Help a Newb with some tips and tactics for kids please

[spdrman]

Well let me start off by saying I’m not a whitetail hunter and a good chance you’ll never see me hunting them but my 11 and 13 year old boys are dead set on trying to kill some whitetail bucks with their bows so I’m trying to get this all figured out and hopefully cut my learning curve down.

To paint the picture I have some family that will only let them hunt so we’re lucky to be hunting deer that aren’t getting any pressure. Main field we are hunting is about 100 acres that’s surrounded by another 200 acres of river bottoms, there’s no trees to hang stands in so that’s out. I bought a couple ground blinds a few weeks ago to set up around the field. Problem is there seems to be about 100 places they like to come into the field.

Week before the season I put pop ups on 3 of the trails that looked like they where getting used the most so they had time to get used to them, trail cameras showed daily activity on all 3 but we hunted it all weekend and nothing popped out within range of the blinds, they all used trails about 60-100 yards from us.

I’ve never messed with scents before, our state laws say I can use synthetic scents, was wondering if that would encourage more activity on the trails we are sitting with mock scrapes or licking branches. Or does that really only work during the rut?

I know that playing the wind is the way to go, and felt we had blinds setup pretty well, to try and help we change at the truck before getting in the blind with clothes we washed in scent killer and we don’t walk any of the trails the deer use. Kinda feel they could sense us in the blinds though and that’s why they used other trails. Ozonics a decent investment to help with that? I feel it’s a sales gimmick but I’ve been proved wrong before and willing to try about anything (that’s legal of course) to help my kids out.

Decided to skip archery elk season this year to try and get them some deer with their bows, if the best bet is to sit the same spot day after day hoping they use the trail we’re sitting they are good with that too, they’ve spent hundreds over hours in antelope blinds over the years so their patience is on point. Here’s a pic of the antelope my younger boy shot 2 weeks ago, this was his first archery kill and that fueled a fire inside of him and he wants to bow hunt more now

 

[Rufus]

Hi spdrman. What state are you hunting in? I’ve hunted whitetails quite a bit and the one constant is they are a fickle animal. With that said, it’s a little early for solid patterns to be established. Just like most other animals, they need food, water and a place to rest. Right now, those things are pretty common everywhere, so deer might not have to travel much to get what they need. This will change pretty soon as food becomes more scarce and cover changes when the leaves fall. Patterns will start to develop. Then, the need to reproduce will start to become a driving factor. Where I’m from, prerut and rut are the best time and typically are the last 2 weeks of October though the first 2 weeks of November, give or take. If it were me, I would probably leave those blinds set where they are and start hunting them in mid October. Thanks. -Rufus

 

[spdrman]

Thanks for the reply Rufus, I’m in Idaho, they are coming out to an alpha field so they have plenty of food and there is a river that runs through the property. As you mentioned they have plenty of food water and cover where they are at.

Our archery season is Aug 30- Sept 30, If we make it to October rifle season will be open and I’ll ditch the bows for rifles at that point . Actaully fortunate enough to be able to hunt these deer tell mid Dec where they are at. Both the boys have killed deer right where we are hunting with rifles.

They bed to the west and come out to the field in the evenings. I have the blinds marked, I feel we just need to sit the same spot over and over and hope they choose the spot we are sitting one of the times.

 

[Rufus]

I actually hunt a similar setup. I’m in eastern South Dakota. How deep is the river that runs through the area? I have a river that is mostly 2 to 4 feet deep. Some holes that are deeper. On the property that I hunt, there is a shallow area that is approximately 12 inches deep and the deer cross at that point pretty regularly. Your southern most blind looks promising.

 

[Rufus]

The next two blinds (looking north) also look promising as they look like they have natural pinch points (if I’m seeing things correctly). The second one from the bottom looks to me to be the better of those.


Your statement about just going with what you have and hunting as often as possible is probably a good plan.

