Muley Patterning question

[bandedbigsixpoints]

I was "at the top" spotting for my little brother when I found myself bored of looking at the same thing so the 10x50's started to wander and I found an awesome buck in some not so awesome country. Over the last couple weeks I have found myself doing things a little differently to try and make sure I do this one right and harvest this beauty. He's a good buck, I'm not the scorin machine some of you are but from what y'all say on here with other posts/pics i'd put him around 185ish. Back to the point, in doing things differently I have been going up to glass without my bow strictly to pattern and get a game plan. Well this guy is running with another large buck and a 2.5 year old looks like. They typically come out of the maple cluster between 7:20-7:40 PM, feed around in the buckbrush for a half hour or so and about 8:10 every night they start to move down the hill, moving very quickly through the openings and slowing to a walk/feed in the brushy stuff, eventually getting to water easily past shooting light.

Well last night I was planning on getting on the trail they use to come down and wait in some cliffs for the ambush but I got hung up with work so I just went later to glass them, but they didn't even start coming down until 8:25 and it would have been a very dark shot by the time they got below where I would have been; so I celebrated the fact that I didn't climb the mountain this time and planned on seeing what tonight brought. Well tonight they didn't even emerge from the maples before dark.

My question is what in the last two days would you contribute to their sudden change in habits. There are no "un-natural" factors like hunting pressure as far as I know. It has been really hot the last two days but I would think they might move sooner to get to water. The moon is growing, WHO HAS HAD THIS TYPE OF EXPERIENCE? I plan on just watching them more until they get back into a solid pattern, I'm in no hurry I have a dedicated hunter tag so I have plenty of opportunities still to come.

Thanks for your time.

 

[hornhunter247]

th harder their horns get the more they tend to break and start new patterns. maybe try getting in closer to their bedding area. hard to say but good luck!

 

[jcmuleys]

hornhunter is right as their horns harden they start doing things different. You have the right game plan stick with him and he will slip up and you will get a chance at him. Once he starts shedding his velvet there is not telling what he will do. My luck has always been that the deer i have been watching goes off somewhere else to shed his velvet while all the deer that he has ran with all summer stay in there normal routine. Good luck though!
JC
Colorado Hunting Consultants LLC
www.cohunthelp.com

 

[apollosmith]

And the moon's starting to get bigger and rise later in the evening making it a bit easier for them to traverse the mountain after nightfall.

And don't ever expect a high amount of consistency from deer. They could just as well be in the next county as do the same thing they did yesterday. But is sounds like you've got a good plan.

 

[sdmuleybuck]

I often have this problem when it is hot. The big bucks in our area usually wont get out of their beds until almost dark when it is very hot, and with the moon getting bigger they will tend to be more nocturnal and travel to water at night. Maybe try hunting them early morning and ambush them on the way to their bedding areas. good luck

 

[ttj]

The above posts are right on. Temp., moon phase and becoming more hard horned may all affect a bucks patterns. What is the wind doing on the sidehill? Is it consistent? As also previously mentioned, have you seen them in the a.m.? My suggestion would be to put someone on point and get in position to ambush them, taking the wind into account. Your buddy on point can signal you if you need to change position, etc. I know that some hunters are more agressive than other's and will push a situation trying to make something happen. But if you are consistently seeing these deer, I would try to be patient and if one particular stalk doesn't seem like it is going to work, back out and try another day. If you blow them out, everything could change! Good luck! TJ

 

[BLooDTRaCKeR]

I came across 4 good bucks last year late september all together. They were all four points except for one big three point about 24" wide. I watched them stay high on the top of the mountain. They slowly fed down a ridge about half way and bedded down. This year I went back to that same area to see if they stuck to their area. I located the big three point and one of the four points is hanging with him. They are in the same drainage but hanging in the bottom of it close to water and good food. I have seen them two times a few weeks apart and they are hanging in the same area. They are not using their high bedding grounds yet which leads me to believe they will once their horns harden. I also have a dedicated hunter tag and was hoping they would be a bit bigger than they were, who knows, they may get company once their horns harden. I've also been watching another group of bucks that are hanging in the same area they were last year during the smokepole hunt. Once again I was dissappointed in their size this year, they are all average size 4x4's. If I did not have a dedicated hunter tag, I would go after anyone of them. They are nice bucks, but I've got plenty of time to locate a monster. I'm looking forward to hunting the rut with a bow when all the monster bucks tend to wander out of the woodwork. During that time of year, I don't look for patterns in deer behavior because they got one thing on their mind. Just spot them and try to get ahead of them before they bed! Good Luck.

 

[mathewsman]

My vote goes to the moon phase especially in this situation. Wait a week, and when it starts to wane, they will get back to their earlier pattern. Hope you get him!

 

[nickman]

Didn't you say you got hung up at work one afternoon? Maybe the deer got hung up by something also.

Chit happens, things change, animals adapt to the situation.

You need to not expect them to do the same things everyday.

Maybe some grouse spooked them. Maybe a new deer showed up and they all had to exchange "pleasantries".

This ain't rocket science. Don't try to overthink it.

Your basic plan is sound, but unfortunately, the deer aren't necessarily always on the same page.

 

[BCBOY]

There are some major chemical changes going on in a buck's body right now. Bachelor groups will soon disband and the velvet will be shredded. The grey winter coats will replace the summer red. The big boys will, for the most part, become very solitary. The one consistant thing about big ol' muleys is their inconsistancy. Randomness is the only pattern. This is why they have become big ol' bucks instead of just catscat or steak in a frying pan.