Any general tips tricks or advice other deer hunters wanna share to help out other novices? Im sure everybody has something they can learn or that they haven’t thought of!
14’ Skiff-“Redfish Reaper”
Yes, don’t hunt with Dick Cheney.
“Sire, it belongs in truth to the Church of God, in whose name I speak, to endure blows and not to inflict them. But it will also please your Majesty to remember that she is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”…Theodore Beza
It’s a lot like fishing, the most successful ones are the ones that go often. There will be days that you can do no wrong and others that every trick in the book does no good.
If you want to bow hunt, I can not help as I do not worry about my scent or a small bit of noise. Personally I think people put too much concern in tactics and not enough in timing. Deer hunting is not rocket science as some will want to make it out to be.
One easy trick is watch any local cow herd, if you see them all laying down “chewing cud” then your deer are not feeding. Unless… it is full rut and if it is all bets off. Bucks are extremely stupid when trying to score. Don’t rule out an 11:00-14:00 sit in your stand.
I have been progressively more successful over the last 2 1/2 years hunting(my first). I’ve found the most important thing is being in an area where the deer population is good. It took me three hunt clubs but I think I’ve finally found it in Bamberg. Next to that I would say hunting an area where you can see for a good distance is important. If you know where the deer are moving exactly, maybe it’s not, but being able to see farther will increase your chance of seeing something that will help you learn. I like to hunt next to really thick stuff where one would assume deer bed down. They will come in and out of the bedding area the earliest in the evening and the latest in the morning so you have a decent chance of seeing something. If the bedding area is too far away they may come out but you won’t see them until after dark where you are sitting. I like woods in the AM and food plots in the PM but that is not a hard rule. You can get them in either location AM or PM. Sit, sit and sit some more. The more you go the more you can learn about what does and doesn’t work. Know your land! I’ve figured out that you can move as little as 200-300 yards and see a lot of action when you didn’t have anything before. I am still just a beginner myself but hopefully these thoughts will give you a little something to go on.
I NEVER heard of the livestock watch.
However it sounds very resonible.
I have used solunar feeding charts in the past.
Don’t smell like a teenage boy or whore.
Be quiet
Be patient
Never assume anything
Don’t sleep in the stand
Don’t call a bunch or any
Deer around her don’t have elk antlers, don’t rattle a set of fake elk antlers together in a stand
Don’t walk all over the area you are going to hunt checking feeders and game cameras all the time.
Quick movements will be spotted, slow ones not so much
The thicker the area, the more care you take getting in and out of the stand, deer are often bedded up close.
Become proficient with your gun/bow. Improperly sighted, checked and practiced with equipment is the hunters fault.
Mark
Pioneer 222 Sportfish Yamaha F300
Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
“Life’s tough…It’s even tougher if you’re stupid” John Wayne
To be consistently successful you need a couple of things:
Hunt often
Hunt where deer are
Oh… and all the above from salty
" It is what it is".
Number 1 rule get out and get in the woods and scout. Put hours on your feet and you will see more animals.
Going to Church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
You are the offspring of 5 monkeys having But Secs with a retarded fish squirrel. CONGRADULATION!!!
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you dont need fancy or expensive gear to be successful at it but get gear youre happy with.
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do your homework scouting before season and you will be rewarded with meat in the freezer. food, bedding area, and the path between the 2 is a great start.
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murphys law is the #1 law in deer hunting.
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you dont have to be paranoid but control your scent. before a deer hunt ill wash what clothes im gonna wear in baking soda (gets rid of scent but cheaper than the $15 a bottle crap they sell at the store), wash myself with the green scent away soap, and spray my clothes when i get to the woods.
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take your time and be quiet when getting into the woods, setting up, and leaving.
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INVEST IN A THERMACELL!!! it will save you much unwanted motion swatting mosquitoes and scratching. i usually attach mine to my stand with electrical tape and have no issues with being busted.
