Tips for a beginner hunter
 

I just recently started hunting (last year) and i really love the sport. I have a PSE bow and this summer i bought a Weatherby Vanguard .270 rifle. I was just wondering if anyone could give me any tips to be a better deer hunter. I have had a few shots at deer with my bow but i missed.

The best tip I can give you is to find a mentor - someone who can teach you how to hunt and someone who really wants to go hunting with you.

My dad would tell me when I was a kid that it isn't called hunting for no reason at all. If you got something every time you went it would be called getting and not hunting.

Another good piece of advice is to join a real sportsmens club and practice on the shooting range at all distances until you become proficient with your rifle.

Avoid places where the only reason to go is to drink alcohol.

Other then that, all you can do is practice, practice, practice..
The more time you spend in the woods the better a hunter you will be.

Theres nothing like huntin and drunkin lmao

all kiddin aside i drink after im out of the stand but that still makes it hard to get up for those morning hunts :D

You might want to check out my vid "Learn to Hunt for Beginners"
It's a short 6 minute clip with some tips for beginners. It doesn't sound like you're having trouble finding deer so just keep practicing with your weapons of choice and keep after em! We all miss from time to time, even the best. If you have any questions you can contact me anytime! Welcome to the wonderful world of hunting!
Good luck!
Live it up! Doug

Shoot your bow standing, kneeling, sitting, behind a tree where you have to lean around it to see your target. Anything you can do after you have developed a great shooting form with a bow will help you in the field. Too many guys stand at perfect form shooting a bow then when in the field between the excitement and the terrain situation they lose concentration of form and the shot misses. Test yourself hundreds of ways to see how your form reacts to your shooting situation. Take your target to your deer stand and shoot from your tree at different ranges and situations, in the off season of course. Concentrating on form is half the battle when shooting at live game, the other half is controlling situation (waiting for the right position of the animal, knowing range, and controlling your nerves). It's not always easy to do. If you want not miss as much and try not to wound animals wait for the shot and not try to make it happen anyway.

The most important thing to do when shooting animals with a bow is to pick a spot on that animal and aim at it. Don't just get a animal inside your sight ring and let er fly. That one thing has made me a better hunting shot than anything else. Good luck.

First off, enjoy your time in the woods. Enjoy the birds, the other beast that wander by, the sounds. If you see a deer, consider it a successful hunt.

And, of course as others have mentions, practice taking shots like you would in the woods. Practice until doing everything right is instinct.

But again, mostly enjoy.

Welcome aboard. Best word of advise is to get out there and learn from your experiences. Don't give up, bow hunting whitetails is tough and you are not always going to be successful.

Practice picking one spot on that deer when you have a shot, and focus as hard as you can on that one spot, then slowly squeeze the trigger. Get in this routine while you are practicing as well and you soon will be slipping an arrow in the boiler room.

You got good advice from everyone so far. Experience is the best teacher. Dont getcaught up in the hype of all the new gizmos and gadgets out there. Keep it basic. Know your equipment and practice with it at all postions, angles, distances, etc.
Keep as scent free as possible, keep as still as possible and if you must move do so with the speed of a snail. Keep the faith.

Everyone has given good advice. My 2 cents is do a couple of sprints or pushups or both before getting behind your weapon to practice. It will get your heart rate and breathing up and teach you how to manage both when shooting. Once you get good with your bow and gun add this to your training. It makes a huge difference. It took me about 8 years of hunting to learn deer and sign and what it all means. I still learn tons every season.

You'll learn something new every time you encounter a deer. I've been hunting for over 45 years now and shot a ton of deer with bow, rifle and muzzleloader. You will soon learn that deer are individuals. Some are pretty savy and others I swear are 'dumb as stumps'. These are the ones that meet their demise early.
I've once heard it said that for every deer you see there are two that saw you that you never knew were around. True or not, if you keep that in the back of your mind, it may force you to be more vigilant while your out there.
Remember though, the kill isn't the most important thing. Yeah, getting a deer is great. Especially for a beginner like yourself. But when you get my age, its just a pleasure being out and enjoying nature. It may sound corny but its true. I can remember several times when I drew my bow back and settled the sight behind the shoulder of a legal deer then slowly lowered it and thought, "Yep, I got you." Then watched it walk away. But not only was this satisfying for me but also provided training when and if Mr. Big showed up. And if I got busted, then it was another lesson learned.

All the above are great tips! I might add, It takes time and lots of practice. Be patient and you will get steadily better. I hunted deer with a straight bow when I started. There were no compound bows then and it took me 5 years before I finally got a deer, but boy was it worth the waite. Good luck!:s1:

Have a couple stands for each wind and try not to overhunt your stand locations. Deer sighting will dwindle if you overhunt an area. Always hunt downwind of the trail. Try to keep your clothing smelling like your surroundings. It's hard to beat a deers nose. Just enjoy it.

Cannot overemphasize this point, especially with bow hunting. You need the deer in close to you, and if you over hunt an area they will start going around that spot. I've actually observed from a distance deer going out of their way to avoid some guys' stands because they hunted them too often. My personal rule is don't hunt a stand more than once a week, preferably two. But use what works best for you (some guys don't have access to as many spots to rotate them as easily).

Sorry if Im repeating what other have already said, I didnt read any other responses. Heres my advice for what its worth.

-Hunt the thickest brush you can find.
-Only take shots you are positive you can make.
-The more time you spend in the stand the more chance you have of seeing game. Deer move at all times of the day, and in any weather.

It seems a lot of good advise has been put on here,,the only thing I can see that isn't up here is scent control,,I start washing with the green soap a couple weeks before I go bow hunting. The reason for this is your hair can hold odors for several weeks, and most of the regular shampoos have some kind of purfume in it. So why take the chance. I also spray and use scent control clothing. I know it works, I have had lots of deer downwind of me, some within yards and I was on the ground. There's never too much as too much scent control. Good luck with your hunting this year,,I didn't see what state you were in.

Good luck hunting this year everyone, and be safe :)

All of this is getting me excited for the upcoming season. As with bow, when I started, I was shooting pretty good in a t shirt and warm afternoon temps. 1st time out for the season it was in upper 30's and I had alot more clothes on. Well that made a big difference as did the cold temp on my bow. So practice in all weather with what ur gonna wear out there.