Need Deer hunting advice

[jdthaddeus]

I went on my first deer hunt last weekend, and will go on the second half in a couple days. I am hunting Cous' Whitetail and Mule deer in the Prescott National Forest, north of Prescott Arizona.

I learned a LOT last weekend, but not enough to even see a Buck (as much as I am embarassed to admit).

I tried sitting on a hilltop all day and glassing for miles. I didn't see one. I snuck around for hours like a ninja, didn't see anything but tracks and scat. I did this for 5 days, 14 hours a day of grueling effort, and saw nothing but tracks and scat....Until I was driving home of course, then I saw 8 deer on a hillside! Arg.

I can't feel too bad, since my hunting buddy who has been hunting over 50 years saw none also. There just aren't many out there this year. But I am not satisfied; I want to do better this weekend.

What are some basic tactics I need to employ? As in: should I try to find a trail they might use and sit downwind for 5 hours or so just waiting? Or do I stalk around and try to sneak over a hill and get them? If I sit and wait, what signs should I look for in a good stand, and what are the best times of day?
What are their activities during the different phases of the day? What do they do in the morning? Afternoon? Evening? What are their general habits? (I realize there is more on this topic than can be written here, I just want some basic pointers).

[BushRat]

Most places I've lived deer pretty much act the same way. Hunt early mornings and late afternoon to evenings, although I have seen deer move in the middle of the day I believe your best opportunities would be at those times. Deer like to follow well known routes to and from food, water, and cover so look for game trails with fresh sign such as droppings. If you find a well used trail set up a stand where you're reasonably sure you'll be down wind and keep your eyes open for movement. They have pretty good eyes and ears so keep your movement to a minimum.
And don't feel bad if you get skunked once in awhile, it happens to the best hunters. Good Luck!

[Art Eatman]

Since deer don't read books, nothing is "always".

For mountain country and mule deer: Generally, bucks lay up just below the crest of a ridge and on the downwind side. They'll be fairly close to any "saddle" in the ridgeline.

The reasoning is that they can see any boogers approaching from below; hear or smell anything approaching from upwind. It's common for low spots in ridges to have more brush, more cover for an escape path. When frightened, they run uphill and upwind. (Little bucks and does, they'll go any old direction.) Even if a big buck starts off downhill and/or downwind, he'll circle back. The idea is to cut off his circle; you might have to find the probable saddle he'll use and wait a while in ambush.

I like to work along a ridge, just at the downwind edge and hoping to be a bit above Bambi's bedroom. I really eyeball the brush when approaching any saddle...

He jumps! He runs! If his horns are wider than his butt, bust him!

Art

[HSMITH]

What Art said, but I will add they will be laid up in the shade or shadows.

Glassing is awfully tough to do unless you are using really high quality glass, and you know what you are looking for. You likely won't see a whole deer when glassing, you will see an eye, an ear, a nose, a leg, you get the point. Don't look for the whole deer, the way they blend in it just doesn't happen that way unless they are moving.

If you are going to sit, find a well used trail between bedding area's and feeding area's or a waterhole that shows use.

[jroth]

Basically, use your eyes, with binoculars, slowly sweep area around you, look for something not vegetation.
early morning and late evening, the deer are normally in motion.
During the day, they will take a bed and sit still.
try to locate active runways/walkways that are in use.

[sniper1az]

Hell , with the weather as bad as it was last weekend , it's no wounder you didn't see anything !
What unit did you hunt ? We were up in unit 17A ! And I had a bunch of friends up in unit 10 . They went up last Wednesday and I & my son went up Friday afternoon (school comes first you know).

We saw a total between 6 hunters in 2 units a total of 1 Javalina, 2 bull elk, 1 cow elk, 7 does and 1 buck I stumbled across as he was trying to dry / warm himself at first light in an "open " juniper area where there was NO STANDING WATER ! Poor booger was cold & wet . But when I saw him , he was running flat out & gone in less than 1 second !
So don't feel bad.
Just don't be like those scumbag road hunters. You want to see game ? Think & act like a deer and get up on those hill / ridge tops and work the tickets !
You won't walk , you won't see game !

