mid-day tactics

[mountaindreamer]

I'm going to Colorado in November for a 3rd season mule deer hunt. My plan is to gain vantage points in the morning and evening and glass glass glass. What about mid-day? Here in Indiana I set in a treestand all day in a small woodlot. Is it best to keep glassing, still hunt, or walk trying to jump up a buck. How do you experienced muley hunters hunt mid-day?

 

[bonedaddy]

Depends on what country your in. I like to do what you just said. Pick a high vantage point and try to find them in their bed.

 

[Zeke]

I hunted the third season in Co a couple years ago and my tactic was to take a nap instead of blowing the deer out of the country by hiking around mid-day.

Sit, glass, doze, eat and be quite! Then spot and stalk them when they get up to move that evening! ha

Good luck and tell us how your mid-day hunting goes for you.

Zeke

 

[Tagalong173]

Go to sleep. haha

 

[Deuce]

A nap sounds good to me.

 

[bucklover]

I hate to waste already limited hunting time. If you are in an area that you don't want to mess up, something you want to pick apart with optics, save that area for morning and evening. That leaves a whole lot of time. Naps are good and necessary, but hunting only comes once a year! Move to another area nearby, that you want to get to know or know better and spend some time slowly working your way through it. You never know what you might jump up. These new areas may become plan B or C or even plan A in the future. Good Luck and May your Future Memories be better each year.

 

[fatrooster]

I like to get on a ridge line and walk it looking over into the other side for bedded bucks. Do not sky line yourself on top but rather stay down on one side 20 feet or go however low the terrain predicts. This was very productive for me this year.
Another method is to still hunt the trees. Still hunting in the West is an entirely different thing than it is in the East. Still hunting in the West means walking very very slowly through the deers bedding areas and glassing everything possible out ahead of you. Stopping frequently every few feet because you always get a different vantage point from every new position.
Get David Longs book "Hunting Public Land Muleys" and read about different methods of hunting Western Mulies. fatrooster.

 

[mountaindreamer]

Thanks for the information. After waiting 9 years to draw a tag and driving 25 hours to get there, I certainly am not going to nap away the day. I'm hoping to catch the start of the rut and was wondering if bucks might be cruising for does. I've seen some of Long's hunts on video and he seems to know what he's doing.

 

[fatrooster]

I completely understand your point about driving 25 hours to go hunt in a Western state. I used to live in Florida and made two seperate trips to Wyoming not knowing what to do. I highly recommend David Longs book. You can get it from the Eastmans website. fatrooster.

 

[huntfish714]

im going to agree with the still hunting but ad this little bit. if your glassing up hill into known muley spots and see some stumps or deadfall or even small bushes and they look like theres nothing behind them do yourself the biggest favor and hike to the top and get a look at the back of them to be 100% sure. here in idaho they love to dig out behind those thing and make a customized bed that allows them to peir through without any part of them being seen. countless times have i made this mistake. also in my opinion november is the best time for rim rock. they like to feed in the sun in the morning and soak up the warmth then bed in north facing rim rock shadows in the afternoon when it gets warmer. this offers a great place for ambush also while they are sleeping. good luck!!!