Please help me with deer hunt strategy or what the heck do i do?

[fishnguy]

I need help building my strategy and plan of actions. I need your advice, tips, and even "trade secrets"

The reason for this thread is because I am out of ideas, really. With just a few days left, I want to give it all I (well, and you) have

First of all, this hunt is taking a place in the bush. I am fairly familiar with the area. I have been doing my homework on that area for a few years now; I had began even before I started hunting. It is crown land. The terrain is hilly, with ups and downs and in between; some heavy bush, some medium, some clearings, but not many. Mainly poplar growth, with some spruce, but not much, plenty of willow. There is moose, elk, whitetail and mule deer around. In my experience, it is easier to find any of the other three there than a whitetail. It is fairly hard to find a doe; to find a buck is even harder. However, I have taken whitetails out of there before still hunting (bucks only).

Second, the buck story. I had the camera set up in that particular spot since mid August. It is set up in one of the clearings with the most traffic. I should note that this is one of the larger clearings in the area; clearings of this type anyway. There are larger ones but they are mostly on tops of the hills, etc. This one is flat surrounded by fairly tall trees on all sides, quite some bush on one side, hill that is going up on the other; the remaining two sides are "normal" northern Alberta forest: poplar with plenty of rose hip, etc (this is actually what most or at least half of the area is covered with). To be more specific, there is a hill at the south side (hardly any traffic there); there is some brush at the east (some traffic with one or two trails coming out of there); the "normal" forest is at the north and west (that's where the most traffic is). If you keep heading north, you are going down to the valley in general.

Back to the camera. Ever since I dropped it there, there were some nice photos of elk, some moose, mule deer and whitetail does. There was not a single buck photo (except, perhaps a spike or two) until mid-October. Doesn't mean they weren't there. Could be that they weren't captured. Could also be, and it is very likely in my opinion, they changed direction of travel following does around. The big guy I am after made his appearance on November 2. I asked about your thoughts on his size and age in this thread (I post only one photo here, but there are a couple more in that thread).



There are a couple other bucks that are decent in size, but this one sticks out. His appearance on November 2 is the only day time walk by, around 10 in the morning. Everything else is at night, between 2 and 5 AM. As the rut progressed, there were fewer and fewer bucks passing by. Since about a week ago, there were no other bucks but him walking by the camera.

Now, what I did so far. I still hunted the area with very limited stalking up until and including past Wednesday. We had some freezing rain on that day and now it is impossible to walk around without making lots of noise. Yesterday, I went out with my cousin. We pushed some bush and did some stalking. I heard a couple of grunts not far from me, very deep grunts (my call does not make a sound that deep), but nothing moved around. I stood in one spot for over 3 hours and nothing passed by. I have not heard a thing and it would be impossible for anything to move around without making the noise in the crispy snow. We moved out about 20 minutes past sunset (it is quite a walk through the bush). Today, there were three of us. We got there before legal shooting time. While it was still fairly dark, a deer walked away from us in thick bush, but have never seen it. Again, we pushed some bush, did some stalking and walked through the clearings with no success. One of us lost a whitetail doe in the very beginning and that was about it. We did see a young mule buck afterwards and that is it. The guys left in the early afternoon, but I remained for another three hours, pretty much stalking different places from 15 minutes to about half an hour each.

I cannot find his bed. I can't even make out where he is coming from exactly. I know he is moving west to north, most of the time. A couple of times he moved the other way around: north to west. There are some rubs on the west end and there was a fresh one on Wednesday. Then there was another one today. The rubs are good, to say the least. They go up from almost very bottom of the tree (poplar) to 4-5 feet up. And the tree is really rubbed with bark gone on about 3/4 of it. For whatever reason, I cannot find a picture of it and I know have a few somewhere.

The problem is that he is doing it all at night.

I will not be going in tomorrow. But I will try to make it Monday noon-ish to the end; Tuesday for a couple of hours in the afternoon (maybe); early morning on Wednesday for about 3-5 hours; potentially Thursday afternoon for a couple hours. That's when I can make myself available. But i have no clue how to proceed next. So here come the questions.

