Mountain hunting tactics

[Jerry Jeffer]

I noticed several PA fellas have bagged nice bucks this year. I see from the pictures that many were up on steep mountain sides.
When hunting the mountains here in the East, the very deer you are after could pass with in 50 yards and you would be none the wiser. Steep ridges and points combined with thickets make it hard to get a good look at anything that isn't fairly close. especially if you are ground hunting.
When a buck walks by in steep hill country, he is just as likely to be at eye level with you as he is to be 15 feet below you.
Since a buck can look up or down on you, try to set up so you blend in no matter what direction he comes from.
When it comes to wind, many guys say,"just hunt the wind". I sometimes have to laugh at that. You have no idea what it is like to do that in the Eastern mountains. The winds always has swirling, and the big mountain bucks will come from any direction. On top of main ridges the wind is more constant, but many have played that game. Wise old buck often avoid such easily accessed areas because most hunting pressure originates there. To hunt where the deer are means to hunt where the wind is swirly.
I would like to hear some tactics from the successful mountain hunters this year. I may add in more along the way.

[bicster]

My favorite tactic is to hunt benches especially if there is some kind of edge nearby.

[RedShaft]

Multi directional winds and deer approaching from almost any direction. Boy you nailed that one! You are right others who do not hunt the mt terrain do not have a clue what it's like.  

One of the biggest things i look for is any point the can pinch deer down to travel a narrow area. Blow downs is a key ingredient here. Little bumps and knobs also. I usually see deer traverse the grade on a 45deg angle. Usually when you see them going straight up and down is from two reasons. Fleeing from danger or going around an obstacle.

Funnel spots are your best bet but sometimes takes a few seasons to really learn and figure out.

Usually bed on very small flat spot on hill side about the size of a truck hood and it's usually at some kind of edge. Hunting laurel edges is always a good bet.

I always put my stand in amongst clusters of trees or in with grape vines. You can bet to that if there is tangle of grape vines and it looks narly that it's a good area.

You can be pretty assured deer bed high and feed low in most instances.

Mostly I hunt white oak areas early season. Then gradually move to thicker edges and tangly looking spots as the rubs and scrapes pop up. I usually stay ways from very open areas and hunt in or along thickets. I also hate hunting mountain sides when the leaves are still on. I wish our season would start later and run longer.

[Jerry Jeffer]

Red Shaft, funny you mention bedding areas. I was just thinking that in big woods in the mountains there are no "regular" bedding areas. Deer move around so freely and have so many choices. Sure there are areas that deer will frequent, but there are no set bedding areas as in a small woods. Trying to decipher which heavy thicket is being used the day of your hunt can be a nightmare.

[RedShaft]

You are dead on. They will lay anywhere. They sometimes travel great distances and sometimes bed real close to where they eat. Almost right in it. It's crazy. Like they are way Differant animal than what other hunt. Most stuff I try to learn or read about you can throw in the garbage. Thy do what they want, when they want. There is no plan. The best time to capitalize on them is very early on those white oaks and take advantage of rubs and scrapes later on. And hope you found yourself a funnel near where you know does are or bed or come through and put the time in. Beginning of nov to the end

It really seems bucks in the mountains do not move a whole lot at all I till that last week of oct. I see very few bucks on there feet during daylight before end of oct.

[ron w]

I like what I call sneak'n and peek'n. Hunt a ridge and bounce side to side looking over the edge real slow with a lot of glassing. Work the wind and spend time in the saddles. It's slow and tedious but fun when it works. Real slow up here with the low deer numbers but it does work.

[Owlgrowler]

Where I hunt it's just like Pennsy, only smaller. I have to laugh with you guys about the wind thing, just wait a couple minutes and it'll be "right". And then it'll be wrong again. That's why I just about always hunt treestands. And sometimes pretty high.

When I find "the" spot, I look for the highest part of it and put my stand there. Deer naturally gravitate to high spots and if you call one in he will sometimes walk right under you looking for the deer he heard but can't see thinking that it must be just over the rise.

I used to think hunting on the lee side during a heavy blow was the place to be, but the wind actually swirls more there. Now I just stay home!

[Tedd]

Jerry,
Man! You are right!. And this is a good thread. I have been hunting the north central, mostly Tioga County for 30 yrs.  The wind literally never stays in one direction.  You can't have a sit for more than an hour without a major wind swirl.
Combine that with public land and low deer numbers and you have yourself a challenge! I don't think I ever killed what anyone here would call a whopper in the PA mts. But I have killed some bucks. It is usually the rut before I can see one. And that is the best time to hope he will make a mistake with that wind. I always hunt out of a tree stand. I use a full sized backpack (Alice Pack or Mystery Ranch Crew Cab). I get some dumb looks, but how else do you cary a tree stand and enough water, clothes, gear, food…etc to  hunt in a tree stand all day? Carrying the tree stand in can be a pretty good workout. I let one in the woods for most of the season and have a second in case I need to be more mobile. The backpack can be used to 1/4 and carry a deer if you are lucky enough to get a shot.
 On calm days thermals shift the breeze as the daily temp fluctuates. You can usually feel  breeze turn and come downhill just before dark on a calm eve. That is pretty much a sure thing. And usually you get some uphill breeze mid morning if you are up high. I don't know if that has ever helped me get a deer or not!
Being able to handle the cold during the last few weeks of the season is a necessity.  You can't walk in wearing a lot of clothes. I have been using a pile of large sized hand warmers place all over my body to stay in the tree for long hours. You sweat on the way in no matter how you dress. Tedd

[Tedd]

I really don''t know how you handle the swirling wind. A bedded deer usually will lay using the current wind for safety, so I like to think that when a major wind shift comes through it will cause deer to get up and move. Maybe towards me!
Tedd

[Littlejake]

Look for saddles above any thick cover that could be used for bedding areas. And hunt where  points meet that come down off ridges ,deer seem to travel them. The wind can be tricky thier too. Big woods hunting can be frustrating at times,but sometimes it all comes together.

