Always make sure you practice in full gear before the season. Make a mock hunting setup at your house. Fully dress out as if your in your stand. I can go on forever about this one with certain facemask and collars throwing off shots or altering your form.

When it gets to the point when you have that deer coming into bow range, as a beginner, you will get excited and want to get an arrow off as soon as you can. I'm a young hunter and had this happen to me, just as most beginners do. The first buck I took, I remember looking through my peep hole right past the sights and just staring at this deer in awe. I was able to concentrate enough to take a shot and made a marginal hit. From that point on, I treat each and every deer approaching as if I'm going to take a shot. And when it is a potential shooter, I am looking at the shoulder as much as possible. That first experience with a large buck has put enough fear into me that I won't be found in that situation of total loss of control again. I practice this routine when target practicing as well. It makes the moment of truth a little easier to handle than when I was first faced with that opporutinity. I felt like Jessica Simpson had flashed me and I had no control of what was about to happen :D

Thanks, everyone. I think there is some good advice on here. I learned a couple of things. I think my suggestions are fairly obvious, but I think some people overlook them, especially newbies.

1) When you scout where you're going to hunt: As other people have said: hunt the wind...when you can. I do it whenever possible, but I mainly hunt in the mountains, so winds can and do often change during the day or swirl, especially in saddles, which can be great places to hunt. So it's good to take precautions. I am fanatic about keeping myself and my hunting clothes and equipment scent-free. I don't use carbon-activated scent-blocker camo, but...

I wash everything in UV-free and scent-free laundry detergent. And, before I wash my actual hunting clothes in the washer, which still has perfumed residue from the regular detergent, I wash the clothes I wear in the car or in the cabin on hunting day with scent-free and UV-free detergent to wash out the residue and reduce the amount of perfumed scent that rubs off on my body before I put on my hunting clothes. I wash myself in scent-free soap and use scent-free deodorant. I use Scent Killer and it works really well, I've had deer (very wild deer at that) walk right under my tree and the downwind from me the same path I walked in on, but they didn't scent me because I used Scent Kilelr spray lavishly on each laye rof cothing I put on, as well as my equipment and my gloves before I walked to my stand, all over myself and my equipment after I set up and sprayed it over my walk-in trail for 20 yards from the stand and beneath my stand.

That said, try to pick multiple stand locations for multiple wind directions so you can be ready no matter which way the wind blows. I see LOTS of deer, relative to other people wiht much more hunting experience who hunt the same area I hunt, and, as far as I know, I have only been scented once in the past 3 seasons I have hunted, using this approach (Note that I don't claim to know about all of the deer who got near my stand, but, as far as I know...)

2) Pick out specific trees/blind locations when you scout in pre-season (and in-season), look up at the tree/blind location from where you think deer will most likely give you a shot at them (i.e., along the main trail, etc.). Look at it from about their height and the height of their vital area, so you can see things from their angle. This will help you (a) see if you will be silouetted or other give-aways you might not otherwise notice and (b) so you can see any stray branches that might interfere with your shot and either cut them away before the day of the hunt (so you don't make a bunch of noise and spread your scent any further than you have to doing it the day of the hunt ) or be aware of the non-obvious branches you can't cut away, so they don't ruin your shot. This approach also will make you more aware of your most potentially productive shooting lanes and may make you change your mind about stand locations. Once you've found a site, mark it with a reflective pin or similar reflective material so you can find it in the dark.

3) I always wear a facemask. I think it breaks up my human profile and keeps bugs off.

4) When a deer comes into range, I usually squint, as I think that makes my eyes less noticable, especially if I move them to keep track of multiple deer. I also think it makes any necessary head movement less obvious than having two big white balls moving around.

1. You see or hear a deer coming always have your bow ready with your release. Better to be ready then caught with your pants around your ankles.

2. Never ever look a 170 in the eye. Your body will lose control and u will pee yourself!

Hunt where the deer are. It helps.

Remember that its supposed to be fun...

