need some pointers---how to hunt the thick stuff (NE corner)

[uplandhunter870]

went up this weekend to scout some potential areas out and man is some of that stuff thick. just wondering if anyone would like to share some tactics on how to hunt the jungle brush, this is for the late whitetail hunt in the general colville area.  have one spot in mind in an older stand of timber with a relatively clear understory that butts up against a meadow with a lake in it. ive never really hunted whitetails in the brush im used to chasing mulies around the sage covered breaks and wheat fields.

thanks in advance for any insight
happy hunting
Steve

[724wd]

if you can find an opening, tree stands DO work... but i hate being locked down in one spot.

you could still-hunt.  go SSSSLLLLLLOOOOOOWWWWW.  literally take 5 steps and watch for 5 minutes.  that's the way they do it back east, and it DOES work, but i'm kinda impatient...

bait.  it's legal, but you'll be planted in one spot again...

ground blind, but i'd put  it up now so the deer get used to it.

good luck!  there's some great deer in the area!

[D-Rock425]

if you can find an opening, tree stands DO work... but i hate being locked down in one spot.

you could still-hunt.  go SSSSLLLLLLOOOOOOWWWWW.  literally take 5 steps and watch for 5 minutes.  that's the way they do it back east, and it DOES work, but i'm kinda impatient...

bait.  it's legal, but you'll be planted in one spot again...

ground blind, but i'd put  it up now so the deer get used to it.

good luck!  there's some great deer in the area!

[whacker1]

Go as fast as you can until you fall down - Should take about 5 steps.    I don't really know as i am still trying to figure it out.  I was amazed at how many folks were setting up camps this weekend for next weekend.  They weren't even interested in hunting elk. 

[uplandhunter870]

thanks everyone, some very good food for thought there

[highmuley]

Still hunting is the best bet (IMO). The "mountain" WT are very, very crafty too, especially in the NE corner. Can be a frustrating hunt. I have been waist deep in brush and jumped bedded bucks 10 feet from me. Sometimes being loud and obnoxious is a good thing. Gets them stirred up and moving, just have to be quick on the draw. I know an old timer that "still" hunts at a NASCAR pace (both Muleys and White tail), and he kills more, bigger bucks than anyone I know. He doesn't even shake out of bed until 9am, at the earliest, so he can "shake" them from their beds. Good luck and enjoy.

[vandeman17]

its a realy boring way to go about it but when we have found an area with high traffic (usually when the snow hits) we sit on it all day. Usually 2-3 guys, we pack heavy clothes in our packs and stake out corners on logging roads where we can see either direction 100+yards. I got tired of spot/stalk when I would turn around and find fresh tracks over the top of mine. cold and boring but it does produce in the late season for us.

I agree, if I have a few days to hunt, I will still hunt the first day but that is more just checking out the area and seeing what kind of sign is around. From there, I will decide an area that has the most sign, game trails and such and then start setting up on those. I am pretty patient but not patient enough to sit ALL day.  I generally will sit for the first two hours or so in the morning, still hunt a bit during the middle of the day and sit the last few hours of the day until dark. 

[tritt007]

wait a second, it is legal to bait deer in wa state?

[wayner]

wait a second, it is legal to bait deer in wa state?

yes

[jackelope]

This is why I always laugh when guys get talking about lazy whitetail treestand hunters from back east.
Still hunting back east is an ok way to do it but the best way to do it is to scout well ahead of time and pattern their travel routes. Whitetails are very habitual. Then set up tree stands or ground blinds to intercept them. Travel funnels where a couple ridges force the deer into a small funnel area, that kind of thing. If you really want to be effective thats the way to do it but it's not easy and sitting in a tree is not lazy.

[NWBREW]

This is why I always laugh when guys get talking about lazy whitetail treestand hunters from back east.
Still hunting back east is an ok way to do it but the best way to do it is to scout well ahead of time and pattern their travel routes. Whitetails are very habitual. Then set up tree stands or ground blinds to intercept them. Travel funnels where a couple ridges force the deer into a small funnel area, that kind of thing. If you really want to be effective thats the way to do it but it's not easy and sitting in a tree is not lazy.

I hunt the corner every year......have for about 17 years now and you hit it on the head jackelope. To be successful at tree stand hunting takes A LOT of scouting and prep. I have 3 tree stands. Two are fixed and one is a climber to keep me mobile. Sitting in a tree stand is not the hard part. Finding the right place is.

[7mag.]

Rattling is very affective in the late season.