Mule deer questions

[bcd]

I've been reading all the threads I can find on HBC on mule deer hunting, and had a go at it last weekend. Kept reading to go way up, so I found a nice looking ridge in 3-13, ~6400'. Watched these meadows for an evening and following morning, but didn't see anything and not much sign in the area. On the drive out a few km's away, there were 2 fresh deer tracks on the road, looked like a doe and fawn based on size. I think the deer were taunting me :mrgreen:.

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh514/bc_d/DSCN1353Copy_zpsbe011ef3.jpg

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh514/bc_d/DSCN1352Copy_zps75138c3e.jpg

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh514/bc_d/DSCN1359Copy_zps55a89ce0.jpg

Am I on track with this type of terrain and elevation this time of year? There are some lower spots where the open areas are smaller and mixed with trees, I was thinking of trying that next time, but it will be harder to glass. Most of the clear cuts below here are older and grown in.

If I only have a couple weekends to get out, should I spend one covering a lot of ground quickly looking for sign, so that I know what area to target another time?

Does it matter what side the sun is on when you're glassing? I was assuming the wind was more important.

[monasheemountainman]

Nice looking spot. If there is feed water and cover near by and you know the area holds deer , then I would say it's a good spot to keep working. But you can't judge based on one evening and one morning hunt. You must be new to hunting. There will be many many times when you will be in the perfect spot at the perfect time and you won't see a thing. That's why it's called hunting not killing. If you like that spot and you think there are deer in the area, keep at it. Good luck!

[monasheemountainman]

You want the sun to be at your back when glassing, because just like you and me, it's hard for the deer to see when they are staring into the sun, and if it's the other way you will make a nice silhouette. I like to have brush, or a rock behind me when I glass to prevent silhouetting myself.

[markt308]

good stuff there from manoshee. that area does look nice and no doubt there are deer that use that medow. were you looking for sign up there like tracks and poop? If you're seeing a lot of that, especially fresh sign, then I would stay put. you will get better at noticing sign like that. Are there big bucks up high? you bet! do you need to be up high right now to harvest a buck? even a 4 point? Nope! You might find far more sign down at lower elevations, which could mean more deer sighings at least, then come Oct 1st you got yourself "any buck" to hunt! Don't get me wrong, hunting up high is great, and like monashee said, it's tough to judge a spot after two hunts, but at the same time there should be plenty of evidence that there are deer around. if that last area doesnt show that, I personally would try lower elevation/different spot. Ah what the heck, I will PM you

[bcd]

There were a few old tracks from this summer, and some poop from a previous year, but not that much and nothing fresh. I realize I'm not going to see something every time, but I was a bit disappointed in the lack of sign. I guess the deer aren't always where you think they should be, and it was a relatively small area I was covering.

Anyway thanks for the tips!

For hunting lower down, with just small openings where you can't glass a large area, would it be better to pick a spot with sign and do the same technique of sit and glass for a few hours or walk slowly pausing to glass frequently?

[GoatGuy]

If you get a heavy frost it can knock the protein out of the 'plants' and the deer will move downslope. With warm weather and rain sometimes they'll move back up. Really depends on the area. Sometimes the critters will hang up there right til November.

I would be sitting on that rocky knob way in the back glassing. No sense in stinking things out.

It's all a matter of learning the area.

[Seeker]

My Suggestion if you are new to the area would be to drive around a bit and do some walking to locate the deer. Find an area with fresh tracks and crap and from there try to find a corner of a clear cut in that area that is as far away from the roads as possible and sit for an evening or a morning. If you can find a decommissioned road even better, you can walk it (VERY SLOWLY) at first or last light or even sit if you prefer in a good vantage point. Sit until it is dark, not 15 minutes to dark, I don't know how many times I've had a deer creep out along cut edges at the very last of shooting light. Cuts that have new growth about 2 ft tall (usually ~3 year old slashes) and taller are a good place to start. Newer slashes tend to be too bare and deer tend to avoid them. The biggest thing I find in locating bigger bucks is getting off the main roads, find the side roads, get out and walk open ridges. Sitting and watching is always a great way to hunt, I just have ADHD and can't sit for too long, but if you can, you will shoot a lot of bucks in your time. Mule deer can be higher than you were, I was above tree line last week and ran into a Mule bucks above the 7000ft mark, they love the tops of slide paths that are uncomfortably steep to walk across. If you have some of that terrain and are willing to get up to it, there is a great chance you will come across some bucks. Learn to enjoy the solitude even if you don't shoot anything, that kind of peaceful is rare these days and if you have kids, it's golden!! All the best, good luck!

[139grainsofhell]

Just as seeker said, every deer I saw last week was by walking not driving into cuts and glassing the timber edges, sometimes you have to look three or four times along the edges before you catch some movement, they blend in very well. This is a very good method for finding deer.

