whitetail hunting

[bigmuley]

Got permission to new farmland this year and i been seeing lots of whitetail.
small bucks and tons of does...ive never hunted them, all i know is they spook way easier then muleys and there smarter
Do they rut same time as muleys? ive heard rattling works, mainly tips from watching wild tv lol
any help would be appreciated thanks!

[HarryToolips]

If your on a farm where they have been accustomed to going all year, your starting off with a huge advantage right there..like with most whitetails I'm sure you'll see em mostly at first and last light.. sit tight and wait.. I've never had success with rattling, though that's probably cause I'm doin a bad job of it:mrgreen:...from what I've heard it only really works where the buck to doe ratio is higher..makes sense, why would they come running for one hot doe when there's ten more waitin for him already..

[bigmuley]

appreciate the tips

[Liveforthehunt]

I have had some good success bow and rifle rattling whiteys in ... Usually a bit later then the muleys maybe a week or 2 but dont get me wrong I have seen them grunting chasing does december 10th personally I'd say they are more of a challenge than muleys as you sayed skiddish ect. They don't like to wait around once they know they have been spotted. When you rattle just be loud stomp your feet and do this every 15-30 mins switch it up until something starts working. Good luck !

[Doostien]

If your on a farm where they have been accustomed to going all year, your starting off with a huge advantage right there..like with most whitetails I'm sure you'll see em mostly at first and last light.. sit tight and wait.. I've never had success with rattling, though that's probably cause I'm doin a bad job of it:mrgreen:...from what I've heard it only really works where the buck to doe ratio is higher..makes sense, why would they come running for one hot doe when there's ten more waitin for him already..

Yep, the ones around here won't think twice about a vehicle coming nearby. The sound of a diesel engine is no stranger to them than the sound of birds singing.

[Dannybuoy]

I find them pretty much the same a mulie's other than they don't stop and look back at you just before going over the ridge :-D I have had to shoo away bucks after shooting one's brother . also whitetails are very predictable ... which you can use in your favour .

[doubled]

I have had more success with scent than rattling but usually do a combo. I put out cotton balls with Tink 69 on it when you get close to the rut. I usually put 5-10 balls in a bush nearby. I have had bucks coming in with their nose to the ground so close you good slap them. Build yourself a few ground blinds near good spots - do this now, not later. Sit and wait, you will see a good show. The big guys will be around but will generally not show themselves until later in the year or during low light conditions.

[Wild one]

Sit, doe bleat is better than rattling in my opinion combo of both is good, bigger bucks will show during rut, and give up the long range for good location. Best WT locations for me you will be lucky to take a shot past 40yards.

Scout they can be patterned and try not to burn your location. If the wind is wrong sit else where

[sawmill]

Around here they don`t get stupid till way late November.You might get a crack at a good one in the first week but after that it`s a lot of spikes,twos and threes,and does.My best are about 140`sh 5x5`s not bad for here and all but one were taken on damn near the last day of season.If the season lasted 2 weeks longer I would have better ones.The big boys are damn smart.I don`t rattle,I make as little noise as possible.I scout where they travel and ambush.

[BRvalley]

had much better success with a doe bleat vs rattling...and grunts tend to spook them in my experience (had one instance where he came in hot looking to fight...just one time though)...the comment on buck to doe ratio makes a lot of sense there

I like the can calls, work great

[lovemywinchester]

Hey Bigmuley. You are lucky to have some private farm land to hunt. I think wind plays the biggest part as said before. If the wind is not in your favour you are wasting your time. In fact I like to hunt on breezy or windy days. For scent control as well as sound damping.

Rattling works for sure but I would wait till the middle to end of November before you really get into it. The last thing you want to do is educate the local deer to what you are doing. I have succesfully rattled in two nice WT in the last two years. One was Nov 24th and the other was Nov 28th. Both times I rattled for over 45 min before the deer came in. Sit tight, rattle hard for two min then wait a bit. Repeat till the deer comes. It's a blast when it works. Watch this video. Great tips and footage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2uhKfmaXmA

Here is my thread from two years ago.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?89332-Rattled-in-a-whitey!


from what I've heard it only really works where the buck to doe ratio is higher..makes sense, why would they come running for one hot doe when there's ten more waitin for him already..

