Frustrated new guy!

[joesmithz28]

Hey guys,
First I'd like to say thanks to all the experienced hunters on here who share their wisdom with dummies like me. I'm 29 years old and got a wild hair up my ass to go hunting for the first time since I was 15!

I've spent lots of time on here reading and learning. I also spent lots of time out in the rain learning the hard way during modern firearm season. I tried a few different areas, but concentrated most of my efforts on one area in 633 that I found tons of sign at about 1.5 miles behind a gate. Nice open clearcut with a ridge overlooking, and heavy timber along two sides. Game trails everywhere. Scat everywhere. I was out at this spot atleast 6-7 times. Mostly in the afternoon/evening, got out twice in the morning before light. I saw a grand total of 5 deer. 3 does, 1 buck, and 1 I couldn't identify because I ran outta light, which is particularly frustrating because it was a 25 yard or so broadside shot and I just couldn't make out one way or the other if there was a rack or not so I passed.  The one buck I identified I literally walked right by about 10 feet to my right. Passed him by 3-4 feet, stopped to set down my bag, and he about made me *censored* myself when he exploded outta the brush. By the time I turned around with my gun up, he took three bounding leaps and disappeared into the thick stuff. 

Any ideas for late modern? I'm pretty disappointed I found so few deer. I sat for hours looking, and did my share of getting soaked by Washington's timber and underbrush. The couple other spots I tried I never saw a thing, so I decided to stay where I found something, albeit more evidence then actual deer.

Thanks guys,
Joe

[BurleyDog]

sounds like your doing pretty good to me, that close call must have got the ol blood pumping.

My advice? try to enjoy all aspects of the hunt - the birds, the trees, God's creations and splendor. Make these experiences the focus of your "success" and you'll be forever happy with hunting.

I do hope you get one though

[Buckmark]

Keep at it, sounds like you are doing what needs to be done and before long it will happen for you.
I see that your unit 633 boasted a whooping 17% sucess rate last year for modern firearms, pityfull.
Yep 83 out of every 100 guys did not get a deer so your are not even close to being the only one.
It's open for the late hunt and alot of deer are taken in those 4 days..Less leaves on trees, brush down, grouped up more, bucks that were not around are now after the rut etc..

[Eli346]

 I'd be right back in the area you jumped the buck in. He's got a couple of weeks to settle down and if he was that hard to move I think he may have been in his core area or bedding area. Maybe try to watch that area from a distance or watch the trails going to and fro. Also watch the does in that area as they will draw him in. They'll still be rutting during late buck but maybe not as much as the 1st week in November. Good luck!

[AKBowman]

I feel your pain and I'm not new at chasing blackies. In the areas I hunt this yr they are surely behind the rut schedule of the past 4 yrs by my notes and observations. They go nocturnal in October and come out for the rut/per rut. If there were fresh buck tracks on the main trails than it could be any day you start seeing the bucks in the day, if you don't find fresh buck tracks on the main trails in the morning than you'll be hard pressed to see a buck in shooting light...especially hunting at the clear cut itself.

I found this yr that the bucks not only went really nocturnal around the end of Sept but they pretty much stopped moving much at all, they locked down. I had my eyes on a beautiful heavy 4X4 with eye guards I got pics of from aug til end of sept. Most overy time I checked the cam I could find his tracks on one of the trails going in there than he and the rest of the deer for that matter shut it down. I hung another stand even closer to his home turf and was hunting a small 50 yd opening in some alder/pine/viney maple reprod...I know he was close and I never saw a deer. It was as good a spot as you can get (your spot sounds great too) but when they lock down pre, pre rut then they are really hard to kill unless you kick one out of his bed like you did.

Concentrate on what you can control, you were finding sign and fresh sign at that so you KNOW the deer were there or using the area at some point. I wasn't seeing squat for sign and I kinda lost my mind last weekend staring at the same hole for days on end. If you don't see the bucks during late season AT the cut than scout til you find the most heavily used trail with tracks leading to the cut and follow it away from the cut a couple hundred yards and sit. Maybe try calling too. Hang doe piss.

[Griiz]

That sounds like blacktail hunting. I've set out trail cameras all year while keeping track of weather, moon phases and temperature in a notebook. I couldn't find any pattern to the deer and their movement (except in winter there are far more deer in the large timber than in other seasons (eating all the moss etc.).

My advice is to try and not get discouraged. I shoot almost all of my deer out of treestands and groundstands and stay in the woods all days as the deer move all day, even the large mature bucks (they are just moving in there thick bedding areas where they are safe. My best advice for filling your tag with limited time to set up stands is find nice rubs crossing little used roads or roads behind locked gates and sit on them. The buck will cross, hopefully it will be during one of the days you are able to hunt as they are unpredictable. Sitting also gives you a good chance to harvest mature deer. Good Luck, trust your spots, if you see sign the deer are there.

[littlemac]

sounds like some good work put in and you just didn't get a shot opportunity.

I can't count the years I have just like that.

My buddies this year hadn't seen deer near the Table Mountain area with the fires and all when I went up and visited them at their camp.  Driving out I saw a nice three point, 200 yards from the camp.

As you know a lot of hunting is timing and hard work, sounds like you have half of that equation handled, the timing will come.

Good luck in the late season and I'll be watching for a pic of your first deer since starting back up.

[BlacktailBowhunter]

If you don't already have them, invest in a pair of binoculars. I suggest an entry level pair of Nikon Prostaff 7 in 10x42.

If you are a mile and a half in and not seeing anyone, you might have a nice honey hole. The good news is that the best hunting is yet to come.

You get to hunt the peak of the rut and I would bet if you glass that cut with some decent binos, you will fill that tag. Do less walking and more glassing.

There are a lot of good books on hunting blacktails. 2 that I recomend are Cameron Hanes "Bowhunting Tropy Blacktails" and Scott Haugen's "Trophy Blacktail" The Science of the Hunt.