anyone else having troubles?

trigger985 · #1 11-17-2012, 06:21 PM

Hey all, I am a new hunter (this is my first real season) and I must say I am having no luck at all. I am hunting in 501 and 514 on crown land as I don't have permission from any land owners and usually there is deer all over the place and yet I took this whole week off work and have been out pre-dawn to dusk and I have only seen 5 deer total. 2 of them several hundred yards away running accross the road, 2 white tails in the air as I was driving past a cutline, and only 1 buck (a 5x5 from what I saw) down a trail off the main road that I saw again while driving. It's like the deer have vanished today was my 3rd day with no sightings in a row. I've tried walking cutlines, sitting in a makeshift stand (can't affored a tree stand yet) pushing bush and as a last result I have even tried road hunting (i know no one likes road hunting but I was just getting so frustrated). Is it still just to warm out? Or am I doing something wrong? (i know and do the basics wind direction no deodreant ect) any thoughts would be great because I am getting disheartened. Thanks all.

mxer117 · #2 11-17-2012, 06:31 PM

Its a strange time of year. Some days the deer are EVERYWHERE and other days you can't find even one doe.

I wish you the best, I know from experience how frustrating hunting can be. Sounds like you are doing all the right things. I hope you get your buck!

harv3589 · #3 11-17-2012, 06:40 PM

That's hunting. It's been trying my patience to the last couple of days. Not seeing much at all and I only have tomorrow morning left here to try to fill my tag.

fishunter · #4 11-17-2012, 06:42 PM

what i do is look for fresh tracks . the more the better. then i sit and wait. once I settle into my spot I try to be as quiet as possiable with the least amount of movement.even with the rut on , deer still can sense fast/quick movement.hope this helps and take some pics

T3Hunter · #5 11-17-2012, 07:41 PM

I know how you feel, haven't seen many deer myself this year, but the sign is around so the deer are out there. Just remember, it's called deer hunting, not deer shopping for a reason. Enjoy your time afield in the meantime, and if you happen to connect on a big buck it'll be a bonus.

Tyangelo · #6 11-17-2012, 10:20 PM

I'm in the exact same shape buddy. Just hang in there. Practice pays

BigBuck$ · #7 11-17-2012, 10:28 PM

They were on the move today, saw two guys wit 6 deer in the back of their truck tonight! Never seen that before other than in an old 50s hunting picture.

scooter123 · #8 11-17-2012, 10:59 PM

find a good crossing and get yourself a good chair and sit and wait.....sometimes it pays off and some times you have to do it all over the next day!!!

Best of luck to ya!!!

220swifty · #9 11-18-2012, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBuck$

They were on the move today, saw two guys wit 6 deer in the back of their truck tonight! Never seen that before other than in an old 50s hunting picture.

Mid 90's gm? Hwy 11 around 7:00?

Mountain Guy · #10 11-18-2012, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trigger985

Hey all, I am a new hunter (this is my first real season) and I must say I am having no luck at all. I am hunting in 501 and 514 on crown land as I don't have permission from any land owners and usually there is deer all over the place and yet I took this whole week off work and have been out pre-dawn to dusk and I have only seen 5 deer total. 2 of them several hundred yards away running accross the road, 2 white tails in the air as I was driving past a cutline, and only 1 buck (a 5x5 from what I saw) down a trail off the main road that I saw again while driving. It's like the deer have vanished today was my 3rd day with no sightings in a row. I've tried walking cutlines, sitting in a makeshift stand (can't affored a tree stand yet) pushing bush and as a last result I have even tried road hunting (i know no one likes road hunting but I was just getting so frustrated). Is it still just to warm out? Or am I doing something wrong? (i know and do the basics wind direction no deodreant ect) any thoughts would be great because I am getting disheartened. Thanks all.

Are you hunting alone? Sounds like you may be.
If your alone, pushing bush is not a great option

Deer movement has been down last week or so in the area I hunt.
Perhaps the same in your area.

It's hard not to get discouraged being a new hunter, but just keep in the mind that hunting is like most other tasks.
Hard work and time will pay off more often than not.
The deer are there...sometimes it just works out that you have to work harder for success.

Thats hunting

harv3589 · #11 11-18-2012, 03:43 PM

Well its tag soup for me and my dad this year in Alberta...I hope Sask is better.

