Bow Hunting Mountain Bucks

jimmy33

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Dec 21, 2016
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I live in Washington and have bow hunted mule deer and rifle hunted whitetail for around 20 years or so. I hunt both northern Idaho and Northern Washington so it's definitely public land mountain hunting. There are both early and late seasons. Just curious how some of the public land land mountain hunters set up for whitetails in these large expanses of mountainous public land? I want to start bow hunting them and don't even know where to start. I mainly rattle and spot and stalk them with a rifle


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While I do not hunt in the west for whitetail, I have spent the last 20 years chasing mountain whitetail here in the east. Mtn hunting is different and has its own set of challenges. With no agricultural food sources that cause deer to concentrate, you really have to figure out what food sources they are utilizing. Personally, I get topo maps of the area I plan to hunt, and look for terrain features that will funnel deer. Saddles, draws and benches are what I am looking for. Once those areas are identifed, I get boots on the ground to start looking for sign. Trails, rubs, scrapes, bedding areas and food sources. I also cross reference terrain features with information from the state and federal forest services about fires and timber cuts. These areas can be deer havens with all the new growth. But they can also get hammered by other hunters. Determining how the deer are accessing areas and how I can try to intercept them is important.
 
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jimmy33

jimmy33

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Joined
Dec 21, 2016
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350
While I do not hunt in the west for whitetail, I have spent the last 20 years chasing mountain whitetail here in the east. Mtn hunting is different and has its own set of challenges. With no agricultural food sources that cause deer to concentrate, you really have to figure out what food sources they are utilizing. Personally, I get topo maps of the area I plan to hunt, and look for terrain features that will funnel deer. Saddles, draws and benches are what I am looking for. Once those areas are identifed, I get boots on the ground to start looking for sign. Trails, rubs, scrapes, bedding areas and food sources. I also cross reference terrain features with information from the state and federal forest services about fires and timber cuts. These areas can be deer havens with all the new growth. But they can also get hammered by other hunters. Determining how the deer are accessing areas and how I can try to intercept them is important.

do you use ground blinds> Still hunting along these areas? Tree stands? I can see hunting these whitetail on the ground with a bow can be almost impossible with out ambushing them somehow...
 
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Probably something you already know, but imo the single biggest variable to your hunting success will be when you hunt. I'm not sure about those states you mentioned, but if you can be in the woods anytime in the first two weeks of November, your odds will go up dramatically. Rut. Rut. Rut.
 
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jimmy33

jimmy33

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For sure...I love to hunt the rut with a rifle. ..just want to start hunting with a bow during September and December hunts also. Thanks for the info


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do you use ground blinds> Still hunting along these areas? Tree stands? I can see hunting these whitetail on the ground with a bow can be almost impossible with out ambushing them somehow...

Mostly use climbing tree stands. I have used a ground blind a few times. My issue with ground blinds in mtn terrain is that it be difficult to find a good set up where you can see all approach angles. Being elevated in a stand allows me to see my hunting area better. I still hunt my way into and out ofmy intended target area. I have shot deer while doing this.
 
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jimmy33

jimmy33

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Mostly use climbing tree stands. I have used a ground blind a few times. My issue with ground blinds in mtn terrain is that it be difficult to find a good set up where you can see all approach angles. Being elevated in a stand allows me to see my hunting area better. I still hunt my way into and out ofmy intended target area. I have shot deer while doing this.

Thanks for the help..,seems pretty straight forward. Any recommendations for climbing tree stands?


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elkyinzer

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Sep 9, 2013
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Pennslyvania
Thanks for the help..,seems pretty straight forward. Any recommendations for climbing tree stands?


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I would see if you can test drive a sunmit open shot and a lone wolf hand climber. I prefer my summit, depending on which part of the country lone wolf tends to be more popular. I don't know of anything else on the market worth looking at. There is some serious junk out there these days.
 

