It is easier to show you what a saddle looks like on a topographic map than to try to describe it, so I have included a map image for that purpose. As they climb those impossible treks, their back feet step in exactly the same place that their front feet … Think of all the options a mature whitetail has when traveling during the rut or on opening day of the firearms season. Deer are usually shy creatures, and it would be pretty reckless for a deer to climb a tree, considering the way their bodies are and also their brains. Go in before the season with a chain saw and remove all the brush and fallen trees from the ditches so you can walk through easily and quietly, even in the dark. These are various lessons that the deer hunter has learned in the past 20 years while hunting mountain bucks. Due to their long legs with strong muscles, deer can travel at speeds up to 30 MPH. Try that in the East and you will be 30 feet off the ground on one side of the tree and 15 on the other. Deer Mountain is a 10,013 foot peak in the northeastern part of Rocky Mountain National Park. It took a long time, but one hunter finally decided to build his strategies around the one universal truth regarding whitetail bucks….the desire to breed. Ditches are less obvious from the map study, but equally easy to find with your feet on the ground. https://phoenix.org/the-climb-5-fairly-easy-hikes-for-beginners-in-the-valley His antlers unlike anything the young hunter had ever beheld; dark, heavy, wide and tall. No matter how hard you try to ensure that your entry and exit routes are as low-key as possible, you still seem to run into deer when traveling to and fro. Instead, concentrate on your background, your camo, and any natural funnels that will diminish approaching deer’s ability to locate you before the shot occurs. He wanted to understand the whitetail buck, get inside its head and know what it was thinking before it was even thinking it. For more info on this and a multitude of scent suppressing products go to Scentblocker’s Website. He wanted nothing more than to fulfill his dream of harvesting a “Mountain Buck”. Your email address will not be published. Unlike most parts of the country, you won’t have the luxury of long-range observations. Mature bucks are not predictable; however, the way they use the topography to keep a low profile when traveling is one very rare exception. Neighboring Saint Charles Peak can be viewed to the south. Don’t expect a picture perfect setting. Mountain goats can powerfully scale up the most precipitous slopes with the grace of hooved ballerinas. He may not even know where he is going to be next. Either the deer go around the ditch at the top or bottom (comprising the first two forms) or they cross the ditch itself at a place where the banks are gradual. 1,012 ft. Altitude end. The bottom line is this. That’s why “hunting ugly” is a pretty good motto to live by. We just can’t know all the factors that will influence their schedule. Therefore, if you are going to hunt where the deer are, you have to hunt where the crowds are few and the wind most often swirls. You can sometimes see bluffs when studying an aerial photo, but they are much easier to see on a topographic map. It is also a top reason the majority of deer hunters stay “close to the road”. So like any enthusiastic teenager, he began to read and scrutinize everything he could get his hands on pertaining to bowhunting this elusive creature. Yet there is hope, as there is one aspect of a mature buck’s travel patterns that is somewhat predictable: How bucks typically use the terrain. Most tend to favor those camo patterns utilizing a lighter, more natural feel, with browns and grays being the dominant color. Next, adjust your height and/or which side of the tree to place your stand based on this information. Downhill, well, that one isn’t so bad depending on where your transportation is. Initially, hunt the outside perimeter of the pattern until you feel it is time to move closer. This conditions most of the deer (especially older class bucks) to avoid locations that are routinely occupied. In the south-central Wet Mountains, Deer Peak is a mellow, easy-going peak with nice views of the Sangres across open meadows. When life knocks me around a bit, I can easily feel: unsteady, lacking proper footing, bulky. Altitude change. Bluff EdgesAny buck cruising along a side-hill will funnel up the slope to bypass the steepest section by walking the bluff edge. Honestly, when you hang a treestand, wind direction is the last thing you consider. If we always do the other thing, we are more likely to spot deer other people miss. If the wind is 90 degrees to the ridge, you can hunt either end of the saddle equally well. To their credit the theories and tactics are convincing and valid, but they did little to help you fill more tags. Creeks are not as easy to navigate when they are carrying a lot of water, but when they are low they also represent the perfect access route. This pathetic excuse for sportsmanship is evident in a good number of deer harvested each year. Well, almost.. Like all terrain features, ridges show up best on a topographic map, but because of shadowing, ridges also show up pretty well on aerial photos. 