the game and I kind of appreciate that deer. Oh yeah, always check your backtrail for deer and cats.

    Last item of note, the area you are hunting has almost as many Whitetails in recent years compared to BT's, muleys and hybrids, so careful what you shoot around Hope/Chilliwack. Many still think "anything with antlers is legal". Far from it. Lots of WT's and no season for them.

    Research suggestions:

    Search blacktail hunting threads here on HBC

    Watch any old BT vids by proguide66 (Steve Isdahl) on his "howtohunt" channel or subscribe to his Blacktail Hunter app on Apple or Google Play

    Find a copy of the original "Blacktail Trophy Tactics" by Boyd Iverson (out of print) and read it twice a year (once before and once after hunting season)
    Last edited by caddisguy; 09-27-2021 at 06:06 PM.

  10. #9
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    Re: Newbie questions about deer signs and what to do

    Good stuff Caddis.
    Way to step in and help a junior hunter of BT out!

  11. #10
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    Re: Newbie questions about deer signs and what to do

    Quote Originally Posted by Bugle M In View Post
    Good stuff Caddis.
    Way to step in and help a junior hunter of BT out!
    I can tell a Reg 2 inquisitive mind when I see one. There's the "I put 1600kms on the truck/atv in the last few weeks and only saw a grouse that flew away" vs the rare "I'm noticing beds, poops and tracks, trails into the timber and curious about if I should hunt the timber"

    For the latter I'll start feverishly typing on my phone every time in effort to encourage, inspire, unlock clues and put on track every time... and most importantly defer to others who know a lot me than me, because at the end of the day I'm still a newb just starting to "ah hah!" once in a while. You won't find a "social media" platform with more detailed advice than HBC.

    Pg66, chris, Wild One, T BONE brian, TwoSevenOh, Dan Floris and probably half a dozen others I'm forgetting are the guys you really want to read posts for golden nuggets. I've only dropped a few.

    One other is you can look at mountains from a distance from afar and see the benches intersecting with saddles which are places worth checking into. More times than not, you'll uncover sign and potential.
    Last edited by caddisguy; 09-28-2021 at 09:20 AM.

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