What do these bucks Score?

[nphunter]

My boys both have a Muzzleloader tag for whitetail here in Eastern Oregon, it's a first time youth tag that normally takes a person about 10 years to draw.

The hunt will be from Nov. 20-Dec 15th and we plan on being there Nov. 18-28th or longer if necessary. I would love some advice on whitetail tactics, rattling, grunt tubes, still hunting and bait is also legal in Oregon. I have a few cameras out, it's pretty thick timber in the mountains with a lot of Reprod thickets in logged-off sections.

Right now I plan on still hunting until I find good sign and then sitting down and rattling or grunting maybe?

I would love to hear what others have successfully done whitetail hunting on this type of hunt where there are thousands of acres of open ground. also the closest ag ground is 15 miles or more away, these are mountain whitetail.

Here are a couple of pics I've gotten in the last few days, would like to know what people think these score, I would love to find the boys both good older age class bucks since this is the only time they will ever draw this tag.
Deer 2

11 Pointer

11

11
Deer 1

Deer 3

 

[msalm]

I would say other than the yearling, all of those are shooter bucks for a very respectable whitetail. Use a scent drag on the way in and sit early morning through 9-10:00 and the call/rattle good areas while scouting more territory.

 

[nphunter]

I figured there would be more whitetail guys on here?

 

[Laramie]

I hunt whitetails in the Midwest - not sure if tactics would be the same? No experience hunting big timber whitetail. If you aren't against it, bait may be your best option to get the boys a shot. I have my best luck calling and rattling during the pre rut but I know it can be a good tactic through December. Scents can really help- my favorite all season one is trails end 307 but I also have had good luck with various doe in heat scents. Whitetails in my area are very sensitive to human trails- If they cross the path you walked in on, it will spook them if you didn't do a good job eliminating your scent. I spray down my entire lower body and then make sure I have a good wind for the place I plan to sit.

I would guess the 11 point to be close to 150. The top buck is probably about 130.

Good luck and please let us know how you do.

 

[HuntInWild88]

I would say you know where they are based on the cameras.. I would put a ground blind in no less than a week before the hunt. I would sit as long as you can. During the rut you never know when those deer will will come through.. also try and find their scrapes. The bucks are less worried about food and more worried about who has peed in their area.

Also I think any of those are good deer. Probably between mid 130's- 150ish.

 

[30338]

When I was taking the kids out, whatever they seemed excited about was getting shot. Usually passed dinks but they actually shot some decent bucks. Those would all be great first bucks for them.

Know nothing about mountain bucks. Mine have all been plains or midwest thickets.

 

[nphunter]

Thanks, Guys, I will look and see what the local sporting goods store has for scents if any, not really much whitetail hunting around here. I defiantly am wanting to get it figured out there are a couple of units right next to my house that you can draw every year to muzzleloader hunt whitetail. There are not a lot of whitetails around but there are plenty of older age class bucks from what I've seen.

30338 it will be their first whitetail, not first deer, this will be buck #4 for my 12 year old and #2 for my 15-year-old and they would both like to get a decent buck, I do think they would be happy with any of the above bucks for sure. That is only one camera out of 4 I have out, I actually thought that would be the spot I would see the least deer but it was the only place with cell service to setup the spartan. I'll post up some more pictures of other deer when I go check my cams.

 

[Laramie]

Thanks, Guys, I will look and see what the local sporting goods store has for scents if any, not really much whitetail hunting around here. I defiantly am wanting to get it figured out there are a couple of units right next to my house that you can draw every year to muzzleloader hunt whitetail. There are not a lot of whitetails around but there are plenty of older age class bucks from what I've seen.

30338 it will be their first whitetail, not first deer, this will be buck #4 for my 12 year old and #2 for my 15-year-old and they would both like to get a decent buck, I do think they would be happy with any of the above bucks for sure. That is only one camera out of 4 I have out, I actually thought that would be the spot I would see the least deer but it was the only place with cell service to setup the spartan. I'll post up some more pictures of other deer when I go check my cams.

You can order scents online.

I would use this to lay a trail in to your stand - https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...&ved=0ahUKEwiH4pC67_nzAhVBs54KHRUJA88Q8wIIpwk

And then place this where you want the buck to stop - https://www.amazon.com/307-4-Trails-Whitetail-Attractor-4-Fluid/dp/B07XFQNFBB

Good luck!

 

[nphunter]

Thanks Laramie! I’ll get some coming.

 

[280Ackley]

In northern Idaho rattling is good the first 2 weeks of November. After that I haven’t had much success with it. I would focus on finding where the does are at. That should be peak rut and the bucks will be where the does are.

 

[Lowg08]

I figured there would be more whitetail guys on here?

I hunt the mtns of western North Carolina. I saddle, still and ground hunt.

 

[NEWHunter]

That 11 point might gross 145 IMO. Not sure what the timing of your rut is, but here in WI we’re pretty much wrapped up by November 20th and rattling, scents and grunting won’t do much good. They might work a little bit towards the end of that time frame as there is sometimes some second rut action.