Hogie135 · #12 11-18-2012, 04:32 PM

Was in 514 all last week and saw no shortage of WT. get off the trails and roads and into the bush. Get a doe bleat call. Find yourself a spot and call or walk as slow as you can and you'll find them.

trigger985 · #13 11-18-2012, 05:05 PM

thanks for the words of encouragment everyone. i took today off just to get my head straight and am now ready to get out there again.

I am indeed hunting alone, not by choice but take what you can get, and yes i found pushing bush does not work well alone lol.

as far as getting into the bush and calling what brand of calls do you guys recomened? i have a quaker boy "bleet in heat" can call (type you tip over and right side up again) and it also came with a buck grunt should the two be used togeather? i have no calling expierience so duration, how far apart i should space useing the bleet, no idea of it all. and should i just be finding a game trail and fallow that out into the bush, set up camp and wait there or should i just walk into the bush any random place and start calling?

sorry for asking so many questions i just really want to put some meat in the freezer this year and hopefully have a big buck story to tell you all

Hogie135 · #14 11-18-2012, 05:12 PM

find yourself a nice ridge and get to the top of it. If you can find some scrapes or even some fresh tracks start in that area. You'll wanna be able to see around you and have some clear shooting lanes. Make sure you are using the wind to your advantage. I got winded while calling last week once. I didn't even see him, just heard him circling us. That was just before they got stupid tho.

The bleat call you have should work fine. Its what we used. If a buck is in the area and hears it he should come running full tilt towards you. Tip it over 2-3 times about 5 secs apart and wait 10 mins and repeat. Don't over do the grunting. Actually I wouldn't even do it at all. Stick with just the doe bleat.

Good luck

savagewsm · #15 11-18-2012, 05:49 PM

Most of the deer I have taken were from my butt and not from my feet. Wind and movement are your worst enemy. If you are on the ground especially your scent will drift over the deer and they will simply slide by you like ghosts and you won't see them. What makes it tougher is that deer will usually walk into the wind in order to smell what is ahead.

If you can get up high so you can watch with the wind in your face. Deer do move every day but may not move in the open. When that happens set up in the thick stuff and wait. A portable tree stand is great if you can get one. We all expect deer to walk out onto the fields or cut lines so we can get a shot but as you have discovered that is not always the case.

Push comes to shove still hunt in the thick stuff. Find an area with fresh sign and walk slowly into the wind. Move as quitely as you can for 5 minutes then stop in a concealed location for fifteen-twenty minutes and watch( repeat )
This can be effective when the deer just don't want to step into the open but sitting is still your best bet.

If you are in the thick stuff you can have great luck between 10 am and about 3 or 4. My three biggest bucks 160 to 170 wT and a 190 mule and a monster 202 wt ( taken by a friend) were shot between noon and 2 pm in the thick stuff. If you were watching fields or cut lines you would not of seen a thing those days. Two of those bucks were taken in Oct when the temperature was around plus 15C.

densa44 · #16 11-18-2012, 06:36 PM

There are deer every where, please shoot a few, at least one is hit by a car every day. As the days get shorter it will be worse.

My son and his friends took a long range shooting course this summer and there must be something to it because they had a 8 pt buck that weighed nearly 250 lbs. They shot it at 546 yards with a .270.

If they can do it (it was their first) you can too.

Just west of Stettler, lots of deer.

gary d · #17 11-18-2012, 07:04 PM

I hunt 514 a fair bit, but not my favorite, bush is awful thick and muskeg is a PITA. Not to mention a hell of a lot of traffic on trails off PLER road. But lots of deer if you go on foot further than the road hunters go. I prefer 500, again lots of road hunters and the deer know it, but again tons of deer back in the bush. But 500 has a lot more open clearings, and hardwood instead of spruce. Got my 4x4 there friday. Not familiar with 501.

ishootbambi · #18 11-18-2012, 08:30 PM

im not in the same zone as you....but im not far away. today i saw 42 whitetails....26 were bucks with the biggest likely to break 160. they are moving like crazy out there. didnt see any breeding yet, but it should be just getting warmed up. stay at it and you will find em. the next week is going to be awesome!

trigger985 · #19 11-18-2012, 08:32 PM

thanks for all the advice all it has really got me back in the spirit and i cannot wait to get out into the bush again! i have 3 more days of leave left so i might take one or two more days off this week and see what happens. one last question for you guys; as i said before i cant affored a tree stand (at least not in the next 2 weeks and by then sean is over) soshould i just walk my way into the bush, find some ground cover on the edge of a spot where the forest clears out a bit on high ground and stand there for a few hours calling? or should i try to find a way to get at least a few feet off the ground?

