Right or wrong way of thinking

[Born2bhunting]

First western hunt last year. Colorado 2nd rifle diy public ended up seeing a handful of 100-110" 3x3s, a 130s 4x4, a solid 140s 3x3 and killed a 140" 4x4 all of these deer were coming off of alfalfa fields around 5500' and were following does up in the morning. I'm hunting the same unit same season this year and considering backpacking into a nearby wilderness area that the deer seemed to head towards during the day to bed the elevations in the wilderness area are around 8500. My thinking is that the older muley's havent moved down for the rut yet. Am I on the right track or should I concentrate on hunting the funnels off the nearby alfalfa fields like I did last year?

Here is the muley I killed last year, and just fyi yes it sucks to hunt colorado while weighing #300. I'm on track to be in alot better shape this year. Lol

 

[Back Country Hunter 2]

What's your goal? To fill the freezer or shoot a big one?

 

[Born2bhunting]

What's your goal? To fill the freezer or shoot a big one?

I guess I should have mentioned that my goal is to get into a more mature age class of deer. Not necessarily looking for giant racks

 

[ianpadron]

Hey man if you're getting your fitness dialed in, head deeper for sure.

Fewer deer in the wilderness but way better age class...that seems to be the case in every mountain range I've explored.

Plus getting away from the sea of blaze orange makes the hunt far more enjoyable.

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

 

[lif]

If your looking for the next age class, 4-6 year olds, go where people aren’t. Odds are you can kill the same age buck you killed last year anywhere there is deer. I often settle at the end-of seasons strictly because I put meat first. But I always try to find a mature buck first before I settle on a meat buck. Do some cyber scouting and some feet on the ground scouting if possible. Get a plan together and stick with it. There are common rules of thumb when finding mature mulies but a lot of different tactics/plans can work as long as your consistent and resilient. Good luck!!

 

[street]

Still a nice buck though!

 

[elkguide]

Go farther back in than you went last year.

You can always come back down to fill your tag.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Thats a nice deer, especially for a unit thats easy to draw. To me, 2nd season is the toughest. The bigger bucks are scattered and difficult to pattern. There definitely could have been some older ones around that maybe you just never saw. Last second season i was having trouble finding mature bucks during 2nd, i was hunting a very similar area to what you described and i thought for sure the older bucks were up higher after several days of not finding any. Then, i saw a bachelor group of absolute bombers - lower on private in the alfalfa fields not far from where i was hunting. I'd say, unless you feel crowded by other hunters, stay put and maybe upgrade your glass, or spend more time glassing. Once again, nice buck.

 

[Born2bhunting]

Thanks for all the info guys I've got a game plan but you hear so much different info about when mature muleys start to come down. That makes me worry I'll be to late. Last year my goal was to not shoot a deer until the last 4 days unless it was a giant I planned on hunting up high the hole time long story short opening day I put 2 of my group on elk and soaked up opening day hauling them out went after a cow elk I spotted from our spike camp the next morning come back for a quick bite to eat and find camp packed up with everyone ready to head to town spent the rest of the trip solo hunting from town. Never to get back where I wanted to again. Ended up watching this buck in alfalfa for 2 days before he messed up. Just happened to be on the Thursday or the first day of the last 4. Looking forward to getting redemption on top of those mountains this year though.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

There could very well be some great big bucks down lower that time of year but are mostly nocturnal. There could also be some slobs up higher and in the transition zone, but also moving very little during daylight hours. October is a tough time to hunt big older bucks.

 

[sndmn11]

Thanks for all the info guys I've got a game plan but you hear so much different info about when mature muleys start to come down. though.

What makes you think:
1) There are bigger bucks?
2) They were ever up?
3) They will ever come down?

 

[Nickofthewoods]

1) It is Colorado.
2) Most (mountain) units have migratory deer that go up in spring and down in fall.
3) Snow, lack of feed, to rut.

Migratory deer may not make it to the OP's hunting zone by October, but there are resident non migratory deer as well, uncluding some very nice bucks.

 

[CaliforniaMuley209]

2nd second is tough. Go in Deep for a few days and you can always come back out and hunt both ways!
Nice buck though!

 

[sndmn11]

Migratory deer may not make it to the OP's hunting zone by October, but there are resident non migratory deer as well, uncluding some very nice bucks.

8500' being "up" and being close enough that he thinks the deer he is seeing during the morning are bedding there, would be more like daily movements than a migration. If he has reason to believe there are bigger bucks in the area, he needs to figure out which element of habitat is better found off the plush alfalfa fields. If it is really believed to be a migration issue or a rut issue, the best way to find out would be to come back in mid November and see if those fields have filled with bucks, and then work backwards to figure out where they are in October. They very well might be right under his nose the whole time.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

I’ve hunted a similar area for a lot of years.
Late in the year, huge bucks appear out of nowhere. Third season in Colorado usually coincides with the rut.

Edited to add: I killed a similar buck last year. CPW aged him at 6.5 years old.

 

[Rich M]

I think Lone Hunter described it great. We used to be able to out-walk the competition but everyone has watched that video or read that book so they show up ready to cover ground.

If we could track hunters, probably find that less land gets hunted than expected. The deer and elk are primarily in the un-hunted pockets.

If the big bucks are around, seems like you'd be able to see the deer at last light/first light if they are using the feed fields. If not, then they must be somewhere else.

 

[sndmn11]

Something that I have learned from my own experiences and from talking to a lot of hunters at work is that it is very difficult for a person to get out into the mountains and then force them self to think about MICRO habitat. Two posts above emphasizes this well. Going deeper or farther or higher might run someone into a good buck by chance, but if one is still thinking about MACRO habitat they are still really hunting on chance. When someone becomes confident enough in their hunting skills to trust they are in the right macro habitat, their chances of success are going to increase greatly when they learn how to identify the micro habitat within.

 

[Southforkguy]

Nothing wrong with trying deeper but as you will note almost everyone on this forum is saying go deeper. So ironically you go deeper these days and see almost as many people as you would near the road depending on the mountain range and unit. I would say look for places that don't get hunting pressure close or far from roads doesn't matter (so long as it is good deer habitat). One of the biggest bucks I have ever seen hunting the unit I have hunted the last ten years was crossing the road right in front of me early one morning while I was scouting. Also try and figure out which type of herd this is just like everyone has said, is it a migration issue or the deer are nocturnal issue. Last year second season I was hunting in Colorado and had seen maybe 10 small bucks over 5 days of hunting. The place I saw the most bucks was about 3/4 from the road near some private in a draw you couldn't glass really from anywhere. The locals camped near me hadn't even seen a buck all week and there were 9 hunters in their camp...... They had hiked way up near the wilderness and driven these mountain roads way back in etc. Then to top it all off some boys from Kentucky rolled up on their ATV one fine afternoon hiked 500 yards behind where my tent was set up into this sage brush flat and killed a 180 inch buck less than half a mile from the road. Go figure. I like hunting deep because it's a challenge but these days it's no guarantee of better age class or even solitude. Good luck!

Seen a big buck in a heavily hunted unit on the road just after dark while driving back to camp. They can hide especially well in timber, they dont get big by being dumb. Or in the open

 

[Az Rancher]

My friend watches bucks on his alfalfa every year. Last year he just happened to see the only really good buck he saw all year sneak in a cut a rutting doe out and run her into the timber to breed. He stayed back and waited until she was ready. No cruising around sniffing.

 

[William Sublette]

The varmint hunters are koo koo for coco puffs with night vision these days.

Why not see what's on the alfalfa at night ?


The biggest deer know where the most efficient grub is.