Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Steep hill/mountain hunting

I finally checked out some property that I was given permission to hunt around Lake Mitchell Dam. It is 133 acres of very steep, mountainous woodlands. I haven't really walked the property much yet. I plan on doing it soon.

Do you guys that hunt steep properties have any advice?

Learn how the wind (thermals) effects the area
Park downhill and hike up to hunt if possible so dragging a deer isn't impossible
Read whatever Ridgestalker and 2Dogs posts, they are the pros

Wind thermals

Come in from the top if possible.

Hunt the saddles if there are any.

absolutely

Saddles & benches...

You guys must be superman, dragging those big bucks up the ridges! I know your advice is sound in that you have a better chance of busting a big buck coming in from the top but how in the heck do you get him out once you bagged him?

You drive the Toyota up to it and winch it up.

I've already decided that I wasn't even going out there to hunt without my Suzuki 500 4X4 with a winch. I had to drag a goodun' about 75 yards through the flat woods this past season and realized that I'm not 25 years old anymore.

I'm old enough to know about trucks and winches

Problem seems to me that it would limit you to hunting within the length of your cable

All the woods I hunt are steep, bluffs everywhere, hills and hollars, bet you dimes to donuts the winds swirling right now.. Better hunt high.

Im famiar with this type hunting.the step terrian usually holds some very big andold buck,s.You can kill them but they are very smart ,thats were they grew thier age because most hunters try to avoid that type terrian.
If possile find a good stand location,2 at the most.let the rest be your saintary. Make a greenfeild at each spot and pour the feed to them.but only hunt the right stand.build one for a north wind and the other for a south wind.I know in alabama they say the primemary wind is northwest. But this last season had the most east wind i have ever seen.well good luck.

I've hunted very steep mountains in New Market, where the mountain is a series of slopes and plateaus that look like giant stair steps. The winds swirls around in the hollows between the ridges and will change often.

It is very tough to sneak up on deer while climbing up the mountain, the only time I've done so is when the wind was really blowing and I only moved when the rustling of the leaves covered my sound.

Every deer I shot ran downhill (thankfully). The deer I missed generally ran uphill. Getting them down the mountain can literally involve sliding/pulling their body down the mountain.

You get very short shots, most of the ones I killed I could have hit with a baseball. The longest shot I took was about 50 yards. The limited visibility can help/hurt you and I've been very close to deer that are on the next "step" and I couldn't see them.

It's challenging but usually a good time. Roadkill took some pictures on my old place: http://www.aldeer.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=824001

This^^^^^^ or you drag downhill and drive to him at the lower level. And we do gut them in the woods to lighten the load.

Don't hunt down in the hollows, hunt the ridges between them. Hunt above where you expect to see deer in the AM. On cold mornings , they'll bed on the Southern slopes in the sun.

There are about only two ways to truly "hunt the wind" in the mountains, I shake my head when I hear that term , BTW. Those two are on top of the plateau or on long benches where the wind is blowing parallel with the side. Everywhere else all bets are off. Think of wind in the mountains like a mountain stream. The water hits rocks , logs and curves and is diverted, sometime completely reversing it's self. Wind in the mountains is the same as flowing water . I love bluebird , high pressure days with light air, takes your scent up as opposed to damp overcast days where you scent just lays on the ground. I have places if I sent a flatlander he would argue the wind will be all wrong, until he goes and sees how thermals, light air and mountainous terra works. Hunt the wind, .

Hunt structure and edges. Structure would be knobs, saddles, points and hog back ridges to name a few. Edges are most often timber types, say logged area joining a mature forest or lower elevation cedars meeting hardwoods. Any pinch point is a no brainer . Some pinch points may be very obvious like a narrow hour glass . Other may be more subtle like where two timber types meet.

Do not hunt in wide open, mature hardwoods where you can see a great distance. It's fine to set up in them , just be looking into a thicker area. There's that edge thing again.

I like hunting flat land because I'm a lazy fat butt over fifty.

I'm over fifty.

And you have a bad as Toyota with a winch. All I have is a rope.

Find the draws and also find their trails cruising sides of the ridges