Late Muzzleloader

[Schmalzfam]

Is anyone else hunting the late Muzzleloader? Are they done rutting? It almost seems like they are still only coming out for the midnight snacks..We've seen a few does in private property and found an area that you can't  walk with out seeing fresh sign...BUT...no deer!
What are we doing wrong??

[HawkenBob]

I have been. The Deer are done Id say. There being pushed around allot too were Im hunting. Saturday was close. Been on em for 2 weeks now and finally getting them figured out. saturday morn I was set up and ready, 4 to 5 were coming thru and they must have winded me. Bout 70 yrds down here comes another. Big doe. I had my bead on her but not quite enough time. Im getting close though...
Very excited to get out there Friday morn again. There coming out of the farming fields and into the thick of it. I have a spot just before heavy timber. I see em in the fields at night eating.

[rasbo]

Ive seen 3 deer in 4 outings,Im stuck road hunting,but the rut is off in my area mashel.I cant believe the road hunters that are muzzleloading.If I could walk Im sure I would have my buck.Im seeing fresh tracks every morn,I think they are only moving at night.Im hoping for some stormy weather,that ought to get them moving.

[HawkenBob]

Im surprised at the road hunting Muzzle loaders too. I have a stand, near a old spur. Not many trucks venture up. The trucks come thru no Deer. When the trucks dont come the Deer come. Each truck just gives me a chance to cough or make noise between trucks. Lol

People dont know how close they are to Deer unless they get out.

[MLCoug]

My season ended on the 30th and the bucks were still rutting hard in my area.  The season was not as good as years past however.   The weather was horrible and more muzzy hunters this year than ever before.  I was fortunate to take a nice barron doe on the last morning on private property.  I did see several great bucks and one monster.  I only took one shot at a buck.

[Schmalzfam]

So, if we see an area covered in sign the best thing to do is just sit huh? It's really hard to go from usually hunting muleys and whitetail to hunting blacktail, imo.
One doe would be nice 

[HawkenBob]

The sitting is boring but the 2 to 3 weeks prior to that is fun. You could see deer if ya go hiking around. You may stumble into a bedded down deer. But its allot of luck.

Heres what I do. I hunt the mornings hard! I like to get in 1.5 to 2 hrs before sun up. I sit and wait or creep slowly in likey areas. Then once I figure the Deer have bedded, I start pounding old spurs with my boots looking for freshly used trails. Once I find a trail I start down it. I go until I cant go or it hits another road. If I can pick it up I go further but try to not go into the bedding area. I dont want to bust a bedded deer out. I know were they eat cause I see em at night. Its taken me awhile but now I know were they cross 2 roads that are about 1/4 mile apart.
My set up is near the second spur closest to were I feel there going into the thick stuff bedding. This also buys me the most amount of time to set up since Im farther away from the field than the first stages of there morning journey. In the evening I set up in the same place. This ensures no one sees them before me and changes there pattern before I can get to them.

If you know were they eat you can figure them out. If you know were they bed, visaversa. Anything in between is a ambush spot! There are 100's of sq miles to drive and walk in the area Im in. I concentrate on about a square mile now.

After all this work and nearly closing the deal Saturday morn. All it takse is a couple guys in there who dont know to blow the pattern and its back to square one.

Funniest thing is its so close to the begining of the huntable area most think Im lost and clueless. They see my truck in there every week. They dont know how many Deer they just drove thru as they head into the hills for miles and miles of driving in the AM when you should be sitting or creeping.

[Schmalzfam]

When we were out exploring, mid day we came across their bed. Smart animals.. We went up through a clear cut visible from the road and dropped over the top. We saw a knob with tall grass that was all flat because they bed their. It's got two ponds off to the right and obviously the hillside below us that is  a clear cut covered in sign. Now if we go down the clear cut infront of us and through the edge of the pond it takes you to an old skid road. You can hear a waterfall and some canyons. But their bed is only visible to the one side of the clear cut and not from the other side..it's amazing how smart they are. I guess the trick will be finding where they venture visible to us with out making a lot of noise trying to move around...

