Southern Elk
Well-known member
Same here. It was the hotspot for big bucks for a while.
Quintessential Western Whitetail?
- Thread starter 2rocky
- Start date
BigHornRam
Well-known member
And beyond 20 yards, is a long shot.
After killing a few mountain whitetails with a rifle, I have utmost respect to guys that do it with a bow. mtmuley
BAKPAKR
Well-known member
I was still hunting during rifle season with my week old Jennings Arrowstar when this buck came walking up the hill right to me.
I love rutting bucks!
geetar
Well-known member
Idaho would work for me too.
Frequently Banned Troll
Well-known member
SagebrushSlayer
Active member
I have only a couple WT hunts here in the West. iD and MT.
I have always wanted to do a Snake River/Clearwater river hunt in Idaho. MT mountain hunt in the Western half, WY/SD Blacks Hills mountain hunt. Those are in my mind the “ bucket list” hunts for western Whitetail.
Question I have is what expectations for mature western whitetails? 8 point? 10 point? My goal is a mature, heavy mass, 18-20” wide, equal tine rack.
I have always wanted to do a Snake River/Clearwater river hunt in Idaho. MT mountain hunt in the Western half, WY/SD Blacks Hills mountain hunt. Those are in my mind the “ bucket list” hunts for western Whitetail.
Question I have is what expectations for mature western whitetails? 8 point? 10 point? My goal is a mature, heavy mass, 18-20” wide, equal tine rack.
I’d say the vast majority of what Idaho locals call big bucks are two year olds that might be 75 inch bucks
There are some really strong 4 point genetics in the Clearwater region. Passing on bucks over 120 or so is a great way to eat a tag, especially on public. Ehd this year and in 2021 has really hammered deer numbers
Salmonchaser
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- Joined
- Nov 12, 2019
- Messages
- 2,865
Rolling grassy hills with brushy bottoms leading to a major river system. Catching a big whitetail out in this country as he is heading back to cover at first light. The big bucks do some crazy, crafty things that never gets dull! They usually win too!
Nameless Range
Well-known member
Quintessential: Representing the typical example of a quality or class, embodying the pure, essential nature of something:
I am not a great deer hunter or hunter at all, but after 20+ years of shooting mule deer every year I am on year 6 of shooting just whitetails in Western Montana. Western MT and MT in general has great river bottom hunting, but when I think of "Western Whitetail", I think of a kind of hunting that is different than what's available in most of the rest of the U.S. Basically, forested mountain geography west of the continental divide. I know that technically that's just a subset of what western whitetail could be.
A few things.
-Nameless Deer
-Timber
-Mountains
-Hunting amongst predators (wolf,lion,griz)
-Logging roads
-Short (<100 yds) shots
-A lack of sagebrush
-The smell of conifers
-A lack of other hunters on foot
I am not a great deer hunter or hunter at all, but after 20+ years of shooting mule deer every year I am on year 6 of shooting just whitetails in Western Montana. Western MT and MT in general has great river bottom hunting, but when I think of "Western Whitetail", I think of a kind of hunting that is different than what's available in most of the rest of the U.S. Basically, forested mountain geography west of the continental divide. I know that technically that's just a subset of what western whitetail could be.
A few things.
-Nameless Deer
-Timber
-Mountains
-Hunting amongst predators (wolf,lion,griz)
-Logging roads
-Short (<100 yds) shots
-A lack of sagebrush
-The smell of conifers
-A lack of other hunters on foot
Hem
Well-known member
Your photo made me feel a bit nostalgic....like I should take a break from composite stocks and return to wood .
TheDudeAbides
Well-known member
To be the quintessential western WT hunt is in the river bottoms next to fields in a small section of public.
You watch a flock of turkeys feed and wish they were deer instead.
Then you see a whitetail buck appear randomly out of nowhere across the river under 150 yards.
Lay the hammer on it.
Going to cross the river a pheasant will jumpscare you in route to the other side.
You slip at some point in the river & get wet or have water go over your boot - Either way you have river cold feet. Cold wet feet is essential for the quintessential western whitetail hunt.
After crossing the river you spend the next 20 minutes looking for the deer through hellish brush and finally discover that the deer was only 25 yards away from you hidden in plain sight.
You feel dumb trying to track a deer through whacky brush only to have it next to you in an easy to access area.
You gut it and drag it across the river to the truck. During the drag, you hear the chukars laughing at you from the hill side.
You vow revenge on the chukars for laughing at you and when you return with the dog, you only find deer in the area.
You watch a flock of turkeys feed and wish they were deer instead.
Then you see a whitetail buck appear randomly out of nowhere across the river under 150 yards.
Lay the hammer on it.
Going to cross the river a pheasant will jumpscare you in route to the other side.
You slip at some point in the river & get wet or have water go over your boot - Either way you have river cold feet. Cold wet feet is essential for the quintessential western whitetail hunt.
After crossing the river you spend the next 20 minutes looking for the deer through hellish brush and finally discover that the deer was only 25 yards away from you hidden in plain sight.
You feel dumb trying to track a deer through whacky brush only to have it next to you in an easy to access area.
You gut it and drag it across the river to the truck. During the drag, you hear the chukars laughing at you from the hill side.
You vow revenge on the chukars for laughing at you and when you return with the dog, you only find deer in the area.
rogerthat
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2015
- Messages
- 3,456
Western whitetail hunt for me is the mountain whitetails of western Montana, Idaho, Washington, etc. The river bottom whitetails in the ag lands are pretty similar to a lot of the midwestern hunts in places imo and river bottoms and ag land aren’t really how I define the west in my mind. The vastness of the forested Mountains to me are a defining icon of the west and hunting those nomadic whitetails that occupy those lands would be how true western whitetail hunting is defined in my mind. But I totally understand why opinions on this would vary based off where you live
2rocky
Well-known member
Yep you guys get it....
For me it was still hunting on private timberland interspersed with national forest and cut wheatfields along river canyons in North Idaho. Saw bucks as big as what the Realtree guys were killing in the midwest. Usually along the road in my headlights or headed back into the trees at dusk way across the fields.
This was a buck my roommate got during Thanksgiving break and is the largest I remember seeing dead in person during my time there. He shot him in his bed while stillhunting.
I was so proud when I rattled in the doe this buck was following in a Canyon that fed into the Clearwater river. Still the only Whitetail buck I've killed
The reason I posed the original question is that my father has determined he's finally ready to hunt a Whitetail. After years of scoffing at "stand hunters", he feels that since he will be 84 next hunting season, that maybe it is time for him to have a less physically demanding hunt. So I'm trying to find characteristics that will resonate with what he and I love about hunting in the West.
I don't think he would enjoy sitting in a box blind all day in Saskatchewan and tree stands are out. I think spot and stalk opportunities in gentle terrain is what we are looking at.
I've enjoyed the contributions from folks here ... keep 'em coming.
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