5-1 and 2 mule deer strategy? Wi

[WWBC]

With only a few days left in any buck season I'm questioning how I should spend my next few morning hunts.

This is is my second season hunting and I'm looking for my 1st deer.

This season I've spend about 10 mornings and a few day/ weekend trips afield. Mostly solo walking into cut blocks in the dark and siting and glassing. Primarily low elevation blocks up the 500 road and a little bit of road hunting on the quad.
Since I haven't seen a huntable buck( not on private property) since September I'm thinking of changing my strategy.

Should I start still hunting the mature fir timber lower elevation closer to Williams lake? Focus on cutbacks again but covering more ground on the quad/hiking the edges? Sit in ambush on know deer trails with fresh sign?

I found an area of mature fir with nice quite moss to walk on in know winter range. Seen a few does on an afternoon scout and the area looks very huntable. Is it too early to find bucks in the timber on winter range?

Any advice would be great!

thanks

[avadad]

I'd say your chances of shooting a buck while hunting off your quad are close to zero as quads are loud and the deer can hear them from miles away. If you can find a good game trail position yourself so the wind is to your advantage, make a blind to breakup your outline, keep your shinny face covered and sit and watch. Some winter ranges may have bucks that are residents to the area…If you are still hunting try to keep the wind in your face. Stay alert as things can happen real fast! I hunt a spot where there is regular traffic from guys on their quads driving around like their in a race. In that very same spot I have seen 50 deer in a day. It helps to be patient.

[Stillhunting]

We used to slay the bucks in the low elevation timber near Williams Lake, that is where I would be looking especially as the season progresses.

[WWBC]

Thanks for the replies.
I'll probably try the ground blind idea and hit the timber.

With the timber is it best to walk in a few hundred yards by head lamp then start still hunting as the sun rises or hunt the timber edge at first light then still hunt in? Should I be looking for ridges, draws, creeks or?

thanks!

[warnniklz]

Suuuper warm. Haven't seen a whole lot of anything. Most productive area has been westish... but 15 km down the road from there is scarce. Lots of camps out and about. Out mackin creek, enterprise and so on and so fourth.

[adriaticum]

Ground blind is not good at 5 to midnight IMO.
Blind has to be there for a while before deer will get accustomed to it.

[avadad]

Thanks for the replies.
I'll probably try the ground blind idea and hit the timber.

With the timber is it best to walk in a few hundred yards by head lamp then start still hunting as the sun rises or hunt the timber edge at first light then still hunt in? Should I be looking for ridges, draws, creeks or

thanks!

The saddle where two ridges meet can be a great spot to set up and watch a game trail...

[HarryToolips]

I'd say your chances of shooting a buck while hunting off your quad are close to zero as quads are loud and the deer can hear them from miles away. If you can find a good game trail position yourself so the wind is to your advantage, make a blind to breakup your outline, keep your shinny face covered and sit and watch. Some winter ranges may have bucks that are residents to the area…If you are still hunting try to keep the wind in your face. Stay alert as things can happen real fast! I hunt a spot where there is regular traffic from guys on their quads driving around like their in a race. In that very same spot I have seen 50 deer in a day. It helps to be patient.
You would be surprised actually how many people have killed deer right off their quads, most hunters I know this is how they do it, especially for muley bucks...I'm a hike in hunter and haven't had success on a road in a long time, but I think the deer are used to the consistent noise of the machine, and are used to logging machines and vehicular traffic throughout the rest of the season, so I think they get accustomed to the noise..that and you can cover a lot more territory on a quad vs. on foot...that being said, the smarter deer definitely learn to adjust to hunting pressure lol..

[WWBC]

Funny you say that.
All the deer I've seen taken were shot while bombing around on the quad. It's just doesn't seem as appealing some how compared to being off trail on foot haha. Kinda like the difference of a trout taking a perfectly presented dry fly on a still morning Vs the ever effective 9.9 horse, willow leaf and worm method.

That said, I'm not above a willow leaf and worm for trout so the quad will probably see some miles

[jeremy84]

All I've seen today was two muley does that were bedded down in a clearing, no bucks in around them....?

[Cyrus]

Ground blind is not good at 5 to midnight IMO.
Blind has to be there for a while before deer will get accustomed to it.
maybe...but I set up mine one night and an hour later 2 four points came out. they didn't seem to care...

[Cyrus]

to add to this...its been horribly windy and warm in the interior. Nothing seems to be moving or coming out into the open. Hopefully we get some snow soon.

