Clearwater Wildlife Blog #4 – Hunting season strategies

Switching subjects

Our previous blogs focused on efforts Fish and Game relies on to track white-tailed deer populations and understanding the vital role hunters play in gathering and sharing the information biologists depend on to manage healthy and sustainable deer populations. So it’s important to know hunters are a valuable piece of the management equation, but what about actually hunting those elusive white-tailed deer?

Roughly 49,000 white-tailed deer hunters took to the woods in Idaho last fall. In total, those hunters spent more than 360,000 days hunting and harvested just shy of 20,000 white-tailed deer. That being said, I will throw out one more shameless plug for submitting Mandatory Hunter Reports so that I can share information like this with you. Now, back to hunting white-tailed deer. Let’s cover some of the ways you can join the group of hunters who bring home venison. 

Hunting season preparation

Many hunters dust off their boots, weapon of choice, and hunting packs between late August and mid-October before general seasons open. Although white-tailed deer populations are plentiful enough in parts of the state for this last-minute method to work, in most cases, the likelihood of finding “The One” deer you dream about is probably similar to your chances of salvaging the PB & J sandwich you left in your pack last season. 

Depending on the year, white-tailed hunters may get by with little preparation. However, a little preparation can also go a long ways when it comes to notching your tag. The occasional scouting trip or trail camera setup can yield valuable information about the deer you are hunting, and their use of the landscape. This information can also inform your decision about where you want to hunt, and how you want to hunt the area. 

Because let’s face it, no one enjoys having the sun peak over the ridge of their favorite deer spot on opening morning to learn that a mid-summer timber harvest rendered your “go-to spot” devoid of cover and deer. Collectively, just like studying for a test, or practicing for a sporting event, preseason scouting enables hunters to be better prepared and more likely to succeed when the season arrives.

Picking a spot

Reading a map

Maps are great starting points for hunters. Not only do they allow you to find road or trail access to places you like to hunt, but topographic maps and aerial imagery also display landscape features that are likely to hold or influence deer movement. A couple of the features I look for when studying a map include benches or flat spots, saddles between drainages, and pinch points where ridges come together. 

The why…

Benches with flat ground and cover are great places for animals to bed. Positioning yourself around bedding areas may provide opportunity to catch deer as they move in and out of those areas. Saddles between drainages allow animals to cross from one drainage to another without having to climb to the top of a ridge or mountain. Like most folks climbing to the top of a mountain, the shortest way is generally most appealing. Pinch points allow the topography of your hunting area to naturally funnel animals through smaller portions of the landscape. Like counting on deer to use saddles as opposed to climbing mountains, pinch points funnel deer through an area assuming most animals will follow the path of least resistance.

White-tailed deer, like hunters, prefer to take the path of least resistance. When you make a living on the landscape, it pays to be efficient with the energy you acquire. From a hunter’s perspective, understanding how topographic features like these influence deer movements can help you get a good idea of how animals may be using the area you are hunting. Add in other influences, such as cover, water and food locations, and you may really be on to some productive deer habitat.

Finding signs

Once you have a spot picked out, looking for sign can help confirm or refute the conclusions you drew from staring at a map. Fortunately, deer leave signs in the form of hoof prints, droppings, rubs, scrapes, and the occasional shed antler, all of which help hunters narrow down where they should focus their time during season. Because white-tailed deer inhabit a wide array of habitats from the thick timber of the backcountry to the breaks of Hells Canyon, finding sign is crucial to spending your time in the woods effectively.

Hunting strategies

There are many ways to hunt white-tailed deer, and no one way is necessarily better than another. Each strategy’s effectiveness will depend on certain factors, such as where you hunt, what the deer are doing, and how well you as a hunter can employ each strategy - just to name a few.

Patience is a virtue you cannot learn later…

When it comes to hunting white-tailed deer, the fact of the matter is patience is generally required. Sitting, glassing, and passing time in a single spot allows you to have the deer come to you rather than the other way around. Remember, deer make a living by hearing, smelling, and always seeing what goes on around them, making them adept at detecting a hunter tromping through the woods. 

The best times to sit while white-tailed hunting are as the sun comes up in the morning and right before dark. A tactic I like to employ while sitting is bringing a good book to read. Reading allows me to listen for footsteps while periodically scanning my surroundings for deer that may have appeared more silently. Books are also conducive to putting down quickly when an opportunity arises and seldom captivating enough to coax me into reading an additional page when deer do show up. Although, I have lost my page a number of times while reading during a deer hunt.

