Hunting Tips
12-12-2008, 09:09 AM
#11
Spike
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Ohio
Posts: 88
RE: Hunting Tips
Let the deer teach you. See what the deer are doing in your area based on weather conditions. Wind seems to play a big part in what the deer around here are doing. Too windy they don't seem to move much. The bucks seem to stay on the down wind side of the woods when they are searching for does in heat. When going into your stand try to say down wind from where you think the deer are. If you know where their bedding area is, try not to disturb it if you are hunting a travel route to the feeding area. Slip in as quiet as you can.
Also, you want to look for sign like deer trails, rub lines, and scrapes. Do some scouting. Even if it is as little as drive by the field edges you will be hunting to see what time the deer are moving.
Like A11en says, hunt where the deer are. You figure that out, and your chances will be a lot better.
Also, you want to look for sign like deer trails, rub lines, and scrapes. Do some scouting. Even if it is as little as drive by the field edges you will be hunting to see what time the deer are moving.
Like A11en says, hunt where the deer are. You figure that out, and your chances will be a lot better.
12-12-2008, 11:03 AM
#12
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,445
RE: Hunting Tips
When I say simplify, I mean cut down on the gear, and select gear that is simple to use.
A gun, drag rope, a knife and a grunt tube is all the equipment I used for years.
Seems like today if a new hunter is unsuccessful, it's beacuse he used the wrong call at the wrong time, used the wrong scent, wore the wrong camo, etc. So they buy new stuff, but really just hunt the same way and expect different results, only to end up with the same results. This is why I think a lot of new hunters get frustrated.
Just keep it simple, get out there, pay attention to the wind, and keep your eyes open. If you are not seeing deer, try still hunting. This is not stalking, but hunting very slowly through the woods. 100-150 yds per hour, slower if needed. Observe what sign there is, and adjust stand locations based on the sign. No sign, hunt somewhere else. So many stand hunters only go to and fromtheir stands. They never check to see if there is deer sign in the area because they don't want to spook deer. I don't spend a lot of time in stands untilI have things pretty well figured out, and even then I'll still hunt on windy and rainy days when I think deer won't move on their own.
That should get you started.
A gun, drag rope, a knife and a grunt tube is all the equipment I used for years.
Seems like today if a new hunter is unsuccessful, it's beacuse he used the wrong call at the wrong time, used the wrong scent, wore the wrong camo, etc. So they buy new stuff, but really just hunt the same way and expect different results, only to end up with the same results. This is why I think a lot of new hunters get frustrated.
Just keep it simple, get out there, pay attention to the wind, and keep your eyes open. If you are not seeing deer, try still hunting. This is not stalking, but hunting very slowly through the woods. 100-150 yds per hour, slower if needed. Observe what sign there is, and adjust stand locations based on the sign. No sign, hunt somewhere else. So many stand hunters only go to and fromtheir stands. They never check to see if there is deer sign in the area because they don't want to spook deer. I don't spend a lot of time in stands untilI have things pretty well figured out, and even then I'll still hunt on windy and rainy days when I think deer won't move on their own.
That should get you started.
12-12-2008, 01:24 PM
#13
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 15
RE: Hunting Tips
The best tip I can give is to keep things is perspective. I put so much pressure on my self to kill a big buck every year that at times I let that define me, and I incorrectly use that as a benchmark for whether I had a succesful year. Always remember that "a bad day hunting is still better than a good day at work".
For actual hunting techniques,I can't stress enough that you need to hunt to prevailing wind. This means different things to different people. If you have 500 acres its not that hard, but if you have 40 acres it may be more difficult. However, it still possible most times. Look at a map of the property and see if there is any way that you could move yourposition (even just 20-30 yards) so that by the time the deer get downwind, they will have already presented a shot. I know that I can only hunt, at most, two days a week and you can bet I'm not going to sit home because there is a north wind.
For actual hunting techniques,I can't stress enough that you need to hunt to prevailing wind. This means different things to different people. If you have 500 acres its not that hard, but if you have 40 acres it may be more difficult. However, it still possible most times. Look at a map of the property and see if there is any way that you could move yourposition (even just 20-30 yards) so that by the time the deer get downwind, they will have already presented a shot. I know that I can only hunt, at most, two days a week and you can bet I'm not going to sit home because there is a north wind.
12-12-2008, 02:21 PM
#15
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 15
RE: Hunting Tips
A grunt call (True talker) is hard to beat.It works all year long and is very versatile.
Scents are a different story. There is research out there that says deer scents (aka deer urine) won't actually smell like a true deerbecause a chemical reaction takes place on real deer when the urinecontacts the tarsalgland of the animal. The same goes forthe $36 bottles of pee that claim to come from a standing doe. I do not know if they work or not, but at that price I will never find out. In addition, scents are onlyeffective if the deer is downwind, a grunt call works in 360 degrees.
There is no call that works everytime, and most calls willworkat least once during the season, but a grunt callworks with the highest rate of success for me.
Scents are a different story. There is research out there that says deer scents (aka deer urine) won't actually smell like a true deerbecause a chemical reaction takes place on real deer when the urinecontacts the tarsalgland of the animal. The same goes forthe $36 bottles of pee that claim to come from a standing doe. I do not know if they work or not, but at that price I will never find out. In addition, scents are onlyeffective if the deer is downwind, a grunt call works in 360 degrees.
There is no call that works everytime, and most calls willworkat least once during the season, but a grunt callworks with the highest rate of success for me.
