Some Big Whities For Ya...

[high horse Hal]

Sometimes it is surprising how little veg has to be removed in order to enhance a stand area to open up the lanes
sometimes it just takes a sideways move of the stand to adjust a view through fewer limbs, or take out just one more alder or christmas tree for another 50 yds
hand pruners and loppers are standard to carry at-the-ready to use instead of digging out of a pack
one area I have is full of pine with all the lower eye-level limbs are bare and dead, its surprising how the view changed with just breaking off all those sticks to height

[thompie505]

I just finished reading through the entire thread. Thanks for all the great information, videos, pictures, stories and tips. I've hunted whitetail the last couple years around thanksgiving and have got a buck each year. I'm hunting a small area in Region 8 with a decent amount of hunting pressure but not crazy. The area is the side of a small ridge going from 900m up to 1200m elevation near the top. It's not a defined ridge but more of a plateau, with private land/fields on the plateau. I've had troubles finding where they are bedding and where they are feeding, I will be hiking and setting some cams in areas that present like the areas in Oureas videos. I'll be hunting it 2 weeks earlier this year. I know this thread focused on the big boys during the rut, but we'll be looking for meat bucks. With 1200m being the highest elevation around for quite a ways, will they be hanging around up there? Do they typically filter out into fields to feed and bed in the thick? The area is mostly jack pines with a few dense willow patches. When e-scouting what are the kinds of geographical features to focus on? Natural pinch points? creeks/water sources? Any advice on chasing these in early Oct would be great. I know they tend to 'disappear' from the cams at this time, where do they go? Thanks.

[358mag]

That's what chainsaws and pruners are for.

Only if you have a permit from the keepers of the land .

[Sitkaspruce]

My experience has been that those bigger bucks disappear around mid September and if they stay in the area, will start doing their rounds in the last week of October. I don't hunt my licks, I have spent time to locate those scrape lines (after the season and in the early spring, before the veg starts) and set up on those. I create my own scrapes starting mid October and hang a camera on each one. This will give me an idea of whose around and where the bigger guys are starting to set up their lines. Also, don't spend time chasing bucks as they will run you in circles. Hunt the does and the bucks will come to you. Those fake scrapes I set up will start to have the does show up as well and that what I want.

I hunt the thick stuff as well and I try to set up looking north or north west because we have either prevailing SW winds if warming up or north, north east winds when getting cooler. So I have made my shooting lanes and clear them out in September. I hunt with a crossbow out of a ground blind, so I am usually set up between 30-40m out.

Some interesting bucks have been showing up this year.....really looking forward to mid October!!

Cheers

SS

[358mag]

My experience has been that those bigger bucks disappear around mid September and if they stay in the area, will start doing their rounds in the last week of October. I don't hunt my licks, I have spent time to locate those scrape lines (after the season and in the early spring, before the veg starts) and set up on those. I create my own scrapes starting mid October and hang a camera on each one. This will give me an idea of whose around and where the bigger guys are starting to set up their lines. Also, don't spend time chasing bucks as they will run you in circles. Hunt the does and the bucks will come to you. Those fake scrapes I set up will start to have the does show up as well and that what I want.

I hunt the thick stuff as well and I try to set up looking north or north west because we have either prevailing SW winds if warming up or north, north east winds when getting cooler. So I have made my shooting lanes and clear them out in September. I hunt with a crossbow out of a ground blind, so I am usually set up between 30-40m out.

Some interesting bucks have been showing up this year.....really looking forward to mid October!!

Cheers

SS

Priceless info on that post ^^^^^^
Thanks for posting

[ekul246]

Well, after a serious of situations beyond my control, I did head out to my whitetail spot alone on September 1st and hunted the evening and the whole day of the 2nd from my treestand. Had a couple moose come within earshot which was cool. The bucks ended up being in the area, but the bucks had only had two daytime appearances since Aug 20. August 28th was the last one and it was a 4point in velvet. A different buck was there at night in the 31st and he had shed his velvet. My info is that the bucks go completely nocturnal, generally, once they’ve shed their velvet. I was having back issues a few days leading up to bow season which is why I was delayed going for the 1st and the treestand was really rough on my back and I had to pull the plug after the evening sit on the 2nd. Just couldn’t hack it in the stand anymore.
My first bow season was unsuccessful but my hunting partner and I have some ideas about finding where the animals are getting their water. It was 30C+ up there and down to 15 overnight and even cooler at first light. The animals aren’t crossing the road to get their water, otherwise we’d see them cross the road at some point and that never happens.
There are two creeks where they could be frequenting. Just wish I had thought of it while I was there and that I wasn’t having back issues at the moment so I could have scouted it.

[Harvest the Land]

Yup they're definitely starting to go nocturnal where I'm at too. Good idea to focus on a water source right at this time of year when its super dry. Watch the thermals and Good luck!

This camera is relatively close to water (maybe half a km), but having a hell of a time finding him in daylight.

[Harvest the Land]

Hunt the does and the bucks will come to you.

I don't think you start hunting for them until later in the season, but if you were to hunt at this particular time of year, would that still be your strategy in the early season (hunt the does)? If you don't hunt the does in the early season, then what is your preferred strategy for finding big bucks in daylight in early September?

[Ourea]

Vampire hours once the velvet comes off.
Private land with ample agriculture will be the exemption for the most part.

Anyone that has followed my thread knows the amount of time and energy I invested in killing a big WT in heavily hunted areas where everyone is complaining about the lack of deer...... yet I found some giants. Killing them has proven to be quite the challenge despite my investment and knowledge. They are there.

[thompie505]

Would finding bedding areas on public land around agriculture land work? Or will they still be moving too and from during the night? Will WT rather travel up a small gulley or hillside when moving too/from a water/food source? or whatever has the thickest cover? Thanks