Hey You Whitetail Guys!

[Alan K]

Hey Guys,

I’ve been hitting the woods hard since Aug. 30th this year looking for a whitetail buck and I’m having one hell of a tough time.  I’m hunting towards northern Idaho, about an hour north of Moscow.  I’ve spent at least 15 days in the woods for whitetails alone so far this year between bow and rifle season, and have seen nothing but does the entire time. Whitetails are by far the spookiest animals I’ve ever tried to hunt.  At least these mountain whitetails of Idaho are.

I’ve taken 9 Blacktails and 4 Mule deer in my day and have never really messed with rattling, grunting, estrus bleats etc. but the more I look into methods of hunting whitetail bucks the more I hear about these things.  I’m curious about how you guys have used them in the past and in what situations?

My roommate and I were out Monday morning and we saw does in our primary spot, still without bucks.  Even yesterday in our secondary spot we saw several does, all without bucks.  This morning however, we hit the primary spot again, but with a fresh inch of snow this morning the animals were holed up.  We didn’t so much as cut a fresh track though we covered 6-7 miles on foot, and in all different terrain; clearcuts, reprod, and timber.  What we did find however, were series of fresh scrapes in two completely different areas.  I have never actually seen these things in person until today, though I’ve heard about whitetails making them.  I’ve heard they make them to establish their territory as the rut nears, so this has me excited.  Looks like things are going to start happening in the next couple of days.

Now last year my roommate was able to take a decent little 3 point with eyeguards that was following a couple does.  Just complete luck really, we were hiking on our way back to camp and happened to spot a couple does pushing out of some reprod, and low and behold there was the buck right on their heels.  I haven’t had any problems finding does so I can’t imagine I’ll have any trouble bumping into one eventually, but I’d like to try using some scents, rattling, grunting, bleating etc.  It would be neat to do something aside from the same old thing spotting n’ shooting.

For rattling. . . What size antlers do you guys who rattle use? I’ve heard people push a large set, and some push small sets.  In what type of situations and terrain do you rattle? At what point in the rut do you use different rattling sequences?  Do you do this in combination with any scents, or calls? I’ll attach a picture of my rattling antlers, a matched set I found this spring.  Are they too big or can I get away with using them lightly?

For bleating/grunting. . . Same questions apply really.  What situations and point in the rut do you use these?  I bought “The Can” the other day at the store, but have yet to buy a grunt call.  How do you like “The Can” and how do you guys like to use it?  Any recommendations on a grunt call if you would recommend grunting at all?

Scents. . . I haven’t tried using estrus type scents or dominant scents for that matter.  Do you guys believe in them?  What sort of situations do you use them in? Where do you place them, and what do you put them on? I’ve heard of putting them on cotton balls, and even tampons so you can hang them from trees lol!

Anyhow, I appreciate any advice you guys can lend me and my roommate Jammer, who just killed a bear on Halloween by the way! He’s new to Hunting-WA and just posted his first thread. Check out his story here:  http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,37743.0.html.  We’re on the verge of the rut or in the pre-rut right now, and I’d really like to feel like I did something more than simply spotting my deer when it comes down to it and I take a buck.  Also, I’m not terribly picky on what size buck I take, while something big would be nice, I’m willing to take anything forked.

I attached a couple pictures of the scrapes we found this morning, along with my set of rattling antlers.  The scrapes were really something.  There were 3 of these scrapes along an old cat road between a clearcut and a stand of timber (two of them in the frist picture).  Then the one in the second picture was about a mile away, again sort of on the edge of a clearcut, just inside it about 20 yards from a patch of reprod. 

[RockChuck]

Is the $20 bill a bribe?

Ha Ha!!

[Alan K]

HAHA Not exactly, wasn't even thinking about bribing, but if you help me out and I take a buck of a lifetime maybe!