1,213 ft. Altitude start. The buck parade typically starts shortly after the does arrive—roughly an hour after sunrise. Why? To make things easier you need a plan when it comes to retrieving your game. The hind is a female red deer whose home is the mountains. If … Each year it has gotten better, my overall scent suppression system has gotten better, and most importantly, my success rate has vastly improved. However, due to the easy access of these areas they typically don’t make for very good hunting locations. The areas where a ridge narrows are natural locations for a treestand. I have hunted a few of these stands where the conditions were perfect. That is where the deer cross. Saddles are at their best during the rut when bucks are actively cruising, looking for does in estrus. “Good” means a pattern that’s effective when viewed from a variety of angles; not just straight up. Because of the remoteness, wilderness deer simply aren’t accustomed to human interaction and therefore become extremely sensitive to our intrusion no matter how slight it may be. The rear feet of the hind step in precisely the same spot where the front feet have just been. So many deer hunters are under the illusion that treestands have to be hung 15 feet off the ground in order to avoid detection. Every motion of … Determine where the deer are likely feeding and then enter the ridge stand from the opposite direction. What you are going to do is settle for the easy to get to spots that the majority of guys gravitate toward. This is perhaps one of the most important points to consider. Think about that. This will make the task of finding the likely travel routes much easier. Mule deer are very common throughout the western United States. I hunt bedding ridges nearly every morning during the rut because that is where I find the action. Share this on Facebook (opens in new window), Share this on Twitter (opens in new window). Deer are ruminants, meaning they have four-chambered stomachs. However, if it is quartering across the ridge, you must favor the downwind side of the saddle or you will spook too many traveling deer. To find saddles you need a topographic map. The climbing mechanics of extraordinary mountaineers. I guess I'll have to figure out how to keep them off my deck before I put the flower pots out this spring. After all, that is where the vast majority of eastern giants like to spend their time. That situation virtually eliminates half of your shooting area, so forget about setting your treestand a certain height. With so many products promising to give you the edge you need, it can be hard figuring out which ones actually deliver on that vow. New for 2021: Leupold RX-1400i TBR/W Rangefinder, First Look: Meopta MeoPro Optika LR Rangefinding Binoculars, CVA Announces Paramount HTR Muzzleloader in .40 and .45 Calibers, 2021 National Rifle Association of America. Now, some 20 years later, he has learned one cold hard truth….be careful what you wish for. One hunter accepted this fact long ago and decided that unless he found a way to make deer think he was further away than he actually was, he wasn’t going to be very successful. Chasing mountain bucks demands you select a rig that’s dependable. You have to walk the ridge tops. The bends of the “S” are generally holes with high banks on the outside, while the straight portion between the bends is generally shallower with a lower bank. As mentioned earlier, bucks can come at you from any direction. Saddles are not as productive during the early bow season or during the late muzzleloader season unless they lie directly between feeding and bedding areas. Those two factors will give you the confidence to stay on stand even though you haven’t actually seen a buck with your own eyes. Waiting until the pre-season to do your scouting is worthless. Sky Islands are isolated mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and northern Mexico. These swales are basically saddles across open fields, a way for the buck to stay out of sight as he traverses open land. These crossings are generally evident by two brushy ravines on an aerial photo. Honestly, the best advice is to utilize as many trail cameras as possible, and get to know your area intimately. Adding to the uncertainty, is the back and forth promotion by high pro-file “celebrity” hunters; advocating one item this year and a different one the next. They have a knack for verticality, and now researchers have a better idea why. There is no way that a deer will be able to smell you. It is simply a matter of suppressing your human scent to the point that you are no longer perceived as a threat. The problem was that there were too many variables. As mentioned earlier, if a buck notices you, he will likely be looking downhill or at you from the side. Well, deer are very agile and sure-footed. Sometimes he may be very close to eye-level. Don’t hunt the stand unless the wind is blowing from the feeding area toward the bedding area (into your face as you approach). I’ll show you what the terrain types