Spot & Stalk Whitetail tactics

[HWR]

Anyone have tips or tactics that have worked well on whitetail in open country/plains habitat?

I've only hunted in the forest and rolling prairies of southeast and central Texas. I'm specifically planning a trip to southwestern and western Oklahoma to some WMA's there. Lots of Salt Cedar, Junipers, Mesquite, small draws (500-1,000ft. elevation change). Trees are few and far between, no real thickets.

I cant figure out what features to look for regarding where they bed vs. browse.

Let me know what you think!

Thanks,

HWR

 

[westmichigander]

If you haven't already check out youtube.
The Hunting Public guys go into detail on how they spot and stalk Whitetail
You can also see their videos regarding whtietail buck bedding, etc..
The Hunting Beast is also great for Bedding and terrain tactics..
Good luck

 

[MTPipeliner]

Even without trees they will still use cover to their advantage. They will still try to bed in the shade, but the shade may be from tall grass, stream banks, brush, etc. There is a spot I bird hunting that has a hole about the size of a pickup in the middle of a big flat field and more than once I’ve jumped WT bucks out of it. It’s amazing how little cover or elevation change they need to hide.

To me it doesn’t seem like they spend as much time out in the open in the mornings as mule deer do if they’re getting much hunting pressure at all. So you don’t want to miss those first few minutes of daylight.

 

[Aswob5]

All I do is spot and stalk anymore. The biggest peoce of advice I can give glass everything. They can be in the most unexpected places that don’t make sense. A Heads Up decoy can be deadly and if used right can bring them in on a string. Don’t be afraid to get aggressive with one

 

[HWR]

Thanks for the feedback guys! If anyone else has thoughts on this type of strategy in the terrain I described let me know. There may be Mule deer overlapping range with whitetail in this area too, but that would just be a bonus!
Thanks,
HWR

 

[saltfork]

I live in and hunt similar country. They will use any available cover..red cedars, overgrown fence rows, weed patches etc. They really like the creek bottoms where the salt cedars are thick. They will work the edges of that thick cover especially in the evenings.

 

[HWR]

My current plan is to be there Oct.8-12th.

Any specific trends in deer habit for that Mid-October Western Oklahoma area (TX Panhandle is similar)? Looking at ODWC data I know it’s well before rut, but would the bucks be working scrapes and rubs or is it still too early?

 

[J1buck]

To best describe it just watch some YouTube videos from the hunting public. Last year they hunted Nebraska you might be able to pick up some pointers.

 

[saltfork]

Yeah the rut is still a ways off, but you will find some small scrapes at that time. They're not really working them hard, but you'll know at least there's bucks in the area. I find scrapes and small rubs sometimes by the end of September. By this time (mid Oct.) they're usually split off from the bachelor groups, with the older bucks usually off by themselves and maybe moving a bit more.

 

[Tyler C]

I hunted that portion of Oklahoma for three years, and I found that any area that is more than a mile from the road and illegal to access by ATV greatly increased my chances of seeing good bucks. It was EXTREMELY important to be in your spot before first light and all the way to the bitter end of last light. Find yourself a good perch where you can look over a bunch of country and that will be your ticket. It was amazing what I would see in a day in spots that looked pretty featureless and unappealing, but for whatever reason held big bucks, pigs, etc.