The why…

White-tailed deer are crepuscular, which is a big word for saying they are most active during low-light hours. If you sit while white-tailed are most active during the early morning and late evening, your chances of observing deer picking their way through the woods or fields are much higher than if you are walking around. Additionally, sitting will make you less noticeable to those vigilant, moving deer. 

Still hunting

Despite the name, still hunting describes a strategy when a hunter stealthily sneaks through the woods while watching and listening for animals. Stealthily moving across the landscape means  a hunters can cover more ground than sitting and waiting, but it’s a trade off because there is also a chance the animals will detect a hunter’s presence first. Still hunting is generally painfully slow to avoid stepping on anything too loud, such as brittle sticks or branches, or making other noises that may alert deer. I prefer to still hunt during the middle of the day to pass time between periods of high white-tailed deer activity (typically first and last hours of daylight). Also, covering ground makes me more apt to sit patiently during the evening hours of a hunt.

The why…

Still hunting during the middle of the day allows hunters to cover ground while deer are less likely to be up and moving. Given their crepuscular nature, deer are less likely to move during the middle of the day. So, if you are able to still hunt effectively, you may be able to sneak up on bedded or stationary deer. Further, still hunting allows hunters to cover more ground and potentially find fresh sign revealing the presence of deer in their hunting spot.

Making some noise

Now that we have emphasized the importance of still hunting without making noise, let’s talk about methods where being loud might help bring deer to us. 

There are three primary methods for attracting deer, rattling antlers, grunting and doe bleats. Rattling antlers is intended to mimic the sound of two bucks fighting which, during the rut, can pique the curiosity of nearby bucks causing them to investigate the cause of the commotion (Pro-tip: Tape up or cut the browtines off of rattling antlers to spare your thumbs an unnecessary battering, you can thank me later). 

Grunting is a more direct approach in which a hunter uses a grunt tube to mimic the sound of a buck looking to challenge other nearby bucks. Either method can be effective, particularly during those stages of the rut when white-tailed bucks are actively searching for does and fending off other bucks. However, these methods can also cause deer to flee if those deer are less dominant within your area. So, be strategic and be ready because a reaction might happen quickly!

Doe bleats, which can be emulated using a call or your voice, can also be an effective way to draw curious deer to you. Does will bleat to communicate with one another and to let bucks know that they are in the area. If your goal is to draw deer without necessarily challenging a buck, a doe bleat is a great way to do it.

The why…

White-tailed bucks establish dominance for breeding purposes in the fall. When establishing dominance, bucks may challenge one another by locking antlers and fighting. Hunters can recreate the sound of a deer fight by locking antlers together and rattling them. This may cause other deer in the area to come evaluate the cause of the fight. Or, it may cause a dominant buck to think that two less dominant bucks are fighting over a doe on his turf, leading him to check out the commotion.

Mimicking the sounds of an aggressive or dominant buck by grunting can pose a challenge to deer that feel they are near the top of the hierarchy, leading them to investigate their challenger. It should also be noted that the length, strength, and duration of a grunt can be altered to send different messages. Lighter grunts can simply be used to let deer know of another deer’s presence. Alternatively, a heavier grunt, especially in conjunction with a snort wheeze, can signal a direct challenge. Although deer are generally quite creatures, the right sounds at the right time can invoke responses that hunters can capitalize on.

White-tailed deer use bleats at different times of their lives to communicate with one another. A fawn may bleat to call for its mother, a doe may bleat to communicate its presence to other does or a family group, and does may bleat to let bucks know they are nearby and receptive to breeding, just to name a few. There are many contexts where white-tailed deer will communicate using bleats, making it a great call for hunters to mimic. 

Summary

There are many ways to find success in the white-tailed deer woods of Idaho. Preparation, site selection, and strategies cover just a few of the many thoughts swirling around an avid white-tailed deer hunters mind while thinking about the fall season ahead. Hopefully, you are able to apply some of what you read here to help contribute to your success this fall.

If you have white-tailed deer questions you would like to see addressed in future blogs, please send those questions to: r2wildlife@idfg.idaho.gov

Thank you for taking the time to read this article and good luck on your next hunting adventure!

Check out the other blogs in this series:

Clearwater wildlife blog series: Installment #3- White-tailed deer teeth results | Idaho Fish and Game

Clearwater wildlife blog series: Installment #2- How harvest stats are used 

Clearwater wildlife blog series: Installment #1- season recap | Idaho Fish and Game