What would you do? What is the area a deer like that could be "in control" of? How far would he travel nightly? What is the general area of movement for a deer of that caliber? How can I find his living space, i.e. bed? Any advice on what I should do next?

There are more questions, but I hope you guys can hep me out with these ones at least. I really have no idea how to proceed. Don't get me wrong, I am well aware of the fact that I will probably fail. I just want to make the most of it in the remaining days and gain as much experience out of it as possible.

To add, we are expecting another 10 to 15 cm of snow tomorrow (Sunday).

So what the heck do I do? I will be alone in the remaining days.

I really appreciate all your input!

Edit: Sorry for the long write up.

[fishnguy]

I forgot to add that there are a couple of quad trails around that are used by the truck hunters and I would assume that would keep this guy deep in the bush during the day.

[walking buffalo]

I'll bet that buck now knows your routine.
Park in the same place and head to the same spots.
Walk the same trails from the same direction.

He knows, and has you figured out.
You walked right by him several times.

I would find a new way in to his home, always dependant on the wind.
Get in there without him knowing.
Stop busting bush.
As tempting as they are, forget about the openings.

Sit on the main active trails in the bush.

And Most importantly, wear your lucky gonch.

[Norwest Alta]

He’ll screw up and be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Patience and you’ll get him. Good luck.

[58thecat]

I would minimize the commotion you got going with three people pushing bush etc

There has to be scrapes, find the ones not in the edges of openings but the ones back in the bush, usually a mature buck can scoot in and check these without exposing himself, doe's they got to be around too, set up over looking these areas. I would light rattle, grunt and occasional doe bleat too. The scrapes freshen then up with doe in heat urine...now settle in and sit from dark to dark, act, sound like a deer.

Good luck.

[Diesel_wiesel]

change yer routine
if you keep doing the same thing over and over yer always going get the same results,
do something out of the ordinary because its no ordinary buck yer after

[TROLLER]

Change your routine for sure. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results.

[MikeBouch]

Most the time the deer spots you first and sneak away and hide.
They will be very careful to examine any signs when re-entering the area.
Their senses are made to detect danger and are constantly examining changes in there environment.

A couple my buddies always get skunked every year because they bash and slash to loud while out.

If you can get into your spot before legal light and conceal yourself would give you better luck.

good luck hope you get your buck!

[fishnguy]

Thanks buffalo and cat. Your advice has been great so far. I think the key is in that lucky gonch

I have sat on the busiest trails and haven't seen a thing. On Friday, I sat for three hours without movement watching two of the busiest trails and nothing had moved. I feel like he pushed all the bucks out of the area and many does moved as well. Yesterday, I have been there for about 8 hours and have not heard a single shot either, which is not ordinary. It's just quite.

All the rubs I can find are around this opening, which is the battle ground, I am assuming. There a couple of beds nearby, but the area does not look like he would be bedding in. There are a few small rubs here and there, but nothing recent and none look like a big guy like him would do.

I tried rattling and calling to no avail.

We had some snowfall today, so hopefully it will quite things down and make it easier to move in the woods. I will try to find another way in. From everywhere else though, it is quite a hike through the bush and with the noise level, it is impossible to come in unnoticed. I will try.

Also, I do not have the luxury to sit in from dark to dark.

I feel like I am looking in the wrong area.

Originally Posted by Norwest Alta

He’ll screw up and be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Patience and you’ll get him. Good luck.

That's what I seem to be doing, screwing up and being at the wrong places
I hope he will, but there isn't much time left.

Originally Posted by TROLLER

Change your routine for sure. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results.

Originally Posted by Diesel_wiesel

change yer routine
if you keep doing the same thing over and over yer always going get the same results,
do something out of the ordinary because its no ordinary buck yer after

That's pretty much what I am trying to do, to do something different, but really out of ideas.

[Norwest Alta]

The biggest deer I’ve ever shot was the afternoon of the last day. I’m sure you’ll connect.

[58thecat]

Don't hunt the rubs...hunts the scrapes, doe's will frequent these areas and the bucks will check out things too...might catch a buck just passing by looking for a doe or two...


Sitting on game trails are a real hit and miss as critters change it up but the scrapes are always a hot area to set up on.