 

[spdrman]

They call it a river but I’d consider more like a stream, I bet 90% of it isn’t more than 18” deep, there’s some corners that get a little deeper.

Tried setting up on the pinch points best I could

Of course they come by the blind we aren’t sitting in

 

[Rufus]

Funny how that happens.

 

[DayBreaker]

It sounds like you are off to a great start, and are putting in the effort to set them up for success which is a major win for them to have someone like you in their lives!
Whitetail can be a little tricky to pattern early, as mentioned above. If they are set on a buck, it may be helpful for them to set up where they can see a lot of the terrain for a few morning/evenings and see whether there are any showing up in areas you don't have covered by cams.
If you haven't already, take a stroll with them to look for rubs and scrapes. it sounds like the pressure is very low so a careful walk in the woods shouldn't be enough to drive them away. Bucks are notorious for getting on their feet really late in the day and not showing up to feed til after dark, so meeting them in a travel corridor can sometimes work (added risk being closer to their beds, but can be effective as long as you are disciplined about playing the wind.)
Also, looks like it's going to cool off next week. Hopefully that makes the deer move a bit. Best of luck, post some pics if they have success!

 

[Pilarczyk85]

I would have a setup right at a crossing or in the bottoms of the river or creek. I hunt a lot of river and creeks and find around me the deer using them as cover almost to get to point A to B. I like the blind at the bottom of the picture. Good transition area but I wouldn't be afraid to get in that bottom. Just my two cents.

 

[Dave0317]

I’m thinking about a lot of the same stuff lately. Got my son shooting well enough with his Rokslide Special Jr. (Tikka 223 with fixed 4x scope) that I think he will be good from a sitting position with tripod out to 100 yards. He is not real great at unsupported field positions though.
So, I have been thinking of power line/gas line lanes where there is a crossing. There are a couple areas with heavy creek side deer trails that we may set up and watch. And lastly I’ll try an area that I’ve seen them eating acorns that you can get into relatively easy. Which of those three will just depend on the wind and weather for a given day.

 

[Honyock]

Once the white acorns fall, hunt the oaks. People will talk about the deer being "gone" when they are not on the alfalfa, etc. where they have normally been seeing them. Instead of "gone" they are on the acorns. I've hunted whitetails for over 40 years and when the acorns hit the ground, that's where the deer are at. Patience is a virtue when it comes to whitetails.

 

[spdrman]

Rifle hunting was a lot more productive than archery season. Younger boy was able to get this nice buck yesterday, after he shot the does stood around a little too long and he decided to double up and notch his extra doe tag too

 

[Rufus]

Rifle hunting was a lot more productive than archery season. Younger boy was able to get this nice buck yesterday, after he shot the does stood around a little too long and he decided to double up and notch his extra doe tag too
View attachment 784051View attachment 784052

Awesome. Tell him congratulations! Very cool proud papa moment right there. -Rufus

 

[spdrman]

I’m thinking about a lot of the same stuff lately. Got my son shooting well enough with his Rokslide Special Jr. (Tikka 223 with fixed 4x scope) that I think he will be good from a sitting position with tripod out to 100 yards. He is not real great at unsupported field positions though.
So, I have been thinking of power line/gas line lanes where there is a crossing. There are a couple areas with heavy creek side deer trails that we may set up and watch. And lastly I’ll try an area that I’ve seen them eating acorns that you can get into relatively easy. Which of those three will just depend on the wind and weather for a given day.

95% of my kids shooting is done standing or sitting off a tripod at the range and it’s paid off big time in the field. My 11 yr old pictured here has killed 4 deer now, 3 of them standing off the tripod and the 4th was a sitting position. With all tge available options I don’t see any reason to have a kid try and shoot unsupported.

Ambush spots like you are talking about would be awesome for a kid setup on a tripod. If we are still hunting through areas I have them carry the tripod pre set to a standing height for them and if we see something I put the gun on there and clamp it down on the arca plate and they are ready to go.