[Art Eatman]

Sumpn else: Generally, bucks go on a "feeding frenzy" during the fall of the year, ahead of the rut. Once the rut begins and their old necks swell up, they hardly eat or drink. Now, all that tallow that builds up is just like your wearing a down jacket.

Once Ol' Bucky has his down jacket on, anything much above freezing is like hot weather. You don't wander around in the sun in hot weather; neither does he.

In other words, you're more likely to see mule deer move around during the day if it's just really cold, and usually without precip or wind.

Art

[jdthaddeus]

Thanks for the advice so far. I have a lot to work on and a lot of new tactics to emply. I am learning that there is alot to consider: temperature flux, air currents rising and falling, ridge lines etc. People keep telling me to glass slowly with good binocs. I will do that. I also did not know that deer bed down in the day, so that changes a lot. I need to get up even earlier and catch them moving to and fro. I was getting up before dawn, but not getting out until the sun was over the horizon. Looks like I need to make it mandatory to be out and about before first light. I think my movement was good, slow and quiet and my glassing was good. I just needed some better tactics on when and where to do these things. Now I have some good ideas thanks to you guys.

sniper1az, I was in area 17b. We were practically neighbors! I heard a lot of shots coming from 17a Musta been a little better over there? Only one guy got a buck in my area, and it was right at the crack of dawn on opening day, near a road.
Yeah, the weather was miserable. It got reeeaaal cold and wet one hour and sunny and warm the next.
I saw a whole mess of javalina and was proud of myself for sneaking up on a few close enough to stab them with a spear. At least I know I can hunt javalina.....in deer season

[Art Eatman]

Okay, more "generally": Deer generally feed down lower at night, beginning with movement of does just before sundown, and move up to bedding areas right at daylight. It is common for them to go downhill on the toe of a hill, and go up through the lower part of a draw. (Human reasoning would have it that the better vision is had when going down a toe. Uphill, vision is always bad, and there's more concealment in the brushy bottom of a draw.)

Your deer may not have been in the same army as my general.

, Art

[ReadyOnTheRight]

I hunted deer off and on for 10+ years before I saw a #$^&* deer while I had a gun in my hand. Mostly bad luck, but also my own fault for just setting up in pre-built deer stands and doing the old "out at dawn and back for lunch" routine.

I finally jumped two deer on my way back to camp about 8 years ago. I had no idea what to do! There really are deer in these woods!

I've since switched to still hunting, looking for sign and setting up at the base of a big tree or -- better yet in a climbing stand -- downwind from likely movement sites. I see lots of deer now, but now I'm working on seeing more big northern bucks.

Also -- setting up drives or staying out during the "lunch and dinner drives" as hunters move around in search of sandwiches and beer are definitely worth it.

All I can say is be patient, learn to look for sign and choke points, keep learning and get out there and enjoy the non-deer sites and sounds.

[ReadyOnTheRight]

I just noticed you're hunting in AZ. My recommendations are for the deep woods in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, so they are unlikely to apply to the desert. Best of luck!

[kdubya]

JDThaddeous -

From a fellow "Zonie" - you'll get the hang of it after a bit! Won't be near as many out stomping around in the coming hunts, except on the long weekends (Fri, Sat & Sun morning) and the deer got educated the first 4-day season last week. They'll be more nocturnal now, especially with the weather moderating and the moon phase.

Best thing to do, is as suggested, try to find an area with active deer trails on a north facing slope you can eyeball and be within reasonable gun range from across the draw. Here in hot Arizona, more brush and trees grow on the north slope than the others. Deer like security and will use the cover to move between food and bed.

Find a nice, comfortable spot to sit and watch the trails, especially if there are any springs or tanks nearby, but be sure you have some cover to break up your outline and sorta mask any small movements you're just naturally gonna make. TRY to keep movements small, slow and seldom. The best quality binocular you can afford at around 8 to 10 power will pay you back in spades, because as your buddies have told you - out here we glass, glass, glass!

I've got a late whitetail hunt in unit 23 which I'll go on in the week between Christmas and New Years. Be lots of snow up on the Rim by Young, but that'll be a bonus!

Good Hunting!

Ken