seeker88

Congrats on the buck and thanks for sharing the story. Get's me excited to get back out there this weekend!

Have been counting down the days until Archery opens, get the He** out of Phoenix and up into the great outdoors. We've had our game cam's up since June and have had lots of bucks and bulls (please let me get my archery elk next year...) hitting our water holes on a daily/semi-daily basis now for weeks. We've had a few days in our area where there was some rain, but nothing to extreme so it didn't seem to affect the deer patterns. However, there's a 40% chance of precipitation starting today (8/19) and going on until at least Monday (8/26). We originally had planned to sit our water holes, but with all this rain I'm starting to feel this may not be in our best interest. Has this rainy forecast made anyone else change their minds about sitting a waterhole or trails that lead to them? Please share your thoughts on this or if you've experienced a similar situation in the past! Best of luck to everyone!

Good to know, 300ultra. I've heard they stay hydrated off of plant life but wasn't aware of how long they would use that instead of actual water. Wildwoody, you are very close! Mormon Lake weather is what I used for that screenshot. I'll be hunting the lower/mid portion of 6a. How about you? Mpriest, this will be my first year hunting the northern country. I have a few funnels that lead to water that we're considering too. Might be a better option then sitting the actual hole with all this rain. Since I've always hunted 24b prior to this my tactics have been sitting behind my binos, so this should be interesting...

Not trying to take over his thread, but if anyone has any advice on this I'm sure it could help others out as well. I've had my game camera up for a couple of months and have gotten some great pictures of bucks, but every single one of them has been at night. I also only have a ton of does, but even then, very few times were they taken during the day. Are the deer in this area nocturnal during the hunting season, or is my camera just on the wrong side of the mountain?

Andy, that is a great looking buck! I know you had different plans for your hunt before your back started giving you problems, so it's great to hear that you were able to make some last minute plans/scoutings, push through the pain, and score yourself that awesome buck! Your determination paid off, and it's also an inspiration to people like myself. Now that you have the extra time you can hopefully get your back healed up for the stick n bow in January!

This is my first post on coueswhitetail.com, so hello to everyone on the forums! I will be hunting 24b this upcoming Friday, and have been preparing for this December hunt for the past few months. I also hunted this same area in September but never got a shot opportunity. In September and October I saw many quality bucks in the area I am hunting. However, during my scouting trip in November I found many does, but not one buck! I am assuming this is highly due to the November Rifle hunt in this unit which I wasn't drawn for ... I also have a game camera set up on a major game trail leading to a water hole and again, I have about 75 pictures of does, but not one buck. Coyotes, foxes, skunks, does, but no bucks... This past weekend, I found a new scrape on another tail heading to the waterhole, which has given me some new hope. I also have read that once the rut starts the bucks will change their patterns and start going where the does are. I currently have 2 natural blinds set up, one by the waterhole and another on the game trail where I have my camera set up. So here is my question: Should I sit the waterhole blind in hopes of a buck? Should I sit on the heavily used game trail where my camera is at (where I've only seen does)? Or since I'm not actually seeing the same bucks I saw the past few months, would doing another spot in stalk in the area prove effective with the oncoming rut? Any and all advice is appreciated!

Thanks for sharing hunting addict. Sorry you didn't get to see any shooters. Antmo, if I recall you've pulled a couple bucks out of 24b already this season. Since there's a coldfront coming in this weekend, I'm excited to see if it get's the bucks moving a bit! Sawbuck, guess I better find a new unit then... lol Eagle Eye, this is for Archery. The Rifle hunt in 24b also opens on the 14th, but there is only 40 tags available. I really hope i'm lucky enough to not be hunting the same area as one of them...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I was leaning towards the same thing. I haven't seen any bucks the last few times I was glassing, so maybe I'll head in further back. I just received my new binoculars last night (10x42), which is a huge upgrade from my current set up. This should help make glassing easier and more exciting! Is anyone else not seeing as many bucks as they were earlier in the season?

Awesome video! If you don't mind me asking, what unit was that in?

I like the idea that m77 is trying to change for the better (even though I may not agree with his recommendation). I personally believe in the "first come, first serve" rule. However, it is simply a rule to consider. It comes down to law vs ethics and as we all know... at lot of things that are unethical are still legal. This means even though you are there first, someone can still legally come in and sit across the waterhole from you, or even right next to you. If we were going to make a change for the better, I think this should move from a ethical rule, to an actual law. What if they were to make the "first come, first serve" an actual law for waterholes. If another hunter is at the waterhole first (for that day of course), then another hunter is not legally allowed to hunt within XXX yards of that waterhole. A lot of the A holes out there that currently disregard this law may be less inclined to stick around if they know by doing so can cause them to be fined and/or lose their hunting license for the year. It would also put an end to the harassment hunters receive from payed guides. I feel they already have other laws that would help make this a reality. For instance, no camping within a 1/4 mile of a waterhole. What are your guy's thoughts on this idea? Flame away if needed