little advice needed

[naturegirl]

Great site. I spent a lot of time checking it out as I sat in my blind the last 3 1/2 days.

 

I've been scouting this big WT that is well over 100 to about a month now. I've got lots of trail cam pics of him. He prefers to drink at night but every once in awhile comes in during the day. So a couple weeks ago we made a ground blind. My buddy is a big WT hunter so let him have 1st dibs on him but on day 2 of archery hunt he took a big muley. So now im taking over and really want this WT to be my first deer. I've been hunting with my husb for 10 yrs but didn't start hunting myself til 2 yrs ago. I took a pig at 260 yards last year and although ill not rule out rifle hunting I prefer archery. I think it puts me on a more level playing field. I've been consistently shooting for 2 yrs and got me a mathews passion about a yr ago. My draw weight is a little over 60 lbs. Anyhow there's my background.

 

So after sitting this blind with no sight of him for 3.5 days Im thinking the blind is in the wrong area and need to move it. I think he was coming in to my back on a higher hill to check out water before he comes in. So the plan is to relocate ground blind. Although the blind position worked ok for muley i think the WT knew I was there. Im quiet, scent controlled, etc (and downright bored sitting there for so long). There aren't many WT in the area and have yet to c another (buck or doe) except a pic from 2009 of what appears to he a hybrid.

 

My concern is with the impending rut where will he go? There are muley does in the area but I know of no WT does. He is definitely a mature buck and oh would I love to take him. Also he regularly comes to this water every 3-4 days on average but he didn't come once day or night (per trail cam ) the 4 days I was at tank. So I just know he knew I was there. Any thoughts or opinions on what I should do? Im worried he will move away once the rut starts unless he decides to mate a muley but what r the chances? I can make it back out next week sun- wed to sit tank and also the 1st week of january most of the week. My husband is willing to watch the baby so I can have my chance at a big one. I do not know where he beds but im guessing its in he high mountains by tank. I've glassed from blind (making as little movement as possible) and none of us have seen him except on the trail cam.

 

Thanks for any thoughts u may have.

[firstcoueswas80]

Welcome to the site. 60 lb draw lenght? Respect on that one!

 

Which direction does he normally approach from? What direction does the wind normally blow? Is your blind brushed up or in the shade at all or direct sun?

 

Have patience.

[Ernesto C]

My advice to you is do not move the blind. Wait for him, he will show up. By now he probably notice the blind and let him (or maybe he already is) get used to it.

 

How many more water tanks are in the area and how close to this one? If there are several tanks and they are in full rut my personal belief will be to GLASS and then glass some more on the hills nearby, you'll find him. But if the bucks are not rutting yet or if they are in the pre-rut keep your self in that blind. He will show up or will push his does to that water tank.

 

Good luck and please keep us posted, if you have pictures and if you dont mind we'll love to see them; and of course we will be waiting for your story....thanks and take care.

 

Ernesto C

[azslim]

takes a couple weeks for them to get used to a blind, move it and you start that period all over again.

 

A blind is where I wear my scent lok gear, it helps

[naturegirl]

Ill try to answer some? ?s. The wind mostly blows from tank to blind to where im thinking he approaches. Strike #2 for the existing spot of blind. I know the local g&f and talked to him today. He has seen the deer also. Back to that later. He also suggested I move blind. I didn't use our "real" blind but made a good one out of dead tree parts so it wont be a problem to make a new one. Also the wt is coming in when im not there (twice during the day and once at night) during the 5 days I wasn't there last week which is a higher than normal appearance for him than I've seen in the last month. I really believe its me. I treat myself, all clothing, etc and use scent lol base layers. Not much more I can do there except maybe change when I get there but im not willing to do that. Im just getting used to going by myself at 5 am so im not there yet.

 

I've been watching this buck for over a month and come to find out g&f says he's a highbred. He has all wt characteristics except he is big bodied. I've compared side by side photos of a muley my friend took and he's dang near as big or appears to be. Photos were taken at the same tank in similar positions of both deer. Anyhow his metatarsal glands are right in the middle of the lower leg and appear to be about a couple inches. He has wt rack and wt tail. Hmmm. G&f would prefer him out of the gene pool but after reading a different post on here about highbreds it said 99% of them are sterile. Hmm.