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there is no shame in taking a doe and kill hogs on sight.
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if you go in the morning, get set up 45 mins to an hour before legal shooting time.
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be proficient with whatever weapon you use. if you miss then all the work you did leading up to that moment was for nothing.
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if you kill a hog, especially a boar, castrate it and gut it out asap to greatly increase the meat quality.
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dont be afraid to pick up the bow. yes its much harder than rifle hunting but it forces you to pay a lot more attention to detail and make you a better hunter in the long run if you can be successful with it. if you can take a deer within 15-20 yards while drawing your arm back and staying at full draw until the shot is right, getting one at 100 with a scoped rifle will be easy.
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ive been told processors in the charleston area dont want deer field dressed but if you choose to process yourself gutting it out right before you toss it in the truck is very beneficial even though im probably the only one in the south that field dresses deer. it bleeds the 98ish degree blood and guts out and opens up a lot more internal
-build food plots with good shooting lanes from stands.
-learn to shoot opposite of the dominate hand
-dont be afraid to post up on the ground near trails or overlooking rubs
-always load gun before walking into the woods
-dont play on the i phone
-watch the woods for deer’s ears twitching. Cant tell you how many i have spotted this way?
*At about 4 am. Get a big spotlight and ride slowly down country roads while shinning in into fields.
*only joking of course
- I’d rather be a free man in my grave than living as a puppet or a slave.
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quote:
Originally posted by docsordersI NEVER heard of the livestock watch.
However it sounds very resonible.
I have used solunar feeding charts in the past.
I’ve had a couple of pen raised deer and Dad has a few cows. It is pretty accurate unless rut is in full. If I see the cows all laying down headed to a stand very seldom are deer feeding. No scientific evidence other than a few decades of seeing the proof.
quote:
Originally posted by saltydog235Don’t smell like a teenage boy or whore.
Be quiet
Be patient
Never assume anything
Don’t sleep in the stand</font id=“red”>
Don’t call a bunch or any
Deer around her don’t have elk antlers, don’t rattle a set of fake elk antlers together in a stand
Don’t walk all over the area you are going to hunt checking feeders and game cameras all the time.
Quick movements will be spotted, slow ones not so much
The thicker the area, the more care you take getting in and out of the stand, deer are often bedded up close.
Become proficient with your gun/bow. Improperly sighted, checked and practiced with equipment is the hunters fault.Mark
Pioneer 222 Sportfish Yamaha F300
Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.“Life’s tough…It’s even tougher if you’re stupid” John Wayne
All good but the sleep thing! I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve dozed off only to open my eyes and magically have deer on the corn pile or feeding in the field… then I have opened my eyes to find it pitch black… Sometimes the peace and quite with a short nap is more healing than bagging a deer.
i dont sleep at all in evening hunts but during morning hunts i almost ALWAYS go into a less conscious state before i can see enough to see my sight pin/scope, especially if im sitting on the ground back against a tree! never enough to pass completely out i can still hear if somethings walking and am well aware when its time for action, but eyes are shut and im perfectly still and quiet 
- oh yea 1 more: game animals are trained ninjas and can magically appear out of nowhere. i and probably everyone else here cant tell you how many times ive been looking 1 way, turned back around, and theres a deer 20 yards in front of me i never heard. very seldom do i hear the critter walking where i cant see it then see it where i expect it. another time back home i looked around carefully and saw nothing, stretched my leg in the stand, and heard the snort and tails went up. just this past weekend i was trying to figure out what was rattling around in thick saplings to my side only to turn around and have a now dead wild boar in my shooting lane. since you are just starting hunting you should also learn something new every time you go out whether you see anything or not.
I think Jimmy hit it right on. First thing I was ever taught was never look for whole deer. Look for Tails, Ears, Legs. If you hear something its probalby a (() squirrel as ive hardly ever heard a deer unless they were within 15 yards. Have a backup stand if possible you never know when someone sees your trail tape or pins and sets up shop close by some say why scout when they can have your spot. Start kids early I can remember my first hunt can you? I was so excited I slept in my (() clothes all 10 minutes of sleep that is.
