Originally Posted by
BTaxidermy
I’ve recently acquired a hunting farm that is mostly crop but has 3-4 acres of grown-up field surrounded by fence rows that the deer really use for bedding. Any suggestions on how to hunt it?
I usually try to figure out where they sleep and where they feed and try to set up somewhere between the two. I avoid getting too close to bedding areas. Deer react in a few ways to trespassers, they panic and bolt, they move slowly keeping a distance and cover between them and you or they hide in place. IMO successfully hunting Deer is learning their habits, running them out of there bedding area is a one-shot deal. They may return or the may move on and find another.
I occasionally come upon a Deer or Hog sleeping, usually not in their preferred bedding area. The outcome is usually an explosion of movement and a fraction of a second shot chance. I usually don't see them until close and they move. I don't see shape nearly as well as I see movement. More often they sense me coming and keep cover and distance between me any them as they move out of their bedding area. Most bedding areas have a back door.
A good pair of binoculars helps, many times I've noticed an ear twitch or a tail-flick before I was able to pick out the whole deer.
Changing from naked eye or binoculars to rifle scope is a learned skill, though I have to admit I seem better at it than most. Some of it is hand-eye coordination, some learned.
I have two-three firearms I use for thick brush or young Birch forest, One is a slug gun with a holo sight, one is an autoloader 35 Remington with a fixed 6X scope and the last is my combo rifle shotgun with a fixed 4X scope. The holo sight is by far the quickest, but I really don't have much trouble with the other two 4X or 6X. I rarely to never shoot any Deer until I've studied it a little.
I hunt a lease and hunt it for years, decades. Part of what I do is try and improve the Deer population not deplete it over a period of years. I try to improve the herd. I keep the best Doe around and cull inferior Buck. The only bragging rights I really care about is having big beautiful healthy breeding Doe on my lease. I have one Doe on the lease now that is bigger than most Buck, ginger red and has unusually long legs, a really beautiful creature. I make deals with the surrounding leaseholders to leave her alone. I don't shoot their trophy bucks if they wander onto my lease.