savage3006

And for those of us hunting with rifles, practice in field conditions. I see at the range many shooters spending days at the bench. That's good to zero your rifle, but you won't have a bench in the field.

Alsatian

jrod014: Relative to the "no shooting before sunrise and after sunset" admonition, in Oklahoma where I hunt deer legal shooting light begins 30 minutes before sunrise and extends to 30 minutes after sunset. I have bagged a significant portion of my deer after sunset including my first deer. Different states will have different regulations with regards to legal shooting light. Just for thought, much hunting is conducted safely in Europe in full darkness.

A key to my successful hunting has been avoiding being seen by the deer. I don't get bent out of shape about camoflage -- sometimes I wear advantage timber pants and shirt but as often as not I wear green wool military surplus trousers and a red plaid wool shirt -- but pay a lot of attention to other techniques of concealment. I take care to sit in the shadows (more difficult to see objects in the shadows). I take care to sit where ground cover -- brush and broken branches -- conceal my lower body and legs. I wear a face net to reduce the reflectiveness of my white facial skin. I wear gloves to stop the reflectiveness of my white hand skin. I move very slowly. I'm hunting from ground blinds exclusively. I hunt only rifle, so I am not obliged to get as close as bow hunters, which might increase the difficulty of concealment. On the other hand, two of my six deer have been taken at ranges of about 15-20 yards, which I think is good bow range, isn't it?

As has already been said, pay attention to the wind. Don't let your scent blow towards the point you expect to find your deer.

Most importantly, hunt where there are deer! No deer, and all the technique in the world won't help much.

Jimmy S

A lot of good points have already been discussed.

Emphasis was put on silence as the key. I respectfully disagree.
Humans cannot comprehend how well a deer's sense of smell actually is.

I put more focus on trying to minimize the deer's abilty to smell me than anything else.
Once I enter his woods, I try to eliminate as much as I can, his ability to realize I am in his back yard. Keeping movement to a minimum, keeping as quiet as possible - they all help - but keeping my scent away from him is paramount. Sometimes, I believe he can smell my color orange.
The deer can hear you, see you, smell you or simply know you're there.

Shooting a deer is very simple. Simply put the sights on his vitals and shoot him. Not rocket science to shoot a deer. Now, putting yourself in the position to put the sights on his vitals and shooting him is the difficult part. That's where scouting, practicing, understanding the animal we intend to hunt - all come into play. This may sound kind of trivial but remember, you can't shoot them if you can't see them. Follow you instincts after scouting and if you may have setup in a wrong location, it's OK to reloacte. I remind myself that deer have to be somewhere all the time. It's up to me to determine exactly where in the woods that is.

A couple other quick points.
If I plan to hunt from a stand, either on the ground or 20 feet up, I always play over in my head exactly what I will do if I suddenly see or hear a deer behind me, over my shoulder, a placeI did not anticipate the deer to come. That way, I will be a little more prepared. One of the most popular comments made by hunters is: "How did that deer get so close to me without me knowing it".

Expect to see and shoot a deer every single time you enter the deer woods. Be positive. Plus, expect to see a deer at any time, at any place. Especially those places that we, as hunters, know deer should not be.
If you move around a bend on the road, over come to the top of a ridge, always be prepared to see deer. When you let your guard down and you suddenly realize there he is, you're busted. You may play that scene over in your mind for years to come. I always remember that for me to be successful, I have to see him before he sees me. Most of the time, that's a lot easier said than done.

Finally, have fun. That's what it's all about.

Good Luck to all this upcoming season!!.....Jimmy