First Year Deer Hunting, Pointers Needed!

[Jason91887]

Well, as the title states, this will be my first year ever hunting. I am plenty familiar with firearms in general, but I am trying to do as much research as possible before I get out in the woods. I will be hunting with a good friend who is a knowledgeable hunter, so I won't be going at it alone. I have already completed the Indiana Hunter Safety course as I was born just after the cutoff. I would love if someone could point me in the direction of some great online videos, articles and books I can read to learn as much as possible.

We are going to be starting off with squirrel season and I am going to be hunting as much as possible up until deer season to get used to is, because taking a deer this year is my main goal!

Thanks in advance for all the help!

Jason

 

[Jason91887]

Also, this will be done on family owned private land that has not been hunted in 15+ years. I couldn't be more excited!

 

[Mgderf]

There is a myriad of different sources for "professional" deer hunting advice. Take them ALL with a grain of salt.

I've been hunting whitetail in Indiana for 32+ years now. If there's one thing I've learned it's this,
not all advice works at all locations.
Terrain, fauna, flora, water sources, ambient noises, you simply would not believe the amount of things that CAN affect deer hunting in any particular area.

There are many attractants on the market, and most work well if used as directed, but you can screw up. Too much scent, or the wrong scent in the wrong place can spook a deer, especially a wise old buck.

Read EVERYTHING you can find. Use your common sense and apply what seems appropriate for your hunting property.

Sounds like you're already excited enough. Now just make sure your equipment is ready, sighted in, clean and scent free, and double check your bag the night before the hunt.

When that first deer shows up in your sights, just keep calm, and remember the basics, aim-sight-squeeze.

Have fun, you're already hooked.

 

[MRP2003]

You sound like you are doing the right things. Hunting with someone who is expeirienced is always helpful even if you are not new to the sport.

I would recommend spending as much time as you can scounting to include sitting in your stand and/or blind just like it is deer season. Get in early, 1 hr before light and if you scout in the evening, stay until dark. not only will you learn the patterns of the deer and what deer are there but you will learn how quiet they are and train your eyes to pick up movement. You will also learn what to listen for.

Also, practice shooting and think about the deer when you are practicing. My heart still races every time I see a deer, no matter the size. I think most people do the same and it is easy to start shaking while you are aiming, even for the most experienced shooter.

good luck and keep us updated on your experiences.

 

[Mike H]

Do not under estimate a deer's ability to smell you....even after you left your hunting area.
Always use the wind in your favor.
Remain undetected on entry and exit.
Deer are a lot easier to hunt when they know they are not being hunted.
Good luck and most important, "have fun" and "be safe".

 

[traderdan]

As time for season approaches stop hunting the ground you will be deer hunting on. There is no way to stress the importance of smelling right...Pick some weeds,wildflowers, the flora of the land you will be hunting a week before season and put them in a large trash bag with your hunting clothes. The scentkiller bodywash or soap that is on the market is worth the money. I do not pump gas on the way to the woods opening morning, I do not eat garlic for a couple of days before I hunt...

 

[mainjet]

Be quiet.
move slowly
hunt the wind

 

[vwarren]

Top three things are Location, location, location!

 

[buckstopshere]

Great advice already shared on here. I would add do not get frustrated if you're not seeing the deer you want. Nothing taught me more about patience than hunting. You will screw up and that's ok, just learn from it. You will miss a shot and it doesn't mean you suck. Always stay positive and good things will happen for you.

Sounds like your hunting grounds are good. If you're dealing with a small amount of acreage, you can over hunt it pretty quickly and push deer off the property.

Lastly, as you are trying to pattern the deer, they can pattern you as well. Try not to go the same route to your stands if possible. Mix it up if you're able. If not, just be quiet and leave no trace. The patterns that you learn now are out the window during the rut. Deer lose their minds during the rut.

Have fun. Keep us posted on your season.

 

[PistolBob]

My advice is free. Go buy a bow. Bow season starts Oct 1st. Start scouting your area now. Sometimes this means pulling up a stump and just setting there for a few hours in your cammies, just watching the woods. Learn where the wildlife trails are, where the water is, bedding, potential food...know your hunting ground as well as someone/something living there does. Bow hunting gives you the opportunity to be in the woods more, go in the morning, go in the early afternoon, go in the late afternoon and note the differences in the woods. By the time gun season gets here, you could have made 20 or 30 trips to the woods by then to bow hunt and observe. Preparation pays.

You can use full cammo when it's bow season, so you are able to do a much better job of concealment.

Have fun! Give us a full report.

 

[indiucky]

My best advice if you want to see some deer while you are hunting.

Lean your gun against a tree...Light a cigarrette (or pipe, or put in a dip), drop your drawers to go either number 1 or number 2. About mid way through relieving yourself the largest buck in your County will step out in front of you at about twenty yards and stand broadside.

