To Find The Monster

TriggerMag · Oct 24, 2004

The Elusive Monster Muley, The best way to find it is how?
I can go out on any given day and find a Buck, but to find the big one is were I am having the trouble.

Cut blocks, Sage brush, Heavy Bush, I pushed it all but to this day I just can't find the Monster.

Can any one help, Steer me in the right direction.

Trigger.

BCBOY · Oct 24, 2004

To find a monster you must hunt where he lives.

Sounds simple enough, but it really means you've got to scout your a$$ off pretty much year round. Summer scouting in the velvet is the best time to find them. They are out longer when they aren't being pressured. They stick out like sore thumbs in their summer reds. Winter range scouting is also very effective, depending on the hunt dates of you hunt. Shed hunting really plays a role too. Find some monster sheds, chances are, he'll be back in that spot next year. It is definately a year round passion for those who are successful on the monsters on a regular basis. Sometimes you may just "Luck" into a monster, and that will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But, through scouting, you can make your own luck. And that is what seperates the men from the boys.

TriggerMag · Oct 24, 2004

As winter approaches I do have some winter range that I see alot of deer in. However they seem to be only small 4x4 or 4x3's the Monsters are just not there. Yet the road hunters seem to always get a nice big 4x4 or better while I spend hours and days pushin bush.

BC
It sounds like you do a lot of scouting, but honestly were do you seem to see the majority in the thick bush, cut blocks or were?
When you do scout how long do they seem to stay in the general area?

BCBOY · Oct 24, 2004

My situation is pretty unique to this board. Where I live we have very liberal seasons allowing me to hunt muleys for over 3 months a year. Most on this site are lucky if they get a couple of weeks. So in my situation, I can scout bucks in the highcountry in July and August, hunt them in Sept till they hit the timber, hunt high elevation cutblocks and timber until they move down to lower ground and then hunt them in the lower elevation cutblocks and timber. I have to admit, I am a timber hunter. I like hunting the thick crap. Nothing like being up close and personal with a monster buck. After the season is over in Dec, I can then scout them on the winter range, glassing aspen patches and the open timber of the south slopes. I post season scout until they drop their antlers in late Jan-early Feb. Then in March, shed season begins. Because many bucks don't ever show themselves, shed season is one of my only hints that that monster was in the area.
Monsters do not occur everywhere. Some areas get real heavy hunting pressure so the bucks don't reach the age where they can acheive monster status. So you can't expect to find a monster in an area if they don't exist there. The only way you'll know is through scouting.

TriggerMag · Oct 24, 2004

You definately must have a pretty flexible job to be able to scout so much!!!
You seem well versed and knowledgeable on the subject, and by some of the photos I've seen of yours, pretty honest.

What should be the first things I would look for in an ultimate Monster hunting area, before I even started to push bush?

Obviously my scouting techniques aren't up to snuff, where to go, what exactly to look for etc.

I appreciate the info BC .

Trigger

BCBOY · Oct 24, 2004

Trigger,
I work in the bush so that helps!

First, what type of terrain are you the most comfortable hunting? What is your classification of a monster? I know many guys who would give their left nut to kill a 160 class buck. Others feel a 200 incher is where it's at.

TriggerMag · Oct 25, 2004

Alpine, Cutblocks, Timber, I am fairly comfortable with any terrain. Obviously some are easier than others to get around in.
I kind of have a tendancy of going to cutblocks and pushing bush between them. Then if that fails head into the Timber.

A monster is definately a 200+ , but I am sure a 150+ class buck is a good starting point.

Trigger

cmiddleton · Oct 25, 2004

i scouted my tail off where i normally hunt but i never hunt the east end of the mountain due to the campground more people and intermixed privete ground.
yesterday i decided to check it out due to lack of other options and on the way in i met a guy with a true monster in his truck.
him and his girlfreand looked the only spot i haddnt looked and scored on a 185 to 190" buck.
i asked him to show us here at mm i hope he does i'd like a pic of that buck.

muleyguy · Oct 25, 2004

depends greatly on what state you are hunting.....first thing I would do is apply for the permit only units of your state or look for private ground that you can hunt. Your chances of shooting a 200+ buck on public ground in a general draw area are pretty slim. If you can consistently shoot 175 bucks on public ground in general draws, you are doing pretty well. If you hang around this site long enough you get the feeling that everybody is shooting 200 + bucks, but for every person here that shoots a 200 buck there are about 30,000 hunters who don't even see a 200 buck. And, many of the people here are hunting in special draws, are guides or have access to private ground. So, don't feel to bad if you aren't seeing 200+ bucks around every corner. My advice is to use a simple rule of thumb: don't pull the trigger unless the buck you are shooting at would be your biggest to date.

