Deer hunting method

[blackford]

So. Here comes a confession. I have tried standing post... Hiking thru back roads and road hunting. So far I have shot 99 percent of my deer while driving. Not a stat I am happy about but it seems to be the way it works out


For all you hikers our there. What's the secret. Are you simply walking and looking for the areas that would hold deer. Or do you get to a spot at first light and just wait... And then doing the same near sundown


I have decided I am spending very little time in the truck this year.... Just want to make sure I have the process down right ;)

[steel_ram]

There's a lot to learn, little of which you will learn from driving. Take what you know; where and when the deer are and expand on that. A lot of subtle field skills you must learn will eventually add up to make you a hunter, instead of somebody who shoots deer.

After knowing when and where, which you apparently do, the biggest thing is scent, really analyzing how air flows, throughout the day. So important! So much so that if it's at all working in the deers favour, your best to leave it for another day.

[gibblewabble]

I drive around till I find an area I think will hold deer or see lots of sign then get out and still hunt or sit in an area where I've decided I have a good chance of seeing an animal. Mostly I still hunt which means taking 2 to 4 steps then look all around then another few steps so you don't cover ground fast but if you pay attention you see animals. If you break a sweat your moving too fast but this means you have to read sign well cause you have to be where there are animals to see anything. Your doing it right if the birds keep singing, my grandfather taught me about cadence while you walk and animals don't walk steady unless alarmed so it's unnatural sound wise if you just walk even if your quiet and it's hard to see so.etching first if your moving steady. I climb slash piles while in blocks as well then stay up there for awhile and glass the block. It all comes down to time wearing the boot leather down to perfect it all but eventually it comes together.

[GrandA]

there was a really good long deer thread on here before - i cant find it, but gives good advice on finding monsters..

[markt308]

pretty much get used to walking very slow, choosing the quietest rought with the wind in your face. Take a few steps, stop and glass repeat. this has worked well for me. slow is the key.

also hiking into a place where vehicles can't bug you and sitting at first/last light will pay off if you put in your time. don't get impatient wondering whats over the next hill. often your waiting will finally pay off at last light! good luck

[Weatherby Fan]

As the previous posters have mentioned,regardless of weather your still hunting or walking you must watch your wind,I will drive around the mountain to walk into the wind.......and then pay attention to your thermals,
How you hunt an area after that is mostly personal preference,if Alpine hunting I prefer to still hunt from above if possible,again watch your thermals and no skylining yourself,let your binos do the work.
Perfect advice above from Markt308 when hunting timber,watch your wind,glass lots move slow,and if possible find their daily patterns if any.

The last 2 years I have been spending time teaching my son the value of glassing lots,moving slow and watching your wind and he has shot a buck the last 2 yrs in a row so hopefully it's sinking in !
WF

[TIKA 300]

There's a lot to learn, little of which you will learn from driving. Take what you know; where and when the deer are and expand on that. A lot of subtle field skills you must learn will eventually add up to make you a hunter, instead of somebody who shoots deer.

After knowing when and where, which you apparently do, the biggest thing is scent, really analyzing how air flows, throughout the day. So important! So much so that if it's at all working in the deers favour, your best to leave it for another day.


That is for sure,this morning i was busted by a doe,she knew i was there before i seen her,there was a slight breeze quartering from my right back,she crossed that path and all i heard was snap and a white flag.......

[4 point]

Noise or wind will bust you most every time. You have to walk quiet in the edge of teh timber in the appropriate shoes for the conditions and look, look, look. Deer standing still espeacilly before snow flies are sometimes very hard to spot. Then if they have seen you they will bust out and you'll miss a chance. I hunt mainly mule deer. They have big ears and some others features that one looks for including antler mass. Early morning I find the best but late afternoon right before sundown good as well. And heck you can see them anytime of the day and I have. We have been seeing lots of deer this year so far just no big shooters...yet. Good luck to you this year

[blackford]

Thanks guys... Its not that I havent shot my share of deer. It's just they all seem to come out while I am driving

And have not seen a lot of shooters while walking.

I was able to have 4 does sit and do there think about 30 feet away from me but that was last year

[lovemywinchester]

I would agree with all the above statements. I like to hunt the bush on windy days. Like really windy! Walk straight into the wind and go slow. Glass a lot and move slowly in all your movements. If the wind changes you change and walk that way. The wind and sound will cover you and you can sneak up on deer no problem. Always be ready to shoot if your hunting WT. Its been my experience that when they bust you they keep going. The mulies may stop and look back but the WT are gone. You can back out and sneak back to see if it comes around to try and sniff you out. Walk out, wait an hour and go back after him slower than before.
If you walk into an area and say to yourself" this looks like great deer country", it probably is. Kneel down and glass for a while. Not 20 seconds but 5 minutes or more. Really look around and just sit and wait. When you start seeing squirrells moving their tails at 200 yds you will realize how important it is to go slowly in all your movements. Like was said above, don't always be in a hurry to get over the next ridge or around the next curve. You are hunting from the moment you get out of your vehicle until you are back in it so stay motivated and aware.
One big think that helped me early on is guys telling you to hunt the crap out of a small area. Find a mountain or zone you like and hike it a few times. Shed hunt it in the spring. Do a few hikes in the summer to get to know it and hunt there in the fall until you kill something. I look for droppings. Old and fresh. When you see where the deer are living you can enter from whichever way favours the wind and hammer one. Then keep your mouth shut and don't tell everyone, which is hard, I know.

[blackford]

So. ..... When you look for mulie... What defines mulie country... Not looking for a gps location but. What do you look for.

[Lozzie]

I 've had good luck in the rain or shortly there after, deer seem to prefer to make their way out of the cut lines when it's raining or just after a rain. They probably find it as refreshing as I do. Rain obviously isn't the best condition for glassing, but hunters on the stalk have the advantage. The rain covers up our scent as well as our movements, the key is getting into a position where you are not as visible and where you have good range of view. Besides being in an area that contains deer :) I'll prefer to sneak to 60 yards over shooting from 300 yards any day of the week.

[Big Lew]

Most novices don't appreciate just how important wind direction and daily thermals are. As an example, walking up a mountainside, ridge, or through a slash is best done at first light because the breezes are flowing from top to bottom. That's mainly why animals head uphill to bed so they know what's ahead of them. By early mid-morning, the breezes change and flow from bottom to top. Another reason animals like to bed down up high and above their feeding area, so they know if something is following their trail. Many novices will start uphill too late in the morning and get caught only halfway before the breezes change and then wonder why they find fresh beds but no animals. One thing I always do is tie a few inches of shredded and fluffed up dental floss to my bow quiver or the end of my rifle barrel. I then can constantly keep tabs on just what direction even the slightest breeze is heading to.

[The Dude]

Read this thread, Grasshopper: http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?8146-So-You-Want-To-Kill-A-Monster-Muley

[blackford]

Good read. Thanks all