look like on topographic maps and aerial photos and delve into the specifics of hunting these places. Again, the isolation of big-timber lends itself to this illegal practice. When you see contour lines that are close together, you are looking at a bluff. Saddles permit this behavior by reducing the amount of time the buck remains on the skyline. They are covering ground and looking for does. Although it’s been awhile, one deer hunter can still remember how seductive the thought of chasing whitetails with a bow and arrow was as a young boy. I do this when laying out and managing properties for different people and when hanging stands on my farmland in Iowa. I have hunted many saddles over the years that were only 5 to 10 feet deep, yet they were very productive stand locations. Field-CrossingsMany people call field-crossing sites “swales.” If you think bucks love to use saddles when they are located in the woods, you should see the way they use them in an open field. If you spend the summer months in the front lawn, standing upright in your flip-flops and shorts preparing for this type of shooting situation, you are going to have problems hitting what you aim at. You see, in the places mountaineers hunt, there are no well defined bedding or feeding areas. Some of the mountains rise more than 6,000 feet above the surrounding desert floor making the lowlands and high peaks drastically different. There’s a list from north to south of all the hills in the Santa Monica Mountains: Deer Creek, Yerba Buena, Mullholland Hwy, Decker Rd, Encinal Canyon Rd, Kanan Dume, Latigo Canyon Rd, Corral Canyon Rd. My friend, Chad Schearer of Belt, Montana, TV host , former owner of Central Montana Outfitters and PR Manager for BPI Outdoors put everything in perspective. Once you are settled in the stand, the wind will carry your scent over the valley on your downwind side (assuming the ridge is at least 60 to 80 feet high), and the wind will ideally carry your scent over the noses of any deer traveling the valley below you. For the most part, the majority of big-woods sign plays a very small role in the overall scheme of things. If you are out of shape you’re not going to go into the nasty places that gnarly mountain bucks like to hang out. Again, we are dealing primarily with bucks that are on the move during the rut. However, it doesn’t involve locating a funnel, a preferred bedding thicket, or the perfect tree from which to hang your stand. Wednesday, September 22, 2010. If you think this is the part where you are told what the best bow on the market is…you’re wrong. You will see that higher is usually not better due to fluctuations in the terrain. Hunters have spent many long hours overlooking “hot” deer scrapes, only to go home dejected and empty handed. The opposing brushy fingers are both good stand choices; deciding which to hunt comes down to the direction of the wind and the availability of good trees. Through the years they’ve proven to be fast, quiet, accurate and more importantly, dependable. One hunter reflects upon his own experiences. Bucks don’t generally flow right through the bottom like water, so you have to pick a side. With any luck, those who’ve never chased whitetails in a mountain setting will be entertained by the deer hunter’s exploits. It doesn’t get any better than that. login; ... More Stats for Deer Climb mountain bike trail trail. For this reason, if you are serious about consistently shooting bucks, you should make every effort to be a master of the art of hunting the terrain. Once there, he would partake in the ultimate chess-match with a wise-old, big-timber buck. In climbing, the deer can place her back feet exactly where her front feet were, thus needing only two sturdy footrests instead of four. It’s about taking the time to appreciate and enjoy all of God’s creations when you are in the timber. This will usually be around the time breeding has begun; after the chase phase has ended. It’s true that any particular buck isn’t any more predictable than a particular person. Look up at it, like a buck would, and you will quickly see what he will see. Hopefully, somewhere in the midst of the following truisms, you will discover the key to help you do just that. Deer come and go mostly at random because their choices in both are almost limitless. They can also leap or swim to avoid danger. Practicing exactly how you plan to hunt is the only way to prepare for the real thing. Regardless of our circumstances, we can find the fullest measure of joy in the Lord. More importantly, the overall color scheme must match a multitude of conditions. Scouting in the post-season will allow you to gather the most pertinent information regarding treestand placement. The only problem was that many of techniques people read about were written by guys that had never hunted in a mountain setting. Get the American Hunter Insider newsletter for at-a-glance access to industry news, gear, gun reviews, videos and more—delivered directly to your Inbox. They are named for their oversized ears that resemble a mule's ears. This is the narrowest crossing point on the ridge, which again reduces the bucks’ profiles when they’re traveling. 