Wait for occasional December hunts or early hunts often?

[SunDevil]

one of the other things that is rarely talked about on the early hunts that is something that has to be dealt with is either:

 

1) getting sunburned

 

2) burning eyes from sunscreen that sweats into them

[Ernesto C]

Sucks to be me......I can't get vacation on December

 

Ernesto C

[Tines]

one of the other things that is rarely talked about on the early hunts that is something that has to be dealt with is either:

 

1) getting sunburned

 

2) burning eyes from sunscreen that sweats into them

 

Good thing you never apply for the early hunts

[Coues Sniper]

Alot of your more serious guys prefer the early hunts. I think the above posts reflect that. IF you have the time to put in scouting - it is much easier to pattern/find/kill the buck you've scouted for. Rut hunts are more of a roll of the dice. More than once I've been frustrated and not able to find the buck I've patterned that would show up like clockwork during the early months. Flipside is sometimes a buck you never knew existed will show up chasing does. However, all that movement can be a problem too. I was with my cousin one year and we found a gorgeous 115ish buck chasing a doe HARD. Problem was, the buck was moving so much, the cousin never could keep up during his stalk and the buck ended up 2 canyons over and never being seen again. The 3 biggest bucks I've killed were all pre-rut.

 

Sunscreen in your eyes. Have to be kidding me.

[SunDevil]

 

Sunscreen in your eyes. Have to be kidding me.

 

Nope - not kidding at all. Sunscreen sweating into your eyes SUX!

[Snapshot]

 

Sunscreen in your eyes. Have to be kidding me.

 

Nope - not kidding at all. Sunscreen sweating into your eyes SUX!

 

Yep. Thats the big drawback of early season hunts. HOT weather, and bucks that bed early!

[longshooter]

I just build bonus points for the strip while archery hunting the whole month of December/January. I have killed a buck every year for the last 8 years strait with my bow so I'm getting the best of both worlds. As for as hunts go I rather have the late. Cant stand all the people and the heat. Nothing worse than having head aches from glassing with the heat waves. And for some reason I noticed that the early hunts seemed to always fall on a full moon.

[308Nut]

One very common thing I read on this forum is that December CWT tags are "over-rated". This means different things to different hunters. If hunter A would rather have as many opportunities to hunt as possible and all other factors take a back seat, then yeah, the are way over-rated. Otherwise who are they kidding?

 

I am with Tines on this. Given a choice, most here would take the December tag. IMHO, those who say it's over-rated are just trying to feel better about not drawing their 1st choice December hunt and settling on second choice tags on most years.

 

Having hunted early archery, early general, late archery and late general I know for me which tag I would take. I will agree that it can be frustrating trying to get a good buck to sit still long enough to kill him but I tend to see more bucks and more 'shooter' bucks during the rut and pre-rut. It's no secret that most of your truely great trophy bucks while there in the early season, do not expose themselves like other bucks until the air smells right. Unfortunately, the air does not smell right until December. At no other time except for January are such great trophies the most visible. I also am a sucker for thick necks and nice winter hair. Rutting members of the deer family is exciting for me. Longer seasons, less hunters etc...These are the reasons I would rather hunt December.

 

It isn't always about the size of the bucks either. It is often times about a quality hunt and experience. The December hunts are a high quality hunt worth waiting for as long as you have other opportunities to help you bide your time. For others, having any tag in their pocket is a high quality hunt.

 

If you are getting to an age in your life when waiting 5-8 years between tags is not desireable then the early tags are the best tags to have period.

 

Pick what works for you and fits your needs the best.

[couesdeerhntr]

I agree with most on the early hunts u will see lots of bucks together and have your pick at one. I like to try and draw the first hunt if possible because they havnt had high hunter pressure except from the junior hunts. It make for a fun hunt and will see lots of deer. Any hunts after the deer seem to wise up and not as many to be seen except for does. I always seem to see big numbers of deer in early hunts and when it comes to later hunt the deer change up there routine.