Good luck.

[Wisebuck]

Yes keep at it but change your entry route and watch that wind. He’s winding down and not as aggressive about rutting. He prob has most his wits about him again. Soft grunting and throw in some social and esturous bleats always careful not to call too much.

[Bushleague]

I'm not exactly sure what the question is right here, do you just want some advice that will put you on an animal, or do you want advice that will put you on this particular buck?

If you want this particular buck bad enough keep hunting the area, I don't know if you have been hunting the whole day or not, but hunt the whole day, pack a lunch and don't go back to the truck until dark. I kill more timber bucks between 10:30 and 2:00 than I do in the shoulder hours. One other mistake I think you are making IMO, is trying to find his bedroom, I've never had luck with this strategy in the big timber. Instead hunt where the doe's are bedding and wait for him to show up, even this late in the game you will still find bucks checking around for does and I think its a better strategy than trying to catch him in his bed.

Now if you just want to kill something in these last 4 days, any buck, maybe a doe, maybe a great buck... whatever, I throw a long bomb. As dumb as it sounds, if I've flogged the hell out of my top areas, and I'm getting down to the wire, and things aren't looking promising I'll just hunt a totally new area. Heck maybe a new one every day I've got left. It might be an area I've hunted in the past, maybe an area I've briefly scouted or have other reason to suspect it holds deer, or it might just be a spot that looks really promising. If you're just picking a brand new spot make it a pretty bone headed one, nothing fancy... timber hunting is a game of topography and edges, find a hill near an edge and hunt it, find some good game trails concentrate on them. Where one deer has gone, another will too.

The reason I think a plan this stupid works for me, and it does on a regular basis (the buck I killed this year was a sort of wild card spot I only hunted after I had flogged a couple areas I liked better) is partially because I think the animals in an area I've hunted lots are starting to pattern me, and also because after looking at the same scenery that refuses to give me any success too long I lose my optimism. I'm hunting without expecting to be successful, and I simply cant hunt timber effectively once I've lost hope. When I hit a new spot and see some new tracks it gets me back in my groove, and quite often that's all it takes.

[propliner]

Practice absolute stealth. Use good camo. Only move when the trees rustle or a passing vehicle make noise. Use very, very slow movement.

He might very well have you beat but don't give up.

[fishnguy]

Thank you for the post, bushleague. I greatly appreciate your opinion.

Yes, I am trying to find this specific buck. I kind of made it a goal to find this buck or toss my tag otherwise. Probably was not the best season to do so because my time is fairly limited, but I guess it is what it is

You are right, I have been working hard trying to find this guy's bedding area with no success.

No, I do not hunt all day, not this year. Yesterday was the longest that I have spent in the bush this season, about 8 hours. I just can't find the time to get out for a whole day. From what time remains, I will be there one morning till about noon, maybe 1 pm, and a couple of afternoons. Wish I could be there longer.

I will change things around tomorrow and see what happens.

As for the topography, it is a large river valley. It is pretty hilly with a general upward slope. There are some flats here and there. There are some very drastic edges, yet they are all pretty open and are occupied exclusively by mule deer. Whitetail deer tends to stay in the bush in a more or less monotonous hilly area.

Originally Posted by 58thecat

Don't hunt the rubs...hunts the scrapes, doe's will frequent these areas and the bucks will check out things too...might catch a buck just passing by looking for a doe or two...

Sitting on game trails are a real hit and miss as critters change it up but the scrapes are always a hot area to set up on.

Good luck.

As weird as it is, except for odd couple of scrapes, far away from this particular area, there are no scrapes. There is plenty of snow though.

Originally Posted by Wisebuck

Yes keep at it but change your entry route and watch that wind. He’s winding down and not as aggressive about rutting. He prob has most his wits about him again. Soft grunting and throw in some social and esturous bleats always careful not to call too much.

I will definitely change my route tomorrow afternoon. It will take quite a chunk of time, but I will enter from NW; usually it is enter E. Of course, if wind permits. If not, I will work something else out.

Originally Posted by propliner

Practice absolute stealth. Use good camo. Only move when the trees rustle or a passing vehicle make noise. Use very, very slow movement.

