Tired of banging my head against a wall

[Huntnfish89]

Hello all,
I'll preface this by saying that I know I should have spent more time scouting and having a better understanding of deer behavior in my area. I don't excuse my poor planning, but I chose to spend the time learning more about elk and actually managed to do pretty well despite not being able to get a shot off. I guess what everyone said about archery being frustrating was right. I stand by that decision, but now I have humbly come here to ask for help and guidance for the rest of the season.

Anyways I have been hunting deer since 2012 and have yet to tag bucks other than my first deer that was on private land at a friends property in NE Wa and a surprise spike in 2020. We now live in the Idaho panhandle and since moving I have shot a number of does, but I cannot seem to put everything together to get myself in front of a buck for a shot, let alone consistently. I know it is still early in the season and the rut will get going later next month, but I wanted to ask if anyone has any advice on what I can do in the meantime to grow into a better hunter to get into some bucks, but more so to hunt with "intention" rather than just set up on some sign and hope that something will come along.

I will say that being more aware of the wind and thermals and using this to determine my approach and setup has considerably increased the number of encounters so that has been a huge change.

Typically, this time of year I will glass clearcuts, both near and miles off the road, hunt over trails, pinch points, funnels, saddles, you name it. I will also still hunt throughout the day or from spot to spot (although this dry year has made this a little more difficult). I will also try to "use other hunters to my advantage" and set up where I think the deer might get pushed to throughout the day. Later in the season I will rattle, grunt, doe bleat when I think I am in thick timber which it just about all of N. Idaho.

I should also note that I have had to essentially learn everything as I go (with considerable from here, AT, and various other forums, google, academic journals, youtube of course, etc.) so there has been a steep curve for sure, but I feel that when I do make progress this way it is more meaningful and I have been fortunate enough to have filled tags or had the opportunity to for the past 6 years. Despite having a number of friends that hunt, many of their "ethical" decisions/choices while hunting have me going solo just about 99% of the time. This is completely fine by me, but but there are still days that I wish I had someone with me to smack up upside the head when I sit in the wrong spot, fail to notice obvious sign, make too much noise etc. all the little things and bits that you don't know until you know type stuff. Now that I type that, it makes me wonder if it might just be a time thing.

Also I am currently hunting "Any weapon" season until it wraps up. There is also a december archery season.

There too is the slightest change that's it's just been a slow couple of days and the season just opened yesterday and someone need to tell me to get my panties out of a bunch, quit whining, and keep working at it.

 

[Huntnfish89]

**Before anyone mentions that it's still light out and I'm sitting at home. I have midterms for U of I and I wanted to get those out of the way so I can put all of your secret tips to use when I go out again on my weekend.

 

[Rich M]

You wont hunt with anyone else over their ethics?

Are you snobbish? LoL!

Ive only got a handful of bucks but im deaf. Usually just sit tight and watch where deer live and one will step out sooner or later.

I find it is better to hunt where you see or jump deer. You need to sit still (no fidgit) and just wait.

 

[Pickettpuncher]

You have to put time in, but make sure it’s quality time. If the wind is wrong, it’s not quality time. Make sure your approach isn’t blowing the spot up before you get there. Can’t kill them on the couch, but your education is importanter so I’ll give you a pass. Not sure what ethics bother you, but are they really wrong. Not saying you should waiver in what you truly believe. That would be wrong. There’s a time and place for calls and rattles, but until you learn it’s probably best to leave them alone. Observe deer. Learn their behaviors. One thing that really helped me, especially killing better deer, was quit shooting the first deer you see. You shoot the first doe, and you go to it, and you pretty well spooked the area for while. Watch deer. Become selective. Best buck I seen last year was about the 6th deer or so that I seen that particular morning. He got a pass, but had I shot the first one, I’d never seen him. Buddy shot a great deer last season, think it was number 11 that morning.

 

[Huntnfish89]

@Rich M , hardly snobbish lol
I can just read the regs and take issue with someone shooting an animal on private land, spotlighting, dumping corn, etc... you get the drift.

