treestand setup???

[jamaro]

hey everybody...

During the early season do you think it is more important to setup near water or near a mineral lick...

Jason

[galiuro mountain man]

I personally like water holes over mineral licks. The deer will use pretty much the same water every day unless they are pressured. Licks are good, but sometimes the deer will go 3 to 4 days without using them. I usually try to focus the Aug hunt around water, but if it starts to rain, I head for the salt licks. I have seen 16 deer at one lick from the time it started raining till 30 minutes after. I think it is easier for them to get the salt when the licks are wet, so they use them heavily when raining.

 

GMM

[TAM]

Treestandman and myself have several active salt licks that get hammered by deer. A couple of them get very very little buck action throughout the year and the bucks only show up during the rut. We have a couple that get visited regularly by good bucks throughout the entire year, and we have at least one that gets a lot of small to medium bucks year round but good bucks during the rut. We also have a few tanks that have good bucks visiting on a consistant basis throughout the summer, and other tanks that seem like they should produce good bucks that rarely get hit. We know this information because we have trail cameras on them for months at a time and are constantly monitoring the activity year round.

 

To answer your question... either (salt or water). Set up over which ever stand the big deer are coming into. Spend the time scouting or invest in a trail camera. I already know which stands I'll be hunting from in August and one is over water, and one is over salt. Bucks will come into both at that time of year.

[TREESTANDMAN]

Well said Tim.

 

I will also agree w/ GMM that for some reason deer will nail the mineral sites either during a light rain or just after rain.

 

I had 4 bucks and a bunch of does come into a mineral site in unit 27 in August 6 or so years ago. The 4 bucks were all separate instances and it was in a one day and one morning period. One of them was a 100+ inch whitetail buck, another a 140+ 4*4 muley, a spike muley, and a spike whitetail. I harvested the spike muley. Since then my hunting skills and accuracy w/ a bow have greatly improved.

[TAM]

I think a common problem with hunting water is that a buck may hit a tank almost every day early in the summer, but as the monsoons hit there peak in mid to late August water sources increase and deer don't need to hit the tanks as often.

[galiuro mountain man]

In my experience, whitetails will still hit tanks if they arent pressured. My wifes cousin and I were out before, during, and after a hard rainstorm last year, and found this out. I was trying to get him a bowkill so we went to a tank I know has deer using it. There were deer using it in the morning about 9 till 11, then it started raining, it rained hard for a couple of hours. I wondered if the deer would still use it with all the water around. I got my answer about 20 minutes later, the deer started coming in just like in the morning. He just couldnt get a good shot at them. There was even a couple of 90+ bucks in that afternoon.

 

I think the biggest factor for WT is pressure from predators. If the deer arent messed with they usually will do close to the same thing every day, year after year.

 

GMM

[monster]

waterholes myself

 

 

 

 

DSH hunting forums

 

Bowtech Archery Forums

[bowsniper]

Something I read somewhere else was saying that bucks weren't interested in salt during the rut, but from what you guys are saying that's not true. So you guys are seeing the bucks hit the salt during the rut?

 

Bowsniper

[Redman]

Here a question if anybody wants to answer, how do you normally locate water holes that hold water in the summer off the beaten path? Topo map?

 

I know of some, but would really like to find others.

 

Redman

[111]

I hunt for muleys during the archery deer hunt in Northern Arizona. I know just about everybody on here is a coues fanatic, but do any of you happen to know if muleys come into salt, or know of anything else that they might come into?

[TAM]

I don't think that the bucks are actually coming into the salt during the rut. I think the does are still coming into the salt and the bucks will follow the does. Also, yes carp will hit salt just like whiteys. We've got recent trail camera pic's of carp at a salt hole.

[jamaro]

Wow... All of this is great info.... Thanks... From what I understand the deer really hit the minerals to get there horns to harden up... It might be a wives tale but it makes sense.

Treestandman... Are you going to be in 27 again this year??? If not would you be willing to PM me with more info???

Jason

[galiuro mountain man]

Redman, I usually look at topos first, but there is a lot of places not listed on them, so I walk. I glass for water kind of like glassing for deer. I look for differences in the plants and trees from the ones all around. I have found a lot of springs this way. I like springs later in the hunt because pressured deer will use them more than tanks or troughs. I have found over 30 big springs not listed on maps in AZ. I have cams set on some of them right now, so I will see what is using them. I forgot to tell where to look for springs. I have found most of them in canyons (of course) but I have found some on tops of ridges and 2 of the springs I hunt are on saddles. I also found a spring that has standing water in it only at night (set up cam on wet spot with lots of tracks, then noticed there was water in it on night photos).

 

GMM

[25-06]

Lot's and Lot's of great info guy's please keep it cummin

[Redman]

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Redman