I disagree somewhat with you on this Harry. I can't comment on the doe ratio aspect of your theory but more on the why? part. The bucks come to the rattle because there is a fight going on and they want to see it and get into it. It's what they do. They are pissed that there is competion around and it doesn't matter if all the does are bred already or not. The deer don't know that. They are roaming with their noses in the air waiting to catch a sniff of a hot doe. They are pumped so full of testosterone at this time of year that all they want to do is fight and breed and they are pissed that other bucks are in their territory.

If you are standing outside a bar talking to a few girls and a fist fight breaks out across the street, you are going to watch the fight. This may be a better example with 20 year olds instead of 45 like myself but that gets back to the testosterone levels.:icon_frow

Get yourself a decoy as well. They work. The buck I rattled in last Nov. came across the middle of an open field in bright sunshine to come to the rattles and I think the decoy I had out helped for sure. It adds a sense of security as well as a target for breeding or fighting if it's a buck decoy.

Click
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/zippogold/th_013_zps611a88a7.mp4 (http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/zippogold/013_zps611a88a7.mp4)

[Sofa King]

set up and watch the areas during the fading light.
the big boys have gotten that way by being smart.
as the season draws on and the rut approaches, then you have the calls and rattling to help you.
what I've found is that the whities are much more "nervous" acting than mulies.
even though I've hunted them successfully the same way, with still-hunting, once they spook, they tear off and never look back.

[walks with deer]

Rutting whitetails are hilarious.
Saw a buck 800 yards put nose down following a does scent so I found the other deer tracks and sat down.
Like clockwork he almost ran into me before it was all over.

[walks with deer]

Ps
Love my winchester beauty buck well earned.
I have a 32win aswell was my great grandfather.
Beuty little rifles I hunted with mine most my teens.

[HarryToolips]

rutting whitetails are hilarious.
Saw a buck 800 yards put nose down following a does scent so i found the other deer tracks and sat down.
Like clockwork he almost ran into me before it was all over.
smrt...........

[greenhornn]

Does watching the power lines work? Fairly new to hunting.....can I go into the timber and find them in October or should I b siting and waiting? Hunting trip oct 9-18 area 3-20 any tips?

[Dannybuoy]

watching the power lines will work if you are watching where they enter/leave the power lines . In the bush , I like to cover lots of ground keeping a sharp eye out .
You wont sneak up on them in open ground but in thick bush its common for them not to run until they get a look at you ..so if you see him first BLAMO !

[hoochie]

top of a ridge one evening over looking a small cut near power lines.
3 does came out at 18:00. the very next day, 18:00.. the same three does showed up. The third day same thing. Its like us coming home from work.. same route day after day, and the odd time go slightly different route.
People always told me first and last light. My wife got her buck last year at 10 minutes before noon. we sat in a tree line at this cut we had been watching the deer for a few days. a buck came out a little too far from the tree line across the cut :)

[Dannybuoy]

people say first light and last light because they tend to feed at night , although they need to eat more when its colder or if they missed a meal due to rain or ? BUT remember they have to get from food/water source to bedding area which may not be very far or it could be a bit further ... with whites its usually the closest cover .

[srupp]

Hmmm hunted them in Alberta..during the rut..just like a bloodhound nose to ground following a hot doe..so preoccupied almost run a guy over...if bucks are going to cross an opening they use the pinch point...narrowist opening possible...the powerline here has whities that get whacked evety year, popular hunting strategy here
Steven

[Dannybuoy]

Yes srupp ... in the rut anytime of day is good .... find the does =bucks . I think it depends on the lay of the land .... I hunt these dry Okanagan hillsides differently than the thick bush of the monashee's also.