Whitetail seasons

[desert ranger]

In reading the fall regs I can see that most of the late season Whitetail units will issue 40 tags. With the limited number of tags for that timeframe, most of us will actually hunt in late October or November. I wonder how big of a handicap this really is. Do good hunters who scout preseason, and during season are out pre-dawn, glass hard all day and can shoot suffer a real disadvantage? Your thoughts and experiences please thanks.

[308Nut]

My opinion is that December rut hunts are very exciting and action packed. While fun, it can also be frustrating due to bucks constantly on the move. Either looking for does or chasing them over the next ridge. And the next one and the next one........The rut definately brings the big boys out for a bit more visibility but deer in October have to eat and water too. For me, I am sucker for rutting undulants and cool weather. So December hunts are my taste, however, many a big bucks get taken in October. This is where it boils down to the hunter. With good glass, patience, persistence and making your shot opprotunities count, you will have far more good bucks on the wall than I ever will.

 

Pre rut bucks are ALOT more predictable than rutting bucks.

[bonecollector]

There are goods bucks to be found and tagged in August and Oct before the rut. Look at all the big bucks that were taken in the early hunts last year. Just have to bear the heat and be willing to hike farther than the rest of the hunters out there.

[Loner]

I hunted every weekend of last years Dec. hunt and never saw any sign of rutting, all the bucks but one were alone. That was my first late hunt so I cant compare it to other years. Took a small fork on the last day who was with his mama. Was it a late start for last years rut?? (se unit)

Loner

[Coues&Bass]

Dec. rifle or bow is the only way to go but as you say the tags a hard to draw. I have hunted alot in Nov. which is almost always my second choice. If the weather is cool then your chances of seeing a good buck are better but when it is warm or even hot your chances I feel are diminshed due to the bigger bucks moving more at pre-dawn, dusk or even at night. So if you want to get a chance at one of these bucks you better be set up early and be out late.

Last year I found bucks rutting pretty hard by Dec. 19th and finally took the buck on my Avatar on Dec. 26th.

Just like 308nut said it took a long time and alot of work due to the deer moving all the time chasing does from one ridge to the next. I took my first big buck in Nov. of 99 but the weather was unseasonably cool.

Good luck on the draw.

my 2 cents.

[youngbuck]

Dec hunt can be iffy with the weather. The last 2 years we have really done well in Dec. 104, 113, 109, and three over 90. It is a ton of fun to hunt in Dec (normaly one or twqo tage for a handfull of glassers). You can hold out for a big deer because there will be more days. I don't have classes. There are fewer people out and about. It is an all around better hunt. Ive also had a lot of succes in Oct hunts. Scouting really pays off for early hunts, more so than the rut, I think. Most hunters wont go too deep because the heat. Get up on a knob when its dark and cool and stay there all day. It pays off. Bucks in Oct are bachelored up, this is helpfull in some ways. They hold up and lay in the shade alot more than Dec bucks. I had never really went on Dec hunts untill about 5 years ago. The first hunt I went on was terrible. Very, very few bucks. I was green at the Dec thing, but I eventually learned how to hunt it. Now I prefer Dec tags but wont hesitate to go or help on an Oct hunt.

[elkhunter]

the success rate for oct/nov hunts for hunters who spent alot of time scouting and pattering bucks is well in the 80-90% success range for most and 100% for some, alot of big bucks are killed during all hunts mostly the october hunts out of the 3 early hunts, dec hunts typically reduces "bad luck" and competition among other hunters

[azslim]

I like the first and last hunts best, either get on em before they know the game is on or after things have calmed down and not as many people in the field.

 

[SunDevil]

got to consider the moon also. could have a good moon in oct or a bad moon. same goes for each of the nov hunts. with the dec hunt being two weeks you are guaranteed at least one good moon phase.

[Guest Bandido]

Personally bro I think there is too much hype about the rut. Yes they are more active and more likely to not pay as much attention to hunters. But coues bucks normally stay within their territory. A lot of their attention goes to protecting it. I prefer the later hunts because of the temperature. I like November's hunt. It used to rain all season long and I like that for several reasons. I love the December hunts. Not because of the rut but because I like the weather and the time of year I guess. There's nothing like a sunrise from the top of one of my mountains in December. I haven't been able to hunt for a few years now and I was hoping I'd be able to go this year. Either way I apply for the late hunt but plan for November and my last choice is the first season. It's hot and dry but lots of deer get dropped. I suggest that people don't get discouraged by seasons. Use what you got. If it's hot - use the heat. If the deer are rutting - use that. Find where the deer are and get in there with them. Just get out there and HUNT. I've never hunted "the rut" or other things. I hunt deer. If you don't like hunting coues when you don't get one - you don't like hunting coues. Suerte bro.

[cw4192]

I HAVE SEEN COUES RUT AS EARLY AS LATE OCTOBER, EARLY NOVEMBER, AND AS LATE AS JANUARY INTO FEBRUARY. SO ITS UP TO THE WEATHER AND MOON CYCLES I THINK.

[COOSEFAN]

I like any hunt I can get, doesn't matter if it's early or late! But, I can guarantee myself an early tag every year and I would rather hunt every year in Oct. rather than waiting between tags for Dec. hunts. Sure it's cooler, has less pressure and extra time on the Dec. hunts, but you can kill the same deer in Oct if your willing to put up with some heat and pressure. One thing that I like about the Oct. hunts is those factors, heat and pressure, that can be used to your benefit. Both factors will narrow down where you need to look for a good buck. In Dec. they can and will be anywhere, sometimes with no rhyme or reason and sometimes they won't stay long. In Oct. they will spend most of the day on the shady side of a hill or down in a low pressure pocket, and best of all they usually have buddies! So, when you find one in Oct. you will probably have several bucks to choose from!

 

I've got areas where in Oct. I know right where to look to find bucks and where not to look because it's a waste of time. When I go to that same area in late Dec. I have to look everywhere to try and find the same deer that I previously had concentrated in Oct. I'll take all the Oct. tags I can get

[elkhunter]

Jim- I agree with you, I had 3 dec tags before I even drew an Oct tag and my biggest bucks are from the early hunts and my best buck is from an October hunt, the temp was almost 90 degrees and it made it easy for me to locate deer under the trees, there was no one around us and we were a good mile and half back in some rough country and that day we saw 8 shooter bucks!

 

You can get big bucks on both dec and october hunts, it's just that the oct hunt you have to tolerate the heat during the day just as you tolerate the cold temps in dec

 

Another benifit of the early hunt is that the bucks stay still when bedded, they are not active due to hot weather so if you find them a mile or two away in the early morning, good chance they will be right there 2 hours later as you get to 300 yards, just like this bad boy

 

 

[azslim]

So where is the pic of him on the ground EH?

[bonecollector]

I've got areas where in Oct. I know right where to look to find bucks and where not to look because it's a waste of time. When I go to that same area in late Dec. I have to look everywhere to try and find the same deer that I previously had concentrated in Oct. I'll take all the Oct. tags I can get

 

+1

During my Oct hunt last year I knew exactly where the bucks would be and I found them almost everyday I was in there, but it never worked out for me. When the Dec archery hunt started those deer were no where to be found. I love the Oct. hunts.