Western MT mountain whitetail behavior

[Johnny Tyndall]

Anybody have any good resources for how to hunt western mountain whitetail? I have an area I'm pretty sure holds good deer, but being a FNG don't know much about how bucks use this habitat. Bed on the ridge tops and come down a mile and 1000 feet to feed and water? Bed on low benches closer to water and feed? Bed in places with good visibility, or the densest cover they can find? Same areas as does and fawns, or more marginal habitat? That kind of thing. Of course I'll be out poking around over the summer, but I like reading/listening about this stuff too.

 

[t_carlson]

You've got to treat each hunting spot as its own sub-population. Whitetails are highly adaptable. More so than elk or mule deer. I know of some herds in western MT that actually migrate every fall. Mountain whitetail don't fit into the cookie-cutter that all of the southern and mid-western resources have been written for.

That said, the damn things are probably the easiest big game animal to hunt in the mountains because they disperse more evenly than elk and are much more populous than mule deer. I used to wait for the rut then walk gated logging roads until I came across some good sign. From there, ambush hunting, still hunting, or calling/rattling depending on the conditions.

That's about all I can tell you. I haven't chased them with real intent for several years. Good luck.

 

[Hippie Steve]

Just Google Montana's Mountain Whitetails and you should get a wealth of different information. Help our mule deer out and take as many whitetails and elk as you can, good luck!

 

[Johnny Tyndall]

You've got to treat each hunting spot as its own sub-population. Whitetails are highly adaptable. More so than elk or mule deer. I know of some herds in western MT that actually migrate every fall. Mountain whitetail don't fit into the cookie-cutter that all of the southern and mid-western resources have been written for.

That said, the damn things are probably the easiest big game animal to hunt in the mountains because they disperse more evenly than elk and are much more populous than mule deer. I used to wait for the rut then walk gated logging roads until I came across some good sign. From there, ambush hunting, still hunting, or calling/rattling depending on the conditions.

That's about all I can tell you. I haven't chased them with real intent for several years. Good luck.

Thanks. I've definitely seen tons of them, but I've never laid eyes on a decent buck. My understanding is the rut doesn't really get going until after the end of rifle, has me dreaming about a muzzleloader.

 

[Johnny Tyndall]

Just Google Montana's Mountain Whitetails and you should get a wealth of different information. Help our mule deer out and take as many whitetails and elk as you can, good luck!

That's the idea for sure, seems like the best half-day hunting around here is whitetails and don't have to worry about herd health.

 

[t_carlson]

Thanks. I've definitely seen tons of them, but I've never laid eyes on a decent buck. My understanding is the rut doesn't really get going until after the end of rifle, has me dreaming about a muzzleloader.

Not at all. They start rutting well before Thanksgiving.

 

[bitterroot_reaper]

Thanks. I've definitely seen tons of them, but I've never laid eyes on a decent buck. My understanding is the rut doesn't really get going until after the end of rifle, has me dreaming about a muzzleloader.

I hunt WT in the broken country of West and North Central Idaho. I hunt it similarly to mule deer, as far as the places that I go. The major difference being, WT are highly territorial and stay close to a specific area, so I glass until I find pockets of deer and deer sign and hunt those areas, because they won't go super far. I have had great success in Idaho with that strategy.
I primarily hunt with a muzzleloader because I have seasons, here, that go well into December and I have the mountain mostly to myself. That said, the rut here starts around the 15th and is still going into December.
Just my two cents from across the border, best of luck!