BCBOY · Oct 25, 2004

TM,
If you have an early season tag, I'd say the best place to start scouting would be the alpine. Start in mid-July and go through Aug giving scouting every spare piece of time you can afford. Big ol' bucks seem to favor the high country to get away from the bugs. I highly recommend reading the book, Hunting High Country Mule Deer by Mike Eastman. It really gives ya a good starting point on how to scout, glass, ect... Be up on the mountain at first light. Even in the summer, big bucks seems to be out the least amount of time. First light is your best chance at glassing him up.
Cutblock hunting is very hit and miss. If you have little hunting pressure like I do in BC, they can be very productive. But once the pressure starts, don't ecpect to find the bigger mature bucks out in the open. They will cross the cutblocks only in the dark, and if they travel in the day, they will be hugging the dark edges really tight.
Timber hunting is very productive for me, but really only in the late season with snow. The snow quiets things up and allows me to track. If I see a monster set of tracks, I know a big buck is in the area. Kirt Darner's book, How to Find Giant Deer, is a good read. Lots of hints on how to track in the thick stuff.
When it comes down to it, Muleyguy is very correct. There are very few guys that see 200 inchers on a regular basis on this site. Judging from the pics sometimes, it seems like everyone is seeing them. But, a 200 incher is rare. Finding him requires a lot of work and dedication. In this modern age of working your butt off trying to earn a dollar, the average guy doesn't have the time needed to find those Monsters of a Lifetime. But, there is always the hope.

And sites like this are the inspiration. Best of luck to you in your Pursuit of a Monster Buck.

TriggerMag · Oct 25, 2004

BC,
Thanx for all the helpfull info, I am going to find the books that you mentioned and have a read.
Do you prefer hunting at first or last light?
It seems to me as the winter sets in the deer are more active throughout the entire day, still seem to see more in the first and last lights though!!!

Thanx again!!

Trigger

muleyguy · Oct 25, 2004

what state are you hunting in??? The states with blacktails in them, (OR,WA,CA) , have a lot of habitat where muley's and blacktails have intermixed and consequently do not have the genetics to produce monster bucks. A lot of the habitat of the Cascades is like this. So, if you are in one of those states, you need to get into areas where the muleys are pure. Montana has lots of bucks, and while they have no blacktail influence, they seem to have a smaller horn structure than some of the other states. There is some great hunting in montana for mid twenties bucks that score in the 160 to 175 range. To consistently find bigger bucks than that, states like Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Nevada seem to have the ability to produce bigger bucks. The true mark of a good hunter is to shoot the best bucks that your area has the ability to produce. And there are two rules that I have found that seem to help to get bigger deer, first, don't shoot the small ones, and second, the longer you are out in the field, the better your chances of running into something big. So, don't concentrate on morning or night, spend the whole day out there. But, if I had to choose, I would always pick morning. Simply because if you spot one, you have the rest of the day to go get him, the problem in the evening is that you run out of time a lot. I also wouldn't get to hung up on B&C score, look for mass all the way through the horns, and look at the width and height of a deer horns. If the width + height equal 50" or more, you have a great buck. Setting realistic goals for yourself will let you have a better hunt and also let you harvest an animal once in awhile. In todays world, a nice clean, 24 or 25", four point is a really nice buck for public land.

nbjbhunterman · Oct 26, 2004

Go and Buy the best spotting scope you can buy!!!!!!! Go to the best places where the monster bucks are being killed. Hike to the best view areas and glass first morning all day long glass glass glass. Once you spot them get closer to that area but not to close. Once you get there you should be able to figure the general area of where they are bedding. Glassing and letting your eyes do the walking produce nice respectable bucks and some monsters every year without fail. What BCBOY said aboout Easman's high country mule deer is a must for the library. Good luck and keep hunting!!!!!!!!!

NBJB