He might very well have you beat but don't give up.

I am not going to give up, not with the little time I have left anyway.

Thank you all for taking the time to make a post!

[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by Norwest Alta

The biggest deer I’ve ever shot was the afternoon of the last day. I’m sure you’ll connect.

Thanks! I hope I will

This guy's brother was shot dead at noon on November 12th last season. I will make a short post about it in the other thread, since it is kind of more related to his size and not the hunt.

[Don_Parsons]

Us humans stink, at times we make sounds beyond the natural forest sounds we are not aware of.

Most furry critters know of our presents.

I go to my plastic sealed tube with fresh Spruce, Willow, clay dirt, duff. Dawn on my all weather suit, then I slowly cover my first km at so so pace.

I normally am not into my Carlos Hathcock stock mod till I reach the 1.5 to 2 or 3 km marks,,, again,,, " most" not all critters are very keen of who is in their house.

Hopefully I was able to seek into the area at 35, 40, or even 50% un detected, once I hold up, I'm really hoping for the 100% "I'm a stump in the forest thing."

Trying to look at it from the wild side it "might be about 50% or 68%,,, those gusts of winds, rustling forests in the winds are my movement times.

Getting busted many times is what I enjoy, what did I do wrong, what was the 50/50, what worked. Today this idea worked here, but not over there.

If we walk up the same trail every day for 365 days, each trip up and down it will 100% different.

The ever changing from minute to minute.

Many folks know Carlos as an incredible sniper,,, his first real time training to pull this off was at Geyer Springs, Pula County USA at the age of 9 or 10.

His skills learned Harvesting squirrels and vermin trained him well,,, R Macmillan in our area brought this to our attention many years ago into the Harvesting world,,, it has been the most rewarding tools to date.

Hopefully learning from each mistake is part of these rewards.

Don

[Bushleague]

IMO scrapes in the bush come and go, some years there are lots and they seem well used, others there are few and they seem to be more temporary. This year didn't have a lot of scrapes in my area. Mostly early in the season and they didn't seem to be well maintained where I found them. By this point if I went looking for scrapes they'd probably be about as hard to find as bucks. In this case they don't mean a whole lot more than a rub IMO, and hunting an area with lots of rubs is just as good of a plan. Hunting an area with a lot of does is also a good plan.

[fishnguy]

Yes, last year, this area looked like someone went through it with a shovel. Scrapes were everywhere. I took my buck on November 27-28. Scrapes were still everywhere. There was not nearly as much snow though. I remember I spooked a doe and she took off, but I decided to wait; moved into some thick cover just about 15 yards away and watched the direction I thought she came from. He showed up about 15-20 minutes later with his nose down. When he stopped and lifted up his head, a bullet went through his heart and he dropped at the spot moments later. Good memories...

Back to today... (for non-readers and those not interested - no, no deer today)

I went out. It worked out to be an hour later than I was planning, so the little time I had turned into even less. The plan of walking in from the different direction did not quite work out due to wind. Which was OK though because the amount of snowfall we had yesterday turned out to be more than I was expecting and it would slow me down quite a bit anyways. So yes, I parked at the usual spot. However, I did not walk in the same way as I did the last few times I was there. I walked up the road and moved into the bush a few hundred yards further. The reason I parked in the same spot is because anywhere else I would have to park on the roadway.

There were plenty of fresh tracks close to the road. Lots of snow, about knee high (I am 6'2"), but one could move fairly quietly. The hard cover of freezing rain from last Wednesday would still crack once in while but it was not nearly as bad as it was until today. As I moved further in, the tracks became more scarce. I found a bed from the night before under a small spruce likely left by a buck since it was pretty messy (urine and droppings all over). There was also a rub a few yards away, but it was not fresh; definitely left by a deer though. So I moved in slowly. Not a sound anywhere. I ended up following the tracks of what I thought was a buck and it did not disappoint. Well, it did disappoint because I did not bother to check this particular spot earlier. The tracks lead me to a spot by the largest opening in the area. Just a few yards inside, there were probably a couple dozen of rubs at least. Pretty much every tree (of the right size) had a heavy rub on it. I was in this very spot back in late October-early November and there was no deer sign whatsoever.





