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Sherman gmu 101

Alright guys, any help you could give me here would be greatly appreciated. I missed the entire first deer and elk season because my newborn son was in the icu. I'm looking at hunting gmu 101 in November. I am headed over to scout this weekend but have no clue where to start. Got maps and have been looking at a few places but any advice would help a lot. Feel free to pm me if you'd rather.

Thanks!

Scouting now, during the rifle season, wont give you any clues as to what goes on nov 10th.

Youd be better off getting over there a few days before the nov 10th opener, take a look at the spots that interest you, and hang a tree stand or two. Virtually every drainage from Republic north to Danville hold huntable numbers of whitetail. Your maps should tell you where State, DNR, or National Forest are.

That, for the most part, is all you really need to know to get your learning curve started. Go over and hunt it, learn from your mistakes ( if you make any ), and plan for the next season. Try and spend some time there in the off season to get more acquainted with the area.....its big country.

That is a good point. Probably won't even be worth going over to scout. I can't go over before the season because I used all my vacation while my boy was in the nicu so I guess it'll be go over the day before, throw up some stands, and hope to get lucky. Thanks for the reminder about the rifle season.

Well, good luck......even if this season is just chalked up to learning a new area, it will be worth it as 101 is a great hunt. Hope your new son is well. R

That's kind of what I'm thinking about this trip... More of a scouting/hope to get lucky year, and it beats being in the office. Thanks for your help. And he is doing well now, and will be in the woods with me in no time :) thanks!

Has anyone used decoys up there? Is the terrain conducive to using them? I guess I'm wondering if its worth hauling them up there. Thanks guys

Where we hunt, they are all mountain deer....timber, old selectively logged areas, lots of escape cover, brushy more than open. We have used my decoy, both as a doe and a buck, with all kinds of different responses. Mostly very causcious encounters with does. We have not killed anything as a result of the decoy, but I do intend to use it this year by my place in unit 121.

I would not leave one can of beans home to make room for the decoy at this point. If you have permission to hunt any of the alfalfa fields in the area, now that may be a different story. We hunt on National Forest land and although we offer some alfalfa and corn around our stands, a decoy would not be a major tool. R

Very helpful to know, I will be hunting national forest as well so it sounds like the decoys will be staying home for the year.

I notice that there is an any elk season open in gmu 101 Nov 25 thru Dec 8... See there many elk in the area?

Few elk, and only in certain areas.....but elk in 101???? yes. Mostly east of Kettle Crest.

Well you answered my next question... I couldn't hunt that late this year anyway, but next year I will most likely go easy further if I don't fill a tag in the first season. Thanks again for all the insight on the area

There are elk in 101, of course in 14 years of hunting in the Unit I've never seen one, just some sign occasionally. I think they either shape shift or go in and out of a different deminsion than the one I'm hunting! :o)

A few years ago I took a new bowhunter to 101. At camp the first night he said he took a shot at the biggest deer he ever saw. Said it was kind of yellow colored... he shot low because it was so big it looked closer than it really was. He took me to see the tracks and it definitely was an elk.

Well that sure would have been a nice welcome to bow hunting... Was it open for elk at the time?

5 days til the hunt is on... Anyone have updates on how the rut is coming along? How excited should I be for this hunt?

I was in 101 today.....lots of fresh scrapes and rubs, but it appears to be dark activity, as I saw no bucks.....early stage of pre-rut for now. Weather is supposed to change and maybe bring snow in higher elevations, excited????? I dunno. You could get lucky and stumble right into a honey hole.....or the learning curve could be brutal. Also, anywhere in between. Covered all the bases.....good luck.

well hopefully it'll start picking up... Either way, ill be in the woods and learning a new area and it should be a good time. Thanks again for all your advice guys and ill probably check in in another couple days so if ya hear or see anything and want to let me know thatd be great

Yesterday saw one lone buck....very nice 8ptr. Also saw at least 2 dozen does in one field , and not a single young buck pestering them. Another field had atleast a dozen does, same thing....these are remote pastures with out pressure....no roads bisecting them or anything...just one dirt road to glass from, and its all private dairy, and cattle farms. Id say we saw over 50 does in a few fields, not a single buck, so Im convinced its another week out before the young bucks start chasing and pesturing....that usually goes on awhile before the big guys step in and take the does. Its raining heavy again....hopefully that changes soon.

Well we shall see how things shake out next week then, but here's hoping it kicks in hard and soon. Did you see anything on public land or just in the private fields you spoke of?

I was actually in 121 here at home, and public land is just above the fields, but you have to know how to get in there, and then hunt down hill....steep down hill until you get in the woods and it kind of levels. Virtually no one does this....it requires great effort. If I didnt already have better places to hunt, I would give it some serious thought.

101 has tons of places to hunt....our favorite spot is between 35 and 3800 ft. elevation. Thats not a guess, but actual just varies stand to stand.

Oh, my mistake... I thought you meant you were out in 101. That sounds like my kind of hunt! 121 doesn't open up for a couple weeks still right? you should be about right on timing the rut from the sounds of it eh?

121 opens the 25th, thanksgiving day....a bit too late for my preference....I like pre-rut the most. I will hunt both units though, but will remain in 121 after it opens if I still have a tag. I was in 101 the 5th, and that is that post....Next time Im there will be to hang a stand and hunt. R

One last update before I head out? Any new developments in rut activity?

nothing noticable.....

well I spent all day Thursday scouting then spent all day friday and saturday hunting and saw nothing but a couple of black bears. Scrapes and rubs everywhere but all in the dark. Then this am rattled in a big bodied forked horn and decided to shoot him for the freezer since it was the last day I had to hunt this year. Thanks for your help guys... Loved the area

Congratulations.....learn from this year, plan for next.

Congrats on the forky!!!

Hi folks, Just curious how the rut is comming along as I am planning to hunt for five days over thanksgiving.

Congratulations ohtajj! We are going to do the same thing. Trying to get son his first deer. Been hunting Manastash for many years. Thinking the area around Taylor ridge looks good?

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