Post by sixshot on Nov 10, 2016 13:54:00 GMT -5
OK, we've covered optics, the need to be patient, importance of keeping your scent out of the canyons until the last critical stalk, etc. You've picked an area you want to hunt & probably have a good, accurate rifle, handgun or bow. I've shown you some animals that are very, very good & that were taken this year & could show many more but all you need to know is that they are out there. One other thing, the bucks I've shown you that were taken in the snow were taken 2 weeks BEFORE the other bucks, not after. We had an early storm system come through & then the last part of the season the weather has turned off warm & the last 6 days of the season has been in the high 50's, low 60's, very unusual for high altitude in Idaho for November. Remember what I just said about the weather.
When deer start to move/migrate it very much depends on weather & also the rut. If the doe's go the bucks will follow. Also, in early hunting weather in October the bucks will stay close to heavy cover & only feed a short distance from that cover. In the west most mountain ranges run in a north/south direction, not always but that's true for the most part. Now, the heavy cover is on the "north" facing & the "east" facing slopes, again for the most part, nothing is written in stone here. It's only natural that animals will bed on those north & east facing slopes in the early warm weather of October. The south & west facing slopes are usually much more open & that's where animals will feed many times, especially later in the month & on into November, remember that! Into November they will also bed many times on the east facing & south facing slopes even though there is less cover. It's amazing how little cover a buck needs to hide in. The later it gets the more they will use the west facing slopes.
Now, I just mentioned my son has spent several days watching some big bucks in some very long, deep canyons, waiting to make his move, I've been with him a couple of times & here's the problem.
When animals migrate they don't just take off running like Caribou on TV, elk & deer might take a couple of weeks depending on weather & what the doe's are doing. If the weather is nasty they will move faster but still it can take 4-5 days or more to move through some of these long canyons. If the weather is good they may stay & feed for a couple of weeks. Remember I said we had been in a warm weather pattern for 6 straight days. The 2 big bucks we had been watching hadn't moved more than 200 yds in all that time, one day they would move north a bit, the next time many they had moved back south the same distance. The feed was good, the doe's were starting to put off a little "perfume" the bucks were staying right with them & we watched 4 different bucks fighting, all 4 were small bucks, things were just starting to get cranked up. The magic time for peak action is about one week either side of Thanksgiving.
So you see why Shane hadn't went after either buck, both were still not in the right spot to move in and make a kill, the boys have played this out many times & it takes a little break in the weather to bump them along. The boys have 2-3 funnel spots where they like to intercept these big bruisers & shoot them. Where they were the last several days was just too long of a shot. Three years ago Shane & Travis watched a buck for 4 days that they were convinced was a state record but the weather was holding the doe's, if the doe's stay, the bucks stay. They couldn't get closer than about 950 yds. Once the weather gets bad, watch your cell phone for a barometer change & see if it starts to fall. Animals have a built in barometer & it tells them to start moving, that's when most hunters leave & that's when you can kill the buck or bull.
Shane found the buck the last day but the weather stayed nice, too many other hunters in the area & the two bucks stayed right where they knew they were safe so he left & came home. Hope this helps some of you, they are out there & sometimes right in plain sight, especially the bucks.
This is me a few days ago & the canyon behind faces west, we've killed many huge bucks here over the years. The far right ridge line is over 1500 yds aways & that's where the biggest buck has been hanging out with 7-8 doe's for the last several days, we need him to move about 500 yds north before Shane can stalk him. Usually this time of year there is several inches of snow right where I'm standing & instead of being in a truck or 4 wheeler you are on a snow machine. As usual my Bisley 41 maggie in Barranti leather, good grouse gun!
Dick
When deer start to move/migrate it very much depends on weather & also the rut. If the doe's go the bucks will follow. Also, in early hunting weather in October the bucks will stay close to heavy cover & only feed a short distance from that cover. In the west most mountain ranges run in a north/south direction, not always but that's true for the most part. Now, the heavy cover is on the "north" facing & the "east" facing slopes, again for the most part, nothing is written in stone here. It's only natural that animals will bed on those north & east facing slopes in the early warm weather of October. The south & west facing slopes are usually much more open & that's where animals will feed many times, especially later in the month & on into November, remember that! Into November they will also bed many times on the east facing & south facing slopes even though there is less cover. It's amazing how little cover a buck needs to hide in. The later it gets the more they will use the west facing slopes.
Now, I just mentioned my son has spent several days watching some big bucks in some very long, deep canyons, waiting to make his move, I've been with him a couple of times & here's the problem.
When animals migrate they don't just take off running like Caribou on TV, elk & deer might take a couple of weeks depending on weather & what the doe's are doing. If the weather is nasty they will move faster but still it can take 4-5 days or more to move through some of these long canyons. If the weather is good they may stay & feed for a couple of weeks. Remember I said we had been in a warm weather pattern for 6 straight days. The 2 big bucks we had been watching hadn't moved more than 200 yds in all that time, one day they would move north a bit, the next time many they had moved back south the same distance. The feed was good, the doe's were starting to put off a little "perfume" the bucks were staying right with them & we watched 4 different bucks fighting, all 4 were small bucks, things were just starting to get cranked up. The magic time for peak action is about one week either side of Thanksgiving.
So you see why Shane hadn't went after either buck, both were still not in the right spot to move in and make a kill, the boys have played this out many times & it takes a little break in the weather to bump them along. The boys have 2-3 funnel spots where they like to intercept these big bruisers & shoot them. Where they were the last several days was just too long of a shot. Three years ago Shane & Travis watched a buck for 4 days that they were convinced was a state record but the weather was holding the doe's, if the doe's stay, the bucks stay. They couldn't get closer than about 950 yds. Once the weather gets bad, watch your cell phone for a barometer change & see if it starts to fall. Animals have a built in barometer & it tells them to start moving, that's when most hunters leave & that's when you can kill the buck or bull.
Shane found the buck the last day but the weather stayed nice, too many other hunters in the area & the two bucks stayed right where they knew they were safe so he left & came home. Hope this helps some of you, they are out there & sometimes right in plain sight, especially the bucks.
This is me a few days ago & the canyon behind faces west, we've killed many huge bucks here over the years. The far right ridge line is over 1500 yds aways & that's where the biggest buck has been hanging out with 7-8 doe's for the last several days, we need him to move about 500 yds north before Shane can stalk him. Usually this time of year there is several inches of snow right where I'm standing & instead of being in a truck or 4 wheeler you are on a snow machine. As usual my Bisley 41 maggie in Barranti leather, good grouse gun!
Dick
