silverstreak

I have a Whitetail tag for area 30 which is north east of Salmon, Idaho. This is a short range weapons season and I plan to use a muzzle loader. I will be hunting a friends ranch which is all private and there is a brushy creek bottom where we have seen quite a few Whitetail bucks early in the year. My question is I will not be able to start hunting until November 23, am I going to miss the rut and how do any of you suggest I hunt this area? I am fairly new in hunting Whitetail, although I have killed a few bucks earlier in the year in Montana. I already have a couple of tree stands set up.

silenttracker

You'll not be missing the rut. It may be the tail end, but there are still late does coming into season and some of the biggest bucks of the year are killed during Thanksgiving week! Hunt those creek bottoms and look for fresh scrapes and rubs. Especially those scrapes with a licking branch overhead. You'll score! Just hunt slow and go out all day, the nastier the better.

silverstreak

Thank for the response and info, silenttracker. We are leaving in about 4 days and I'm getting anxious. I also have a bull elk tag for the same area that I can hunt with a rifle. I plan to hunt 7-10 days. Elk season ends the end of November and deer ends first week of December. In your comments you mentioned a licking branch, what exactly is that?

madmax83192

I cant help much but i go hunting for my deer in early december and we basically just wait out the deer we know the main area where the hang out and we just wait i wouldnt recommend walking around and looking unless you see good sign or deer for that matter. But Best of luck to ya and keep us updated on your hunt as well.

silenttracker

You probably won't read this until you get back, but a "licking branch" is usally just above a large scrape and is used by deer in the area to telegraph their presence to other deer, mostly bucks. Boss bucks will use it to tell other smaller bucks.."This is my area, stay out."
Bucks will rub forehead oil glands, pre-orbital (corner of the eye-tear ducts) glands, nasal and saliva on the branches above a scrape to tell other bucks how bad they are. Such the term "Licking Branch." They are licking/tasting the scent of other deer.

Mike