[HawkenBob]

If your finding beds in mid day that arnt occupied someone plrobably has pushed them out of the area. Mid day they should be bed.

I dont set up too close to the bed areas. I like to get in early and wait. Making all my noise hopefully before they get there.

Trying to sneak into a bed area to ML range is very hard.

[Schmalzfam]

It was probably us that pushed them out not knowing they bed there. So do you think setting up where you can see the clear cut that they feed in the be the best bet? How tight of an area will they hang in if there is no pressure?

[HawkenBob]

Theres allot of variables here. First off depending on how much road pressure there is plays a big part in whether they actually feed in the clearcut. There are allot of clearcuts were I hunt but the Deer seem to like the pastured, private land to feed. In fact, I have yet to see a deer in a clearcut even at low light. I think a big part of this is the pressure from the last month and a half of hunters.
Did you find fresh track leading from the beds to the clearcuts?

Deer like to bed on the tree lines of clearcuts to heavy timber/forest. That dosent mean they actually eat there.

I find that Blackies tend to roam 1 to 3 miles in there food, water, bed routine. But can be really short if theres too much pressure for them.

Can you hear a creek or water were the beds are? Usaully wont bed near constant sounds as they want to hear anything coming...

I know the deer Im watching come from the fields, to the creek, then too bed.

Id get between there water and there beds way before sun up.

The other option is driving them. Have someone on the other side of the bed while the other guy pushes them out. Problem is if ya dont close the deal you just made them possibly change again.

I think you could get lucky, but I think a little more homework on those particular deer are in order...

[Schmalzfam]

We just found out about the area this weekend. I am amazed at the amount of sign in the clear cuts. We didn't walk to the beds themselves could just see them from the hillside. There are trails leading to the base of the hill they bed on from the clear cuts and you can see where thy have been eating the vegetitation. It is about a mile hike in from a gated road that I guess is sometimes open depending on if there is a company working in there.
I think it will be luck if we get one!
But, it will for sure be a great spot for next year, once we learn it more.

[HawkenBob]

Sounds like you have a great chance. With a locked gate and all. Also sounds like they have a very small range. You need to sit on that area now and really watch. Shouldent be hard to figure out now.
How far between the area your seeing eaten vegetation and the bed? Have you checked the ponds for sign? Or do you think they drink from a creek?

You really need to get in there in the dark scent free and noise free. Sounds exciting. I wish I wasent working today and chasing them. Its hard waiting 4 more days...

[Schmalzfam]

The bed is about 50-75 yards from the vegetation. Yes they are drinking from a creek that runs out of the pond. From their bed they can go many directions. If they head left they go into woods, if they go straight back they go into woods down the other side of the hill, if they head right they can go out to another clear cut full of plenty sign too with another pond and creek. Or they can head straight out of it into the clear cut we walked down.
You can also see where deer have crossed the road a bit before the clear cut into the heavy timber from another clear cut.
I think it will be dumb luck and catching them in the wrong place but the right time for us!!

[rasbo]

Usally the bucks will bed 1/4 down from the top or damn near at the top of a hill,I will sidehill that elevation so slow and glass every inch,looking for a horn or what ever I can spot.If your gonna set up,between the feeding and beds watch the thermals,thay are usally sucking right into the deers face.They usally dont leave the area they just quit moving and get in the thick crap.Heavey wind and rain is my fovorite time to get them,the branches falling and wind swirling will put them out in the clear cuts to bed.Bring a chainsaw those kinda days Ive had to cut my way home.I just love hunting blacky.Good luck...

[skunkmaster]

We beat the brush in a section that had been cut maybe 5-7 years ago.  Tons of sign, but we didn't kick anything up.  Set up along the fringes at dusk only to be foiled by a couple of guys on four wheelers cutting brush so their wives could make wreathes.  They were friendly enough, but didn't seem to realize/care that they ruined our evening hunt!   

[Schmalzfam]

We went up last night windy, raining, and pretty cold. We walked the road up and watched a clear cut..nothing! The deer weren't even in the private yards. My husband swears he can "smell" them. He probably can he says it smells musty but, everytime he says do you smell that...I think it always smells like sharpie marker..lol Maybe my sniffer is off..lol