They are edge creatures. If you cant glass, find where they are sleeping and where they are eating and set up on a trail in between and wait. Seems like you’re on the right track though with a daylight photo of a shooter buck. That’s where I’d start.

 

[Seeleylakehunter]

If there is snow. Find does . Find buck tracks walk slow like bow hunting slow. .

 

[hobbes]

My opinion on rough score by just looking.

Photo 1 - 110" (short times, no mass, narrow)
Photo 2 - 135" (good number of points but no mass, and time length is not fantastic)
Photo 3 - same as 2
Photo 4 - 135 (I don't see that extra pt so think it's a different buck, however it looks really close to 2)
Photo 5 - same as 2
Photo 6- 135 (better mass and length but 4x4 vs 5x5). This looks like the most mature buck to me but hard to tell.

My comments are score related only. I'd kill all but the first buck and the yearling with its head showing. We'll see if I stick to that with my archery only buck tag this year.

 

[Ore2u]

I know that this is a old thread, and I hope you both tagged out. Just a FYI you can now bait for deer here in oregon

 

[Titan_Bow]

Nov 18, I’m guessing the rut is going to be going pretty strong with a lot of does in heat or just coming out of it. I would expect bucks would be cruising any time throughout the day. With kids, this is a good time to use a pop up blind and plan on setting somewhere all day. All my sons rifle bucks have come from our pop up and usually mid day when you least expect it.
Based on your cameras you are in the ballpark I would say, although don’t expect those bucks to be doing the exact same thing a month from now. Once the rut really gets going, those bucks will travel a long ways looking for does! The key, like someone else mentioned, is the find where the does are congregating. Find their bedding areas and their likely food sources. Ideally look for habitat edges along the down wind side of a known bedding area. That will be the most likely spot that a buck would use to cruise by that bedding area looking for a hot doe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[nphunter]

I know that this is a old thread, and I hope you both tagged out. Just a FYI you can now bait for deer here in oregon

Thanks, the season starts on Nov 20th-Dec 12. I’ll be heading up on the 18th to get situated. I have bait out in front of the cams to get the pictures but not sure about season yet. I’m not against it but not sure how advantageous it would be at least based off of my current pics.

 

[nphunter]

Nov 18, I’m guessing the rut is going to be going pretty strong with a lot of does in heat or just coming out of it. I would expect bucks would be cruising any time throughout the day. With kids, this is a good time to use a pop up blind and plan on setting somewhere all day. All my sons rifle bucks have come from our pop up and usually mid day when you least expect it.
Based on your cameras you are in the ballpark I would say, although don’t expect those bucks to be doing the exact same thing a month from now. Once the rut really gets going, those bucks will travel a long ways looking for does! The key, like someone else mentioned, is the find where the does are congregating. Find their bedding areas and their likely food sources. Ideally look for habitat edges along the down wind side of a known bedding area. That will be the most likely spot that a buck would use to cruise by that bedding area looking for a hot doe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

280Ackley
In northern Idaho rattling is good the first 2 weeks of November. After that I haven’t had much success with it. I would focus on finding where the does are at. That should be peak rut and the bucks will be where the does are.

Thanks Guys,

From what I've heard rut should be in full swing, the hunt is in the blue mountains in North East Oregon so it should be similar to ID. I've heard rattling and a grunt tube can work well.
I also have some other cams out that I need to check, the entire area is covered in whitetail, I think I will focus on areas without lots of open roads.

I will definitely watch bedding areas, I have a couple of cams in the thicker timber patches between some freshly logged-off areas. (5yrs)

I originally planned on still hunting but maybe it makes more since to walk into high traffic areas and just sit down. I do have a couple ground blinds as well I will take but it's also all public access ground and there will be several others hunting it as well so I don't really want to put all of my eggs in one basket.

 

[hobbes]

I know that this is a old thread, and I hope you both tagged out. Just a FYI you can now bait for deer here in oregon

It's dated Oct 27, 2021

 

[Titan_Bow]

Thanks Guys,

From what I've heard rut should be in full swing, the hunt is in the blue mountains in North East Oregon so it should be similar to ID. I've heard rattling and a grunt tube can work well.
I also have some other cams out that I need to check, the entire area is covered in whitetail, I think I will focus on areas without lots of open roads.

I will definitely watch bedding areas, I have a couple of cams in the thicker timber patches between some freshly logged-off areas. (5yrs)

I originally planned on still hunting but maybe it makes more since to walk into high traffic areas and just sit down. I do have a couple ground blinds as well I will take but it's also all public access ground and there will be several others hunting it as well so I don't really want to put all of my eggs in one basket.

Yeah, thats a tough call really. If you had hunted the area before and knew with some level of certainty how the deer were going to react to pressure, where bucks historically cruised, etc. setting stationary with a ground blind can be very productive. Let the pressure of other hunters push the deer to you, or watch an area where you are pretty certain a cruising mid day buck is likely to come along.