[madarchery]

O.K. I am 80% sure I will be heading to N.W> Nebraska for the first week of Nov with 3 buddies. We have a friend that moved to ther a month ago and works on a very lg (by my standards) ranch. Anyways were just waiting for the final ok by the owner.

We will be targeting deer muley/whitetail as he has been seeing both primarily whitetail.

Anyways what style of archery hunting is done there. We know there are not many trees and the ones there are small. We are trying to get more details. Alot of its in corn but they figured the end of Oct . Its coming off.

So What style is widely used. Ground blind/stalk/treestand in the bushes??

What is the landscape like??

Antelope in earily Nov. What methods.

Like I said once we get the 100% go we will really be hitting the info hard but would like to see what and how is the main methods out there.

Also what quality in general can be found in the deer there.

Thanks

 

[NerdHick]

What part of NW Nebraska...

 

[madarchery]

Still waiting for the address. I think eastern Dawes cty. Some where east of Chadron?

 

[NerdHick]

You'll just need to find out what kind of area you're going to hunt, you have everything from forrest to bare grass lands...

look at http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=Chadron,+NE

and click on satellite map...it will show you the area and you'll get a good feel for that area...

 

[madarchery]

Well I f I have my bearings straight and from the original description of the land he is east of what I beleive is a bunch of river ditchs. He did say it was some hilly terrain but really didn't say anything about actual drainages. So I beleive he is located where the drainages tapper off into the farm land.

So with the info of hilly terrain, few trees and lg feilds. What should I expect. Decent hunting or do the deer sit in the drainages and migrat a mile or so to the feilds at night? Are there really that few trees?

Remember I am from Eastern WI so this is totally new from the 40's that I hunt with only 5 acre wood lots. But I do know fence lines(with trees)

 

[tguil]

Your question is really too broad for me to answer. I've hunted every corner of Nebraska (and in the middle too). Be ready for open spaces and some mighty hard archery hunting. Forget antelope in November. Our antelope populaton is down. A November hunt would be after our limited firearm season making it even harder.

There is not a whole lot written about hunting the plains of western Nebraska but there are some articles about hunting the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. The terrain is pretty much the same -- open with creek drainages.

Enjoy your Nebraska hunt. I'm taking a friend of mine from Illinois on a hunt in mid October. So far my suggestions for him have been -- camo for the plains (not the dark stuff you use in the east), practice a lot at 40 yards, bring a ground blind (we might hunt near water holes or stock tanks), be ready for windy conditions. You will also need a good range finder and binoculars. You may even want a spotting scope. When I hunt the plains, I usually spot and stock the critters.

Good luck.

Tom

 

[madarchery]

Thanks alot. I know its broad.

I have everything mentioned on your list . I feel pretty set gear wise. I was just curious about the lack of trees and if spot and stalk and ground bklinds were the answer. I gues I will bring the arsenal and figure it out if I go. Ya antelope I figured would be tough. Figured we get a license there if we seen a bunch. We were told there are 2 rifle hunters and no archers on the land. So were hoping thats agood sign. Or a sign there isn't much there. But my friend watches them everyday so we hope for a good time.

 

[madarchery]

Well got the go ahead from the owner. He doesn't remember anyone archery hunting there. And said he only had a farmhand rifle hunting.

Anyways. The terrain is hilly. Some shallow drainages with lots of tall grass and a few trees. Nothing that resembles a woodlot.

Anyways we all have blinds and stands so were bringing it all.

Hear it gets pretty windy how windy?? 20,30,40?? Whats average?

Also what kind of weather can we most likely expect? I am sure it could be from 50 to minus 10 but whats normal for the first week of Nov.

Also what stage of rut are the whitetail and muleys in??

Does rattlin and callin, decoy work for muleys? We no nothin on muleys so all advice would be helpful..

Thanks
Doug

 

[Yeahbut...]