Best advice is to always hunt with the wind in your favor. There is no way you can completely “De-Stink” yourself of your human scent…and remember if a deer is looking at you…you cannot beat him to the draw…just stay still…if he is thinking human…he would have already been gone. I’m in my sixties and have been hunting deer since a young boy…most things I’ve learned was the hard way.
John
quote:
Originally posted by Fred67quote:
Originally posted by saltydog235Don’t smell like a teenage boy or whore.
Be quiet
Be patient
Never assume anything
Don’t sleep in the stand</font id=“red”>
Don’t call a bunch or any
Deer around her don’t have elk antlers, don’t rattle a set of fake elk antlers together in a stand
Don’t walk all over the area you are going to hunt checking feeders and game cameras all the time.
Quick movements will be spotted, slow ones not so much
The thicker the area, the more care you take getting in and out of the stand, deer are often bedded up close.
Become proficient with your gun/bow. Improperly sighted, checked and practiced with equipment is the hunters fault.Mark
Pioneer 222 Sportfish Yamaha F300
Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.“Life’s tough…It’s even tougher if you’re stupid” John Wayne
All good but the sleep thing! I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve dozed off only to open my eyes and magically have deer on the corn pile or feeding in the field… then I have opened my eyes to find it pitch black… Sometimes the peace and quite with a short nap is more healing than bagging a deer.
**Ditto… the best naps are in a deer stand… Just want to make sure there is no chance you will wake up on the ground!!
Key West 19’6" CC 115hp Merc
14’ Fast Craft w/ 60hp Merc
If you hear an animal walking through the woods and it sounds like a herd of cattle, it’s a squirell… If you faintly hear something or don’t hear it, DEER!!!
Key West 19’6" CC 115hp Merc
14’ Fast Craft w/ 60hp Merc
My biggest tip is don’t waste your money on all the scent killing sprays. I keep a little bottle that I spray on myself, but I think the whole scent killing trend is crap (especially scent killing laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, carbon bag for carrying clothes,etc.). I only say this because I spent the money on this stuff and was still blown at for not playing wind right. Play the wind, and don’t worry too much about it. Shoot, I killed my first deer because he came in to sniff under my stand where I had just pissed. Not saying that it’s a good habit to stink up the woods, but I think the extent that some guys on tv go through to be scent free is pretty dang funny.
Can’t catch anything on a dry hook…
My biggest tip is don’t waste your money on all the scent killing sprays. I keep a little bottle that I spray on myself, but I think the whole scent killing trend is crap (especially scent killing laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, carbon bag for carrying clothes,etc.). I only say this because I spent the money on this stuff and was still blown at for not playing wind right. Play the wind, and don’t worry too much about it. Shoot, I killed my first deer because he came in to sniff under my stand where I had just pissed. Not saying that it’s a good habit to stink up the woods, but I think the extent that some guys on tv go through to be scent free is pretty dang funny.
Can’t catch anything on a dry hook…
quote:
Originally posted by EdistoBoyMy biggest tip is don’t waste your money on all the scent killing sprays. I keep a little bottle that I spray on myself, but I think the whole scent killing trend is crap (especially scent killing laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, carbon bag for carrying clothes,etc.). I only say this because I spent the money on this stuff and was still blown at for not playing wind right. Play the wind, and don’t worry too much about it. Shoot, I killed my first deer because he came in to sniff under my stand where I had just pissed. Not saying that it’s a good habit to stink up the woods, but I think the extent that some guys on tv go through to be scent free is pretty dang funny.
Can’t catch anything on a dry hook…
Pro tip, best scent mask is Diesel fuel… It will even throw a blood hound off. There are even some old army survival manuals that suggest it.