Good Luck,

 

[.356luger]

1 piece of advice i cant stress enough is have fun and stay positive. Dont get get butt hurt if you miss cleanly or get busted there will always be another one another time. Case and point i could not call a very nice ten point of a scent trail at the begining of rut during bow. not 10 min later i was busted by a very mature 8 point with a beautiful rack and had a great time doing it. doesnt hurt opening day of gun i killed the 10pt but hey it took me 7 years to kill a deer his size.

on the scent thing i like to pick up the main plant in a hunting area ie corn stalks in cut fields grass in praries pine neadles in pine thickets ect and boil them then pour the water/plant essence into a spray bottle spray my clothes down and hang them outside. i read it in a field and stream i believe and it seams to work for me.

 

[rkesar]

Reading and videos will help, but nothing compares to just going out and trying it. Its all going to be trial and error, every time you go in the woods you'll learn more. I buying a bow and starting in October will get you a lot more time in the woods and bow season is my favorite time to hunt, October 31 through the first week of November is the best time to be in the woods in my opinion

 

[ISP 5353]

Lots of good advice given. Schedule some time off and be in the woods as often as possible from the last week of October through November. Good luck!

 

[Jason91887]

Thanks for all the great advice so far guys! I plan on spending as much time in the woods as possible, though work will put a bit of a damper on that. I work at Amazon and it will be our busy season, so I figure I will get off work around 5am, take a quick shower and head for the woods, I wish I could get out earlier but it just won't happen on work days. As for land to hunt, we will be hunting two plots of about 50 acres so we have quite a bit of ground to scout before deer season. I am already seeing some decently sized deer almost every morning in my front yard, it's making me hungry!

Bow hunting is something I have been interested in a little bit, but I really want to wet my beak with gun season a little first.

 

[curraheeguns]

My top tip in 20 years of deer hunting is that deer are not mystical elusive non-killable creatures. Don't talk yourself out thinking you are capable of killing a deer.

Other Tips:

1. Every sound in the woods is a deer until proven otherwise. If you hear the sound again in the same spot after proven otherwise, it is a deer again until proven otherwise again.

2. You have to be in the woods to kill a deer.

3. All legal deer are trophy deer. (especially your first)

 

[Duce]

Study predator trapping techniques on scent control. Wear rubber boots at all time and handle nothing with your bare hands, use clean cotton gloves, preferably camo. Do not scout your hunting area without taking scent precaution, you'll leave a scent trail that lingers and move deer out of the area. Don't forget the wind, but also study up on thermals. That old belt you've worn forever, ya the one that has been sweat soaked, or your wallet that is falling apart and you've carried forever. To a deer smell like a high school locker room after football practice. Take all advice with a grain of salt, but the more you can do to be scent free the better off you'll be. I've always practiced scent control as best I can and still get busted. Back several years I ran across one smart doe. I was hunting from a tree stand. The doe came in from above and southeast, wind was out of the west southwest. About 125 yds. south of me she stopped stuck her neck out as far as she could, licked her nose and tested the air for scent, she tensed up, turned around and back tracked herself. She had smelled me and she was on no way down wind...You can fool their ears and eyes you can't fool their nose..........<><Duce

 

[mainjet]

My top tip in 20 years of deer hunting is that deer are not mystical elusive non-killable creatures. Don't talk yourself out thinking you are capable of killing a deer.

Other Tips:

1. Every sound in the woods is a deer until proven otherwise. If you hear the sound again in the same spot after proven otherwise, it is a deer again until proven otherwise again.

2. You have to be in the woods to kill a deer.

3. All legal deer are trophy deer. (especially your first)

I laughed at the first one. I like that.
The second one is not necessarily true. I have killed deer with my car on the road. I have also seen deer killed by cars on the road.
number three I totally agree with.

good post.

 

[Mgderf]

She had smelled me and she was on no way down wind...You can fool their ears and eyes you can't fool their nose..........<><Duce

This is a perfect example of what I was talking about up thread. The above advice is gospel, for the most part, or at least that's what most people believe.
I thought the same way for a decade or so.

The property I hunt is VERY small. It has a limited amount of foliage, and almost no food plots, but it does have prime bedding ground, and it's within a rocks throw of several houses.
I can sit in my stand and smell the coffee and bacon in the neighborhood kitchens. I can even hear the t.v. from one or two houses on occasion. Cars are driving in and out of the neighborhood, even joggers on the road less than 50 yards from my stand. Still, with all of that commotion, smells, and everything else, I take 2-4 deer a season off of this property, and my brother takes an additional 2-4 deer a season from the same property.

Every single location is different.
I can sit in my stand after not showering for DAYS and I STILL see deer. They are simply acclimated to human scent where I hunt.
I still make an attempt to minimize my odor, usually by showering or bathing with baking soda or a commercial scent killer.

 

[mainjet]

I killed my first buck after having been in the stand for less than a half hour. First time ever shooting a bow at an animal. Never even had arrows until the night before. Never hunted before in my life.

I went to Walmart and bought some camo the night before but I didn't wash it. I just wore the pants straight from the store and a carhart jacket that I had. The buck came right to my stand and stopped 15 feet from my stand. I think he smelled falling prices from Walmart and he looked up straight at me in the stand and right in my eyes. I was already at full draw and ready to release. I swear I saw him mouth "SHI#" and then "FWAP"!