Spot &stalk mulie bucks south eastern alberta

[bushman300]

I have been an archery hunter for 15 years but have always hunted by blinds or along trails. This year I am trying the spot & stalk method. I have been successful in find a few decent buck but due to the hills it has been impossible to see them bed down anywhere. So I tried checking out the ravines on that land to hopefully jump a buck or 2. To my surprise i fidnt see a single buck on that land. I know they are there in the morning and evenings but are not bedding down on the land. The land i am hunting on is about 6 sections of ranch land.

My questions to you seasoned hunters are:

What do bucks like to bed down in? Ravines, coulees or flat prairie?

How far do bucks travel to and from their bedding areas?

Any other tips you can give me would be great.

Thanks.

[IR_mike]

Get a good set of binoculars and use them from a few good vantage points.

[Deer Hunter]

In the heat, they'll bed in shade, whether that's the bottom of a bush choked coulee or shady side of a hill.

I've seen big mule bucks live in the buildings on abandoned farm yards as well.

Early season can be tough as the brush in the coulees are full of leaves, and the deer aren't up feeding during the day. Depending on the terrain, you may catch them bedded in crops or low buckbrush giving you an opportunity. It's hard to spot them in the bush in the bottom of the coulees though unless you watched them walk in there.

Late October, I find the deer feeding off and on more during the daylight hours giving you a better chance of spotting them.

[RACKER]

I have been filming spot and stalk mule deer hunts with the inlaws from Saskatchewan for years.The early season can be very tough.We have watched bucks disappear over a hill during first light to bed down and make our way over there only discover they vanished into wide open draws with no cover.During warm weather-plus 20 and above we notice a lot of times them bedding down in the tallest slough grass mere 10ft from the waters edge.Unless you happen to see them bed down or catch a glimpe of an antler they are nearly impossible to find.Also believe it or not they bed down on the edge of rockpiles right where you least expect it.Alot of ground to pound to find them is also a given.Another sure find area is in draws that are covered in low lying shrubs and bushes.They will bed down on trails that are sunk in and hide in cover that is merely 3ft tall.The best ways to glass them is to get to the bottom of the draws or ridges and look up into them with the sun high enough to highlight antler tips.Dont be afraid to check out even the smallest amount of cover in the middle of a field.What we thought was a little chokecherry bush held 3 big bucks.Every hunting situation and landscape are different but these are just a few pointers I can give.The terrain they hunt is a lot of rolling hills with short but deep draws and wide open pasture land with tree lined fences and old farmyards.Best of luck to you in your quest.