Getting off the road?

[TrickleCharger]

Hey guys, I'm a pretty new hunter and I've been searching this site for tips on mule deer hunting, and any info I can find on my new area (just moved to Kamloops!). One of the recurring things I read in these threads is along the lines of "Just get off the road and hike, there's plenty of game!", especially when talking about a busy road hunting area. What I'm wondering is what you guys are looking for once you are off the road?

Obviously deer sign to know if there's anything in the area. But other than that, are you looking for clearings or meadows to set up in and watch? Are you walking through the thick bush trying to see/hear something before it bolts? When you are walking ridges, are you literally walking along a ridge and trying to spot something in the trees on either side? Is it all about finding vantage points, sitting and watching, or more about pounding through the thick stuff until you run into something?

I tend to be drawn to the open areas because I can see more and do some glassing, but the best areas for this seem to be the cut blocks which are full of roads, pickups and ATVs, which is what I'm trying to get away from in the first place. Cut blocks also seem to be the best food sources, so hiking away from them might be counter productive?

I love being outside and I'm not afraid of a hike, but I want to be using my limited free time wisely. I find myself always wanting to climb the next hill, see around the next corner, or check out a totally new area, and I have a hard time staying put unless I have seen deer in the area and know they will be there. I'm beginning to think maybe what I need is just to slow down and be more thorough, and I'm looking for some pointers to get me on the right path. Either way, it's been a couple of years since my last (first) deer and if I don't come home with a dead animal soon the wife is going to start getting suspicious!

Thanks and happy hunting!

[Just]

Haha I'm in the same vote. I just keep hiking and seeing does but haven't gotten a chance to take a shot at my first buck. I know they're in the area I'm hunting cause I have seen them or shall I say seen them from the back bouncing away from me. Last weekend I spent all day hiking the area finding fresh droppings and tracks, I kept moving trying to find them but was unsuccessful. Tried sitting and classing but I could only do that for 1/2hr before I got the feeling I was wasting my time. That's hunting I guess, trying to set up the right place at the right time sinario

[tinhorse]

This time of year look for fresh rubs, the bucks will be starting to rake their antlers. Open areas are nice to hunt for obvious reasons but the reality is, the big guys dont get big by hanging out in the open. I like to hunt cut edges for the first hour or 2 in the morning then get into the timber after that. Hike the thicker stuff on trails and move SLOW. 10 steps and glass. find areas that give you at least 30 m of viability. If you know the deer are there, ,it will only be a matter of time that you will bump them. When walking make sure the wind is blowing into your face also. If the wind is at your back they will be gone before you even know they were there. Look for tips of ears, antlers or white patches. Still hunting timber is hard to do if you are not patient and willing to go slow. good luck, keep at it and you'll run into something.

[Sofa King]

wait for the snow.
then there's no guessing.

[TrickleCharger]

I hear you Just, there's a lot of second guessing going on!

When you hunt a cut edge, are you walking a ways in the trees and coming out to look every so often? Or are you close enough to see through the trees? I've been concerned about noise when I've tried that, a breaking branch in the bush above must carry a ways out into the slash.

I'm definitely looking forward to snow, I just figured my chances would be better for any buck than they will be for 4 point!

Any other tips would be appreciated. I don't have an experienced hunting partner and the hunters in my family are more road warriors, so I'm very curious about tactics of successful hunters. I know there are things you just have to learn for yourself, but I'm hoping to shave a little time off the learning curve where I can!

[Singleshotneeded]

Google Earth is your amigo, look for openings in the forest a bit away from the nearest road, (so there isn't the traffic and hunting pressure), and get set on the downwind edge of that clearing at first light. Good luck.

[quaint bucket]

So far, I've learned that it's best to look for a more sparse timber area (please correct me if I'm wrong) where there's not too many OVERgrowth because it provides a lot of undergrowth on the ground (grass, brushes, etc) that suits for feeding areas. You can see this on google earth/bing satellite (i think bing is a little better but got issues with clouds)

I also picked up a copy of the backroad mapbook for the area and look at the topographic areas to find anything that looks like of interest to me. From my understanding, bucks like to go high unless there's too much snow, so I look for saddles on the side of the mountains and double check back with satellite photos of the approximate area.