[Fisher-Dude]

You may be too high. I know the areas that I hunt that are >6,000 around here tend to have very few deer after mid- to late-September. As GoatHumper says, the first frosts can make the feed less palatable, and they move down in search of better eats. Sometimes, though, an old bruiser buck or two will hang up top and come down when their balls are dragging in the snow.

For more action though, I'd get down lower and look for fresh sign.

[GoatGuy]

You may be too high. I know the areas that I hunt that are >6,000 around here tend to have very few deer after mid- to late-September. As GoatHumper says, the first frosts can make the feed less palatable, and they move down in search of better eats. Sometimes, though, an old bruiser buck or two will hang up top and come down when their balls are dragging in the snow.

For more action though, I'd get down lower and look for fresh sign.

Those areas have very few deer because the habitat has been destroyed by quads and red plates on 'trials bikes'.

There otta be a season.

[caddisguy]

I've been reading all the threads I can find on HBC on mule deer hunting, and had a go at it last weekend. Kept reading to go way up, so I found a nice looking ridge in 3-13, ~6400'. Watched these meadows for an evening and following morning, but didn't see anything and not much sign in the area. On the drive out a few km's away, there were 2 fresh deer tracks on the road, looked like a doe and fawn based on size. I think the deer were taunting me :mrgreen:.

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh514/bc_d/DSCN1353Copy_zpsbe011ef3.jpg

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh514/bc_d/DSCN1352Copy_zps75138c3e.jpg

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh514/bc_d/DSCN1359Copy_zps55a89ce0.jpg

Am I on track with this type of terrain and elevation this time of year? There are some lower spots where the open areas are smaller and mixed with trees, I was thinking of trying that next time, but it will be harder to glass. Most of the clear cuts below here are older and grown in.

If I only have a couple weekends to get out, should I spend one covering a lot of ground quickly looking for sign, so that I know what area to target another time?

Does it matter what side the sun is on when you're glassing? I was assuming the wind was more important.

Is that Iron Mountain off Comcast in Merritt? I was there last year but found out that most of it has cattle leases and there was some kind of weather project going on.

Anyway I saw a few does, some rubs, bear sign and heard what was either a bear clawing a tree or a buck rubbing. When I heard it, it wasn't legal light and I was by myself, it was in some thicker stuff so I decided it was safer not to investigate. The action seemed to be between 1200-1600m... mostly around 1600m.

I think there's places a lot more productive within an hour of 3-13

Edit: Ooops... have to double check but I might have been thinking of 3-12... either way it might still be relevant in regards to elevation.

[Sofa King]

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh514/bc_d/DSCN1359Copy_zps55a89ce0.jpg

there's your answer right there in your photo.
you caught a sasquatch walking through.
no deer when they're around.
them's facts apparently.

[caddisguy]

Here's a couple does and a perfect 2x2 stick deer laying down... same area but other side of the highway at around 1600m I believe

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/t644/vaporeyes/im01_zpsba972e1d.jpg


...and here's another one... no idea what made it though... buck, bear, human, etc

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/t644/vaporeyes/im2_zps0052743c.jpg

[Andrewh]

Was up at 6600ft this weekend and the basin was full of deer. I would do a quick cruise midday through the area and have a look for sign. If no sign/tracks then time to pick another area.

[bcd]

there's your answer right there in your photo.
you caught a sasquatch walking through.
no deer when they're around.
them's facts apparently.

http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj528/gman82001/bubbles-samsquanch_o_640252.jpg Is there a season on them Samsquanch? I can't find it in the regs!?


Is that Iron Mountain off Comcast in Merritt? I was there last year but found out that most of it has cattle leases and there was some kind of weather project going on.

Nope. What the heck, since I didn't see much sign... it was Stoyama, SW of Merrit. Learned the hard way not to come in off the Coq, turns into a rough quad trail and the truck almost didn't make it through. From #8 it's much smoother.

Did see this nice blackie on the way out, but no tag of course, duh.

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh514/bc_d/DSCN1364_zps826d0373.jpg

Thanks for all the advice, I will come up with a new plan and hit a different area this weekend.

How late in the morning should I stay glassing, and how early in the evening to start? So I know how many hours I have to scout in between.

[Stretch]

One more point I would add is to focus on the East and North slopes and the fringe areas adjacent to E and N.

Stretch

[adriaticum]

Stoyama has a vehicle restriction above certain altitude.

[bcd]

Stoyama has a vehicle restriction above certain altitude.

1800 meters, excluding the road.


One more point I would add is to focus on the East and North slopes and the fringe areas adjacent to E and N.

Stretch

Is that because its cooler there?

[Stretch]

1800 meters, excluding the road.



Is that because its cooler there?

It is cooler when the weather is hot, the food quality stays better longer particularly when it is hot, and there will be cover and bedding areas that will still allow deer to look into more open areas.