I do like your point about noting where I have jumped/seen deer and it had led me to discover some bedding patterns in a particular spot. Other times it just seems they get spooked and I'll never see one in the same area again.

Gotta work on the fidgeting thing for sure though.

 

[BravoNovember]

“Banged my head against the wall” for 15 years on public land in Wisconsin before getting a nice buck. Keep at it and don’t be afraid to try something new.

 

[Rich M]

Took me 9 yrs for my first buck. 7 for first doe.

A lot to be said about deer densities and such.

 

[long hunter]

Get in the woods sit down stay still go in before daylight at least a hour and do not leave until last legal shooting light, dont shoot the first deer you see unless it is a really nice one. Theres a lot of info. on the sites take it for whats it worth nothing is rock solid when hunting deer, pay your dues kinda situation. Been hunting whitetails going on 55 years killed a bunch of them, some years are good some are not. Its just part of the game, face it your hunting a animal that is 10 times more wood wise than you and your hunting him in HIS living room.

 

[*zap*]

learn how to make a good plan, make that plan and stick too it.....meanwhile enjoy the ride and do not hunt with people who are not on the same page as you.

 

[Huntnfish89]

@Pickettpuncher I have waiting until the end of season before I will shoot a doe so that has helps a ton when it comes to time in the woods during different situations and conditions.

@long hunter While I like the idea of getting into my spot an hour before sunrise, it seems that whenever I try I end up bumping more deer than anything else. What I have been doing it still hunting my way in when it's just barely light enough to see but not need a headlamp to make it to where I'm headed. Last years deer was one of those that I ended up bumping right at shooting light. Have you found that deer jumped in the dark will return or spook less/more? I have one spot in mind that I would love to be in an sitting an hour before sunup, but getting in the deadfall filled draw is a headache with daylight, unless I go in from above. The issue then becomes the thermals pulling my scent down into the draw.

@*zap* I've gotten much better with putting together a plan and sticking to it. Although some of my best days this elk season were when I did the complete opposite... go figure. BTW- Not sure if you remember, but you gave me some advice for setting up a drop leg holster a while back. Thanks again, it's worked out great after adjusting it as you suggested.

 

[Huntnfish89]

“Banged my head against the wall” for 15 years on public land in Wisconsin before getting a nice buck. Keep at it and don’t be afraid to try something new.

Well after 15 years I figure you deserve a buck like that! Love those crab claw guards!

 

[Pickettpuncher]

I had a conversation with an old timer years ago regarding bumping deer. Unless they smell you, they don’t really know what you are, other than making a noise coming thru the woods. You could be a coon, possum, coyote or even another deer. Get to where your going and get setup so you can get quiet.

Thermals….. generally climb in the morning as things warm up and fall when things cool. You might have a place that swirls, like the hills and hollers I hunt in Tn. But generally speaking, if you’re on a hillside your thermals should rise, so plan to set up above where you anticipate the deer to be.

I like hunting travel routes. I mainly hunt over a food plot in a grown up field but I’ve learned thru the years the deer are usually just passing thru, and if anything the food plot slows them down long enough for a shot.

If you have does, you’ll eventually have bucks. Hang in there, and don’t scare your does.

Not sure what your densities are, but if they’re high you should lots of deer, if you’re where deer want to be. Sometimes, just staying out instead of bouncing around is what it takes. Lots a variables.

 

[*zap*]

Yes deer use the thermal but you can use that to your advantage. Example, deer use the evening thermal to move uphill/north as daylight wanes. You wait for a steady wind from the south and get in a tree. That wind keeps your scent from dropping with the thermal. Deer feels safe but it is not. Dead deer if things play out well and the wind does not die off at sunset.

 

[Cedarsavage]

I kinda hunt a bit in October unless I feel real confident. I really pull the gloves off next month. Before I did that I was usually on the ledge before hunting got good and do discouraged to hunt hard in November.