I have been in that spot many times over the past few years and I have never seen much deer sign there. What a mistake it was not bother with it much this year. I have no doubt in my mind the guy in the pictures created this. unless there is someone bigger in the area, which I highly doubt.

Interestingly enough, the tracks I had followed (you can see them in the shot above) went by every rub as if it was an inspection. I decided to hang around and see what happens. The wind was perfect since I could place myself so that it blew right into the opening, on a diagonal. There was no way he would move in from there. I stood quietly for some time and nothing. I made a couple of grunts, waited and nothing again. Later I threw a couple of doe bleats. Still nothing. I bet you the guy was watching me then and thinking "What an idiot, lol". I stood some more and decided to move. There was nothing exciting afterwards. Except that I almost walked into a cow moose



How weird are those things? I saw her way before she saw me. I just stood and watched. When she finally realized I was there, she looked at me for some time and then walked away. I moved a little further and decided to hang around. A moment later I heard some noise and it was the cow coming back to see what was going on. When she realized I was still there, she walked away again to only come back a few minutes later. Well, that was the only animal I saw today, excluding birds and squirrels.

It was a great day to be out! I haven't found what I was looking for but I got closer. Well... Not really, lol. I will be going out again on Wednesday morning, from dark to just past noon; and then again on Thursday afternoon. Wish I believed in miracles

Like I said though, it was a great day to spend time outside!





Ooh... Almost forgot. Last but not least, I found something that appears to be the place where Teddy sleeps:



Thanks to all for chiming in! Those who think they have something to contribute, I will be glad to read your advice

[58thecat]

Happy trails...bush is thick...pace yourself...less movement more sitting...natural funnel area, low spots between two higher areas...

[hal53]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

Happy trails...bush is thick...pace yourself...less movement more sitting...natural funnel area, low spots between two higher areas...

^^ this...like some previous posters have said, that deer knows when you're in his house..long before you get right into it. It's like he's waiting for you to arrive each day to start the cat and mouse game. Even though you're running out of time this year, each trip you make in there is a learning experience, for both you and the deer. If you don't get him this year, keep at it next year thru the summer and into fall, learn as much about him as you can. One thing I could suggest is to change up your approach into the area as others have said. If the wind is not right , leave the area for another day instead of coming in from the same area as the previous day. I hunted the same deer for 3 years before I got him, it's a ton of fun, but actually anti climatic once he's on the ground. One thing about the last week of November is a lot of the Does have been bred, hence the big boys are on the move to find any remaining receptive females, they will move a lot, but always come back to their safe spot. Enjoy the chase, it's a good feeling once you do finally outsmart him

[fishnguy]

Thanks, guys!

Going in tomorrow morning. I will be in the bush at the place I am planning to sit in about 40-45 minutes before the legal light. Not sure how I will set up yet though because the area I want to concentrate on is covered with bush pretty snugly. Will see. Will report tomorrow, most likely. I have a good feeling about tomorrow, but I do so about every trip, until get there and spend some time in the bush, lol.

[Wisebuck]

Good luck! I hope it works out. I’m doing something similar tomorrow. Checked my trail cam today and nothing in last four days!!?? Think he may have gotten lost or shot. Still I’m gonna be there in case he comes back. Mines not anywhere that big but he’s boss in my area. Might go 145 gross. Still will be happy if he runs into one of my bullets. Lol.

[fishnguy]

Thanks! And good like to you as well! Hope the one you are looking for wonders back in

[fishnguy]

I said I would, but I did not write how it went yesterday, so I will do it now.

