blacktail--timber or clear cut

[JDHasty]

Timber. 95% of a mature bucks life is spent in timber or brush.

I agree.  I have said it before, I would give up 23 hours and fifty minutes of hunting every day before I would give up the last ten minutes of legal light.

[Skyvalhunter]

Timber 87.3% but hard to beat those clear cuts after a heavy rain

[pope]

Deer are where you find them. I've spent too many hours-days-seasons glassing clear cuts, and I've given up on clear cuts. Where I hunt, most deer are shot in clear cuts, however. Far behind a gate, I rarely see another human, but every couple of years some random bozo comes walking through and shoots a buck in a clear cut with absolutely no plan for getting the animal out of the hills. It happened just last year. I passed a guy on the way to my tree stand and he shot a buck in a clear cut late in the morning, in a clear cut that "never" holds deer in October, based on years of observation. It must be nice to be dumb and lucky.

My favorite terrain to hunt is a drainage that holds just a few big trees up and down the bottom of the drainage, with older cuts on each side, with timber or reprod above and below. Put a tree stand in there (assuming you've found a trail and fresh sign) and hunt it on days when the wind blows directly up or down the drainage (parallel to the trail). Deer will hear and smell you walking in, but 3 or 4 hours later, with your scent blowing 20 feet over their heads, they will forget your intrusion. Be ready to rock and roll at 10 a.m.

[birddogdad]

I've only had luck in timber on rainy, windy days. I've tried it on nice days but I really just don't have the patience to go as slow as I should. Last year we had a pretty good storm on October 31st, lots of wind and rain about as hard as it can rain. I was able to walk up on a buck and shoot it less than 30 minutes after parking my truck. If it's not stormy, I pretty much plan on hitting the clearcuts, and that's how it looks like it will be this coming weekend, so I'll most likely be sitting in a clearcut somewhere.

 

always has been successful for me too.. stormy, spot n stalk with a brush gun, nice weather, sit openings with a long gun (which has always been  tough for me)..

[wt]

Tag, great insights, I'm learning a lot. Thanks!

[JakeLand]

Tag, great insights, I'm learning a lot. Thanks!

Good to meet you today

[DaveMonti]

All good info.  Thanks for sharing your strategies!

[JakeLand]

Either or ! Find does = Bucks

[Duckslayer89]

I was creeping down a logging road today through dark timber after hunting my ass off through clear cuts, walking tree lines and reprod, I look down into the timber thinking man that is a great area to see a deer. Right then I spot a does head and neck 50 yards from me bedded down. She stood up with another deer, couldn't tell if it was a buck or doe. Had a shot on the doe if it had antlers but didn't. Point is, they were bedded down in dark old growth when it was windy and pouring rain.

[Turner89]

Timber. 95% of a mature bucks life is spent in timber or brush.

I agree......the other 5% is now, and you can find them in the cuts

[BGLEMIN]

Tagging, great info

[mossyoak arrow slinger]

 Found a clear cut with a bunch of rubs through it and on Wednesday I had a nice buck sneak in behind me. I was unable to get a shot off and now I'm sitting on the same cut rub line.  Have you guys seen the same bucks come back a few days later or should I move on from this general area


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[Skyvalhunter]

They have a rather home range so unless he is in the rut chasing hot does I would stay.

[DaveMonti]

He will be in the area.  I'd keep hunting the same area. 

[mossyoak arrow slinger]

Thanks for the input.  There were some does in here the same day I say him but he was several hundred yards away from the does. 


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