[bamboo]

Originally posted by Tedd:
I really don''t know how you handle the swirling wind. A bedded deer usually will lay using the current wind for safety, so I like to think that when a major wind shift comes through it will cause deer to get up and move. Maybe towards me!
Tedd

I use the same tricks on myself to persevere and stay put---reminding myself that mountain deer can and do come from any direction--and swirling cost me quite a lot of shots this season-one real heartbreaker on a 3-1/2yr old buck that was 10 yrds for 15 mins-ooof!--
  I also feel that the random bedding is a response to random wind-hard to predict!
 
pinch points are often a lot more subtle than most articles would suggest--and 2-3 times I was astonished to see deer tip toeing around my "pinch point" crossing rock piles and other seemingly unpassable terrain!!
 
since the devastating snow 2 yrs ago knocked 1000's of trees down]and then sandy a year later 1000's more we've had to relearn the pinchpoints--BUT with that many tops and full timbers down some spots were improved-and some great funnels have almost no travel now

 these tops and blowdowns are usually pretty easy to rearrange and improve upon-we've dragged 3-4 tops to redirect travel to within range of stands and blinds
 
and remember random wind has got to be almost as big a PITA to the deer! and they are definitely playing for keeps!!

[VictoryHunter]

If you hunt saddles in high ridges they will direct certain winds in a favorable directions. Deer use the saddles a lot because it makes it easier to travel back and forth to different valleys. It's one of my favorite tactics!

[RedShaft]

Tedd, your right it's tough packing a stand and all your gear when it's cold up mountain side and n dressing right and trying to stay warm. It's a real struggle to play.

I will tell you guys I had pretty decent year. And if you guys remember me saying in other posts I as going to be lazy this year and try the close overlooked and walked last spots? Well it really paid off well for me. Closer walks and more deer. Right off and along road and spot everyone walks by. I was shocked how good it was while everyone drove right in by.

Also before ice fishing starts I try to get out and walk in he snow to learn how deer move. Right now is best time if you have snow. I learned allot of new spots just in past week that I overlooked. I know guys say early spring later winter. But I think now is best time. They are reacting the way the will next season. ESP those of us who hunt public land. You can see faint trails you never knew existed.

What I been doing is making notes and writing down every spot I seen in a note book. Next year all I have to do is. Review my notebook and got pick a tree. I'm hoping it pays off.

[Warden609]

Great thread. Good information fellas.

[Jerry Jeffer]

Red shaft, you make another good point about scouting in winter too. Waiting until pre-season to do scouting is almost worthless. There are no food plots to monitor, so piecing together early season travel patterns is impractical. You will end up hanging tree stands based on information that is going to change in a few weeks. When natural cover and food sources change, so do travel patterns. Post season scouting will allow you to gather the most pertinent information in my opinion.

[Jack Whitmire Jr]

Bamboo nailed it you ahve to hunt pinch points and sometimes they don't jump out to you as much as you would think .

The Derecho (sp) that blew all the trees down in 2012 have changed a lot of my stands but I'm slowly redirecting the tops to get them where I can shoot them  

Don't hunt if the wind is wrong was wrote by some midwest hutner . I can take a good eastern mountain whitetail hunter to the midwest and hurt the population there  

[ShadeMt]

I live in south central PA(Huntingdon County) and prefer hunting the mountains over our ridges. Our particular area features valleys with lots of crop fields and therefore lots of private land so it is a much different than hunting mountains in areas with continuous timber without crops.  Because of the crops, for the most part they are coming up the mountain to bed after feeding in the fields all night and the reverse in the evenings.  Whenever possible I try to focus on benches or at least slight grades for most of my hunting so that I don't have to contend with steep areas where the deer are right at eye level with your treestand.  I also look for "smooth" areas where the deer can travel between large areas of rocks. Also old logging roads are scattered over the mountainsides and make good travel areas as well.  

I feel the biggest key to successfully hunting mountains is to plan your route into your stand.  Many hunters will take the shortest route to their stand instead of circling around the area where the deer will be coming from.  I have some spots that require a hike that takes at least 3 times longer than the more simple straight shot right to my stand.  

When I was younger and lacked the patience, I think I used to climb down out of my stands too early in the mornings.  In my experience, when hunting high on the mountain, especially during the rut, it just takes a long time for the deer to make their way up you.  It amazes me how often I started to see deer at 10 or 11 in the morning once I became patient enough to sit that long.

The wind is the most frustrating part of hunting our area.  As for the issues with swirling winds and thermals, the only thing I have found is to try and set stands so that deer can come from different directions and keep fingers crossed that  the wind cooperates when they are headed your way.  Those TV experts that climb down out and switch stands every time the wind changes would get quite  a workout in the mountain terrain we hunt!

[Bobaru]

I always wanted to hunt Tioga County - it's such beautiful country.  But, in the two hour drive I'd pass up some of the best deer country in the world.  So, I hunt around home.  

But, I stopped hunting where the wind swirls... been busted too many times.

[Tedd]

Bobaru,
Exactly where is that hunting spot!!

Someone made a good point…use the snow to your advantage, scouting when there is snow on the ground is easily the most valuable thing you can do for killing a mountain buck.
2nd would be finding a good acorn situation in the early season.
Tedd

[joe ashton]

I too have to laugh at the 'hunt into the wind' statement Here in the Rockies you'd never be out of sight of the truck because the wind blows 360* 24/7.  I've gotten 8 mule deer and most were shots of opportunity while still hunting logging roads.