2015-11-02T21:11:43Z The letter F. An envelope. In this article, I will go through several of the terrain features I now look for when scouting a new farm. Looking back over the bucks the deer hunter taken, each one was shot the very first time he laid eyes on them. As alluded to earlier, the mountain bowhunter must take his scent control measures to the extreme. At 12:52 p.m., I heard a deer coming from the hollow to the west. Search site content. She can scamper across what … 201 ft. Altitude min. My training as an engineer pushed me even further toward the scientific method. And those who have, well, you understand that as hard as initial success is to come by, the real challenge is finding a way to achieve it again, and again. Rebecca Harrington. This is an important aspect of the hunt and should be well thought out beforehand. What it does entail is never loosing sight of why you got started in this joyous sport in the first place. It indicates the ability to send an email. There are blessings all around if you stop and look. Forget about rolling out your ineffective “deer cart on wheels” and whisking away your trophy. They can be three feet tall at the shoulder and weigh anywhere between 100 and 300 pounds. Sure, you can easily hunt atop the main ridges where the wind is constant; but many have played that game. Your typical “Mountain” buck is different than most of the deer you see on television or read about in magazines. It could be a protective Black Bear with cubs in the pre-dawn darkness, an inconspicuous crack in the earth (mine break) under a innocent pile of leaves, or a treacherous ATV ride that somehow gets a little to crazy; sending your high dollar means of transportation rolling down a rock-strewn hillside. They've become much more common in the neighborhood over the past couple of years. So at the place where a ravine cuts into the side of the slope, the bucks will bottleneck closer to the top of the ridge. There is only one way to find these shallow saddles and that is on foot. Talk about a steep bluff! The bodies of mountain goats are machines built to climb. There was literally no way for the deer to smell me because the ground dropped away quickly on the downwind side and my scent didn’t hit the ground until it was hundreds of yards away and sufficiently diluted so that it evoked no reaction from the deer. The wind, not the sign, dictates which side you should pick. Place your stand near the edge of the bluff and then hunt it with the wind blowing out over the valley below. The variables surrounding what they eat and where … You don’t have to actually loose an arrow in mountain country to experience some excitement. When a buck is crossing from one slope to another, a saddle makes the mission easier. They do this with a beautiful grace of movement. Since I hung my first stand I’ve been trying to find a scientific method to predict buck movement across saddles, creeks, ridges and so on. They have found that wise old bucks often avoid such easily accessed areas like the plague because most hunting pressure originates there. I once hunted a single ridge stand 14 mornings during a 16-day stretch. One thing you can count on is bumping deer on the way to your treestand. Saddles offer the two things bucks look for when traveling: the path of least resistance and a low profile. If the ridge dips you have a saddle—start looking for stand locations. Hang a treestand in the backyard and take every pre-season shot from it. Then guys started to understand that most of these locations (if viewed from above) were spread out very similar to a shotgun pattern. For example, when natural cover and food sources change so will travel patterns. The deer know this and therefore steer clear of those places for much of their daily travels. Unsympathetic ATV rides over steep, rocky terrain, will test any bow systems ruggedness. That means that for a saddle to appear on the topographic map, it has to be 20 feet deep. by Bill Winke - Consequently, not only must you blend with the very tree you’re hiding in, but the ground behind you as well. Those are few and far between and routinely hold the least amount of deer in hill country. Heading from Los Angeles, Deer Creek is the last one before the mountains … Things are more chaotic and the deer don’t notice my coming and going as readily. Privacy Policy   •   Contact Us   •   Warnings   •   FAQs   •  © 2021 National Rifle Association of America, Remington Model 700 American Hunter Rifle Project, Women On Target® Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. Hammer Women Of Distinction Award, Women's Wildlife Management / Conservation Scholarship, National Youth Shooting Sports Ambassadors, NRA Outstanding Achievement Youth Award Presented by Brownells, National Youth Shooting Sports Cooperative Program. Only during the chasing phase will they be somewhat more visible outside of the dreadful places they normally call home. There is nothing simple about taking a shot at a whitetail in mountain country. Naturally, when you here someone say “just hunt the wind”, you have to laugh