The rifle tag really isn't that great. There are nice bulls in there, but as stated above, the rut is over and they are deep in hiding. I actually drew the tag once, and could only get away for a few days to hunt it (I know people are going to say don't apply if you don't have time, but I drew with very few points and didn't expect much). That said, I chose to hunt the first 3 days before I had to get back to law school. I probably could have shot a bigger bull had I waited until all the general season guys had them running in circles, but chose to have a more calm hunt. To me, it was more fun to hunt in a woods that was more or less empty that it would be to kill the first decent bull that ran by with his tongue out.
I saw zero branch antler bulls in the areas I scouted and was seeing bulls and hearing bugling earlier in the fall. There are big bulls around, and you will kill a nice one if you hold out. But, don't expect to see a big bulls hanging out in the clearcuts you see them in all summer and early fall.
