Calling in Mule deer in the rut
just adding
sorry i wanted to ask again if anyone does know anything about rattling and calling in bucks and if it works. Oh and the comment about clear cuts being the only efficient way i meant for weekend warriors such as myself who only get about 4-6 weekends of deer hunting in a year. Hopefully going to change this year with no college, just a job.
"Hunting is not something you read in books or watch on tv, hunting is a feeling, an art, and a time honored tradition"
Tracker J,
In the early season, I'm addicted to hunting the high country. Scouting is essential to be successful on the Big Boys in the alpine. So many basins to look in and chances of finding the Bruiser's hidey hole are slim if you don't put a lot of time scouting in the summer. I normally start scouting early July. Being up on the mountain at first light glassing them in the Reds is the best way to find them. They'll be bedding really high in the rocks to avoid the bugs. Come Sept, they'll be a tad lower than where they'll be in July.
In Oct, I normally hunt the timber and the cutblocks just below the alpine. Normally snow is hitting the high country by then and I use Tracking as my main method of knowing where the big bucks are hanging out.
In Nov, I hit the timber in the lower ground and use grunting, rubbing and rattling a lot. I still hunt the thick stuff and do small scale spot and stalk if there are small openings in the area.
Most of my bucks have been taken still hunting the timber up close and personal at less than 50 yards with a rifle.
In the early season, I'm addicted to hunting the high country. Scouting is essential to be successful on the Big Boys in the alpine. So many basins to look in and chances of finding the Bruiser's hidey hole are slim if you don't put a lot of time scouting in the summer. I normally start scouting early July. Being up on the mountain at first light glassing them in the Reds is the best way to find them. They'll be bedding really high in the rocks to avoid the bugs. Come Sept, they'll be a tad lower than where they'll be in July.
In Oct, I normally hunt the timber and the cutblocks just below the alpine. Normally snow is hitting the high country by then and I use Tracking as my main method of knowing where the big bucks are hanging out.
In Nov, I hit the timber in the lower ground and use grunting, rubbing and rattling a lot. I still hunt the thick stuff and do small scale spot and stalk if there are small openings in the area.
Most of my bucks have been taken still hunting the timber up close and personal at less than 50 yards with a rifle.
"Trophy value is not always a measure of tine and beam. It may be just a measure of hard, solid hunting in which both man and deer conducted themselves well, so that neither was shamed." - John Madson, "Why Men Hunt"
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shedhunter
- Spike
- Posts: 149
- Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2004 10:27 am
- Location: Cedar City, UT
I have never herd of anyone calling in a mulie with calls or rattling one in. I my self haven't tried it though. All the stuff that I have herd on it, is that mule deer dont respond to rattling. I have seen a movie where a mulie came in to two whitetails fighting, but if ya have any luck at it this year, let us know!
Rattling works well for Muleys but mainly during the prerut. Grunting and Rubbing have worked amazingly well for me from late Oct on through the first week of Dec. If I jump a buck in the heavy timber, and grunt, most times he'll turn around and start beating brush. I will do the same, which will really get him pissed and coming back to check me out. I've had this work of big mature bucks more than the younger bucks. The younger bucks think they are going to get a butt whopping so they bail for Dodge. I've had bucks come in to really close range by doing this. So close, I've felt uncomfortable. LOL! Easily within Bow range. If I don't have an antler to beat brush with, I'll use the barrel of my rifle. Works just as well, but can get a little on the pitchy side. LOL! In noisy walking conditions, I grunt all the time. If you have ever listened to a buck searching for does, he's very noisy. I have jumped does, grunted, and had them stop and relax which then allowed me to walk past them without them spooking other deer beyond them. I have used the reed based calls and don't like them. The reeds can freeze up in cold conditions. I use my voice instead. I basically swallow air and burp. Sounds just like a buck. Can give ya heartburn by the end of the day, but nothing Tums can't fix. LOL!
"Trophy value is not always a measure of tine and beam. It may be just a measure of hard, solid hunting in which both man and deer conducted themselves well, so that neither was shamed." - John Madson, "Why Men Hunt"
BCBoy,
thanks, that was my plan for scouting this summer, i want to bring up some float tubes and some fly fishing gear, and try and maybe find a lake to fish, and then wake up early and use binoculars and spotting scope in the mornings to find some bruisers, and then mid day when the deer arent moving as much and gets hot, just head out fishing. Spend a couple days doing this, and hopefully find somethin. I've heard that that alpine muley's can have almost clocked out routines for their day, where they visit the same watering hole at w/e time and feed their way up to their usual bedding area and so on, is this true? If so will this continue into the hunting season, or will they break up theyre routine.
Once into the rut in heavy rutting grounds, ive noticed huge amounts of scrapes and scrape lines, this is why i thought that calling and scraping/rattling might work in an area like this. Muleys scrape pre-rut i know, a 4 point I shot late season like last weekend of nov. or fisrt week of dec. he was with 5 does, and he has small shavings on just his browtines and hair around the base of his antlers, Is this from him still continuing to make rubs this late, or is he just rubbing scent glands on the top of his head leaving his scent or something? I never looked hard, but i didnt notice any rubs in the cutblock. About using your voice, thats a good idea, if you can get it down cus i've got a reed based grunt, and it can be kinda tweaky, and in the winter on really cold days it doesnt work at all, ill try a little practice on using my own voice, and ill try using it this year.
thanks, that was my plan for scouting this summer, i want to bring up some float tubes and some fly fishing gear, and try and maybe find a lake to fish, and then wake up early and use binoculars and spotting scope in the mornings to find some bruisers, and then mid day when the deer arent moving as much and gets hot, just head out fishing. Spend a couple days doing this, and hopefully find somethin. I've heard that that alpine muley's can have almost clocked out routines for their day, where they visit the same watering hole at w/e time and feed their way up to their usual bedding area and so on, is this true? If so will this continue into the hunting season, or will they break up theyre routine.
