Advice

[marcus44]

Ok, so I have grown up road hunting, its what I know as it was what I was taught as a kid. With varied levels of success and failure over the years. I also try to mix in a bit of hiking/sitting, but when hiking I generally only stick to roads into clearings that I know etc. I would like to start doing more hiking/sitting but am having a hard time figuring out where to start. I'm mainly looking in ways to help get a white tail. Any advice on what to look for in an area to start hiking etc. would be appreciated.

Thank you

[Jelvis]

Animals like ponds, marshes, and meadows, surrounded by some cover.

[sarg]

i'm in the same boat as u but for mostly mules ,for me i just start hitting the bush with my gps and looking for sign, i see alot of deer on the move fast when i'm hiking but one day i'll connect with something :) but for white tail i think ur better to find sign and then play the waiting game till something walks by you :)

[Drillbit]

When you're road hunting and you see a place where game crosses the road, go for a walk.

Park down the road a bit, look at your compass, walk back to where you saw the game trail and walk into the bush there. Do a loop back to you truck. The game isn't far off the road and usually 100-300 yards off the road is lots. take your time and look around.

Works best in fresh snow for learning. You'll get a feel for bush a bit this way.

[KB90]

Your best bet is to just walk into the bush at the back of a slash, you'd be surprised how many, and how well travelled the game trails are.

Then get on one and follow it, keep going back to this area until you know where the trails go and how to get back to the truck safely, it's an awesome feeling when you truly get to know a spot, but it takes some time.

[lovemywinchester]

Pick an area or two and work those zones until you know them really well. Don't bounce around to different spots. Pick one mountain or one valley and spend the time there. Preferably close to home where you can get there and home without a major trip, this will motivate you to get out more if you don't have a $40 gas bill just to get out there. Follow tracks and go through thick cover where you can. Glass a lot and don't hurry. Stay positive and consider every day in the bush as a learning experience, not a failure if you didn't get a kill. These are tips I got when I started and it was very good advice. Get a few trail cams as well and see whats walking around out there!

[marcus44]

Pick an area or two and work those zones until you know them really well. Don't bounce around to different spots. Pick one mountain or one valley and spend the time there. Preferably close to home where you can get there and home without a major trip, this will motivate you to get out more if you don't have a $40 gas bill just to get out there. Follow tracks and go through thick cover where you can. Glass a lot and don't hurry. Stay positive and consider every day in the bush as a learning experience, not a failure if you didn't get a kill. These are tips I got when I started and it was very good advice. Get a few trail cams as well and see whats walking around out there!

That brings up another question, where to put trail cams? I would like to get one, but A) unsure where to put them and B) concerns about theft

[marcus44]

Another question about it is conditions, specifically what to do when its windy (circling around, which is what I find quite often) or noisy walking conditions (snow, dry brush etc)

[Jelvis]

First thing, find a proven area.
How? Ask around the town you live in or the town you intend to hunt by.
Ask where some good spots are
Who to ask? A Conservation Officer or a biologist or someone you know who can hunt with success.
Then go there and park your vehicle
Take a compass reading the way the road is lying.
Take a walk around on one side of the road for half an hour and come out to truck
Keep an eye on your compass as you go til you feel comfortable you know how to get back to the car
Do this in the area on the other side of the road for a half hour
You grew up road hunting and it will take time to feel comfortable in the bush
I would suggest you go out with a hunter who hikes the bush and stick close to them until you learn what to do
It might take a few seasons to catch on but you should get more joy out of hunting
Ask a hunter you know if you could take him out to a spot he knows
If he says, sure I can do that
Then go with and watch and listen to the hunter of experience
You will pick up very useful hiking hunting knowledge in the forest itself with this veteran hunter
Jel

[Whonnock Boy]

I look for two main things when I am going into a new area. Tracks, or actual sightings. When you see that, hit the timber. Simple really.

[cloverphil]

it really is amazing how many game trails are in the bush when you walk in 50 - 150 yards away from the road, the further you go the better,

and I am convinced there are many animals watching road hunters cruising by, and never get seen

[endtimerwithabow]

whities are very vocal get a grunt call one that you can change to doe bleat. youtube can help with how to use it. sit and call for a while see what comes in. oh yeah they can smell you a mile away to. good luck

[marcus44]

Thanks for all the advice, I have a few places in mind to try in the area I hunt. Don't have a GPS, but there is enough snow now to find my way out.

[lovemywinchester]

Thanks for all the advice, I have a few places in mind to try in the area I hunt. Don't have a GPS, but there is enough snow now to find my way out.

Famous last words. Buy a compass at least.

[Jagermeister]

Look for this sign. It shows you where the Whitetails are crossing. Get out and hike this area.

http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r496/Leaveoff/deer-crossing.jpg?t=1353362645

[doubled]

GO SLOW and then slow down and go SLOWER. I go as slow as I can and almost always see the deer before they see me. It is quite awesome to duck down and watch a group in the natural surroundings unaware of your presence. If the walking is noisy, find a spot over looking trails, or the back of a block and sit/wait. Make sure you are comfortable otherwise the wait will kill you. Bring a pad to sit on, thermos of cofee, etc.

