Tired of banging my head against a wall

[Jeffro]

Welcome to North Idaho whitetail hunting. It is a hard game to get down. I have been getting a little better each year as you have. Make sure you are hunting until legal shooting light is completely gone. 2 of my last 3 bucks came at very last light. Checked my cell phone to ensure I wasn't too late both times. The other was around 10:45am though... As others have mentioned, make sure you are using your time wisely. Don't hunt bad wind, move somewhere else. I have seen more deer from a treestand than I ever have walking around. I absolutely hate sitting in one spot for hours, but it is far more productive that I ever thought it would be. Still yet to harvest from the stand, but the deer watching is fantastic.

 

[Jeffro]

Where do you live in the Panhandle?

 

[Huntnfish89]

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.

I'll keep this in mind and put it to use next time I head out. From what I have seen on the cams out that have had buck on them is that they are indeed headed the same direction as me, so that might be why I never seem to run into them. I guess my thinking was that if I follow behind them (even after some time) they won't catch my scent. Perhaps this is why I am always a step behind?

 

[Huntnfish89]

Welcome to North Idaho whitetail hunting. It is a hard game to get down. I have been getting a little better each year as you have. Make sure you are hunting until legal shooting light is completely gone. 2 of my last 3 bucks came at very last light. Checked my cell phone to ensure I wasn't too late both times. The other was around 10:45am though... As others have mentioned, make sure you are using your time wisely. Don't hunt bad wind, move somewhere else. I have seen more deer from a treestand than I ever have walking around. I absolutely hate sitting in one spot for hours, but it is far more productive that I ever thought it would be. Still yet to harvest from the stand, but the deer watching is fantastic.

I am thinking of picking up a treestand and getting familiar with it over this spring well before season. And yes, I have been doing everything in my power to stay until either hunting hours have past, or I can no longer see well enough to make a shot in the really dense stuff.

 

[Huntnfish89]

Where do you live in the Panhandle?

Rathdrum

 

[Jeffro]

Rathdrum

Nice! I live by costco in CdA.

 

[Terrapin]

I live in this neighborhood, so I’ll chime in. Whitetails (public land) up here seem to be a different species than whitetails I’ve hunted east of here. They seem way less patternable and far more nomadic and nocturnal. In Iowa/ Wisconsin/ Minnesota I could sit in a treestand and be reasonably assured that I was going to see deer moving around. Out here, you can sit an awfully long time and only see squirrels. I think it’s partly low deer density and high food density, and partly the three month general deer season.


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[cuttiebrownbow]

Guys I hunt with that never seem to shot deer are also the ones that move around a lot. Wear a face mask, gloves and don’t move. Set up on heavy trails near food and cover with wind in your favor.

Shot does at the beginning of the season so you don’t have to shot one during the end, when a buck could be following.


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[William Sublette]

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.

Your probably not wired for Hunting.


What are you naturally good at , without trying much?

 

[Jeffro]

I live in this neighborhood, so I’ll chime in. Whitetails (public land) up here seem to be a different species than whitetails I’ve hunted east of here. They seem way less patternable and far more nomadic and nocturnal. In Iowa/ Wisconsin/ Minnesota I could sit in a treestand and be reasonably assured that I was going to see deer moving around. Out here, you can sit an awfully long time and only see squirrels. I think it’s partly low deer density and high food density, and partly the three month general deer season.


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The fact that they have food, water and cover in nearly every corner of every drainage makes them very hard to pin down for sure.

 

[49ereric]

Hunt heavier cover where bashful Bucky moves.

 

[Huntnfish89]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I was able to make it out Mon/Tues this week and switched up my approach a little. I started hiking in well before light, and while I did bump 1 deer doing this, I did notice that it didn't completely blow out of bark at me as they typically do when busted and they see me. Granted the wind was in my favor so it didn't smell me, but this is encouraging. I also have shifted my thinking back down to the basics, look for Fresh sign and try and think to myself what was the deer doing when it made this. If scat, then where was it going to or from. Tracks, which way are they going and same questions. More importantly, if I am going to sit in a spot, what it telling me to sit there other than it looks "good" or it seems like deer would like it.

On a another note, while it is not a buck, I ended up jumping a doe where I was expecting deer to be bedded. After she took off, this came out of the same area and presented me with a shot. I guess it does pay off not to shoot the first doe I see.

 

[Macintosh]

What type of area are you hunting, is it riverbottom’s near agriculture, or are you up in the mountains?
What’s the deer density like there, and do you know what your DNR says the doe-to-buck ratio is?

 

[Oregonboy]

Wow, congrats on the cougar!

 

[Huntnfish89]

What type of area are you hunting, is it riverbottom’s near agriculture, or are you up in the mountains?
What’s the deer density like there, and do you know what your DNR says the doe-to-buck ratio is?

I'm mostly in the mountains. A few areas are somewhat near ag, but this is mostly private with limited access despite knocking in doors and asking around.

I've been trying to find out info on deer densities in the area, but have yet to nail something concrete down. I'll probably end up making a few calls and try and get in contact with an actual person.

 

[Huntnfish89]

Wow, congrats on the cougar!

Thanks!

 

[Macintosh]

I'm mostly in the mountains. A few areas are somewhat near ag, but this is mostly private with limited access despite knocking in doors and asking around.

