I hunted mule deer on NFS Land opening weekend like usual. Passed on quite a few bucks with one of them being a respectable four point. I saw many deer each day. I scout in the offseason and spend 90% of daylight hours on my butt in a stand.
I shifted to blacktail hunting last Tuesday. The woods have been quiet. No rubs and not much movement. I didn't see a deer until yesterday and I hunt every evening after work on timber lands and hunted all weekend. Again, I am sitting in stands, usually tree stands for blacktail to try and beat their sense of smell. Yesterday, I passed on a couple younger bucks. I spend a lot of time in the woods scouting and have target bucks I am hunting. I'm enjoying every minute I get in the woods listening to the birds and critters, smelling the woods and giving myself a break from the rat race we live in. The hunting on the Westside is just going to get better as we near the 31st. Looking forward to the chess match and hunting these wiley critters. Good Luck and be as persistent as you can. Discouragement is not your friend. I shot a four point blacktail on the last day of late buck one year, the only deer I saw that year. Some years are strange and the predator problem makes it hard not to get discouraged. Good Luck to Everyone. I enjoy seeing your success photos.
