Tips on choosing terrain to hunt..

[NitwiT]

Hey all,

been gone for a while, had zero time to scout. Now I'm back with a work schedule that is non condusive for hunting with most of my buddies. I'm looking to start hunting on foot, but would like to know what you guys look for when choosing a hunting area. I'm not looking for areas to be mentioned, but more what type of elevation, what type of vegetation, how you go about hunting a heavy game trail you find, what terrain do you stay away from, etc.

In terms of an area to start, I'm out of the lower mainland, and have been hunting around Princeton for bear, and Kamloops for deer.

Feel free to PM me, I'd prefer chatting through that means.

[Caveman]

I prefer to find an area with small draws and cover leading uphill away from a food or water source, leading to bigger timber. Also away from the road as the game will seek out these areas to bed during the mid-day hours. Come in from the higher elevation, with the wind right or along a side hill paying attention to small ridges or saddles. Deer and such like to bed in these as they are not sky lined and can sense your approach and have a quick route of retreat.

[Jelvis]

Kamloop's terrain is conducive with mule deer habitat to the tenz and beyond where no hunter has gone before.
We know that already, dry, hot, and semi-open forest my friend. Rocky ridges and mixed trees with aspen, birch, buck brush, berry bushes, knick nic(bearberry) cedar, fir, pine and on slopes over the river valley.
After October 9th and on .. under 4000 feet elevation and on the north facing slopes til winter conditions arrive.
Slopes going up and ridges on top with semi bowls and lower terrain to look at over a distance of four hundred yards or so, then concentrate on little rocky knobby ridges. Go slow and stop and look, go slow stop and look keep doing this while zig zagging a rigdge top over and along then switch go over and look then creep along.
Jelvis .. In dah Loopy town ( Mule Deer City ) Kamloops B.C. Canada, N. America ....

[NitwiT]

do you stick to the semi open forest? I have noticed in some of the higher elevations in kamloops, say North of Tranquille Lake, that the woods gets pretty packed in with trees/bush. Do you still hunt through this? Or is it too noisy to be worthwhile?

[Caveman]

If there is a well used game trail I will hunt it. It is definitely tougher, but can be worth while working through or doing a lot of sitting and listening yourself.

[Jelvis]

Weather is Hugh Mongus in determining your terrain possibilities.
Wet or bone dry? Snow, no snow. Winds no winds. Rain or dry. Rocky ground, soft soil areas.
Snow how much and what elevation it's at? What the snow is like, hard icey packed or fresh from yesterday's night.
Go where all the determining factors favor the hunter ( you ).
The deer live in the bush all day and night and lay and listen for the prey at times and have to feed and get water some how, some where, anytime or not.
Jello Hello! Mule deer and mule deer terrain go together like a horse and carriage.