I have been deer hunting for four seasons and have taken three does and two bucks.

Take toilet paper in a zip-lock bag. I have needed to use TP in the field twice and was glad I was carrying a sufficient supply.

Be sure to take your key for your trigger lock or remove your trigger lock before you leave for your hunting ground. I left my trigger lock key at my mother-in-law's house where I was staying once which I only discovered when I was uncasing my gun at the hunting ground. This put a 40 minute lag into my arrival on stand that day.

If you stand hunt, stay later than you think you need to in the morning. I have several times seen and shot deer later than I had expected them to still be moving. I figure the first two hours and the last two hours of shooting light are best. The first two hours in Oklahoma where I hunt are roughly 6:40 AM to 8:40 AM, but I have taken a deer at 9:10 AM and another at about 9:30 AM. I have also seen a deer, which I passed on shooting, from my stand at about 9:40 AM.

Keep alert. Look around. Deer don't always appear where you are expecting them to appear, particularly when you are a beginner or are new to a hunting location. If you feel the urge to look behind you, listen to that urge -- might be a deer there and you have sensed it at a level that isn't quite conscious, a sound, a smell?

Make sure your weapon is in good condition and you are practiced with shooting it. Don't go to hunt and discover later, for example, that the rear sight elevator tab has fallen out and your open sighted rifle is not aiming where it is supposed to.

Carry a knife with you to field dress your animal and know how to do it. Have a plan what to do with your deer after you kill it. Have a plan for getting the deer out of the woods. Sometimes it is harder than you would think getting a deer out, especially if you are alone. Carry the necessary paperwork and pen to tag your deer at the kill site and what other legal actions are required in your state. At the same time, watch out about tearing off this same tag when dragging your deer out of the woods. If it is entirely impracticable to tag and drag, you might defer tagging until you get to your truck, hoping that in the unlikely event you encounter a game office you can persuade him you made the correct choice.

Don't shoot if you don't have a good shot. You will have other opportunities. Don't waste opportunities, however, because you don't know when the next one will come along. When you see a deer, make up your mind quickly if you can and want to shoot it and get on with it if the decision is to shoot. Deer won't hang around long rubber necking with you.

Hunt where the deer are. If you hunt on a 160 acre piece of land which does not have deer on it during the course of the day, your hunt is going to be unsuccessful. You can depend upon the testimony of hunters already familiar with your hunting ground or you can do some scouting for fresh deer sign yourself. Look for recent deer poop, fresh deer tracks, hair on fences where the deer jump over, fresh rubs on tree trunks (bucks will rub their antlers on small tree trunks, scratching off an oval raw area that is readily visible on the tree trunk).

Dress for the weather. Much deer hunting involves sitting still for a long time, and your body will cool down and need more insulation than if you are just out walking. Think about keeping your feet warm. This might be achieved by wrapping your feet in a blanket or pulling a sleeping bag up over your feet and lower legs and thighs. If you are cold, it may be difficult to remain still and alert.

Be still while deer hunting. Prefer to move your eyes only vesus your whole head. When you do move your head, move slowly. Try to seclude yourself behind brush and in shadows, screening the movements of your feet and legs from the view of deer. Do not look directly into the eyes of a deer, avert your eyes until they look away. Consider wearing a face mask or face net to hide your face.

Hunt with the wind inyour face, blowing from the deer to you or sideways. If the wind blows from you towards the deer, the deer will smell you and never appear to you.

Choose an ambush location that suits deer movement, not your wish for a good shooting field. Placing yourself out in the middle of a large field with 300 yards of open space all around is probably not a good strategy. Deer are very cautious and try to remain close to cover.