Another thing is look for shapes to identify not necessarily deer bodies. Look for tails, arses, ears, heads, etc. Once you get good at spotting them, you will know what I mean. Alot of my sightings are more times than not when I stop and say to myself, that looks like a deer leg or a deer arse and lo and behold it moves.

Get off the beaten path and you will find tracks. You do not have to go very far either. Good luck.

[marcus44]

Famous last words. Buy a compass at least.

Yes, I do have and carry one. I do have done a bit of hiking(not hunting) in the past and know to make mental notes of landmarks and distinctive scenery points.

[marcus44]

GO SLOW and then slow down and go SLOWER. I go as slow as I can and almost always see the deer before they see me. It is quite awesome to duck down and watch a group in the natural surroundings unaware of your presence. If the walking is noisy, find a spot over looking trails, or the back of a block and sit/wait. Make sure you are comfortable otherwise the wait will kill you. Bring a pad to sit on, thermos of cofee, etc.

Another thing is look for shapes to identify not necessarily deer bodies. Look for tails, arses, ears, heads, etc. Once you get good at spotting them, you will know what I mean. Alot of my sightings are more times than not when I stop and say to myself, that looks like a deer leg or a deer arse and lo and behold it moves.

Get off the beaten path and you will find tracks. You do not have to go very far either. Good luck.

thank you, when I was out this weekend I had remembered reading the go even slower part and found myself doing so even while driving. I've not had any luck in years hunting whitetail and I think the frustration has built up to the point I've forgotten a few of this excellent points you've made. Thank you

[Jelvis]

Hunt where the whitetails are, where do you hunt out of ? What MU do you hunt whitetails so far?

[Mikey Rafiki]

That brings up another question, where to put trail cams? I would like to get one, but A) unsure where to put them and B) concerns about theft

A) on the trail with the most sign

B) get one with a cable lock and lock the SD card in there

[GOLDEN TOP SNIPER]

Sounds like your doing all the right things so far . .cruising game trails is going to help you sometimes . but i find game hears you long before you see them when you try sneaking around the bush . lol , catching game out in the open in blocks and on roads and open areas is the best chance to bag something .

[Jelvis]

You live in Kelowna right? Your surrounded by MU's to hunt for Whitetail deer.
MU 8-09 is good for whites, from OK Falls
Mu 8-10 logging mains running off of Hwy 33 are good and from Winfield on Hwy 97, the Beaver- Dee Lakes road
jel

[hunter1993ap]

the best way to get good bush sense is to spend a lot of time in the bush. i dont use my gps, probably a bad habit but with all the roads around where i am it isnt a nececity. be prepared to spend a night in the bush with lighter, extra clothes etc. time will give you what you are asking.

[Jagermeister]

Thanks for all the advice, I have a few places in mind to try in the area I hunt. Don't have a GPS, but there is enough snow now to find my way out.
At the very least take a compass and a map for the area and a pack with some essentials should you get turned around. The valley fog can set in and dis-orient you really quick, add a quickie snow fall to obliterate your tracks and panic will set in. Sit yourself down and assess your situation. The voice of experience.
Now about the whitetails which I used to chase on Anachist and over Rock Creek way. If you jump one and it bolts off, quickly backtrack 50~80 yards and sit in a concealed place and wait. Whitetails like to circle around and come from the backtrack. Unlike mule deer, white tail are hard pressed to push from their home area which is around one square mile. their population densities for a given area will be higher than the muledeer. They quite like a mixed forest so agricultural fringe areas would be my preference.

[Jelvis]

I realize now from taking many people hunting that lots of people get an uneasy feeling when in the bush. The bush seems to close in on top of them and no matter where they turn it looks the same. This is fairly normal when starting out hunting deep woods or even a hundred yards off a road is a long way into the forest for beginners.
You need to learn to trust your compass, learn how to use a compass properly. A compass is an absolute for anyone hiking off into the forest.
When someone wants to hunt with me, I ask them out right, " Do you have a compass?" Have you used it much? I can tell by their reply whether they feel comfortable with their oreinteering skills. It's a must, unless they stay with me, right with me as I go hiking along hunting for the deer. Otherwise as soon as they get so they want to try on their own and go off somewhere by themselves they get totally mixed up.
I would recommend reading about, How to use a compass when still hunting deer.
Jel -- A compass is a must, and so is using the compass correctly ..

[hunter1947]

Know how to use your GPS and compass then do a way point at your truck or other take a compass reading and take good note on the way the layout of the land is before you head into no mans land take note on the way the roads are running.

Then head out and hike the area if you get turned around use your GPS or compass to get back to your truck or other..

[hawkdog]

- walk up wind
- walk quietly
- look for sign
- if sitting whitetail tend to come out right at dusk in my experience unless in the rut, if in the rut get a blind and grunter/something to rattle and a decoy wouldn't hurt - set up in a place with lots of sign.


Ok, so I have grown up road hunting, its what I know as it was what I was taught as a kid. With varied levels of success and failure over the years. I also try to mix in a bit of hiking/sitting, but when hiking I generally only stick to roads into clearings that I know etc. I would like to start doing more hiking/sitting but am having a hard time figuring out where to start. I'm mainly looking in ways to help get a white tail. Any advice on what to look for in an area to start hiking etc. would be appreciated.

Thank you

[hawkdog]

Animals like ponds, marshes, and meadows, surrounded by some cover.

and farmer's fields.