What am I doing wrong?

[oreseur]

I have noticed that most of the does I have seen have been at the very bottom of the mountains, mostly on or near private land. That makes me wonder if the deer are lower than I think? Maybe there are just a handful of does that decide to hang out low no matter what... I'm honestly not sure.

 

[IdahoBeav]

There are not as many deer in Idaho as people think. They are difficult to find and hunt pre-rut. Aside from controlled hunts, late season archery, and wintering grounds out of season, it is not common to see a lot of deer in a day, especially bucks. I hunt them up high with the mindset that I am glassing to find one deer on a large hillside 500-1,000 yards away, and the deer is probably lying down, so that's the level of detail I glass to, and I only expect to see a handful of deer in a day, sometimes only one.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Yeah, you're just hunting a hard spot, at a hard time. The snow will help a ton. Get behind the glass and pick apart any edges and thinner timber pockets 2/3 of the way up from the bottom. And get 5 miles back! Nothing like leaving the truck at 3AM in a snow storm for hunting mule deer!

 

[oreseur]

There are not as many deer in Idaho as people think. They are difficult to find and hunt pre-rut. Aside from controlled hunts, late season archery, and wintering grounds out of season, it is not common to see a lot of deer in a day, especially bucks. I hunt them up high with the mindset that I am glassing to find one deer on a large hillside 500-1,000 yards away, and the deer is probably lying down, so that's the level of detail I glass to, and I only expect to see a handful of deer in a day, sometimes only one.

That seems to be what I am running into. I know there are people that will cover 20 miles on dirt bikes and pull an animal in, but there has to be a more reliable way than that. I think everyone else is getting at the right thing, I don't have the experience or knowledge hunting these areas to know exactly where the animals are.

 

[oreseur]

Well I finally saw some deer today. It seems like the snow did start pushing them around. Only 6 does, but that's much better than what I've been seeing!

 

[Customweld]

Well I finally saw some deer today. It seems like the snow did start pushing them around. Only 6 does, but that's much better than what I've been seeing!

Keep at it!! That’s more than I seen today.

 

[merryjander]

Long time lurker first time poster, just want to say thanks to everyone who contributes on this site, you're willingness to share info is very much appreciated. Like OP I have been hunting some popular general season units in Southern Idaho and going a bit crazy with the lack of deer im seeing. Lots of hiking and glassing and at the end of each day im not sure if ive just been staring at a barren hillside for 6 hours or not. Fingers crossed as these temps come down.

 

[Customweld]

Long time lurker first time poster, just want to say thanks to everyone who contributes on this site, you're willingness to share info is very much appreciated. Like OP I have been hunting some popular general season units in Southern Idaho and going a bit crazy with the lack of deer im seeing. Lots of hiking and glassing and at the end of each day im not sure if ive just been staring at a barren hillside for 6 hours or not. Fingers crossed as these temps come down.

The next couple of days should really kick that first migration stage off.

 

[oreseur]

Yeah I'm in the same place today. Hiked up and glassed, didn't see a thing. A ton of fresh droppings though. I think the full moon is also causing issues since it's still a bit warm.

 

[ElevateIdaho]

It's been a while since I have hunted 39, but from my experience those deer are pretty habitual. They migrate pretty close to the same pattern every year (weather driven for the most part). If you aren't seeing deer, they may not be there yet or just flat out don't frequent that area. There are places in there that won't have deer all year except the late fall winter months. The weather is supposed to change this week with possible big snow above 6k. That should be enough to push some to start phasing into lower elevations. Once the season is over, try to get in there during November and get an idea where they are staging for winter. That should help you build some confidence and give you an idea on some of their patterns.

Spot on. Much of that area is weather dependent.

 

[Tbonespop]

This is a great thread - amazingly informative. Was muley hunting this past week in eastern AZ and saw tons of does. Weather was hot during the day (low 70s) with lots of sun. Does were in the gulches near the lower part of the mountains. Young bucks were closer to the does. The few Big bucks were far away and up higher. All in all, only spotted a few bucks the whole time. Where they were one day, they didn't go back there the next day. Full moon + hot weather sucks for buck hunting. Super tough hunt. Talked to a local guide and he was super frustrated too for him and his client - which made us feel a little better. We hiked and hiked, glassed and glassed. Saw tons of road hunters - always wondered why road hunters wear camo.....