WT Buck Water Use and Summer Activity

[CouesPursuit]

I have never stand hunted for whitetail but hunting water in August obviously seems to be the golden ticket for success in this particular bow hunt. I am hunting a high desert unit in a ground blind on a water source this August..

I was wondering if any coues vets could share their info and experiences on how often bucks use water during the day?

Any .02 is Appreciated! Thanks!

[JLW]

although i've only sat water a couple of times; mostly because i get tired and fall asleep;

we see alot of whitetail drinking late morning 9- 11am.

my brother-inlaw saw 9 bucks opening morning last year. missed a nice 3x and his hunting partner also missed a decent buck.

the following weekend produced only does.

i think the pressure has alot to do with where they drink but with my limited experience we see alot of coues late morning.

 

james

[youngbuck]

The big ones find a way to come in when you aren't there. Stay all day long if you can.

[CouesPursuit]

To be honest, I'm not looking for size to any extent. If I see an eruption and an ethical shot there will be a down coues. I have put myself in a ground blind in a remote place on water with salt with lots of deer track. Allowing plenty of time (8 weeks) for things to settle, should I feel confident SOMETHING with antlers will come in during day light hours?

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

 

 

It is just a matter of luck at that point.... you have done all the homework you can... now you just need "One" to come for a drink.... will it happen??? Who knows, my Son once sat 14 1/2 hrs and saw a doe and a nubbin's buck.... .... my Wife had two misses on 90"+ bucks by noon on her very first day bow hunting in a ground blind ever.... all luck.... or the lack there of... Anyone who says you don't earn a deer by sittin' on water has never tried it... some days you are the windshield... some days the bug....

 

Best of luck and good hunting.

[BML]

I killed a 97 inch buck last year sitting water. I had over 30 hours total in a blind over 4 days. I averaged one deer every 10 hours!

 

The key is pre scouting. I had close to 100 hours scouting this area before the hunt started so I knew there were deer in the area.

 

Like Gino said, though, it was all luck after that.

 

I was willing to shoot the very first legal buck I saw since I had not yet shot any deer in AZ with my bow. Lucky for me, the first one that came in was a "no brainer" and that was that.

 

Spend the time in your blind and you will have that opportunity.

[AntlerObsession]

How much does the monsoon season effect water availability come archery season? Say the last heavy rains come through July 31st. Will there be enough water in an area 3 weeks later that bucks won't have to hit the tanks?

[CUZTAIL]

Last year i got to my stand(over water) at 4 am opening day. I didnt see a buck till 10:15am. by 10:30 and 5 bucks later i had mine on the ground. i sat for the next 4 days waiting for a bear and saw nada. Its my opinion Whitetails figure out whats up VERY quickly.

[CouesPursuit]

Thanks everyone for the input, I will just have to get some luck at this point!

 

One more question and I figure the answer is yes but is sleeping in your ground blind a big no no?

Is scent from sleep too much to sit in a stand for second day in a row?

 

I have another stand I could hunt a few hundred yards away on water (needing to invest in a treestand) but i need to pack camp for a day or 2.. 1.25 mile hike in thick just enough to say not in and out dark for 3 days straight!

 

Iv chased these bastards for 2 years now and gotten so close I can taste it.. Now im willing to be patient and wait in the shade!! Its so hot out there! I do wonder with AntlerObsession what the monsoon will do during the hunt though as in will deer just hit small puddles or still hit perennial sources where they feel comfortable?? ALL LUCK I GUESS!! Good hunting, I hope to share some good trail cam pics for the August stand havent checked the camera in a few weeks...

[Str8Shot]

... it is illegal to camp within 1/4 mile of livestock and/or wildlife watering sources.

[CouesPursuit]

Thank you STR8SHT.

 

My understanding, and I could be very wrong, is that only the law when it is the ONLY or LIMITED water source?

Because in my case I hike past water sources to get to mine.. Legally I have to pack all the way back up to the forest road a mile and a half? There is water everywhere around me.. Probably more seeps and springs hidden right under my nose. Thanks for any feedback its important to clear this up!

[Guest Bandido]

I've never sat at a waterhole. I don't have the patience. I always want to see what's over the ridge, the next canyon. What if the bucks are over there and I'm here? When I was young my dad told me (often) that I just wanted to walk. But one year I was watching a really nice buck all through the summer. I saw him just before my December hunt started. He was living in a canyon that had it all. Open grass with water at the edge and oak/juniper higher up at the edge of the grass. Then steeper, rougher, and thicker brush higher up the canyon. The more I tried to get on him the higher he went. So one day (I was tired) I watched from a ridge adjacent to this canyon and I could see the waterhole. All day I only saw a couple of cows and a few mule deer go for a drink. That evening as I walked back to my truck. I walked passed the waterhole and I was practically run over by all kinds of whitetail. There were bucks, does, little ones, big ones, fat ones. It was downright comical. Just one of those funny memories.

[natureboyfloyd]

I think the window, the time period, a solitary deer or group comes is variable. One tank, in they come at 3 pm, bsiness like, and the next day, 4:30 pm, but wandering around. So, one day, in and out, the next, a group of bucks loiters in the willows and cottonwoods.

 

This summer, sitting water occupies much free time, from both a distance 100-150 yds, and closer. Big variable, am I stealthy enough?

Another variable, the deer. I watched a forky move 150 yards from arising to sitting just 35 yards above water, and as I had to leave at 4:45, I stalked up close enough to be busted at 25 yards. Had I sat until dark, would the deer have given me an opportunity? I do not know.

 

The key is utter and complete stealth, and luck. Sitting watching one group, even at 20 yards, doesn't mean the largest buck hasn't seen every move ( I glased upward, on a whim, and a large doe, 200 plus yards, arrogantly walked away. I always figure I am busted by several deer, bobcats, puma, every day).

 

BTW, turkey, hummngbirds, a puma, all sorts of avian behavoir! Becoming a tree stump yields all manners of interesting animals.

 

Great post.

 

 

 

 

 

[DesertBull]

NAtureboy, is that your own deer hide that is being tanned/smoked in your avatar? I always wanted to try that.

[youngbuck]

NAtureboy, is that your own deer hide that is being tanned/smoked in your avatar? I always wanted to try that.

 

I wanna know too, Ive seen some interesting stuff about doing it "the old way"