I love it!

heres something i picked up from someone. i hunt near a lot of apple trees during bow season. i was thinking of a good snack to bring with me on long sits without putting odd scents into the air. apples! i dont know why i had never thought of it before.

biggest buck i'd ever seen,
i dropped my range finder,
it hit damn near every step on the way down, louder than all get out in this very quiet patch i am hunting,
i put my bow in the hanger,
climb down to retrieve it and turn around,
well lets just say he could run like the wind blows, looked like he was doing the hurtles over the thicket..
anyway, i think what ever makes em curious.
sometimes while runnin the chainsaw, i'll look up or turn around, and there are deer within 40 yards of me, and my buddy will vouch for me. I haven't taken a chainsaw in on openin day....yet!!

I had the same thing happen to me many times while out cutting firewood. Me and a guy where taking a brake while where where loading wood into my trailer this year. We where standing there talking, and here comes this small buck trotting right toward us. He came within 40 yards of us before he turned and went away from us. He was just trotting along, not even spooked by us. We just looked at each other in amazement and wondering, now why don't they do that during hunting season.... they aren't stupid, they know when there being hunted....

Cover up the shiny logo's on your archery equipment.

Very important
 

Don't eat beans for breakfast...:biggrin:

Walk heel to toe through the woods, and walk slow. I place my heel down then transfer my weight to middle of the foot. If I sense a branch or something else hard beneath my foot I will pick up that foot and set it down somewhere else.

Get in the woods early. I like to get in at least 1.5 hours before sunrise, make for a long day but it has paid off a lot of times as I see what trails they are on and can reposition midday of need be.

good tip twodogs! i was told that when i first started hunting. didn't even think of posting that.

i think this is a really good thread you started burlyman. thanks!

lets keep the tips coming........

Here's a tip if you're on public property and using a logging trail or road to access your stand location and want to keep your stand hidden from other hunters as long as possible. Vary the exact spot where you leave the trail to head to your stand. If you use the same spot to walk from the trail to the stand, the vegetation on the side of the road will get trampled after a few passes...leading every hunter that comes in after you right to your tree. Out of sight, out of mind. Some hunters are lazy and will just follow any trail to an established tree-stand site. I try to make it as hard for that type as possible so that they don't bust my location for the deer when I'm not around.

I have 2 that have stuck with me for 20 years...

#1 - Take the first available shot. If a deer is broadside at 30 and you're comfortable...shoot. You don't get too many opportunities.

#2 - Sit the hell still. I see way to many hunters that look around like they are expecting a stampede. Many deer that come in may have seen a movement way before they get to you and know where to look...even if they don't know what they are looking at.

I will also add that branches around your stand are a wonderful plus.

That'll help you hide.

Same here. We call it our portable/potable bait pile. Grab a couple apples for the long sit. When you are done just let the core fly at the nearest annoying blue jay.:devil:

KE is a worthless measure or energy when applied to archery

"heavy" arrows = 12-14 grains per pound of draw - are your arrows heavy?

broadheads are exceptionally important, don't use cheap ones, don't use ones that can fail, don't use ones that are a fad



prepare your bowhunting setup like you prepare for a roadtrip across the USA. you take a spare tire don't you? why? you've got excellent tires, the chances of a flat are not high right? but you prepare for the worst ....... same thing with bowhunting. Prepare your euipment to handle worst case sceanrios .... ie bad hits, and if they ever happen your chances of a lethal hit remains high. If your setup is good only when things go right, its like traveling without a spare tire ......

yep i agree Ranger77. carry an extra release. carry an extra grunt call or can call or any call. thhings do get dropped from the tree! ive had to climb down right at day light to get my release. i was not happy. now i carry an extra

RE:
 

Don't walk to your stand the same way each time. Deer will pattern you.

Your approach to stand should also consider the wind.

Also, along the same vein, don't setup stands right before you hunt an area. The earlier the better and I like to setup just before or during rain so scent is washed away.

This may be personal preference but i stand 80% of the time when i am on stand and sit only 20% of the time. Even on 12 hour sits i do this. Its the old saying "better to be prepared and have nothing happen, then to have something happen and be unprepared". I am much more comfortable taking standing shots than sitting shots. You will not always have a chance to stand, so why not already be standing. Yes this is more tiring to do but it also forces you to stay more alert. Sit only when your feet hurt too bad to stand and you will not be caught in a bad position when the chips are down.

I also feel that it is important to practice on every deer that comes by. What i mean by this is read the deer. Pick the time at which you would draw, pick the lane you would take the shot through and imagine your holding point. This will make it much easier when the moment of truth arrives.