[jjhunter]

Alan,

Got about 11 seasons under my belt in that country.......the first rule of thumb is to hunt where you can see!  If you can't see them, you can't kill them.  I hunt open ridges, clear cuts, etc.   2)  Sit still.  This is a patience game.  If you are moving, they will see you long before you see them.  3) Find a good looking area and stay out all day.  Spend some time at it - give an area a chance to produce.   I have seen the biggest bucks chasing does at around 10:00 a.m.   3) Timing.  Those deer are rutting hard between the 16th and 24th of November.  Been so for as long as I can remember.  I don't even head out until that time.  The Panhandle can wear you out from lack of animal sightings.  The key is to hunt smart and be there in that peak rut time.  Hope this helps.......

[NWBREW]

Scents....doe in heat right now, I use a pump spray and spray a little in the scrape . If you find scrapes...look for a pattern (scrape line). Rattling...never worked for me. Grunt call....always, not so much for calling them in as for stopping them for a shot, although I have called a spike about 80 yards across a meadow. Snort wheeze... will sometimes stop a spooked deer and get him to come back..a 1, 2, and a long 3. Those looked like first time fresh scrapes...bucks should come back to freshen them up......right at dark. I won't be to far away from you in another 4 days and I always kill my buck in the late season. The rut is heating up and it's the best time to be in the woods.    Good Luck

[RockChuck]

Sorry, I am no help, I have never hunted whitetails, i just saw the pic and that came to mind.

[Alan K]

I appreciate the input I've recieved on this thread and through private messages, I'm excited to get back out there.  Sounds like I'll be missing some class this week! . . . . I'll keep everyone posted as I go out, if I manage to take a buck it'll be thanks to you guys because I'll be taking your advice and hunting them much differently than I have been.

Again, thanks a lot!

[Machias]

I would not call those spots on the ground scraps.  Technically speaking, yes they are scarpes, but they are not serious scraps.  If you find a scrape line along with a rub line that can be a good place to put a stand up downwind.  Once the rut starts the scraps will generally go cold.  I have rattled in several bucks here in WA, more back home in Missouri.  I have grunted in more whitetails then rattled in up here.  I won't hunt without a grunt tube, they are excellent at bringing bucks into you.  However they almost always circle downwind, so if your hunting thick country you'll never know they were even there.  I'm also one of those guys who find a place or two and sits 90% of the day.  I may still hunt over to another spot and then sit again. 

[sako223]

Whitetails are fun aren't they. I think it is better meat too. I have hunted them my entire life here in eastern WA. Fortunately almost always on our own property. Bucks can get amazingly small in the most obvious places.
Over the years we have become wise to their tactics. We always start season in a stand and it is usually over within one hour. They are very predictable in that we use the very same stands that our grandparents used. It's the lay of the land. When walking/hunting sometimes they are behind you.
I have killed several bucks 300-500 yards ahead of a walking hunter as the buck is tiptoeing away.
If the pressure is really on we have one person hunt in the thickest, brushy, thorny, draws and creek beds. Literally crawling getting clothes torn, often even bloody cuts. While the other hunts the adjoining clearing. Very high success rate with this often finding bucks we had never seen before. Often get close to or nearly run over by a bear doing this too.
A salt block has big advantages. I am also a firm believer in UV killer detergent and camo to include face net and gloves. We have had bucks actually sniffing under three feet away. On two separate occasions a doe and buck were sniffing while I was smoking.

[Basket Rack]

I am guessing that you are attending U of I and I was once in your same shoes at U of Montana almost 20 years ago now, where I first hunted whitetails. Had been a black/muley hunter until then but quickly got addicted to whiteys.  Have pretty much hunted them every year since when I can get drawn for a MT tag. 

Yeah the timber/mountain whitetail are amazingly spooky and the big bucks are practically non existent until Nov, when they all of a sudden show up around the 15th.  As the earlier post stated rut seems to really heat up between 16-22 or so every year.  Rattling, scents, can calls are all consistently inconsistent it seems with the timber whiteys.  Definitely carry the grunt call for stopping bucks as that time of year they are generally on the move.  The best advice I can give is to just be out during this time period.  There is nothing better than when you come across a hot doe wildly running not from being spooked by hunters but from the big buck or sometimes 3 or 4 big bucks chasing her.

Good luck.