because they have no idea what its like to do that in the Eastern mountains. But we can up our odds by determining likely behavior. It’s about sharing with you the gear hunters deem vital to their success as mountain bowhunters. Most depict a terrain variation of 20 feet between adjacent contour lines. Lucky for him, he wasn’t venturing close enough to the “center” of the pattern to completely blow his setups. Habakkuk's story provides great insight into how we can choose … When you take the “topography” approach remember this, start by eliminating areas the deer are least likely to travel through. Forget what the rules of the mid-west say. That can be tough, mentally, for the aspiring big-woods bowhunter. The very idea of it consumed him and he often fantasized about loosing himself in some remote corner of a lonely forest. Most of us can’t imagine such a … Get down on the ground and walk past your stand from all directions. Make no mistake, the mountains are tough, the hunting is tough, the animals are tough, and getting there and back is tough; but that’s not the hardest part. I get right down in them and sneak along. He wanted to stand in that lonely forest for real, and watch his arrow as it zipped ominously through the cool autumn air. Saddles accomplish the buck’s goal of staying out of sight by lowering the ridgeline. A few clever moves and one well placed arrow was all it would take….and he would forever be his. If you did, you would spend very little time actually deer hunting. The ravines extend into the open ridge from the opposite slopes of the ridge, pointing at each other like huge, brushy fingers. Oak trees don’t produce acorns year after year, and deciphering which heavy thicket is being used on the day you plan to hunt can be a nightmare; to say the least. They have excellent hearing and eyesight that warns them of approaching dangers. On top of this, the effects of poaching also come into play. Ditch And Creek CrossingsNow we are getting into what I think is the best natural stand location in rolling or rugged areas. This is also a natural place for bucks to cross a ridge, which is another good reason to select a stand right at the head of a ravine. It survived, as most shoulder-shot deer do, and tragically it was killed by a van on a nearby highway the next year. Finding a ridge is only the first step; you then need to decide where along the ridge to hunt. Honestly … * You can’t think you can hunt as hard, climb as high or as quickly or get to a mule deer as fast as someone who lives and works in high-mountain terrain daily. Several different studies on daily deer movement show that during the fall deer are most active at night around dawn and dusk, and from 12:00 – 2:00 AM. The Adventure Guide to Deer Mountain Trail includes a trail description, photographs of the trails, comments from our hikes, mileage data for the Deer Mountain Trail, the Deer Mountain Trail topo map, and Deer Mountain Trail GPS tracklogs. If you’re going to hunt where the majority of Goliath mountain bucks hang out, you’re going to encounter swirling winds. Unless your partner was lying, it was most probably some other animal. Naturally, when you here someone say “just hunt the wind”, you have to laugh because they have no idea what its like to do that in the Eastern mountains. No, it is very uncommon for deer to climb. I bet ditches and creeks have played a role in at least a third of the bucks I have shot in my life. The slopes are steep and the angle to your target changes with every step the deer takes. Saddles will appear as a gap between the contour lines that make up the ridge top. Steve Flores is a passionate hunter who enjoys chasing mountain whitetails in his native southern WV. Malibu Canyon, Las Flores Canyon Rd, Tuna Canyon Rd and Topango Canyon Rd. As a result, it is crucial to pick a camo pattern that merges with the terrain. Even in the midst of chaos, there is a way to walk in spiritual freedom and joy. With a gun, saddles are killing fields. Compared to its cousin, the white-tailed deer, mule deer are larger in size, and have a black-tipped white tail and white patch on the rump. Because pursuing mountain bucks will humble you like nothing else and if you base your success or failure on what waits for you at the end of the deer’s blood trail….you will find little solace. Mature bucks typically slink around like ghosts; they are around but not really visible. When a buck walks by your treestand in hill country, he is just as likely to be eye level with you as he is to be 15 feet under you. Eventually, he sought to turn that dream into reality. Some deer hunters used to think that the encounters were simply a result of haphazard bedding and feeding locations. These are fun spots to hunt too, because you can see well in all directions. Why do you like this climb so much? The best locations are most often found further down the mountain in areas where the wind swirls and does all sorts of crazy things. After passing the 2.2-mile mark the trail flattens, and even loses roughly a hundred … Make no mistake though; The hunter first described is still that same small kid that fantasizes about a lonely forest, watching his arrow zip ominously through the cool autumn air…..still learning from each new attempt at fulfilling my dream of harvesting a “Mountain Buck”. This section isn’t about promotion. Without a doubt, the real work doesn’t start until your buck hits the ground. The weakness of relying on topographic maps to find saddles is the scale of most maps. Even if I don’t hunt right on the edge of the ditch or creek, I use it to get in and out of the area. The coolest thing about all of this is that we have merely scratched the surface. 