How to adjust tactics when going from Mountains to Breaks?

Splatter

FNG
Joined
Nov 20, 2022
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I've been hunting the mountainous areas in MT for a while and have developed a good strategy for e scouting an area, finding a camping spot, glassing points, and where I think the deer will likely be. This year, I'll be hunting some more break like areas, like eastern MT and WY, where the terrain is mostly flat with breaks all over the place. The maximum topo difference where we will hunt is probably only 500 feet from the extreme low point to the highest. There are a ton of breaks that meander, bend, cut, and hide throughout the terrain. Some are drainages that are only a hundred yards long and some are miles long with a lot of off shoots. I've hunted the region before and had success but I think I can still hone a few things regarding terrain management to improve our odds at getting some good bucks.

I think I have a good handle on where the bucks like to hang out, I also think that I've got a good idea of areas where they prefer to bed. What I consistently struggle with is how to locate good glassing areas and how to set up and really take in an area during the early morning and late evening when the bucks are up and I want to sit and watch. I find that I'll think I've located a good area, I'll sit for a while and then think that I can't see enough so I'll move, wash rinse repeat. I've had success because like I said, we have a good handle on the area the bucks are in but our success has come mostly from "still hunting" and capitalizing on shot opportunities rather than a more controlled spot and stalk situation.

how do you folks handle terrain like this, where the bucks tend to be in the breaks below you and the terrain is so tight that it's hard to see any appreciable portion of it at once. Granted I can see the flat grassland on top fine but I rarely see bucks cruising these areas, almost all the bucks we've see have been in the cuts.

Thank you.
Splat
 
Sounds like you have it figured out. Only thing I would add is if you are hunting with a friend, hunt separate ridges. Bucks that are trying to avoid your buddy might be visible to you and visa versa.
 
Thanks,
I'd still like to hear how other hunters, especially the ones that have hunted both types of terrain, adapt to the flatter environment. I'd also like to know how people effectively glass and process the break type terrain.

We've done the split up and cover ground on opposite sides of a break before and had success but again, we are trying to find ways that are more controlled instead of bumping lots of deer.

Maybe the tactics I'm hoping to employ simply dont make sense in that type of terrain and there's no way around the, still hunting type of approach. Either way everyone's feedback is greatly appreciated.

Feel free to post pics of the bucks you've killed and the tactics you've used to get them. I'm just trying to hone my skills more.

Thanks,
Splat
 
You’re not alone! I am doing October high country deer, then rolling mountain elk & lastly flat eastern MT. My plan is to have meat in the freezer so I’ll be motivated to not shoot until it’s a stomper
 
Yeah I mean I know the basics like staying of the skyline and moving slowly. I figure with all the knowledge here there's someone who has more advise about the specifics of the questions I'm asking. Like I've said I've found success in still hunting tactics however I'm sure that there are better ways to do it with more control and intention than still hunting. I'm wondering how the flat land pros identify their glassing areas? How do they decide the best point from which to glass? How do they decide how long to stay at a particular point before moving to the next? Those things that I've figured out in the mountains I'm hoping to get advice for regarding the flat breaky ground. Things other than the still hunting tactics I already employ.

For instance, if I were hunting the mountains I'd find a glassing point where I could see a lot of terrain, I'd like to see the open tops where I'm likely to see feeding deer, I'd like to be able to identify their travel corridors from feed to bed and I'd like to have another spot close by where I can glass the timber or rocky outcrops for bedded bucks. I don't want to move much so I don't spread a lot of scent and I want to see as much as I can at all times. I usually do this from a fair distance away.

This doesn't translate much to the breaks as the topography doesn't lend itself to being glassed from a distance. If I want to take a similar approach where I let the deer move naturally, learn their movements over a couple days and then capitalize on a stalk I need to learn how other successful hunters find, observe, and stalk these deer without just sneaking up to the edge and peering over, hopeful there's a deer there.

I was hoping to discuss these points with people who can consistently and predictably harvest good bucks from breaky ground.

Thanks,
Splat
 
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