You guys make it look so easy

[Zachappa]

I see all these post with pictures of deer and i'm just scraping away for scraps.

Boots on the ground

Downloaded On x, and been hitting various areas and found a really nice set of BLM Land that looks promising.​

Went out earlier this year to do some coyote hunting and nothing​

About 2 miles away from where I set up I saw that there were some large oak trees​

So I made it out over the weekend to check it out.​

​

Low and behold i found water


and finally found some promising sign.


Maybe next time i'm out i'll see an actual deer. Dropped off a cam so we'll see.

The idea of carrying meat back is daunting, so i'm going to get back into shape.

 

[Baller]

Nothing is easy about what we do or the animals we pursue. It is hard. Damn hard.. But I think that is the draw of it, atleast for me anyway. It is the hard that makes the success all that more rewarding. Looks like you are in a good area, now time to figure it out. Get away from it and glass it from a higher vantage point if possible, at first and last light. Look for where they go, where they are coming from. Where they eat, where they bed. That will give you a greater chance for success. let the cam stew for a bit. If you are not getting pics of deer, move it to another spot in the same area, preferably along a well used game trail or similar. Eventually you will start to put the pieces of the puzzle together. To me that is one of the funnest parts, learning a new area. Good luck..!

 

[Zachappa]

Nothing is easy about what we do or the animals we pursue. It is hard. Damn hard.. But I think that is the draw of it, atleast for me anyway. It is the hard that makes the success all that more rewarding. Looks like you are in a good area, now time to figure it out. Get away from it and glass it from a higher vantage point if possible, at first and last light. Look for where they go, where they are coming from. Where they eat, where they bed. That will give you a greater chance for success. let the cam stew for a bit. If you are not getting pics of deer, move it to another spot in the same area, preferably along a well used game trail or similar. Eventually you will start to put the pieces of the puzzle together. To me that is one of the funnest parts, learning a new area. Good luck..!

Didn't think about getting higher up and scanning down. hmm.. i'll take a look at the map and see. it was pretty wooded so i'm not sure if I can see into it.

 

[TRICER]

glass glass glass and then glass some more.

 

[TheGDog]

Any place you see Oaks is a place where, after it's raining at least, a water line runs thru it.

Along this water you've found... walk along it and maybe look for places where the acorns that fall off the oaks will likely gather in a clump for easy-pickings. Like maybe a bank with an incline that has several of them near it so they'll fall off and roll-down? I've seen several places where the deer learn that at the side of a road because of the steep angles they will all roll down and clump together on the road, and they take advantage of that.

Also after you review your cam footage, spend some time figuring out where you're going to take a sit at. You might need to hack-away a bit of brush here-and-there in order to clear your FOV and also maybe use the cut-off pieces to help build a ground blind so they don't see your body movements as much. Plus you want that ground-blind to have some time out there so they can get used to it being in there and not being leary of it. So it's smell will have time to become weathered and die back down like the surroundings.

MAKE SURE you sit down just as you would on the hunt, so you've tested that spot with your eyes down low at the height level of your actual sit!

A spot can look great... but then when you actually hunker-down like you would on a sit you realize you can't see very well from down at that angle. Eventually you'll find a spot in there that doesn't require too much clearing, that has you in the shadows, with stuff behind you to break-up your outline, where the wind is right and doesn't carry your scent across where you believe that will walk along at.

And since the sun moves, make sure you've scouted out several places so you already know where you're going to move to when the sun moves shadows change and you can no longer sit in that first spot.

 

[longbowhunter2]

Hi Zachappa
You did good. It will take time and patience. You gotten good advice.
Keep looking don't stop.
Look for areas were the trails are beat down with tracks.
Then get high and sit and watch.
Acorns will be thick in fall.
And other shrubs and plant growth this year.. .. keep looking for sign.

 

[Zachappa]

Alright, finally went an got my cam pics, then scouted the are a bit more and found good spots to sit and glass for a while.

first off,

is this a pig foot print?

 

[Zachappa]

2nd. finally found some deer!

Looks to be every 4-5 days they swing by in the morning (~8:30am).

Quick question. how routine are deer? there's not too many spots for water, so i'm wondering how far they would go for it and if they need water every day. Anyone know?


and a buck. This guy came about 1 min after another doe


Just re positioned the cams to check out some other areas that had good sign.

Excited to see some life, but now i'm going to try and figure out their patterns so I can set up a blind and try and predict them.

 

[MJB]

They aren't like WT but do stick around the area.

 

[TheGDog]

Obviously pay attention to times of day they show up on cam, but also from what direction... going toward what other direction.

And pay attention to the shadows you might also happen to see on the ground in the cam shots if the cam is place where you want to sit. So you can determine for how long you'll be in the shadows at that sit spot.

 

[longbowhunter2]

Your on it,, keep track of the day and time.. setup the stand. And hope they will stick around in September.

 

[ilovesprig]

These mule deer in SoCal will travel long distances for water (multiple habitats in the "16" tho)...But, if they have good green grass, they don't need water every day, especially bucks....There was a deer study done near Lake Henshaw (radioed)....Bucks lived in about a one mile radius 90% of the year...The rut was the only time they strayed out of that zone...They do rubs...Never really see scapes.

.

 

[Zachappa]

Makes sense,

I was wondering if they got enough water from vegetation.

I’ll have to keep an eye out for the water source and when it will dry up.

Btw anyone confirm the pig track?

 

[ilovesprig]

A little hard to tell from your pix...Those dew claws seem pretty pronounced...Did they look anything like this?

.

 

[HATCHET1]

Not a pig track.

 

[Zachappa]

A little hard to tell from your pix...Those dew claws seem pretty pronounced...Did they look anything like this?

.View attachment 39837

Yes, what is it?

 

[ilovesprig]

Yes, what is it?

Buck...Not always a perfect indicator, but dew clues showing are normally a buck (they're heavier than most does)….Here's buck & doe track

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