RE: A few questions from new guy
 

Berto, if, and I emphasize the word if, you ever do decide to get into hunting from a treestand, make very sure you are intimately familiar with it, and accept the fact that a safety belt is just part of it. Get in the habit of using some type of safety harness from the git-go, and never climb a tree without one.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>Good luck this season!

RE: A few questions from new guy
 

Man, you guys are great, I'm learning a great deal here. I did scout the area and there are rub marks all over the place. Just a matter of picking the right spot with my shotgun pointed in the right direction so I don't have to move around to take the right shot. The area I'm hunting is mostly a harvested corn field with woods around it and a couple of fingers of trees sticking out into the corn field. Should I get a deer call? Do you have to be experienced at it to use it properly? If I should get one, what kind of noise should it make?

Thanks,
Robert

RE: A few questions from new guy
 

Good topic. I would agree w/ everything above as well. first and foremost, i take extra care in the storage of my field wear. A couple of days before i go hunting i wash my clothes, hunting bag, gloves, and field pack in baking soda. washing your gear in this manner will insure that your clothes are free of human smelling toxins (that includes fabric softner). when you return to camp remove your hunting clothes and put back into bag. i repeat this process before and after every hunt.

as far as grunt calls are concerned and how to use 'em... you're in the right place. i've been hunting for years and i am still learning.

RE: A few questions from new guy
 

Thanks to all who answered my questions.

RE: A few questions from new guy
 

Berto, a grunt tube is all you really need to start, if only to use it just to stop a deer for a shot. They are basically a short blow or inhale to operate for a contact grunt. Yes their are many different sounds you can make with only a grunt tube, but the contact grunt is what most guys will use to stop or turn animals...it works and is easy to do. You can buy calls that have all the sounds like the &quot;true talker&quot; and &quot;ridge runner&quot; to name a few. These calls will make grunts from immature to mature, bleats, doe in heat and fawn bawls..by either placing your finger on the appropriate band or adjusting a band on the reed portion of the call. I personal prefer just a grunt, I have a &quot;Knight hale EZ Grunter Plus&quot;, it doesn't have adjustments like the above. If you want a doe in heat the best and easiest one is &quot;the can&quot; style. However when starting out with calls I think your better off with a grunt or only one, it causes many people to over call. Once you get a little field experience and confidence then branch out to other calls. I mentioned it but I will again do not over call, basically use the call as a sight call, if you blind call just wait a period between calling. I personally rarely blind call, except when rattling or I step on branch and use it to try to cover my tracks sort to speak.

RE: A few questions from new guy
 

Thanks Skeeter, sounds like good advice. Keeping it simple is a good idea at this point. To experienced hunters like yourself, all of this is second nature. But to novices like myself it's intimidating when looking for a deer call and seeing dozens of them on the shelf. So I appreciate the detailed advice and the grunt call recommendation.

RE: A few questions from new guy
 

Berto,
Safety should be first and foremost. If you are hunting from the ground and there will be other hunters in the area you need to protect yourself. Here in S.C. we are only required to wear either an orange hat or vest. I normally opt for the hat only but always carry a vest in my pocket. When ground hunting in a blind that may actually prevent not only deer but other hunters from seeing me I will take my orange vest and hang it on a limb overhead or close by.
Regards to safety of others, make damn sure that you are shooting at deer and not noises or movement that have not been positively identified as a deer. I'm sure that you have already thought of this one but in the woods things can happen, if you want that deer bad enough your mind may feed you information that you are processing as a deer that when reality it's some guy coming thru the brush with a brown jacket and a white T shirt.
Keep it simple is good advice, don't get wrapped up in all the gadgets at first. Over time you will figure out the things that you need. Do not put too much pressure on yourself to kill a deer. If you hunt smart you will get one soon. Just relax and enjoy your days in the woods. It is not the kill that makes a good day in the woods. Good luck and I hope that you enjoy deer hunting as much as I have over the years.

Mark

YEEEEHAAWWWWWW!!!!

MARK IN S.C.

RE: A few questions from new guy
 

I hear you there Mark. I do enjoy being out in the woods and when turkey hunting a couple of weeks ago, even though I didn't shoot anything after sitting still for 5 hours, I still enjoyed the experience. I know it will take me a while to become a proficient deer hunter and I hope not to do anything stupid in the meantime (including picking the right shot). At this point shooting a deer is not as important as learning as much as I can. That's why your advice is so important since I don't have an experienced deer hunter to guide me.