Mid season whitetail tactics

[paulo]

Planning on heading to 8-8 for some whitetail next week. What do some of the more experienced whitetail hunters have to say about calling? Grunt tube, rattling or doe bleats or combination of all three. I have yet to take a whitetail and this will be my third attempt. I might also mention I am rifle hunting. Thanks in advance, I will just await input. Cheers.

[.264winmag]

Planning on heading to 8-8 for some whitetail next week. What do some of the more experienced whitetail hunters have to say about calling? Grunt tube, rattling or doe bleats or combination of all three. I have yet to take a whitetail and this will be my third attempt. I might also mention I am rifle hunting. Thanks in advance, I will just await input. Cheers.

Can bleat in heat things work on occasion, same with a grunt tube. Neither one reaches out very far, nor should it. Both these calls are done very quietly in the wild, by the time a deer can hear them they are very close already. I use them when deer are hung up or to settle them down while still hunting keep em thinkin I'm just another deer. Fawn call works great while still hunting too, fawn distress if you want to really reach out and suck one in from a ways. I'll leave a grunt tube or fawn call in my mouth to stop a buck for a good shot also. Rattling is my favourite really reaches out on a cool crisp morning, but it can spook does off and during the rut I want to use them as bait. Can't beat sitting on does this time of year.

[SeaScene]

From my brother's hunt in Southern Ontario yesterday.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/deer45.jpg

[.264winmag]

Big ole carcass on him! I would be confused skinning hoisted by the antlers, kind of like a doe something just ain't right?

[whognu]

All my Ontario friends tell me 'upside down' (as shown)
is normal/correct

they say it keeps all the 'taint' at the lowest end

makes sense I suppose yet it always looks wrong to me

each to his/her own I guess

[Redthies]

I’m self taught, and I’ve always hept the poopy side down. It just makes sense to me.

[Liveforthehunt]

I’m self taught, and I’ve always hept the poopy side down. It just makes sense to me.

Looks like a headache to me

[walks with deer]

okay...op not really mid season trip the whitetails will be starting to rut... besure of your target. as mule deer will be in rut...and are closed.
region 8-8 isnt probably the choicest regions for whitetail and region 8 but there are some.
insure you bring neccesary equipment expect icy conditions.

[.264winmag]

All my Ontario friends tell me 'upside down' (as shown)
is normal/correct

they say it keeps all the 'taint' at the lowest end

makes sense I suppose yet it always looks wrong to me

each to his/her own I guess

If knife work has been sloppy don't matter how it's hung it's tainted. And so what, skin all the hide of the head to prevent hair dirt and bark from 'tainting' the skinned carcass below? I just always thought the tendons above knuckle were put there to hang from. Maybe just a butcher thing. Seems like a Yankee thing...

[SeaScene]

okay...op not really mid season trip the whitetails will be starting to rut... besure of your target. as mule deer will be in rut...and are closed.
region 8-8 isnt probably the choicest regions for whitetail and region 8 but there are some.
insure you bring neccesary equipment expect icy conditions.

Paulo... post your pic for us (good luck hunting btw). My former life (Ontario) I would find a transition area from heavy cover to open field, fence line... lay down a bit of scent trail (a few squirts here and there) .... in the direction of a clear shot for you. Start rattling ... don't be afraid to move around and then back track to your start point. It is the best of both techniques of still hunting and stalking. Don't forget your thermos of tea ....

[338win mag]

My preferred method for hunting whitetail bucks is to locate a fresh scrape and setup downwind.
I have killed more bucks this way than any other way, scrape watching, not rubs.
"Rubs" tell you where a buck has been, "scrapes" tell you where he is going to be, especially if it has urine in it, this is a
"hot scrape".
A buck will urinate in it and a doe will also urinate in it or nearby, causing a buck to lose his mind and have shot several within 20ft. Finding a scrape line, then establishing the direction and angle the bucks will come in to the scrape takes a knowledge of the terrain and wind direction, thus, making wt hunting during the rut the most exciting form of hunting to me personally.

Where I hunt wt there are no mule deer or very few of them so I know I'm not wasting my time looking at mule deer sign instead of wt only sign, a real plus I figure.

The reason meat tastes poor (if handled with care) is because during the rut all the fat gets run through the meat with the bucks not eating and running all over looking for does using up fat reserves, thats why I try to get my mule deer early for the choice meat. I have had 3 wt bucks that went to sausage as I honestly couldn't eat the steaks and roasts from these ones, there is a short time frame where even wt will gag a maggot, all 3 were shot near the end of november, each to their own however, good luck to the OP.

[SeaScene]

338 Win Mag: good post... I recently passed up an older BT buck today for that reason of my experience with older WT's in Ontario. I wonder if that is actually a fact though and not a sort of hunter "myth".... Anyone else out there care to comment on table fare of rutting bucks? Maybe BT is ok given smaller size of deer.

[.264winmag]

338 Win Mag: good post... I recently passed up an older BT buck today for that reason of my experience with older WT's in Ontario. I wonder if that is actually a fact though and not a sort of hunter "myth".... Anyone else out there care to comment on table fare of rutting bucks? Maybe BT is ok given smaller size of deer.

Late nov-early dec never had a bad WT yet, the wife concours as do everyone I've ever hunted with. Think I've eaten a dozen or so from that time frame. BT can get a bit strong in the rutted up razorback form, shotgun zone (farm deer) from VI not so much but mtn bucks get mulie like. Have yet to have a razorback mulie that didn't taste 'off', meat even smells weird. All game taken care of equally well. One exception I've had is a Hudson hope late November 4x3 making a living around farmland, still lots of fat on him and quite tasty. I'm a believer that diet and plenty of it can improve meat quality across the board. Also keep
in mind I don't shoot big old ancient monster bucks so my taste tests between species are in similar age groups, 2-5 year olds...