BobMarliesDonkey · #20 11-18-2012, 09:15 PM

Hey trigger, PM sent.

magoonpointboy · #21 11-18-2012, 09:20 PM

Do everything you're doing, try a few things the guys have suggested, and keep at it. You'll get your deer. My father hunted for eight years, back in the fifty's before he ever saw a deer! Can you believe that!
The law of averages says that as long as you aren't being a complete fool in the woods, you will see and get a shot at a deer. Keep looking. The reward is just that much bigger, the harder they are to find.

shunda2 · #22 11-18-2012, 10:20 PM

Everyone is always having trouble with W/Ts, until they ar'nt. Stay with it!

raab · #23 11-19-2012, 10:28 AM

Hunted all weekend and only saw 2 deer in 350 both of which I couldn't get a shot at. I think as another poster said they're very unpredictable, one day you could go out and see nothing the next you could see 10 deer. Just keep hunting you'll see a shooter sooner or later.

Penner · #24 11-19-2012, 11:49 AM

If your hunting on crown in 514 it is for the most part is nothing but bush and it’s been open for rifle hunting season since Sept. Deer are a just a little skittish right now to say the least and they have been driven into the thick stuff.

Being strategically still while hunting would be the most productive. Calm days would be your friend. Watch the wind. Be prepared to spend a lot of time being strategically still. You’ll have to work at it.

If on crown, 514 is not easy to hunt successfully at this point of time on the contrary to what some others are saying within the post. Don't expect to see hundreds of deer cause its not going to happen. Unless you had a food plot on private land away from the bush that nobody else has access to.

trigger985 · #25 11-19-2012, 12:47 PM

Ok well next weekend I might give 500 a try get away from the crown land in 514. I am going to try what everyone is telling me lol and walk on out into the bush find a spot with fresh tracks, work the wind and stand still using my doe in heat bleet. Hopefully ill see something move lol.

When hunting alone out in the bush what is the best way to get your deer out? Tie a rode and pull? 250lbs seems like it.would get heavy after a km or two.

The Fisherman Guy · #26 11-19-2012, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by densa44

There are deer every where, please shoot a few, at least one is hit by a car every day. As the days get shorter it will be worse.

My son and his friends took a long range shooting course this summer and there must be something to it because they had a 8 pt buck that weighed nearly 250 lbs. They shot it at 546 yards with a .270.

If they can do it (it was their first) you can too.

Just west of Stettler, lots of deer.

Was that a Kimber .270? I am pretty sure I saw the pic, nice deer taken by a great cowboy.

Metalmike123 · #27 11-19-2012, 02:11 PM

Many of us are in the same boat so don't worry too much. My dad and I have been trampling down the land in area 510 (south of baptiste lake) for two weekends in a row the only luck weve had is a very small doe. Theres some decent sign but no apparent activity. You know you can dress in camo, spray scent remover, call, set-up a blind, mind wind direction, and it can still come down to bad luck or bad season. Just stay out there and keep practicing and learning, and it will happen for ya.
P.S. nothing wrong with truck hunting, just as long as it's done legally

Outt and Aboutt · #28 11-19-2012, 03:24 PM

I'm glad to hear we're not the only ones having a hard time seeing deer this year (not because I'm glad other people aren't, just glad it's not only me!). I've been hunting for quite a while and I know better than to expect to see deer every day, but it's frustrating and you start to wonder what's going on. In the end it usually boils down to putting in the time and you'll be rewarded, as others are saying. One minute you're flummoxed, the next you've got a deer on the ground.

Also keep in mind that we're still dealing with the fallout of the winter of 2010/11. That really creamed deer populations. And while we had a good winter last year, that only puts a bunch of fawns in the woods this year. We won't start to see a rise in the number of bucks and bigger does until next season. It'll take a few decent winters for the numbers to really come back up.