[vanislerev]

Glad to see I'm not the only one seeing very little activity in this area! As said above, we need some snow!

[WWBC]

Vanislerev
glad I made you feel better haha. I was feeling the same way

[ICEWOODY]

Pm me your right in my fav area. Got some good places and private land to put us on and I'm coming up later tommorow

[WWBC]

Was out again this morning. didnt see anything wile hunting, just the local deer on the drive out. I tried still hunting the same area from sunrise until about 9am then checked out a couple new areas. New plan for tomorrow.

[Cyrus]

Was out again this morning. didnt see anything wile hunting, just the local deer on the drive out. I tried still hunting the same area from sunrise until about 9am then checked out a couple new areas. New plan for tomorrow.
the weather is just not cooperating..the wind just never stops. keep at it!

[srupp]

Hmm TIP..look for large cut blocks..then look for trees that lose their leaves..the thick stuff in that area is bedding..amongst the deciduous trees is where the feeding is going on..yes in spite of the wind..6 bucks in the past 4 days drove by relatively new or absolutely new hunters. There is no food in thick green needled timber that is bedding..except gor some whacked out whitetails at 140 area bedded in weeds. .willow..scrub..go figure...
Hmmm land Rover at 15 yards..we're not that twitchy..
They are out there..
Straight shooting..
I would just drive the atv in slowly and sit. ..
Steven

[WWBC]

Thanks Steven and all.

I managed to cut a tag on my first deer last night wile stalking through an older cutblock. ( a tender little 2 point at about 15 yards) The advice I've recived from you guys made all the difference. Thanks!
I'll post the story once I get to my computer.

[tigrr]

Sweet. Looking forward to the details.

[REMINGTON JIM]

Thanks Steven and all.

I managed to cut a tag on my first deer last night wile stalking through an older cutblock. ( a tender little 2 point at about 15 yards) The advice I've recived from you guys made all the difference. Thanks!
I'll post the story once I get to my computer.

Congrats your patience payed off ! ;) RJ

[WWBC]

The story

So I managed to sneak away from the family for a quick hunt at about 4pm yesterday. I had a plan to quietly access a newly logged block from inside the tree line and slowly work the permimiter/sit till dark. However, when I parked the truck the wind was wrong for my approach and processor was working the other side of the block... Now what?
I unloaded the quad and ripped over to an older block that I thought might be promising based on the poor road access and favourable wind. After a quick road ride and a little bush bashing I had the quad stashed in the new block.
New plan: Stash quad, quickly and quietly cross the block to the steep timbered ridge then still hunt the ridge until I reached the adjoining block were I could glass till dark from the cover of the timber.
Made it to the second block just as the rain starts falling. Thinking rain is good right?? I checked the wind again, the silica dust swirl as it falls from the squeeze bottle and blows right into the block. Now what... with only about 15min. worth of light left I'm setup in the wrong spot. Now what...? Book it down the ridge ( quietly) and setup on new spot with favorable wind and good field of view inside one of the tree islands.

I made it back to the lower block with time to spare and started looking for a spot with a good rest incase the shot was long and if deer came in from the near side. Couldn't find a stump I liked close enough with a good field of view. New plan- I crawled up onto a sight mound trying to avoid sky lining myself. Just as I crest the mound -deer- I'm busted... It eyes and ears are locked onto me and now we're in a stand off. Finaly it's gaze relents and allows me to laydown in grass. I'm thinking if there's a lone doe maybe there's a buck around? I slowly reach for the can call on hip pocket and turn it to make a doe estuis call. The "doe" I'd been hiding from in the grass took a couple steps towards me stopping broad side at about 15 yards. Up go the bino's to see if any bucks had entered the block since I'd hunkered down. To my suprise, glassing past the doe is saw forks... on the doe?... Buck! Down goes the binos up goes the scope ( laying prone 15 or so yard for deer). Scopes fogged from the rain and the bucks looking right at me again. I slowly clear the water/fog from the objective. Look again- big blur of water covering the front half of the deer. Try agained, scope clear but the deer is quartering away. Hit the can call one last time and the stepped slightly closer giving me a perfect broad side.

Breath in- settle the cross hairs, close eyes, slooow exhale, open eyes ( still on target) breath hold and slow squeeze.
The muzzle flash seemed to light up the block as buck hit the ground as if struck by a hammer.

My first deer on the ground. The rest I can't explains in words.

Dressed it out by head lamp and made the short hike back to the quad.