[Tines]

Alot of your more serious guys prefer the early hunts. I think the above posts reflect that. IF you have the time to put in scouting - it is much easier to pattern/find/kill the buck you've scouted for. Rut hunts are more of a roll of the dice. More than once I've been frustrated and not able to find the buck I've patterned that would show up like clockwork during the early months. Flipside is sometimes a buck you never knew existed will show up chasing does. However, all that movement can be a problem too. I was with my cousin one year and we found a gorgeous 115ish buck chasing a doe HARD. Problem was, the buck was moving so much, the cousin never could keep up during his stalk and the buck ended up 2 canyons over and never being seen again. The 3 biggest bucks I've killed were all pre-rut.

 

Sunscreen in your eyes. Have to be kidding me.

 

That's my problem, I'm not a serious hunter! Dang... ; )

[Coues Sniper]

 

Sunscreen in your eyes. Have to be kidding me.

 

Nope - not kidding at all. Sunscreen sweating into your eyes SUX!

It's not fun, I'll give you that. But as a reason to stay out of the woods??? Come on. You must go nuts when you get your skirt caught in sticker bushes, or forget your princess themed band-aids for your boo boos.

[Ernesto C]

What I hate about the early hunt is the ...SNAKES!!! For some reason I'm a

 

SNAKE MAGNET!

[SunDevil]

 

Sunscreen in your eyes. Have to be kidding me.

 

Nope - not kidding at all. Sunscreen sweating into your eyes SUX!

It's not fun, I'll give you that. But as a reason to stay out of the woods??? Come on. You must go nuts when you get your skirt caught in sticker bushes, or forget your princess themed band-aids for your boo boos.

 

Kevin - I don't recall ever saying anything about not going out into the woods because of this only that is something that is different between the early hunts and the late hunts that people might want to keep in mind and that they might not have considered previously.

 

FYI - I don't mind getting my skirt caught in thorn bushes but sometimes the people hiking behind me don't like the commando view that it prevides. oh, and pricess band aids are the best.

 

Anything else?

[SunDevil]

What I hate about the early hunt is the ...SNAKES!!! For some reason I'm a

 

SNAKE MAGNET!

 

SNAKES ARE THE WORST!!!

[COOSEFAN]

I like the early hunts for the following reasons:

 

-Bucks are in bachelor groups, just need to find 1 and most likely you'll have your pick of 2 or 3 more with him

-The weather is nice

-Guaranteed tag, the whole family can draw tags

-When you find one, he won't move far, which makes for better stalking/relocating success

-No broken tines

-MUCH easier to pattern bucks

-It's not hard to locate bucks, when it's hot, glass the shade. When there's pressure, glass the un-pressured areas

 

 

The few things I like about Dec. hunts is the weather is usually cool enough to keep bucks active longer during the day and there typically is much less hunting pressure.

 

I think the December hunts are over rated for the most part. Now, if they would extend the December hunts into the first couple weeks of January....COUNT ME IN!!!

 

I think December tags are great, I'm not saying they aren't. ESPECIALLY in the northern units where you have a much better chance of seeing early rutting activity because of the elevation. PlUS, in those northern units, with the vastness of the terrain, lower deer numbers, and typically thicker vegetation, it greatly helps to have more time, cooler weather, less people, and bucks cruising! No doubt, that goes without saying!

 

If I was hunting 21,22, 23 or even the 24's, I would want nothing less than a Dec. tag!

 

My thoughts on why i think they are over rated is geared more towards the Southern units. Tons of folks expect them to be "Rut" tags and far better than any early tag. Lots of those folks end up dissappointed because they didn't see a giant, or didn't see bucks chasing does, and they had waited years to draw the tag! If those folks waited for the late tag because they wanted the longer hunt, cooler weather and less people, then that's exactly what they'll get and not be dissappointed, the late tags are great for that. But every year I hear folks complain about how long they waited for a "Rut" tag and then was dissappointed in their hunt because they didn't see the rut or didn't kill a big buck!

 

In the units that I hunt, I would much rather draw the tag every year, scout and pattern the bucks that I want and know that I'll get first crack at em'. That's a lot harder to do with a Dec. tag. I like the heat, it narrows down where the bucks will be. I also don't mind the extra hunter pressure, it narrows down where the bucks will be as well. Sure, you'll run into idiots every now and then but I expect it so it doesn't bother me. And snakes, yep it's a concern, but that's why I wear snake chaps. And a tip for you guys that burn your eyes with sunscreen, wear a hat and don't put that stuff on your forhead, it won't run into yer eyes anymore!

 

To each his own! JIM>