Then I also looked for valleys and funnels because deers like to take the path of least resistance like humans (or so I've been told).

I originally thought that a body of water would be important but then I was corrected and said that deers are pretty adaptable creatures and will get water by licking droplets off leaves...


Anyway, long story short, I went into an area that I've never scouted other than topographic maps/google earth and found mule deer bedding areas, droppings, and tracks in 4 out of 4 places that I hit up. 2 (maybe 1) out of 4 shows sign of mule buck tracks (huge, most likely a buck) and mule buck droppings (huge). I think that was fairly promising but I'm missing them by a day or a week.


It's really hard to find info out there... I'm starting to think maybe I should just get a mentor to help me out since this is my second year and I really would like to be more successful.

[luckofthedraw]

Everyone seems to think hunting is a slam dunk. And for guys that are experienced and know their area, it can be. I am still fairly new to hunting, 6 years. I have only shot one deer of my own, but been there for many animals of others. I am self taught for the most part by trial and error, and asking a few other people questions and experiences. This site is excellent. It truly is a matter of getting out there and doing it, and keep getting out there and keep doing it. You guys sound like your on the right path. Find trails that cross, find fresh scat,sheds, fresh rubs or multiple rubs in an area. Get a vantage point and glass at first light. Hunt doe's right now, the bucks will be with them in the next couple weeks....just keep at it. Eventually, you connect.

[caddisguy]

Those slashes are a good food source and sometimes deer will hang out in the open near roads, especially first light and last light... perhaps because it's been several hours since the last guy jumped out of the truck with a rifle and gave them a bad vibe. Deer on the move during the day often stay close to cover (ie: the treeline) ... when bedding down, it's often in that treeline, but close to an open area (ie: the cutblock).

When you look at cut blocks, ask yourself how you can get into the cutblock from the other side of that treeline. Most guys look up at the treeline on top of a cutblock and assume there's miles and miles of nothing but trees where the cutblock ends. Sometimes that's true, but often there's just 0.5km-1km of trees and then the same road they drove down to get the bottom of the cutblock (I have actually hunted with guys that ummm... challenged). They will think you are magic and wonder how you "got up there". Google Earth helps as others mentioned. Note down a few of these scenarios and some of them will check out.

You can leave your truck at the side of the road and push that bush down to where the cut starts. Deer will often spook down into the slash and stare at you, figuring out what the heck is going on before deciding on a way to get around. Just don't get shot. A human being in the bush at the top of a cut is beyond comprehension to a lot of cut block watchers.

I like it when the bush isn't too thick. Sparse alders mixed in with a few pines in good undergrowth is great. It lets me look around for bedding deer I worry less about surprising a moose or bear and there's a better chance of getting a shot at a deer. You get to stalk through which adds opportunity and fun. If the bush is thick pines, my goal is just to get through it. I don't even worry about being quiet. Some noise doesn't hurt if you are trying to push deer from their beds when situations where you wouldn't have been able to see them anyway. The idea in that case is to just to push them out in the open and not get run over by anything.

Edit: I should note that's how I operate in Region 3 for mule deer as an out-of-towner who has seen quite a few but has nothing in the freezer to show for it.

Region 2 blacktails and mixed-genetic deer are a different story. In those cases one should be bleeding from multiple cuts with no recollection of where they came from and have a large cat stalking near by.

[TrickleCharger]

Thanks for the responses guys. Some good tips here, some of which I am already using which is reassuring!

As for Google Earth, I've found a lot of the images are way outdated. An 8 year old image can be pretty inaccurate when it comes to logging blocks at least. I would sure like to get some newer images of some areas. Still, very handy tool.

Anything else anyone has on what you are looking for when hiking off the beaten path?

[quaint bucket]

I think Bing satellite maps are more up to date?

[brian]

Obviously deer sign to know if there's anything in the area. But other than that, are you looking for clearings or meadows to set up in and watch? Are you walking through the thick bush trying to see/hear something before it bolts? When you are walking ridges, are you literally walking along a ridge and trying to spot something in the trees on either side? Is it all about finding vantage points, sitting and watching, or more about pounding through the thick stuff until you run into something?

When I hike the bush I look for deer trails. Sign is good if it is current. I take note of old sign but it is not relevant to your current hunt. When I go into a new area I am mainly looking for deer trails and exploring their network. The more trails there are the better. If you get into a spot where they are crossing everywhere then you are getting right into their homes.

