Mountain hunting

[Bean]

I thought I would reach out for some input on hunting in the mountains. I've just moved to the blue ridge mountains on the NC/SC line. I've always hunted the flatlands and swamps of southern Alabama and west TX. So, this is a good bit different for me working these mountains that are pretty steep. I've always considered deer to be pretty lazy, like we are, and that they take the easy paths with some cover but I just don't know how they think about these mountains.
What are the habits for whitetail in their terrain? Do they travel the valleys or the ridges? Food source is everywhere, thick in oaks, and water is plentiful. I'm surrounded by 80,000 acres of beautiful WMA and I have a week off next week so I thought I would do some stalking but I would love some input from those that know.
Experience is what you get, right after you needed it.

Thanks,

 

[excess650]

Look for the white oaks as they prefer those acorns.

The deer will go where they want to go depending upon pressure. Look for the game trails.

 

[BrownBear]

Dunno whitetail from Santa Claus unless you're talking the Coues whitetail I grew up with.

So maybe this is a stretch and maybe not. But since I've seen coues whitetail, mule deer, Columbia blacktail and Sitka blacktail doing this in the "mountains," it just might apply for you. I say "mountains" because it's true in from little hills to bigguns.

Deer love to watch downhill when they're moving or bedding. If you can move or sit quietly above the elevations they're using at the time, your odds of avoiding detection go way up.

How high up the hills that is varies with the season and location. But you can determine it pretty quick by looking for tracks and trails. I almost never see them on the ridge tops or in the bottom of the valleys or draws unless they're just passing through. Find one of those regular pass-throughs and it might be a good place to sit and watch a while. But if you want to move, get above them and not below them.

 

[hoochiepapa]

The mule deer trails in CO run along the mountains, not up and over. Deer follow the easiest path, they don't like to work hard either. If you ever walk behind a CO hunter, you'll notice one leg is longer. Guess why??? :haha:

 

[Spikebuck]

In my area, I don't call them "Mountains" but some people do.

Deer aren't "lazy" in the human sense, but they do conserve energy. Check Saddles for trails to go up and over to the other side. Saddles, being a "low spot," allow deer to not have to climb as far up to cross. Also, as already said, many trails will sidehill. Look for benches on the sides of hills/mountains that make travel easier than being right on a steep sidehill. I know around here, as soon as a logging trail goes in on a sidehill, it's full of deer tracks!

In my area, bedding is wherever the thick cover is, but is usually on the tops of ridges, or near the tops on the sidehills, all other things being equal. If there's good food in the valleys, I love sitting near an edge on top of a hill in the morning...about an hour after daylight the bucks have worked their way back up to the top to bed on the edge. This works perfectly for them as they can watch everything happening down hill and if something spooks them from on top, in a split second they can be over the edge.

In the end, you just have to put in the scouting time and hit the best sign. Getting out and exploring is a huge part of the fun anyway. Good luck!

 

[Mad Professor]

Besides food weather will factor into deer movements. In cold sunny weather look to sheltered south facing slopes, the snow will not be so deep either. A place like this sheltered from the wind by ridges is where they may "yard up" particularly if they is a food source.

Cold air will settle in any hollows. During storms look for conifers and places sheltered from the winds.

 

[Vaino]

Have hunted the Rockies in CO and during the night because of the cooling air, the wind drafts go downhill and at approx., 9AM this reverses w/ an up draft.....so hunt the slopes and look downhill or ahead......Fred

 

[PeteDavis]

Live it.

PD

 

[Stumpkiller]

Whitetails are going to look for south facing bedding areas, water, ridges that give them good access to escape and food (white oak acorns were a great tip).

We only have hills hereabouts (1,800 ft - I live on top of one) and I like to find a "saddle" between hills and concentrate on the south facing slope in the morning. Sunset I look for thick cover and try to put myself downwind of where they might be coming out for the evening browse.

 

[don hepler]

I hunted the Appalachian mountains. One thing I always noticed, that deer will generally go to water, just before daylight. They will climb back to higher elevations and lay on benches, or road beds. The wind is mostly out of the west and going up the ridges. If you go up, you won't see them, due to the shape of the bench. If you come down, they jump over the edge before you see them. The best way, for me was to get out early and try to catch them, right at daylight, when they are moving back to bedding areas. If the rut is on, then anything goes, just take a stand and wait. I use to be able to stay in one spot for several hours. Just waiting them out. Find the turkeys and squirrel and you'll probably find the deer. Also look for horning. Lots of droppings, horning, and tracks, equals lots of deer. Location, location, location.
Deer can lay along the edge of a clear cut and you can walk within feet of them, and they will not move. They watch the open woods and can run into the brush. If you come thru the brush they can hear you. On wildlife areas, that are heavy hunted, they will lay very close to the road on a tiny bench and either let you walk by or be gone before you know it. In heavy hunted areas, they can hide in the smallest spot, where you would never look. That's why being out early and at last light is so important. Noon is also a good time. Hunters get cold, tired, hungry, so they will be on the move and jump deer to you, if you stay on a stand.
Don't forget rattling, I've called in several and even rattled in the one I shot, this year. If you are getting ready to leave, might as well rattle. If you hear some shooting, wait a while and when things settle down, start rattling. A buck may be up and away from his bedding area. That's right, I'm old, but still got a few tricks, up my sleeve.