 

[fatlander]

Less is more with whitetails, specifically mature bucks. Hunting them without them knowing they’re being hunted is what it takes. That’s a lot easier said than done. It takes years to really learn the country you hunt, how deer move through it, and how to best hunt it.

If you don’t leave the truck with the finite intention of knowing what tree he’s feeding under, what path he’s walking down, what knob he’s bedded on, etc you don’t know enough about the land and the deer you’re hunting. You’re going to be wrong a lot, but that’s the mindset it takes. Everything you do, including how you access and exit has to be methodical and to that level of detail.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[loganwayne]

make sure your hunting the right spot. if your bumping deer going in come back in day light and figure out why they were there. are they bedding or feeding or traveling between the two.
Dont pick a spot that looks good to you and hunt it because you think deer should be there. find the sign find the deer.
hunting Bucks is different than "deer hunting" bucks have different habits and will use terrain different than does and will use different trails "most of the time".
Make sure your hunting from daylight to dark, you need to be getting to your spot before daylight with enough time to let everything settle back down. i walked 3.5 miles before daylight last Saturday, i walked through some good woods but had an even better area i was going to. That said it doesnt take long for things to settle the deer that blew and ran away may be gone but a deer 300 yards away might be heading your way without a clue of what has happened. I had the game warden check me over the weekend, he drove his truck up the forest service road i was using to access the area (closed road). about 20 minutes after he checked me and he drove through the area i was at i walked up on a bear.
lastly slow down spend more time looking. get in the habit of taking 2-3 toe to hill steeps then stopping and glassing if your stalking, animals in general dont march through the woods. if you do its a dead give away.

 

[WCB]

@long hunter While I like the idea of getting into my spot an hour before sunrise, it seems that whenever I try I end up bumping more deer than anything else. What I have been doing it still hunting my way in when it's just barely light enough to see but not need a headlamp to make it to where I'm headed. Last years deer was one of those that I ended up bumping right at shooting light. Have you found that deer jumped in the dark will return or spook less/more? I have one spot in mind that I would love to be in an sitting an hour before sunup, but getting in the deadfall filled draw is a headache with daylight, unless I go in from above. The issue then becomes the thermals pulling my scent down into the draw.

Get into your stand well before legal shooting light...if you are spooking deer on the way in figure out if they are headed the same direction you are...if they are your route to your stand needs to change. If you end up spooking deer right by your stand location more than likely they aren't going to be there during shooting light anyways unless you are hunting right in their bedroom and in that case it doesn't matter when you get in. If your walking in the woods you are going to spook deer...you just don't want to spook deer an their way to your stand location if that makes sense. In the dark deer don't really know what you are unless the smell you and see you etc. I have many times climbed into my stand in the dark with deer walking around me that I "spooked". You here them run or move away as you walk in...but then continuously here them walking around and trying to figure what what just "spooked" them.

If you are sneaking in when you can see without aided light IMO you are doing more harm than good.

 

[WoodBow]

You wont hunt with anyone else over their ethics?

Are you snobbish? LoL!

Ive only got a handful of bucks but im deaf. Usually just sit tight and watch where deer live and one will step out sooner or later.

I find it is better to hunt where you see or jump deer. You need to sit still (no fidgit) and just wait.

Fully deaf? Man i can't even imagine. I feel like I kill most deer with my ears. If I did not hear them before I see them, i would not be ready in time to capitalize on a lot of opportunities.

 

[long hunter]

Yep same situation here completly deaf in right ear and a 75% percent loss in the left, you get very good at compensating for this bye being observant.

 

[Rich M]

Fully deaf? Man i can't even imagine. I feel like I kill most deer with my ears. If I did not hear them before I see them, i would not be ready in time to capitalize on a lot of opportunities.

70% or so in both ears. Cant hear birds squawking or the microwave when it goes off.

Its a vision game for sure. Not looking forward to the natural aging process. I wear readers w my hearing aids now.