Once into the rut in heavy rutting grounds, ive noticed huge amounts of scrapes and scrape lines, this is why i thought that calling and scraping/rattling might work in an area like this. Muleys scrape pre-rut i know, a 4 point I shot late season like last weekend of nov. or fisrt week of dec. he was with 5 does, and he has small shavings on just his browtines and hair around the base of his antlers, Is this from him still continuing to make rubs this late, or is he just rubbing scent glands on the top of his head leaving his scent or something? I never looked hard, but i didnt notice any rubs in the cutblock. About using your voice, thats a good idea, if you can get it down cus i've got a reed based grunt, and it can be kinda tweaky, and in the winter on really cold days it doesnt work at all, ill try a little practice on using my own voice, and ill try using it this year.
"Hunting is not something you read in books or watch on tv, hunting is a feeling, an art, and a time honored tradition"
The only pattening I've been able to lock down in the high country is long term patterning. I have several bucks that I have seen in the same piece of alpine (within 500 yards) 4 years straight. But there just seems to be too many factors in BC that cause the Big bucks to change what they are doing to really count on them being at the same place at the same time every day. Bugs, Wind, Frost, Wolves, Snow and Heat. These are all factors that I've found have changed things drastically. One thing that can be counted on is that if you saw him once, and you didn't expose yourself to him, he should be living in that same basin, or a basin close by. If you put enough time in glassin, you should be able to find him again. The biggest pattern buster I think is Frost. When it hits the alpine veg, the bucks will drop a tad in elevation and be feeding more in the sub alpine where the frost hasn't toasted out the veg. Early season can get snow and that only will affect bucks that have a large migration like some areas of the Chilcotin. In those areas, the bucks will bail after the first couple snow falls. But where the bucks only have a couple hours travel to get to the winter range (straight down hill), they will stay up high at the timberline really late, even through Dec some years. Tracking in the snow in the subalpine is your best bet at locating that big buck you may have glimpsed in the summer.
"Trophy value is not always a measure of tine and beam. It may be just a measure of hard, solid hunting in which both man and deer conducted themselves well, so that neither was shamed." - John Madson, "Why Men Hunt"
Yea i sorta figured so on the patterning, i've just read it before in a hunting magazine and I've never noticed this hunting before but i havent done much alpine hunting so i was wondering if you had noticed it before. I prefer hunting in snow as it is, and its nicer hiking in B.C. country on snow, unless its krusted up, and theres nothing nicer than a fresh snow fall to hunt on. When you say subalpine your talking about the lower reaches of alpine and into the timber line? And in your earlier post you said your best chance of scopping was early morning in the "Reds" I've never heard this term before could you explain? Thanks a lot B.C.Boy I love learning more and new things about mule deer and hunting them. Much apreciated, I hope to have some success stories or atleast some stories for you this fall.
"Hunting is not something you read in books or watch on tv, hunting is a feeling, an art, and a time honored tradition"
I can't speak on hunting the rut but I can speak on calling deer. Quite often when I'm out hunting coyote and I use the doe or fawn distress call a herd of doe will show up. The closest a herd has come is 20 yards and I'm positive they knew I was there (mainly cuz I stood up and asked them what they thought they were doing) and would not leave. They had to know where that call was coming from. So I would guess if the does come in the buck will follow during the rut.
-Dan
-Dan
TrackerJ,
When I say sub-alpine, I mean the timberline edge. Normally scattered spruce/subalpine fir with lots of alpine flowers and good muley eats.
When I refer to the "reds" I mean the muley's summer coat. Their red coat sticks out like sore thumbs when the sun hits it. Really easy to pick out in the alpine compared to the fall "grey".
Heelerdog,
Those distress calls can really work but sometimes you can get other critters coming in that you may not have counted on. A couple years ago, my buddy jumped some deer in some thick timber, he blew on his fawn distress call and a huge cougar came leaping towards him in a matter of seconds after blowing it.
When I say sub-alpine, I mean the timberline edge. Normally scattered spruce/subalpine fir with lots of alpine flowers and good muley eats.
When I refer to the "reds" I mean the muley's summer coat. Their red coat sticks out like sore thumbs when the sun hits it. Really easy to pick out in the alpine compared to the fall "grey".
Heelerdog,
Those distress calls can really work but sometimes you can get other critters coming in that you may not have counted on. A couple years ago, my buddy jumped some deer in some thick timber, he blew on his fawn distress call and a huge cougar came leaping towards him in a matter of seconds after blowing it.
"Trophy value is not always a measure of tine and beam. It may be just a measure of hard, solid hunting in which both man and deer conducted themselves well, so that neither was shamed." - John Madson, "Why Men Hunt"