[HarryToolips]

^^^same here, the wt bucks I've shot late nov taste fine....

[sawmill]

I`v shot 18 in the last twenty years in late Nov. Never had a bad one.

[walks with deer]

ya late november and whitetails go hh
and and hand and havent had issues.
only time i have had issues is if i used a meat cutter..(probably not my deer back)
i only ever sausaged 1 deer but it was someone elses cripple i tracked down and finished.

[Darksith]

My preferred method for hunting whitetail bucks is to locate a fresh scrape and setup downwind.
I have killed more bucks this way than any other way, scrape watching, not rubs.
"Rubs" tell you where a buck has been, "scrapes" tell you where he is going to be, especially if it has urine in it, this is a
"hot scrape".
A buck will urinate in it and a doe will also urinate in it or nearby, causing a buck to lose his mind and have shot several within 20ft. Finding a scrape line, then establishing the direction and angle the bucks will come in to the scrape takes a knowledge of the terrain and wind direction, thus, making wt hunting during the rut the most exciting form of hunting to me personally.

Where I hunt wt there are no mule deer or very few of them so I know I'm not wasting my time looking at mule deer sign instead of wt only sign, a real plus I figure.

The reason meat tastes poor (if handled with care) is because during the rut all the fat gets run through the meat with the bucks not eating and running all over looking for does using up fat reserves, thats why I try to get my mule deer early for the choice meat. I have had 3 wt bucks that went to sausage as I honestly couldn't eat the steaks and roasts from these ones, there is a short time frame where even wt will gag a maggot, all 3 were shot near the end of november, each to their own however, good luck to the OP.
are they still scraping this time of year? Even if the snow is on the ground?

[.264winmag]

Most scrape activity I see is mid nov to early dec

[358mag]

are they still scraping this time of year? Even if the snow is on the ground?
Snow doesn't slow them down from making scrapes . It just them easier to find !!!

[338win mag]

are they still scraping this time of year? Even if the snow is on the ground?
Yes absolutely, and they will visit them several times a day or they may abandon them altogether for whatever reason.
I have shot 5 bucks coming to a scrape area near the same tree that has been in use for years, the 30 years I have been hunting that particular ridge. I have seen another probably 5-6 mature bucks that I had the opportunity but they gave me the slip.

On the wt and quality of meat, I always process my own meat so, dont think its the butcher giving me someones rank mule deer, its a completely different type of rank all its own......I have shot a considerable amount of wt bucks so 3 aint bad.

[Nailknot85]

Yes absolutely, and they will visit them several times a day or they may abandon them altogether for whatever reason.
I have shot 5 bucks coming to a scrape area near the same tree that has been in use for years, the 30 years I have been hunting that particular ridge. I have seen another probably 5-6 mature bucks that I had the opportunity but they gave me the slip.

On the wt and quality of meat, I always process my own meat so, dont think its the butcher giving me someones rank mule deer, its a completely different type of rank all its own......I have shot a considerable amount of wt bucks so 3 aint bad.

Would you say that scrape areas usually get used again year after year? I found one 2 years ago and setup near it, had my first and only chance at a WT but didn't get the shot off. Went back to the same spot last year same time and there was no scrape there. Is it possible that one buck used the spot for the one year only or that particular buck got shot and he was the only deer who used that spot?

[waserwolf]

I shot a Whitetail on his Scrape line in 09. Went back 2yrs in a row hoping another Buck would pick up the same line....no Scrapes.

[338win mag]

Would you say that scrape areas usually get used again year after year? I found one 2 years ago and setup near it, had my first and only chance at a WT but didn't get the shot off. Went back to the same spot last year same time and there was no scrape there. Is it possible that one buck used the spot for the one year only or that particular buck got shot and he was the only deer who used that spot?
Two Good questions
#1...Yes, some area's like where a ridge or series of ridges meet a swamp, or a series of ridges all meet on a knoll are real hot spots and I have seen scrapes in exactly the same spot for years, I dont know why that is, maybe the scent of years past or because of the terrain.
#2....The last 2 years I couldn't find any scrapes in area's that previously I would find 8-10 scrapes in a 40-50 acre area. I would go back to an area where bucks have been known to scrape and look again. They like to make scrapes in high traffic area's and if there are no scrapes then it could be they have scented hunter danger or maybe there are wolves and cougars lurking about which really change their behaviour.

[paulo]

Thanks to everyone who had some input. Taking off tomorrow for a few days. Hopefully well find something. Cheers

[walks with deer]

chains, rope, salt, good luck

[paulo]

I am back now from 4days, three solid days in our area. Unfortunately we did not manage to bag animal. Many thanks for everyone's input. It was however a great trip and we definitely learned more about the deer behavior and the area. We actually did see some bucks. In a nutshell I saw a beauty buck. Could not count points but it was a 3 at the least. Good mass and wide sweeping rack. A real Cabelas moment if you know what I mean. I was fortunate to be in a ground blind, all be it extremely confining and it cost me the shot. I did find some fresh scrapes right on the road after a fresh overnight snowfall. So I sat on them right away and called and while I was waiting a gunshot in the near vicinity kind of put an end to that.
I would like to make a shout out to two hunters from West Kelowna, one of them bagged a buck the day we met. I don't know if either one of you are on this site and I failed to get names but a big thank you for the use of your blind.
Off to region 3 at one more stab at a 4 point muley. if that doesn't work out it will be tag soup for me. First time in over 20 yrs. Again thanks for everyone's input.