180ls1 Report post Posted April 17, 2020 Those who hunt the August OTC deer season (or just know how they behave) do you sit water or just spot and stalk early morning/late evening? With temps around 100* I am trying to learn how to best hunt em. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1denogean Report post Posted April 17, 2020 Whatever it takes you have to be able to adapt and change with the area, pressure, weather etc. If you stick to only one thing you will only be successful when that scenario is working or pure luck when God wants you to have one 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MULEPACKHUNTER Report post Posted April 17, 2020 the hunting part isn't the issue its the meat that's the issue.. better have a good plan if you are successful. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oz31p Report post Posted April 17, 2020 3 hours ago, 180ls1 said: Those who hunt the August OTC deer season (or just know how they behave) do you sit water or just spot and stalk early morning/late evening? With temps around 100* I am trying to learn how to best hunt em. Spot and stalk all day. as for meat if you quarter them and get them cooling while moving them to ice chests you’ll be fine 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigbuckfever Report post Posted April 17, 2020 Start glassing by first available light cause they will find a shady place to bed pretty early in the morning. Remember, they're wearing a thick fur coat. (Unless you're in the pines, they will be more active there) Water is the best advice I could give--you just have to find a tank that doesn't have a quad riding up to it ten times a day. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sneaker Report post Posted April 17, 2020 In my opinion, nothing is more deadly than a secluded water when it hasn't rained for 3+ weeks and with bucks coming in during the daylight multiple times a week. That scenerio is pretty impossible to beat for lethality, but it usually requires alot of scouting, cameras, and prior knowledge of an area to really get your odds high. Without those, your odds are horrible picking a random water and setting up a blind. Even in deer country, sometimes I only get daylight visiting bucks on a consistent basis on 1 in 20 waters, for instance. Many times they will act like one water is the best thing on earth one year, the next year nothing will touch it and they are watering miles away, same month of the year. FYI, blinds really cook during the middle of the day, lots of frozen drinks help. If it rains, cancel any water plans, no matter how excited you were about them, until its been dry for a couple weeks. That being said, spot and stalk is more fun and can be very deadly if you glass them early and watch them bed down. You just have to be physically acclimated to do a suffer fest heat stalk in the middle of the day, and be able to get the meat taken care of asap. Are you the kind of person that will exercise in 95+ degree heat? Thats kind of what it takes to do desert August hunts, and be good at them, and not die, in my opinion:) 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CatfishKev Report post Posted April 18, 2020 I always think I'm gonna hunt the summer. Then summer rolls around and I'm like f that. And I live at 4500'! I do want to get a big velvet coues someday though. Maybe this is the year. But probably not. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
180ls1 Report post Posted April 19, 2020 On 4/17/2020 at 3:17 PM, Sneaker said: In my opinion, nothing is more deadly than a secluded water when it hasn't rained for 3+ weeks and with bucks coming in during the daylight multiple times a week. That scenerio is pretty impossible to beat for lethality, but it usually requires alot of scouting, cameras, and prior knowledge of an area to really get your odds high. Without those, your odds are horrible picking a random water and setting up a blind. Even in deer country, sometimes I only get daylight visiting bucks on a consistent basis on 1 in 20 waters, for instance. Many times they will act like one water is the best thing on earth one year, the next year nothing will touch it and they are watering miles away, same month of the year. FYI, blinds really cook during the middle of the day, lots of frozen drinks help. If it rains, cancel any water plans, no matter how excited you were about them, until its been dry for a couple weeks. That being said, spot and stalk is more fun and can be very deadly if you glass them early and watch them bed down. You just have to be physically acclimated to do a suffer fest heat stalk in the middle of the day, and be able to get the meat taken care of asap. Are you the kind of person that will exercise in 95+ degree heat? Thats kind of what it takes to do desert August hunts, and be good at them, and not die, in my opinion:) Thanks for the lengthy information filled reply. Thats the issue, I am going to a place I have never been before but there *is* water (according the a map of springs). I'll probably glass, cover miles truck/atv and check out as many springs as possible without killing myself. I am also not sure of what elevation band the bucks will be in. Do they move up in the heat? I'll be on the mountain south of where it says you live. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oz31p Report post Posted April 20, 2020 Why have you never been there? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
180ls1 Report post Posted April 20, 2020 26 minutes ago, oz31p said: Why have you never been there? I live in CA (there goes all the help lol). One of my clients is in AZ so after meeting with them I want to get some hunting in. When you glass are you pretty close to water? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oz31p Report post Posted April 20, 2020 8 minutes ago, 180ls1 said: I live in CA (there goes all the help lol). One of my clients is in AZ so after meeting with them I want to get some hunting in. When you glass are you pretty close to water? Some times. But of the last few velvet deer I killed only 1 was with in 1 mile of water 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
180ls1 Report post Posted April 20, 2020 7 minutes ago, oz31p said: Some times. But of the last few velvet deer I killed only 1 was with in 1 mile of water Interesting, I'd love to get a velvet buck some day. Do they move/migrate up elevation in the heat? I'll be hunting at 4Kish elevation + or - 1K but have the chance to go up to 8k. Is that even needed? I'm thinking my best glassing will be at 5k or lower despite it being warmer. Thoughts? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oz31p Report post Posted April 20, 2020 Depends where In the the state but pretty much any where between 3-6k should have deer around. They don’t really migrate. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
180ls1 Report post Posted April 20, 2020 Just now, oz31p said: Depends where In the the state but pretty much any where between 3-6k should have deer around. They don’t really migrate. Good to know. Thanks for all your help so far. If your avatar is any indication I'll make sure I bring pleany of water haha! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CatfishKev Report post Posted April 20, 2020 22 minutes ago, 180ls1 said: Interesting, I'd love to get a velvet buck some day. Do they move/migrate up elevation in the heat? I'll be hunting at 4Kish elevation + or - 1K but have the chance to go up to 8k. Is that even needed? I'm thinking my best glassing will be at 5k or lower despite it being warmer. Thoughts? Just fyi, if you are hunting the sky islands down south expect mule deer country to stop at roughly 3500-4500 at which point it will become coues country from there up. Where abouts in AZ are you thinking of hunting? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
