Any one do any good in the Hood Unit this weekend? 5 of us went for the first time in the area and only saw 2 muley doe's. We were hunting the Red Hill area and covered a lot of ground, high and low. Any suggestions? Have to work all week but we are planning on going back Friday night for next weekend. ANy help would be appriciated! Thanks [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]
I live in the Hood Unit and have been hunting it this year for the first time in 20 years. Only because I did not draw a tag out east and was able to buy a left over tag. Now I remember why I don't hunt it. Just a bunch of brushy crud. I have been hunting to the North of where you were. Only saw 3 doe's all weekend. Dad saw nothing. I only heard 1 shot on this whole side of the valley all weekend. Did hear a few shots across the Hood River on Gilhouley. Unless you can find a little stupid buck with some doe's it is going to be pretty tough. I think all the bucks are out of the cuts by day light and the bedding areas in most of this unit are so thick good luck getting a shot. In fact there are so many old cuts that the big guys probably never even come out into the open.
A guy that works for my dad got one on Saturday. It was already bedded down first thing in the morning. Tried to just let him walk by, but he saw it and shot it in it's bed. 20'' 3X3. He had the advantage of living near by and knowing where these deer were before the season. It was on Gilhouley.
I went out this AM. Parked way below a cut which I had found some fresh buck tracks in on Sunday which is kind of a saddle between water and bedding. Snuck up over the top into the wind on a damp dirt skid trail. Quiet, cool, wind blowing into my face. Get right to the honey area and I hear a thud, sneak a peak and there is some Jacka$$ parked right in the middle of the freaking cut, slamming stuff around. There goes my morning.
I am done hunting these Blacktails on that side of the Valley. Just a waste of money.
Well I finally filled my tag last night. Nothing to brag about. Just a spike, but I can say that it was one of the hardest earned bucks I have taken. I hunted more days for this buck than any I have taken. I even hiked in 3 miles yesterday afternoon to get this one.
The Hood unit is a bugger to get into the bucks. I know where some are, but they are not coming out of the thick nasty stuff until after dark. I confirmed this last night when we were driving mine out and saw a mature buck coming out of the dark stuff 1 hour after dark in an area we had located lots of buck sign. This thick stuff is not open timber either. It is thick brushy stuff you can't see 10 ft in.
Hood Unit
Any suggestions? Have to work all week but we are planning on going back Friday night for next weekend. ANy help would be appriciated! Thanks [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]
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