Slopes?

[Noel Arnold]

It has been about 12 years since I have been drawn for the Dec. hunt.(yes that is sarcism)But I do remember that when the rut kicks in on the big ones(usually the last three day's of the hunt) You could see a big buck any time of the day and any place.Of course if it is hot then it would be more of a early or late thing.I have been hunting the oct. for the last five years and have glassed big bucks bedded right out in the open in the early morning sun.

Noel

[Rembrant]

Tons of whitetail wisdom is this thread to anyone who may be paying attention.

Mike

[coues7]

Just to make sure we are clear on our directions. North facing slope would be a slope that your are sitting to the north and glass south right? The face you are glassing actually faces north? Literally?

[CouesWhitetail]

Yes Coues7, a north-facing slope is actually facing north, so that you are generally facing south to glass it. North-facing slopes are generally cooler and have thicker vegetation than south-facing slopes.

 

One thing I like to point out is that you don't have to get hung up on which direction (north-facing, southeast, whatever). You just need to think of what the deer want at the time you are looking. Is it early morning and cool such that they would be comfortable feeding out in the sun? or is it blazing hot out and you suspect they would be bedding and/or feeding in the shade. And although certainly here in AZ and NM aspect of the slopes dictates alot of the vegetation on them, you don't have to follow the compass so literally. If it's early morning and relatively cool out (like below 50 degrees) then glass the open areas, if it's hot out then glass the shade. There are many areas, such as flats and ridges that run north-south, that don't have north-facing slopes. But the same rules apply for open areas versus shade.

 

And in December I have seen exactly what missedagain is describing with regard to sometimes on very cold mornings the deer are staying bedded until well after sun-up, apparently waiting for things to warm-up before they start feeding.

 

And as bmf pointed out, wind is an extremely important factor affecting deer activity. I believe it's because a deer can't hear as well when it's windy. It's tons easier to sneak up on whitetail when the wind is covering the sound of your approach, so I think the WT get edgy and nervous when it's windy and prefer to either bed or get out of the wind. Glassing slopes that are out of the wind is a great way to find deer on a windy day. The only problem is that generally if you are glassing the non-windy side of a ridge, then you are on the exposed windy side of another ridge. It can be extremely difficult to glass in strong winds.

 

Amanda

[WFGinNM]

Younghunter,

Thanks for starting this thread. I've learned more about glassing from reading this than my trial and error efforts. Now if I can only slow myself down to be able to pick out bedded bucks, I have no problem finding does, fawns, elk, bear, mulies... Just need to start spotting coues bucks.

 

Once again thanks,

 

--Bill

[Guest Ernesto C]

Rut is a totally different story. In October, yes you can find them in the open early in the morning but they will not stay there for long periods of time.

 

If there are 1000 deer in one unit not all of them will act or follow the same pattern or routine,that's true but the majority will do follow the same rutine. That's why I said earlier there will be different factors affecting deer behavior and dictating how you will hunt them; the same factor will not affect all the deer at the same time.

 

I have expressed here some of points of view and tecniques,that's what it has worked for me and for the great hunters that I have learn from; if you use a diferen tecnique that has worked foryou.....excellent,there are different ways to get to Rome.

 

God bless you all and hunt hard and have fun and remember to aim for the vitals.

 

Ernesto C

[az4life]

Good info from everyone. I think we all have some favorite glassing spots and if you think about it, they most often will fit into the criteria mentioned. I often find the windy conditions when hunting and cannot stress enough (like Amanda pointed out) that when it is windy, the deer are nervous and will try to get out of the wind so they can hear better.

 

My advice is look where the deer are. Shady when hot, or calm when windy areas.

 

Good Luck all

[Dodger2]

"My advice is look where the deer are. Shady when hot, or calm when windy areas."

 

Seeing how I have only taken 3 coues deer in my life, I would not say I'm an expert, but I'll add what I can. My first coues was taken on a windy day by glassing cuts that were out of the wind. He was laying down on a west facing slope in the afternoon. The other two were taken on north facing slopes in the afternoon coming out of the shade late in the afternoon.

 

I like to glass by starting at the tops of ridges in the morning and working my way down the hill as I go. I have found that they seem to travel up hill in the morning (where I hunt anyway) and then vice versa in the afternoon. However, in 33, which is where I do my Dec./Jan. archery hunting, they seem to move in the opposite direction where I hunt.