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- - New Guy (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/whitetail-deer-hunting/217024-new-guy.html)

Father Forkhorn,

That was some really good input. I appreciate all the information. I found another lane of information-Tennessee Wildlife Hunting Guide-at my local Wal-Mart which follows your first advice-Literature. I have spotted some deer trails right in my own backyard. Although I have not had time to walk them for any scrapes/rubs etc. I have seen tracks so that is a start. I don't plan on hunting back there but just doing my homework/studying per say. A question I have is WHERE do you find the areas to go. I have a layout of public hunting grounds but how do you "narrow" your search? Randomly walk the trails during non-peak hunting hours to find an area to work later or just trial and error as someone said earlier? Again, thanks for the input. You gave me much more to go by and work from. My buddy and I are heading out tomorrow morning for bow. Like I said, I won't make the same mistake twice and listen closely to what he tells me and what is posted on this site. I guess my next info search will be for gear: Bows, Arrows, Bow Sights, Arrow Traps(someone told me hay),Tree Stands, Guns (Caliber for my area-Middle Tennessee). Any recommedations for the new guy?

Welcome and Thank you for your Service...
Ask alot of ?'s.
Find some hunting land and go out and walk it(after hunting season)and just start looking for trails,tracks and read hunting magz and books,Ive been basiclly hunting for 34yrs,24 bow only and Iam still learning differant things to try and do.....Take it all in and shovel out what you dont need....

As ranger suggested, you can walk a piece of land and see what's there. That's how I do it. The fact is, if you get yourself in some woods and start looking around, you'll start seeing the signs. If you don't. move on. A way to narrow it is to look for a mix of habitats, say some cropfields that butt up against a tract of woods or brush. Explore the edge of the field and look for obvious trails coming in. Creek and river bottoms are often great places to begin because they tend to be woody, often bisect food sources, and offer water. Old farmsteads are good as they get overgrown with brush and heavy weed growth. There might be some old fruit trees as well.

Walking a fenceline through the woods is another good way. You'll inevitably discover where the deer are crossing it. You might even find that you're walking on a deer trail that runs along it.

I'll say one plug for guns and calibers: I like calibers that are versatile and easy to find shells for. I carry a .30-'06 because it suitable for just about anything in North America, is marvelous for deer, and it has a wide variety of shells and loadings available for it. It's the only rifle I own and I couldn't justify buying a second one. If by chance a hunting opportunity pops up for an elk or black bear, I've got something that will work. Ammo isn't particularly expensive for it and if you find yourself in an out of the way place and realize you left your ammo at home, a mom and pop hardware store will carry that caliber if they carry shells at all. That might not be the case if you're carrying an obscure caliber. Recoil is moderate.

.270 winchester and .308 winchester fall into the same category. A little less oomph, but still useable on many species on the continent.

The gun itself is a Savage 111, a variant of its 110. Savage has been making plain jane guns that are relatively inexpensive for years. They don't look like art, but they are very accurate. If budget is a concern, this is my recommendation. I think they recently renamed this line of guns as Stevens 200 series recently, and are using the 110 series as a fancier line.

You can read or watch whatever you want to get tips but the best way to know what to do is to get out there and do it. If I were you, I'd go with your friend afew times. If he is willing and has enough land to hunt then I'd say go ahead and keep scouting and set up a stand afew hundred yards away. If you must hunt alone on public land then you should go in and scout it asap. Look for scrapes and rubs but also look for intersecting trails, natural funnels such as valleys and cliff faces, and bedding areas in thickets. If you do go out alone make sure that some knows exactly where you're going and what time you're going to be back. That way if you hunt out of a stand and you fall out or if something else happens they'll be able to find you.

As far as what to wear. Deer can't see color but they can see contrast. Camo is a great idea because of this. Personally, I couldn't afford one of those scentlock camo jackets. I took spray paint and some old carhardts and made my own. Works well enough. You can go out and buythat anti scent stuff. An uncle of mine told me to wash my stuff in baking soda. It seems to do the trick. They have anti scent soap and shampoo. You might try some of that. I've never used it though so I can't say either way.

There are plenty of ways to hunt. You can still hunt (alot of people call this "stalking"). This involves moving, very slowly, and sitting for a period of time. Then moving. You cover alot of area this way. For new people, I recommend stand hunting or blind hunting. You stay still and aren't noticable to the deer. A great way to do it. Remember though to always walk in and out on the same path. Try to walk in on an a creek bed or depression or trail of some sort where you're scent won't be very noticeable to a deer.

Weaponry:
Being a military man you probably have plenty of guns. If any of them are legal for hunting then I'd start with one of those. I don't know what the regulations in your state say so I can't recommend any particular one to you. A rifle will obviously give you a longer range to a shot gun or even a muzzleloader. Personally, I use a muzzleloader. The new inlines are easy to use and in some states are legal for both firearms and muzzleloader seasons. They are more than effective out past 150 yds. A bow is also good if you are looking for a long season but you must be close. Check the regulations for where you live and then make your decision.

Lastly, welcome to the forum. If ya have any questions then just ask.

cal516,

Welcome to Huntingnet and to hunting! It is kind of late to be scouting around for huntable land for this season. You'll push the deer and tick off other hunters out there. Since you have an experienced friend, I would rely on him this season for locations. As soon as hunting season is over, you can really pour it on as far as looking for your own hunting areas.

There are a number of discrete skills incorporatd by most hunters. Examples include learning how to walk quietly, how to be still, learning what signs to look for in an area, understanding your quary during the season you are in, judging distance. proper marksmanship & weapon maintenance, knowing how to dress your deer when you get it down, etc. Rather than getting overwhelmed by seeing hunting as as the total of so many skills, it may be easier for you to identify the various component skills, checking off the ones you already have down, and working on the others one by one.

This site is a great resource and there are a ton of really experienced hunters here who will help you get up to speed. Enjoy!

-- FLIX

Lots of good info flix

Welcome aboard. If you spent time in the military. Do what i did. Approach it like a mission. Study your enemy. Know his defenses. His greatest is sense of smell. Always try to stay downwind. carbon military suits work well to keep scent down. Basically play the wind.
NExt is sight. Now they might not be able to see color. but they can se UV better than any other animal. The same UV's that most companies use in their camoflauge to bright the colors. They can also detect movement very well. But I dont think you will have to much to wory about in that department.
also know their weakness. The opposite sex durin the rut. ability to pattern during late summer and early winter feeding patterns. Basically do alot of scouting.
And just when you think you know it all. you realize you know nothing

Thanks for serving the Country! You'll learn so much here, the deer could be in trouble!

God Bless!