Vogt_51

It was until my third year deer hunting here in Illinois for me to get a deer. However, I only hunted gun season, which equals a whole 7 days out of the year.

It is a pretty funny story actually. Opening day, my first year out, I saw 2 yearlings with their mother right at sunrise. The big old mama doe stayed about 50 yards away, but the two yearlings came under the stand about 2-3 yards away. I passed on those because, HECK, it was first season opening day. Turns out, I don't see another deer during season from the stand until my third year out. However, since that 3rd year, I have only been stumped one other year since then, so like 6 out of the last 7 years I have tagged at least one. My best being 2 years ago and this season. A 140 class 8-point mainframe with a 14 inch G2, and on Friday I got a 118 inch 8-point mainframe.

....So the way I see it is: Good things come to those who wait.


GOOD LUCK!!

RugerM77.270

Don't feel bad I hunted six years before I killed my first and I was trying gun and bow. But in that time I learned a lot about hunting and deer and I haven't missed harvesting during a season since. The first one is always the hardest.I really can't tell what type of terrain you are in so what I would say is find some of the thickest stuff you can and set up there. Deer like plenty of cover. The reason that it took me so long was because I was trying to hunt lazy and when I found that I need to go to the deer and not just have the deer come to me I became a hunter.

ab_newfie

I totally agree to the ALL DAY hunt. Pack a lunch so you cankeep on hunting.
When everyone else goes off you eat, they may drive something your way. Whether you stand hunting or are groundhunting. Stick it out all day.
I start at 0.5 hour before sunup and I hunt till .5 after sundown. That's our legal shooting time here in Alberta. The only time I stop is to clean a deer or have a sandwich and keep your eyes open when your doing both. You never know when they will walk out and give you a shot.

The last two animals we killed this year, were shot around 1-2 pm!!!

Main thing is, don't give up hunting! But it is ok to move toa differnet location, if the one you are hunting isn't working!
Goodluck and don't worry, you'll get something! Hang in there!!! Watch the wind and keep you eyes moving!!!

georgiahick

man, I feel your pain. I dont have the luxery of ever getting the same spot 2 days in a row, so I just try to do a good map recon of the area look at the terrain and see if I can locate a food plot....basically walking into the woods with a blind on my back with a folding chair and hope I set up in a good spot....Ive seen a few nice deer this year but all were to far out....maybe my luck will change. Good luck to ya

125py

i was 9 yrs old and i got my first deer (a 6 pt) after sitting with my dad for about 2 hours into my first deer hunt ever! Lucky I guess.

Alsatian

I got a deer in my first season. It was at the very end of the hunt, the last 15 minutes of the season to be precise. It was a doe, legal in Oklahoma. Does actually taste better, typically, than bucks. I had a shot at a buck on opening morning and probably would have succeeded in taking it, but I never took the shot. My hunting host had been bragging so much about the big bucks on his property I figured it would be dumb to settle for something that small. My host showed up, I told him I had been watching a buck for 15 minutes, he said where, I told him, and he immediately shot at but missed the buck. I guess he didn't feel like holding out more than 2 hours for those bigger bucks he was telling me stories about.

So to try to help you out. Are you willing and legally able to take a doe? Are you seeing does within rifle range? If you aren't seeing does, you probably won't see bucks -- bucks are more wary than does and bucks tend to like to hang around the does during the hunting season.

Do you know that your hunting location has deer? Do you know where those deer like to eat and where they like to sleep? You need to position yourself where you will be able to observe/shoot the deer as they pass between eating and sleeping locations while you remain both largely concealed and downwind of the deer so they can't smell you. Choosing your set-up position is very important.

You want to be in position at least 30 minutes before legal shooting light in the mornings. The best hunting in the morning will be the first 2 hours of legal shooting light. You want to be in position about 3 hours before sundowwn at night. The best hunting in the evening will be the last 2 hours of legal shooting light. Why? Because deer are prey species -- other animals eat deer and deer eat plants. Deer are naturally very cautious and wary, because they don't want to be killed an eaten. They will feed either in the dark or at first and last light and move to places of concealment to rest during daylight hours. Thus, at first light deer are moving from feeding areas to bedding areas; at last light deer are moving from bedding areas to feeding areas. When they move, the deer will probably not walk through the middle of a field with open ground surrounding them for 300 yards. They will walk along the edge of the woods -- either just outside the woods or just inside the woods -- they will follow little depressions in the land where they can stay hidden or visible to a little surrounding territory as possible. On the other hand, they will try to avoid the most difficult path while still remaining relatively hidden. Look for deer tracks and deer paths to determine their preferred routes.

Scent control and camoflage may be helpful, but for rifle hunters they are not necessary. If you are downwind of the deer, they aren't going to smell you at 100 yards. If you are still, if you move slowly, if you place yourself in the shadows, if you are not silloutted on a hillside, if you position yourself to have brush concealing your legs in front of you and trees or other shapes breaking up your shape behind you, camoflage won't give you a great deal extra edge. Do move slowly. Do place yourself in the shadows. Be aware that your face "flashes" as you turn your head -- shows first a bright aspect and then a darker aspect, flashing as it were, as you turn and your face reflects the light -- and consider using either camoflage face paint (messey) or a camoflage face net (easy).

Hunt at the right time, at the right place, and be still and you will see deer. Hunt where there aren't any deer, and you are in trouble. Hunt with the deer upwind of you, and you are in trouble. Hunt where the deer can readily see you, and you are in trouble. Hunt where the deer will have to cross hundreds of yards of open space to give you a shot -- maybe because it is thought this location is good for THE HUNTER because it gives unobstructed shooting lanes -- you are in trouble.

Hope some of this helps.

Beezer

I started hunting last Thanksgiving, season ends on Jan 1st. Saw two deer total, didn't know what I was doing. This year, second day of bow season I got a spike buck. Nothing since. I've seen alot of deer compared to last year, but I've been selective in making sure I have the best shot.

ScrapeAndRub

I know there is deer where I hunt. People get them all the time, there's plenty of tracks most anywhere I go. I always stay within site of water or at least within site of the treeline ending near water. There are swampy sections in the back. I try to hunt the back since everyone at the public piece goes right up front, maybe they'll drive one back to me. I'm not good enough yet to tell where they are bedding, I don't know where their feeding either. There's acorns everywhere. I have found a few significant rubs that I think would be a good spot for my stand. I cant afford all of the SCENT-LOCK gear and other "high Tech" hunting stuff, but I do spray gear and bow/gun with scent removal spray and occasionally drag a wick of tinks on my shoelace. I'm seeing deer, never more than one at a time, and never within a good shot. Maybe I need to read up some more. I'm doing this on my own by the way and just reading mags and every post on this site. This year has to be the one! Muzzleloader opens saturday, so we will see what happens.