Re: Newbie questions about deer signs and what to do
Originally Posted by
oscargot
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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