Stretch

[BRrooster]

I wouldn't hunt "meadows" , deer are browsers not grazers. Transition zones, or where vegetation types change is where I like to spend my time glassing.
The edges of clear cuts that are several years old or another hot spot would be an old burn. ( eg. forest fire). The more leaves that drop in the Fall, the better you
can see. Water , feed and cover are the keys. There might be a spring that comes out and then disappears 20 yards away again, that would fill one need. The first
15 min of day lite and the last 15 min of day lite are prime time. I know..... there are lots of deer shot mid-day too, but not in the open I'd bet.
The hunt, the getting out there and doing it, the thrill of the chase and hopefully the fulfilling of the quest, its all good.

Have a great time
cheers

[bcd]

I thought a good way to say thanks for the advice you all contributed would be a few photos and a story.

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh514/bc_d/photo2_zps551013d9.jpg

A member on the site suggested I try a different area in region 3, so noting all the suggestions in this thread, I put together a new plan for the weekend and headed up with my friend who is also new to hunting. Scouting Friday night in the dark and Saturday during the day, we found a lot of recent sign. But despite sitting on promising cuts with the wind in our favour next to cover and water away from the road during prime time, we still hadn’t seen a single deer by Sunday morning.

But as I learned in the spring with my bear, it's not over til it's over, so we decided to cover some ground and drove to look at a few other areas nearby. Just as we were about to turn around, I pulled over by a deactivated branch and we went for one last walk in to a promising spot. Only took guns and binos, as we figured we wouldn't be going far and it was probably too late in the morning now . About a kilometer in, buddy whispers 'deer!' and I freeze. A doe was making its way down into a ravine between two cuts a few hundred yards away, and quickly disappeared out of sight. Then a buck came in to view and quickly vanished in to the ravine as well. Our hearts were pounding with adrenalin and we felt the pressure of being caught out in the open without a good vantage point, knowing this would be our one chance for a deer this weekend and we couldn’t screw it up. Our only advantage was that we were down wind. We waited for them to reappear for a minute, but seeing nothing we slowly continued up the road towards where they should emerge into the cut we were in if they continued in the same line.

Suddenly they both hopped up on to the road and stood looking at us from about 100 yards away. The 2 point buck was standing broadside. ‘Take the shot!’ I whispered. Seeming to hear me, the buck stepped behind the doe – no clear shot. Then they ran off the road in to the tall grass, only presenting their heads and shoulders, but they were separate now so my friend was able to squeeze off a shot the next time they stopped. The buck went down! The doe ran a short ways and then stopped to look back at the buck. Then my friend says ‘hey…does that doe have antlers!?’ I quickly shouldered my rifle. Sure enough, there were two small spikes. I tried to calm the second surge of adrenalin knowing a freehand shot was the only option with the tall grass and poor angle. Again, all I could see was the head and shoulders. Estimating where the chest was, I squeezed the trigger. Second buck down!

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh514/bc_d/DSCN1478_zps1893d64b.jpg

We were so pumped and had grins plastered to our faces for a long time after. We gutted them there and with the sun quickly warming things up, decided to carry them out to the truck to quarter them in the shade with gear at hand. Damn that two point was heavy. Once the meat was in the coolers, it was time for a celebratory beer and then in to town for fresh ice before heading home.

Very rewarding to be slowly putting the pieces together, putting the effort in, and with a bit of luck, have it pay off with a double header! Our first mule deer, and his first big game animal. Also got a few grouse and a hare to top things off. What a weekend!

I’ll leave it to him to post up a picture of his deer if he wants to.

[adriaticum]

Congrats on the double header!
I'm suddenly getting the urge to hit the mountains.

[nazarow]

So I guess I owe everyone here a pic as well.

A little about me: I had grown up in the West Kootenays and have been living/working down in Vancouver for the last 9 years. Always loved the outdoors hiking and fishing but never had family or friends that hunted. There is so much info on this forum and without that and my friend BCD (he let me take the 1st buck we saw) I probably wouldn’t have been able to snag this guy. He had posted the story above so here are a few photos.

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q705/jnazarow/IMG_1487_zpsqcfn44gm.jpg (http://s1355.photobucket.com/user/jnazarow/media/IMG_1487_zpsqcfn44gm.jpg.html)

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q705/jnazarow/PA050231_zpsvfecdcen.jpg (http://s1355.photobucket.com/user/jnazarow/media/PA050231_zpsvfecdcen.jpg.html)

[markt308]

So awesome guys! You two will never forget that. A double header for your first bucks?? That's just too sweet. glad it worked out for you so well

[Sofa King]

well done.
sounds like it turned in to a great day.

[sapper]

Fantastic! I like that, "hey, does that doe have antlers?" Great weekend.

[avadad]

What a great story! Congrats to you both. That is a day you will never forget!