I've been trying to find out info on deer densities in the area, but have yet to nail something concrete down. I'll probably end up making a few calls and try and get in contact with an actual person.

In that case, if your mountains are anything like what Im used to in northern new england or the mountain areas ive hunted for wt in the west (i.e. tens of thousands of contiguous acres of more or less similar forested habitat with bedding and food both dispersed across the entire landscape, extremely little in the way of concentrated food sources and therefore few/no concentrated bedding areas), you can more or less just throw 99% of the media expectations and the vast majority of whitetail hunting advice out the window.
My advice would be to read up on tracking (even if its focused on new england) and wait for a snowfall and try to track deer in the snow. You’ll be able to see where deer are bedding and moving, where they are feeding, how they use the terrain, etc and if you find a big track by itself its likely a buck. Even if you dont end up hunting like that all the time it’ll teach you a ton and answer many of your questions. I dont get the sense tracking is a “normal” way to hunt deer in the west and rockies, but I know folks that do use those tactics there with consistent success.

 

[Huntnfish89]

In that case, if your mountains are anything like what Im used to in northern new england or the mountain areas ive hunted for wt in the west (i.e. tens of thousands of contiguous acres of more or less similar forested habitat with bedding and food both dispersed across the entire landscape, extremely little in the way of concentrated food sources and therefore few/no concentrated bedding areas), you can more or less just throw 99% of the media expectations and the vast majority of whitetail hunting advice out the window.
My advice would be to read up on tracking (even if its focused on new england) and wait for a snowfall and try to track deer in the snow. You’ll be able to see where deer are bedding and moving, where they are feeding, how they use the terrain, etc and if you find a big track by itself its likely a buck. Even if you dont end up hunting like that all the time it’ll teach you a ton and answer many of your questions. I dont get the sense tracking is a “normal” way to hunt deer in the west and rockies, but I know folks that do use those tactics there with consistent success.

This sounds just about right. While I might be able to pin down a food source or bedding area, it does not mean that anything will be in there on a regular basis, and patterning seems to be much more general if/when you get a pattern. Now, I know there are those that can and do pattern bucks in this country with great success, but I think their success can largely be attributed to a great deal of scouting (something that I plan on putting much more priority on from here on out... I'm a slow learner lol). And yes, 98% of the articles, podcasts, videos, all deal primarily with midwest whitetails. In my experience, while some of the ideas and tactics mentioned here might be applicable, it seems that we are hunting significantly different deer in their patterns, preferences, and temperaments to a degree.

It's funny you mention tracking as they do in the NE. I have been reading/listening to some of Hal Blood's thoughts and advice on tracking and try to apply it when there is snow on the ground, but I think that I should also apply some of fundamentals of tracking when out regardless of if there is snow or not. I will admit that I got caught up in the mentality that better gear = success and therefore spent less time and energy into woodsmanship skills that I am learning will better serve me than any of the best gear out there. It's interesting that since I am now focusing on these details, it often feel as though I am starting all over again, but I am ok with that. I guess that was the whole point in starting this thread in the first place.

 

[Cedarsavage]

This sounds just about right. While I might be able to pin down a food source or bedding area, it does not mean that anything will be in there on a regular basis, and patterning seems to be much more general if/when you get a pattern. Now, I know there are those that can and do pattern bucks in this country with great success, but I think their success can largely be attributed to a great deal of scouting (something that I plan on putting much more priority on from here on out... I'm a slow learner lol). And yes, 98% of the articles, podcasts, videos, all deal primarily with midwest whitetails. In my experience, while some of the ideas and tactics mentioned here might be applicable, it seems that we are hunting significantly different deer in their patterns, preferences, and temperaments to a degree.

It's funny you mention tracking as they do in the NE. I have been reading/listening to some of Hal Blood's thoughts and advice on tracking and try to apply it when there is snow on the ground, but I think that I should also apply some of fundamentals of tracking when out regardless of if there is snow or not. I will admit that I got caught up in the mentality that better gear = success and therefore spent less time and energy into woodsmanship skills that I am learning will better serve me than any of the best gear out there. It's interesting that since I am now focusing on these details, it often feel as though I am starting all over again, but I am ok with that. I guess that was the whole point in starting this thread in the first place.

I've never hunted New England or N Idaho, but I'm confident in saying where I live and those two places are pretty similar and I think macintosh is spot on

 

[30338]

Great work on the cat. You had to be doing something right to pull that off.

Quick note from my last hunt. Totally different terrain but maybe a lesson in here. We drove down to a public parking spot and a truck was there. This ground sets up where you can see a bit. Saw an orange vest walking thickets at 3 pm. We waited in the lot and he left at around 4 pm. Told my buddy who had an injured knee that I felt like the guy covered ground I was not expecting deer to come from through years of hunting there and observing them.

We setup downwind of a trail at 4:15. At 6 pm we had a parade of does and young bucks go by. Next night same spot same thing. I knew at some point a decent buck would make an appearance. Third night at last light, a nice 8 pt walked by at 25 yards and he shot it.

Unless conditions are absolutely perfect and you see the deer bedded, I don't suggest trying to walk up whitetails. Hunt some areas a lot, make mental notes of what they are doing, and patiently wait them out. And I've never shot a cougar so you are ahead of me. Congratulations on that again.