Osprey

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 6, 2016
Messages
127
I don't know if anyone touched on this but if you can hunt during the rut and focus on terrain features that will funnel deer in that specific area etc that would be your best odds of success esp for a buck with minimal scouting. I wont dig too far into it as you can google a lot of that info. Feed, bedding, terrain funnels. This is the big 3 EVERYWHERE whitetails exist farmland, mountains, doesn't matter. Funnels in a mountains might be a saddle or bench funnel in farmland country might more vegetation type related such as CRP mixed with small trees with dense cattails mixed forcing deer to use certain areas within there core.

On another note make sure you can set up your stand quietly and carry it quietly and pack it and unpack it and attach it and detach with minimal lighting. This seems like common sense but you wont believe how far the slightest sound can travel on a calm day and thats all a mature buck thats pressured needs to here to avoid your area until after dark.

NO CLIMBER IS READY TO HUNT OUT OF THE BOX IMO. You need to do work on every climber or stand to make it quieter. You can find videos on all this stuff. You can get sticky tape thats camo and sort of felt like material to put on the stand to eliminate metal on metal contact. Also wrap a small rope on the front of the platform so that when not IF when that front of the platform hits something you don't want it to it is quiet.
 
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jimmy33

jimmy33

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Dec 21, 2016
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350
I don't know if anyone touched on this but if you can hunt during the rut and focus on terrain features that will funnel deer in that specific area etc that would be your best odds of success esp for a buck with minimal scouting. I wont dig too far into it as you can google a lot of that info. Feed, bedding, terrain funnels. This is the big 3 EVERYWHERE whitetails exist farmland, mountains, doesn't matter. Funnels in a mountains might be a saddle or bench funnel in farmland country might more vegetation type related such as CRP mixed with small trees with dense cattails mixed forcing deer to use certain areas within there core.

On another note make sure you can set up your stand quietly and carry it quietly and pack it and unpack it and attach it and detach with minimal lighting. This seems like common sense but you wont believe how far the slightest sound can travel on a calm day and thats all a mature buck thats pressured needs to here to avoid your area until after dark.

NO CLIMBER IS READY TO HUNT OUT OF THE BOX IMO. You need to do work on every climber or stand to make it quieter. You can find videos on all this stuff. You can get sticky tape thats camo and sort of felt like material to put on the stand to eliminate metal on metal contact. Also wrap a small rope on the front of the platform so that when not IF when that front of the platform hits something you don't want it to it is quiet.

Sounds like way more work than mulies...sounds fun


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Dec 28, 2015
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848
Thanks for the help..,seems pretty straight forward. Any recommendations for climbing tree stands?


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Ive used about all of them. Currently the Ol Man is my favorite. Hard to beat a lone wolf but they are pricey. Summit open shot is great, too.
 
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Oct 29, 2014
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i would start scouting topo and find a few points of interest and then put boots on the ground. i focus on places where topo flattens out as the does will typically browse for food moving up the mountain along the path of least resistance. benches above draws are a great place to find buck bedding as well. they like to sit up at the head of these draws and scent check the thermals during the morning. in the evenings the deer here are typically coming down to the fields in the valleys so i'm looking for food sources along travel routes. they won't break out into the fields until last light so typically sitting at a little higher elevation in order to catch them during daylight.
 

Finch

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Feb 12, 2014
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VA
Check out the summit razor. It has a foldable climbing bar to sit your butt on while climbing. Once you reached your intended height, it folds underneath of you and out of the way.

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Joined
Dec 14, 2014
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341
Location
Spokane,Wa
Baiting for deer in washington is legal... I usually will put bait out when the first snow hits the mountains, and then go up the following week to set up tree stands and hunt whatever stand was most productive
 

Savage99

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Jan 26, 2017
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Location
CO
I've used a summit viper sd and like it, but haven't tried it for archery. I'll add tree walkers to brands guys like back east. My buddy used a local to Florida company called gunslinger and swore by them.


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jimmy33

jimmy33

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Dec 21, 2016
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350
All good info guys...keep it coming


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