Well, yesterday I got to the spot just like I planned - about 45 minutes before legal light. All was quite, but I felt like I was not alone. I stood still, not a movement (except I took a sunrise pic with my phone). Wind was far from perfect, but manageable. There was this one spot about 75 yards out where I could not see squat and I did not like that. There was not much I could do about it though: wind did not allow me to move much to take a better position. Some minutes went by and then I hear this sound familiar to us all. The sound was the one that deer make when they tell you that you had been made. Lol. It came from the direction of the spot I was concerned about. "@*%&!", I thought; not sure if it was a scream inside my head or just a thought Whatever deer it was, it definitely heard me coming in and it was standing there all those minutes, quite a while actually, and just watching and listening. Just like I did! Lol again. Nothing a guy can do, but stand there and wait again. So I did. Another 15 minutes or so went by and the wind changed, not in my favour. Can you guess what I heard a moment later? The same sound coming from the exact same direction only this time I knew for a fact that that was the specific spot it came from because i was watching it ever since I heard the first noise. That's lol number three and I have only been there for about 40 minutes

Nothing exciting really happened after that. I left around noon without seeing a thing. I checked the spot where it blew its nose at me from and sure enough there were some really nice tracks. Probably a buck of a decent size, maybe even the one, but it is really hard to tell in conditions like this (lots of snow). Could have been a doe for all I know. I could see that it spent some time there with not much movement, just standing and watching me, just like I was standing and watching it. Pretty sure neither of us could see each other, but both knew we were there. I left pretty discouraged and disappointed.



That was the sunrise pic.

Today, I got in around 13:30. I had no plan and had no clue what I was going to do. And I did just that: spent some time in one spot, then in the other, then in the other. Saw and heard nothing. No fresh tracks today either, not where i was looking for them anyway. The only fresh tracks were by the road. With about an hour left, I decided to move closer to the road and just spend the remaining hour there. Same thing - nothing. I checked the time and I had 15 minutes left before lights out. I decided to make a quick run to the small cut block not too far for the last look of the season and then go home. That cut block is usually very boring and there is never deer sing there. The deer tends to stay in the bush and avoids it. So I started moving fairly quickly through the snow. I thought if I moved fast, I might have 5 minutes or so to watch the cut block before packing it in. About 5 minutes later, I was almost at the road and then...

Seems to be about time for a new thread. I broke my promise.

Edit: Forgot to attach a couple of pics from today.

[Alfiecat]

Great read. I enjoyed following along. I was also waiting for a big buck and passed on a couple 3 pointers ... only for the last day to take a Spiker for meat for the freezer. Haha. Way she goes ... most times often unfortunately. Better luck next year !!!

[fishnguy]

^ I am glad you enjoyed it. Hope a few others did as well

I like writing this stuff and throwing a few photos in the process. I think it would be great if more people did just that. It's a great tool for yourself and others to learn from. Could very well be that some readers may see you doing something they think is wrong or could be done better and throw in an advice here and there. Or some would just read through it to pass the time and entertainment. Also, when I write about my day, once in a while I realize that there was something I missed or should have done something differently. It helps me see the process better and learn more from it than I would otherwise.

The end of the story is in this thread.

Thanks to all for participating!

[Gifted Intuitive]

If you go to the Guns and Ammo section there is a discussion about choosing a "coyote/deer" gun for a novice hunter. If you read the discussions all you need to be a successful hunter, whether novice or veteran, is a 243. Forget about hunting skill, hunting strategy, marksmanship, etc. get a 243.

[Bub]

^ Wat?

Good on you, op, for sticking with it and getting it done. I also enjoyed this thread. Keep it up!

[Wisebuck]

Originally Posted by fishnguy

^ I am glad you enjoyed it. Hope a few others did as well

I like writing this stuff and throwing a few photos in the process. I think it would be great if more people did just that. It's a great tool for yourself and others to learn from. Could very well be that some readers may see you doing something they think is wrong or could be done better and throw in an advice here and there. Or some would just read through it to pass the time and entertainment. Also, when I write about my day, once in a while I realize that there was something I missed or should have done something differently. It helps me see the process better and learn more from it than I would otherwise.

The end of the story is in this thread.

Thanks to all for participating!

Keep it up sir you have the knack to write very well. Congrats on a great end to your season. As for the deer not being in rut Ive read that the odd one doesn’t participate in it Don’t know if it’s a choice they make or if he’s one of those deer that just don’t get the “drive”. Makes sense as his smaller body size indicates no real exercise as in rubbing scraping and running. And no dark tarnsel glands or smell.
Either way he’s a great trophy. Congrats again.
Ps enjoy the eats. I made beef jerky today in the smoker. Would have preferred venison but hey there’s always next year.