 

Im a bit secretive about photos and location. Ill try to crop stuff out and post pics to get opinions. Thx all

[gotcoues]

I believe scent issues can be an overwhelming obstacle while sitting, waiting to ambush a WT (big or small). If you sit long enough he's bound to make a mistake. I've seen some discouraging stuff from high above in my stand. The deer know "something" is wrong and will come close and then spook and go back where they came from without every coming into bow range. I seem to have more issues with scent control than others. Good luck and patience is key.

 

Crop the pics and post em please. Love to look at Big WTails :-)

[elkaholic]

you could very easily be leaving scent when you are comin and goin- sometimes odors can be picked up from your truck etc. -- even your breath - if you are wearing your boots from the time you get dressed tillthe time you enter the blind - they can pick up lots of wierd odors !- change the scent free product - or at least buy new fresh stuff!

wind direction is always a blind hunters worst enemy - maybe you should set another blind at the opposite side of tank so you can have an option depending on the wind -

 

Good luck!- Gary

[azslim]

I try to park about 1/4 mile from where I sit, strip down and put my scent-lok on when I park the truck and wear it just for the short walk to & from the blind.

[naturegirl]

Here's my pics. I wonder too if I have any issues with scent control compared to the men I hunt with. Seems they have more experiences with bucks than me, but when we were hunting up north I could get within 10 yards of a doe and she not know I'm there. Go figure. I'm not ready to change at the quad yet but maybe soon. I spray down after I get there to try to help. I also park about 1/4 mile away. That's was tough cuz I get scared but also carry my ruger with me in one hand. Had some eyes watching me last weekend as I got to tank. We'd seen lion pics there the week before but I think it was a fox or a coyote by the eye shape. Either way they had my gun laser on them but it backed off. I decided earlier this year that I prefer hunting alone. I had a bull hunt last year and I swear it was just that two of us made too much noise.

 

I'm building a new blind on Thursday. Plan on hunting again on Sunday. We'll see what that brings.

 

Please let me know your thoughts on this deer. He has all coues characteristics except size and metatarsal gland location/size. He definitely has a coues rack and tail except maybe it's darker than normal. I haven't had much experience with WTs though.

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

 

That is one helluva COUES buck! try to play the wind so that you minimise the area lost to being smelled by the deer... a pop up blind will really help hold your sent and also cover your movement better than a brush blind. Good Luck! This is why they call it hunting and not killing! You may not see that buck again till march if he leaves to go a-ruttin'... and if he has busted you once, he will bust you every time, it is what they do for a living. Again, best of luck, hope to see the kill photos posted on here soon!

[cohofishing]

Hi,

 

I second the thought on a pop up blind. I used to make a blind with what ever I could find but when I started using a pop up blind, I saw a lot more deer. I believe that whitetails watch a water hole before they come in and a pop blind works on all five sides. Also, I like to keep my shooting windows as small a possible. If you ever get a chance take a picture of your blind from the other side of the water hole, the thing that stands out the most is the black openings. I also believe that you can control the scent better from a pop up. I weigh down all the edges from the inside. Another added bonus is you really can move as much as you want as long as you're are quiet. I like to take pictures as they come in and they really can't see you move.

 

Brent

[maydayretrievers]

Good luck on that big boy

[naturegirl]

Is he a coues or hybrid? Any opinions? I only know what I've learned on the internet. I'm not sold that he is a hybrid even though that is G&F assumption. I think the metartarsal gland is pretty visible in the pic I posted.

 

I'm wondering what he will do in the rut. We can be a bit obsessive about scouting/camping/hunting and have spent a lot of time in this area and have never seen a WT doe nor have old timers we've talkd to. I have seen another pic taken last year on a trail cam by someone else of what is supposedly a hybrid buck. There are lots of muley does around but have not seen a WT doe (not to say there aren't some somewhere). Guess I need to do my best to get my arrow in him ASAP!