On a serious note

[grey curse]

Okay looking for your honey holes. Jk!   Looking for strategy advice.  The last two years I have changed where I look for mature bucks.  I am working thicker higher elevations but still hitting it the same as I did in the lower, with not a lot of success.   I have great deer on cameras but can’t find them in the glass.  So my question is 1- new area, how many days till you write it off as good/ no good?    2-look close, pick apart a canyon all day or run and gun?  3-how thick is to thick?  3 being the tough one for me.  I know there’s great bucks in the area but it’s thicker then I feel someone should hunt with glassing technique .   More like a ambush archery area.  I believe there are hunters that have a ton of success in this general area just not me.  Any suggestions on how to hunt thicker/ new areas and how much time to spend  a canyon/ cut would be appropriate.  

[CouesWhitetail]

If it's too thick to glass, then, like you mentioned you will likely have to try the archery techniques of setting up a blind somewhere the deer come to regularly like a trail going to water or sitting water itself.  

[Guest akaspecials]

Whenever I have areas like that I get back in there in January. The bucks always seem to come out of the wood work then. Answers to your questions below: 

Q1- New area, how many days till you write it off as good/ no good?    

A1- If you have nice bucks on cam in the area, there is no reason to write it off until you can figure out how to kill those bucks, get tired of chasing them, or they leave the area.

Q2-Look close, pick apart a canyon all day or run and gun?  

Q3- Pick apart canyons. If you find whitetail, they will be within a mile of there 75% of the year. Change canyons and change vantage points, but since the deer are close by on your cams, there is no reason to run all over.

Q3-How thick is too thick?  

A3- I was recently shown a few areas that I thought were too thick for deer. Turns out they had basically made tunnels through the thick stuff like the Viet Cong. I've glassed this area for days and had no idea that deer were moving in there until someone took me on foot through it. I don’t think many places are too thick as long as they have water and food. Get into the thick stuff and try to find sign and game trails. Set up like Amanda suggested above.

[CatfishKev]

On 9/24/2018 at 1:24 PM, akaspecials said:

Whenever I have areas like that I get back in there in January. The bucks always seem to come out of the wood work then. Answers to your questions below: 

Q1- New area, how many days till you write it off as good/ no good?    

A1- If you have nice bucks on cam in the area, there is no reason to write it off until you can figure out how to kill those bucks, get tired of chasing them, or they leave the area.

Q2-Look close, pick apart a canyon all day or run and gun?  

Q3- Pick apart canyons. If you find whitetail, they will be within a mile of there 75% of the year. Change canyons and change vantage points, but since the deer are close by on your cams, there is no reason to run all over.

Q3-How thick is too thick?  

A3- I was recently shown a few areas that I thought were too thick for deer. Turns out they had basically made tunnels through the thick stuff like the Viet Cong. I've glassed this area for days and had no idea that deer were moving in there until someone took me on foot through it. I don’t think many places are too thick as long as they have water and food. Get into the thick stuff and try to find sign and game trails. Set up like Amanda suggested above.

Catclaw doesn't look big far away, another story walking through it.

[The Deer Guy]

On 9/25/2018 at 9:02 PM, CatfishKev said:

Catclaw doesn't look big far away, another story walking through it.

Found that out on my recent hunt. I was glassing catclaw from 1000 yds that I thought were small until I watched coues come out of them and the catclaw was taller that the deer. Not fun stuff to walk through and it seemed to love tearing up my kuiu pants.

[grey curse]

Thank you for the replies.   To clarify, #1 when I say “new area”mean one specific draw / cut in the overall area.   The more I read and research big mature bucks can live in one draw/cut.  #2 “run and gun” meaning glass from one advantage spot all day or move on to another but staying in the same general area.   #3 “ too thick”.  South facing slopes are spotty open to glass.   If you  spot a deer to get a shot with a rifle would be difficult.  North facing slopes almost impossible to glass.   It like I said I know there are great deer in this area.  

[CatfishKev]

Some areas are just to thick to glass or get a good vantage point.  Set up a mineral lick preferably a shady bedding area, keep up with the site every year then hunt it archery in the summer hunt and during the rut. Your bucks will show up.