As for where to start looking. Both Google and Bing are using satellite images from other providers. Either one can have the latest map of a region so check them both. One good trick is to zoom waaaay out and see how the map changes. The farther out images are usually updated more often. What I look for is any edge habitat and broken canopy. Generally if the canopy of the forest looks even on the satellite images then it is of little interest to me. Anything that opens the canopy can be a good potential source for food. This can be natural meadows, scree slopes, alpine meadows, power lines, clear cuts, rivers, FSR's, suburbs, farms, etc... anything that provides good edge habitat. Even if the canopy looks "mottled" then there are probably a lot of smaller openings which can give deer good feed. Once I pin point an area of interest I head in there and look for deer trails and sign. Once I find trails I let them be my guide.

In my experience it takes a while to learn an area... years even, depending how often you can get out to it. More importantly it takes a while to learn how to hunt that area. This time compacts as you become a more experienced hunter. I would not expect to pull deer out of an area that you don't know well, but be happy if you do.


Anyway, long story short, I went into an area that I've never scouted other than topographic maps/google earth and found mule deer bedding areas, droppings, and tracks in 4 out of 4 places that I hit up. 2 (maybe 1) out of 4 shows sign of mule buck tracks (huge, most likely a buck) and mule buck droppings (huge). I think that was fairly promising but I'm missing them by a day or a week.

You are probably not missing them by a day or a week. They are there, letting you walk right on by. Some deer will only spook if you are within 10 yards, others will flee if you come within 50 yards. Yet others will let you go right on by and sneak out the back door. Many more will sneak out ahead of you especially if they catch your wind. Deer are sneaky! But the deer are there if you are finding current sign, you just haven't found them (it takes very little for them to hide in if they are bedded down). Also be careful some areas are night time beds. This is where they lay down at night and chew the cud. Day time beds will usually offer them more security.

[BearStump]

Also, when you are walking in the thicker bush, keep in mind how the animals move. A deer seldom walks non stop from point a to point b. So when the animals (with much better hearing than you) hear a non stop walker, it is foreign to them. And will make them either freeze and watch, or bolt. Try walking slower and with only a few steps at a time then stop look listen and repeat. You'll see more. and spook less.

[fester]

Also, when you are walking in the thicker bush, keep in mind how the animals move. A deer seldom walks non stop from point a to point b. So when the animals (with much better hearing than you) hear a non stop walker, it is foreign to them. And will make them either freeze and watch, or bolt. Try walking slower and with only a few steps at a time then stop look listen and repeat. You'll see more. and spook less.

very good tip, thats one i forget all the time.

[BearStump]

I still forget to do that all the time too.
life is so hectic and always go go go I often forget to relax when I get out hunting and slooooowwww down the pace to a fricken crawl.

[henderson]

Here's a quick story from my first hunting trip. It was the first week of November. We went up to a buddies family cabin in some serious steep terrain. We hiked all day not knowing what we were doing. We had spotted a couple does and sat and watched them (not knowing rut was just ramping up) then kept going(rookies). Hiked until just before dark. Tired, hungry discouraged we had given up hope and started getting goofy throwing rocks and laughing like idiots. We're just about to the road and I like over to my right and there standing is the biggest deer I've ever seen. A beautiful buck not 15 yards away. Scared the crap out of me! By the time I could even think he bolted with two does in tow and left only memories and learning experiences. It still haunts me to this day but it's constant reminder to slow down and until there's no more shooting light to always be prepared and diligent because you never know.

[BearStump]

lol. That sounds typical when you stop paying attention. Happened to me too. start talking louder and walking faster at mid day after seeing nothing all morning and bump two huge 4 point bucks from their beds not 10 feet from the trail we were on. bound bound bound and they're gone. Before I could even get my rifle up.

[TrickleCharger]

Great tips and stories guys! Great description of using the satellite images too brian thanks for that.

It looks like I'll be stuck in camp for the rest of any buck season so I'll be out there looking for a 4 point in early Nov. Hoping the bucks are on the does I found a couple of weeks ago by then, and maybe a little snow as well. I'm loving living in Kamloops and really looking forward to exploring more of the area!