Hey there... Jason from Northern AZ here...
Great forum! Avid western hunter here, but heading out on an archery whitetail hunt in Kansas the 2nd week of November...

I've hunted out there twice (2004 - 160" 10 point & 2008 - 180" 12 point). Both bucks were taken in December on rifle hunts, but I am really interested in any suggestions you can give me in regards to hunting these awesome animals.

I've talked w/some guys and I've watched some of the hunting shows..., however, not all information is given in much detail...

I'm really interested in calls/calling and scent attractants.

IE: snort-wheeze (when, how often?). rattling & grunting (again, when, how often, how aggresively)?

And, being a western hunter and used to long spot & stalk situations or hours in ground blinds over water sources..., I am used to scent away products and use them religiously. Also, during elk hunts in the rut, I know when and how to use elk urine. However, wicks & urine...? Where to locate? How much to use? How to set-up?

My hunting will be out of tree stands over food & water sources and travel routes... (Pre-Determined by the hunting outfitter that I am using)..., however, I am looking for any other advantage that I can give myself in order to harvest a quality buck.

I've probably rambled on & on & lost the interest of my readers..., but if anyone is still reading & can offer any advice..., and and all information provided would be greatly appreciated.

Hope you all are having a wonderful season.

Thanks;
JW

az.hunter,

Welcome to the forum!

Well, my first "advice" I can give is to try and focus on just a few questions in one post. When people read your thread and see 12 different questions, it's an intimidating thing to think "Where do I start?!!!"

I usually advise people to have 3 questions MAX in a post, but I go over that amount too. It just makes it easier for people to focus and not be so tied up in trying to answer all the questions. LOL!

I try and only use a snort-wheeze when I have visual of a buck. It's a last ditch effort to try and bring him in if he's not responding to other things like the calls and rattlin'.

Rattlin' is another good thing to do to bring them in from a long ways. You have to consider the time of year and figure how your rattling sequence should go. This can be best answered by your outfitter as he'll try and give you the best advice he can; it's in his best interest that you succeed!

Now here in MN(at the moment) I don't go all out, but just shy of that. Earlier I was tickling the antlers like a couple of bucks do when they're socializing; usually with a buck they are familiar with. This is done lightly. Imagine a couple of bucks getting close to each other and they lightly touch their racks together and lightly push and turn their heads while their gear is together. There's no real force here, just a little play I guess.

Then the season is getting here where those "tickling" sessions start to be an all out brawl. I've seen most fights up here around the 1st and 2nd weeks of November. If you have his attention while rattling, stop for a moment to see what his reaction is. If he is just standing there, you can throw in a grunt or two, but that's it. If he's still standing there, be quiet and motionless and force his next move. He either approaches or moves on. If he moves on, then try to get him again, but you'll have to keep working him until he does what you want and that may include more grunting. Once he's made the decision to come in, I may keep rattling a little if he's way out, but at some point I'll quit as not to rattle him or give my pin-point location away.

If the outfitter places you in a high traffic area, I wouldn't rattle or grunt at all. I want to be invisible and quiet, letting patience be my guide because the downside to rattling is the buck is now focused on you. The tree or blind you are in will also determine how long or if you should be rattling. If I'm in a sparsely covered tree, then I'm not apt to be rattling because I'll be picked off too easily.

Best of luck out there. Some day I'd like to get with an outfitter somewhere and have some fun too!

iSnipe

iSnipe;
Thank you so much for the reply and i will keep my questions limited in the future...

One of the things i love about hunting early season rutting elk in az, is the ability to "talk" to them. Any animal that is vocal and responds make the hunt amazing..., and this is the reason that i opted for an archery hunt w/my buddies in Kansas.

Sure, I've used a grunt to stop a deer in it's track to take a better look at him & place an ethical shot, but i have never had the opportunity to do much more than that and was hoping that this archery hunt would allow me to.

I have a set of cabelas rattling horns & a grunt tube and just want to make sure that i use them correctly. However, I am sure that alot of using this gear will be trial & error and something that i will have to get the feel for. Do you recommend any certain type of calls...? I have seen the electronic calls w/snort-wheeze, grunts and rattles. And, the advantage that i can see with this set-up is (if you keep fresh batteries in), the ability to throw the sound away from your position and keep the bucks interest away from you... I've been in a stand rattling before (late season in saskatchewan) and actually brought bucks in directly (from behind my position) below my stand looking directly at me & never had a chance to raise the rifle, so that's the only reason i could think of using an electronic call (also somewhat hands free (like using a remote))...
Anyway, thanks again for the info as it is greatly appreciated.
Thanks;
JW

This forum is packed with posts on scents and calling for white tail, I would use the search feature and read up on it. Another useful tip is google some white tail educational videos, listen to the call patterns, and mimic them. The closer you sound to the natural enviornment, i.e pattern, repetition, tone etc, the more successful your efforts will be.

AZ hunter: welcome to the forum.

I am also from Arizona, live in Phoenix, went to NAU. Will be doing a muzzle hunt in the Crown King area at the end of the month...can't wait!

Sure hope the weather cools off! What happened this past week? It felt more like June than October!
~Robert

1st - thanks to all for the replies


andrewp - i will check on the videos & see what i come up with...

robert - no joke on the weather..., made for a tough hunt during the archery elk season. went w/a buddy to unit 9 & the 1st noise we heard from the elk was well into the 2nd week of the hunt. he filled his tag, but it was a long, rough hunt. i am going to mexico in jan for a coues hunt & can only imagine how hot it's going to be down there...

thanks again guys...

JW