My 2¢

Hi Doug,
Sounds like your headin' into the sand hills. Great country... BIG!
Stick to the basics: find the food (alfalfa and wheat fields) and you'll find the deer. There's always someplace to dig a hole for you feet and brush-in a ground blind. Works great, too. I like fencelines for this.
As for the stalking... get in the creek bottoms if it's heavily eroded and still-hunt up and down them. That's where the deer will be. For goodness sakes, stay off the hills. You'll see deer, but they'll see you too. Peek around the hillsides (avoid the tops) slowly and you'll see more game. When spotting and stalking, be agressive and move fast. These deer are constantly on the move and don't hold still very long. Sometimes you'll have to take a chance at being seen. Take it.
Watch for low saddles between feeding areas and those grassy "blow-outs" as we call 'em. Deer bed in those grassy bottoms and shallow marshes and will exit and enter from the lowest point (typical deer behavior). Your tent blinds should be fine for these setups. Those deer have never seen anything like those.
If you've got expandable broadheads, take 'em. I've seen my arrow fly sideways in 40mph winds. Not a pretty sight. When the wind blows, hunt low and tight (but then, don't we always? .
Deer are deer. Muleys will respond just like whitetails to calls, decoys, scents, etc. when the rut is on. If they boost your confidence, take 'em and use 'em. Ending your hunt saying "shoulda, woulda, coulda," SUCKS!
There are some supremely fine deer in that country, but time usually becomes a factor and if you dump a lot of scent and disturbance in the area, the deer will bug out. Same story as back in WI, eh?
Have a great time.
Oh, that area has CWD.
Brad

 

[madarchery]

Thanks alot. That is what I need. We are currently taking bowhunter ed to get tags and should have that done in 2 weeks.

Question with the calls. Do the "whitetail calls" also work on the muleys. I would asume a w.T. decoy means sqwat to them.

It does sound like more farm land. There are no woodlots, but cattle graze and corn. Hilly with blowouts.

It should be fun and will learn alot.

 

[Yeahbut...]

Decoys

Mule deer crossbreed with whitetails all the time. I've seen lots of them along the north fork of the Shoshone River in Wyoming. So, take the decoy if you have room and the inclination. It's a confidence booster for you and something for the deer to focus on while you're pulling back and settling the pin.

You may know this, but if it's a doe decoy, put doe-in-heat on her tail and set yourself up so you can shoot a buck that comes on the downwind side to smell her hiney. One caveat: use your decoy out of sight of any roads. Last year some jackass shot his rifle at a flock of goose decoys and killed a young fellow who was hiding in one of those large shells. Guys out West do this kind of stupid sh__ all the time. So keep the decoy low and out of sight. That's where the best deer activity will be anyway.

I'm betting that the corn is irrigated. By late November, it will be harvested and the deer will be pretty easy to see in those fields. The rut will be roaring so take your lunch with you and even if you're not hunting, be watching and glassing. Sometimes you can find deer using the most unlikely travelways in that country. Where there's one, there will be another!

Stick a nice one!

 

[madarchery]

O.k another .

If you fing yourself out in the areas with little cover short grass. Is there any way to hunt such a location?? I know whitetails here not a chance and most game your out of luck. But antelope decoying seems to work. Are muleys just as nieve or more like there whity counterparts.

Sorry for the dumb ques. no nothing on muleys and there really is not much on the web, unless your a gunner. And then you spend all day sneaking up for that 300yd shot, oh my god that was tuff. Well then were in DEEEEEP trouble.

 

[Yeahbut...]

Shortgrass Muleys

The rancher or your friend will be your best source of information on this. They can tell you where they see the muleys consistently and what time of day they see them. Then, it's a simple matter of discovering how the deer get there and either digging a ground blind or setting a tent blind on their travel routes. It will look stupid as hell to have a camo tent blind sitting in the wide open, but it works on antelope and it will work on muleys, too. A super location for the tent blind is against a big round bale if there are any in the fields and the deer are traveling there.
You'll find the muley bucks checking groups of does in November. They run to one group and scent-check the does, then go to another. If there's a doe nearing estrus, they'll hang with that group for a while and travel with it. The does won't change their patterns unless disturbed big-time, so the buck will just fall in with them. So, key on doe patterns if the bucks are with them.
If the country is really rugged--and some places are--you can spot and stalk deer that are feeding on the hillsides. You're really going to disturb the area if you do this, though, so if you don't have a lot of country to hunt I wouldn't advise it. If you do have a lot of country. Go for it. There is nothing more exciting than covering a lot of country spotting and stalking. Stay low and be agressive though. I learned that from a sheep guide and he was so right. None of this "wait until it's head is down and it's feeding before you move" stuff. You'll never get anywhere in open country like that.
Early in the hunt, your time is best spent learning where the deer feed, bed and travel (i.e. scouting). Set up the ambush only when you're confident that you're in the right spot. You'll be "lost" when you get there, so sit down and map the property boundaries and draw the feeding areas and places where deer have been seen. Scout from a distance, then hunt. It's time well spent. You can't be second-guessing yourself when you're on stand in that country and once you're there, you're committed.
Oh, use your vehicle as much as possible to get to stand sites. Drive right up and drop the guys off in the blind and drive away. Deer don't mind vehicles, but they freak when they see people walking.
I'll be out there on October 27--just over the border in SD. Can't wait.