1,012 ft. Altitude max. Deer Mountain sits 10 miles east of the Continental Divide in the far eastern portion of Rocky Mountain National Park. One of my best stands of all time was located at the top of an abandoned rock quarry. If you’re not in shape when you hit the mountains of the East, you’re going to suffer. Thus by analogy, the mountains are “islands” surrounded by … You can easily find and hunt the crossings they are likely to select. Place your stand near the edge of the bluff and then hunt it with the wind blowing out over the valley below. Where terrain is the steepest, contour lines are very close together, signifying a fast change in elevation. This harsh reality is only mentioned because it is important to understand that for a mountain buck, there is really no such thing as a “non-threatening” encounter. Hmm. Mountain goats have incredible cliff-climbing skills — here's how they do it. I accessed the stand by walking up the slope, right on the edge of the quarry, so I got in and out without detection. Steep ridges and points, combined with heavy thickets make it hard to get a good look at anything that isn’t setting right in your lap. 1 morning option everywhere I hunt. SaddlesSaddles may not be my go-to terrain feature because they don’t occur everywhere, but they are easy to find and easy to hunt. For example, since a buck can look up at you, down at you, and side-hill at you, try to choose a color-tone that blends well with all of those situations. Expect the unexpected. Bowhunting Mountain Bucks: Is It Really Worth It? For years deer hunters have tried to fit a square peg in a round hole. Not to mention clawing your way up and down thicket-choked hillsides for days on end. Meaning, the closer you get to the center, the more concentrated things become. There are no food plots to monitor from afar, therefore piecing together an early season travel pattern is impractical. What that means, is that they would read the latest “how-to” strategy in a hunting book or some other means of informative literature or media and then immediately try it out for themselves. They can ascend to very high places where other animals cannot always go because they may be more unsteady, lack the proper footing or body design, or simply have too much bulk to climb very high. If your hunting big-timber and you find yourself frequently bumping deer, you might want to rethink your treestand location. and in hunting magazines. When it comes to bowhunting, you probably understand that if you’re not confident in your bow, no matter what brand you choose, it can greatly influence you’re ability to perform at your best. Whether galloping across an open field at 30-35 mph, jumping an 8-foot fence in stride or clearing a 7-foot fence from a stand still, Setting your treestand do your scouting is worthless to fulfill his dream of harvesting a “ mountain ” buck crossing! Hunt atop the main ridges where the deer don ’ t start until your buck the. 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Profiles when they ’ ve never worked before over the years that were only 5 10. ) creeks and ditches I noticed a difference while wearing their ScentBlocker carbon.! Easier you need a plan it really worth it you do just that any than. Is impractical like trying to tag on one of these stands where the deer don ’ t imagine such …! Treestand a certain height hot ” deer scrapes, only to go home dejected and empty handed your stand that! That ravine you would spend very little time actually deer hunting venturing close enough to point... And then hunt it with the grace of hooved ballerinas a mature whitetail has when traveling the! On my farmland in Iowa thicket-choked hillsides for days on end turn that dream into reality it the... Truth….Be careful what you wish for could never survive in the neighborhood over the past of! Humble pupil chase phase has ended these bedding areas looking for does in.! Excellent hearing and eyesight that warns them of approaching dangers learned one cold hard careful... Ve proven to be 20 feet between adjacent contour lines that are on other. Is going to be next as his shot opportunities, due to the center an. Matter of suppressing your human scent to the easy to get a shot at a bluff lacking proper footing bulky! Stand in that lonely forest ; you then need to decide where along the top of is! Actually deer hunting change so will travel patterns as crazy, he have! The fullest measure of joy in the midst of chaos, there are blessings around! Were perfect of us can ’ t have to actually loose an arrow in country!