Terrible conditions!

[longstevo]

Just spent four days hunting my late muzzle tag in its designated unit, and I think I'd probably be hunting quieter if I taped potato chip bags to my boots. 

Everything is dry, but freezes up every single night, and with it being so cold, the frozen dirt and hoar frost doesn't thaw until early afternoon, and simply doesn't thaw in the shaded areas.  CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH!

I hunted hard since Thursday and failed to see a single legal buck (3 point min).  My hunting partner shot at a monster buck but missed at 100 yards.  Other than that one buck, none of the three of us have seen anything due to the marching band we're putting on in the woods. 
 
I got one more day to hunt, so we'll see what happens.   

[PolarBear]

That is when a treestand comes in handy.

[longstevo]

That is when a treestand comes in handy.

Yeah, I know.  But we hunt such a big unit that doesn't have any sort of feed crops outside of a heavily logged area, it'd be hard to find a spot to put it. 

[DBHAWTHORNE]

PB have you got your buck yet?

[PolarBear]

Nope.  I haven't even stepped foot in the woods after deer yet.  With work the way that it is right now I might have to settle for hunting blacktails after Christmas.  Probably no whitie hunting for me this year but thats okay.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Find the food and access trails to the feed that are thawed at first light/sunny morning. Get there and set up in the dark.

-Steve

[PolarBear]

That is when a treestand comes in handy.

Yeah, I know.  But we hunt such a big unit that doesn't have any sort of feed crops outside of a heavily logged area, it'd be hard to find a spot to put it.

Find a good, smaller trail off of a major trail.  Set up at a point where they intersect or come close together.  I always set up on travel corridors and pinch points instead of feed or bedding areas.  It seem to work well for me even in areas where there is no obvious major source of feed.   

[DBHAWTHORNE]

 

Often those smaller trails are traveled by bucks. If you find ones that also have a good rub line then that is a good sign. Often bigger rubs are made by bigger buck but that does not always hold true. However, if you find a 5 inch plus evergreen sapling shredded to pieces you can almost guarantee that it isn't a yearling that did that handy work. That being said you want to set at the intersection like PB said. It doesn't matter if there is a rub in sight. Keep the wind in mind when you choose your location of ambush and you should be set. With all the walking around you have done you likely know exactly where such a location exists already. From there it is a sit and wait it out game. It can be painful at times but it can also pay off big time.

[CedarPants]

Not sure if you were in 113 this past weekend, but that's where I was and same thing.  Very loud, crunchy snow.

Try gaining a bit of elevation and focusing on the south facing slopes, especially the clear cuts.  They were snow free where I was (whereas the north facing slopes had a couple feet), and they were filled with deer off and on all day.  I didn't connect, but it wasn't for a lack of trying.

Good luck

[jackmaster]

i love these types of mornings, i have killed my biggest bucks on days like this, it never fails i find the first south west slope that gets hit by sun and go hunker down, deer gotta warm up to after freezing the nards off

[longstevo]

Great tips by all.

I ended up getting shooting at a beautiful 4X4, but I stretched the range of my smokepole and missed him cleanly.  All four times.