Chuck7

Hey folks,
I've been trying to better my odds at being a better deer hunter..Please share some things that you know great hunters do.

I'll start the list and see if we can't help one another..

1. Scout..average Joes do haphazardly scouting..real scouters go out there with a purpose and understand this is the most important part of the hunt. I hunt at a HIGHLY pressured WMA..When I'm finished with my hunt..I've learned not to take the trail/ road back to my truck..but I walk through the tough stuff in hopes of finding another hot spot.

2. Pee Bottle..not sure if it's necessary but a deer's nose keeps them alive. I plan to start using a pee bottle..a pint gatorade would work great as it doesn't crackle.

3.Climb high..I don't like heights but I must man up and go at least 16 '

4,Use a few trail tacks as possible..You don't want your honey hole found by others.

5. Sit all day if possible. I talked to one old timer last year . He had shot his 7th buck.I ask him for his reson for success.He said, " I sit ALL day in my stand."

6. Wash your clmber and harness..wear rubber boots.

Please add to the list.
Thanks,
CHuck7

Sluggunhunter

1. Don't forget to load your gun.
2. Always take a wiff of the air around you especially during the rut, you might be surprised.
3. I kinda have to disagree on the pee pottle. I have had it bring bucks in furious when you take a wiss in a scrape, they can smell the testerone and other hormornes in your pee, and human pee has very low concentrations compared to a mature rutting buck. Your pee smells like a wimpy button buck. I have never seen it spook deer, doe have even come in curious.
4. Either get in your stand at LEAST an our before daylight, or still hunt very carefully to your stand if you don't wanna do that.

VAhuntr

You need patience, especially during the rut

Don't be afraid to try different things such as rattling, grunting, and using different scents.

Sfury

I do what you do, mostly at any rate. I don't mind taking the logging trail in and out to where my tack line is.

Sure, my tackline is hidden from the main trail, but it is there. You just have to know where to walk off the trail to find it.

Most people don't come back as far as I am. At least not those outside of my camp.

It's funny, I've had many people call me a lazy hunter. I'm a stand hunter who does more scouting in the fall than most "hunters" do in five years. I have a 17' ladder stand that I go to before light breaks, and if I have to, I wait until dark to come out. I stay where I am, and I generally see deer.

I know where the deer like to move to and from and sit in a crossroads. No pressure, no problem because the deer come through my area on their own. A lot of pressure, great! They also move by me on different trails. My stand is actually tough to hunt if it is quiet. I have deer coming from all around me. The only direction they don't come from is straight south from me where the marshy area is. It just happens to be my best area to shoot a deer in though.

Last year my buck was pushed to me from the north. This year my first buck was pushed to me from the west. My second buck came to me from the east on his own. He was chasing a doe in heat. Next year, who knows!

As far as scent control goes, you don't need to do much. Just don't let your gear get saturated in normal day to day smells. I got made this year by the first doe and fawn that came in downwind of me. Nothing I could do about it. It was a strong and steady wind going the wrong direction for them. I was not going to shoot either one of them anyways, so not a big problem. Once the wind died down, four more deer came from the same trail. The last one being the second buck I shot from the ground.

What can you really do when Mother Nature rains on your parade?

To all those who call us stand hunters lazy, all I can say is, keep pushing the bucks to us lazy hunters! I appreciate a nice rack after all!

nchawkeye

First, give us a good definition of "excellent deer hunter"...

Are we judging by how many B&C bucks a fellow has killed???
If so, I'm out, I've actually put buddies on my hot stands so they could as I could
care less about antlers...It's more of a chess game for me, figuring out what the current food sources are, knowing what calls to make during different phases of the season, knowing what thickets they seem to go to when everyone thinks they are nocturnal...

I don't mind killing bucks, but usually put 4-5 does in the freezer to eat...

Let's just say what areas do I see where other hunters can improve...

1) Food, it's amazing how little some hunters know about the whitetails diet...
Small example...Can you identify white oaks, pin oaks, chestnut oaks and red oaks and do you know what deer prefer...Can you tell if a deer has eaten an acorn or a squirrel by sign???

2) Terrain and habitat...Like bass fishing, deer follow structure...They may follow a hollow or cross a saddle, there are pinch points they follow, certain areas on a creek they cross, beaver dams they use...Some guys never quite get this...

3) Shooting or being familiar with your gun...I grew up squirrel hunting with a .22, head shots only...How someone can miss a deer at 50 yards is beyond me but it happens every year...I thinks children should be started and taught to hunt small game before moving to deer...Many guys would benefit by going back to basics and squirrel hunting...

Just a few things to consider...

Gunplummer

Don't take it too seriously. Sometimes you can over try. If it is a slow day, I sit down and take a nap. Don't forget luck. The last five deer I have shot were bucks. Two were button bucks and one was a large bodied deer that had dropped it's antlers during doe season. I am starting to feel weird, like I can't shoot a doe if I want to. Luck plays a major role. Scent? Bah, humbug. I have had deer walk up to me at 10 feet or less with a cigarette (before I quit) burning and a cup of coffee steaming on a log. I like to get comfortable against a log and doze off. You spread a lot less scent staying low on the ground than up a tree. Trust me on that, I used a lot of scents when I trapped. It also depends what season you are hunting in and if you are hunting public land. Just enjoy yourself and don't worry about what others do. The fun is in the learning.

salukipv1

That's like my cousin, probably kills 2-3 bucks every year and acts like King Stud Deer Killer, all dinks, I swear the man doesn't know what a 140" deer looks like, or the difference from a 1.5yo, 2.5, 3.5yo etc...

On the other hand, some schmoe with great ground could be killing big boys every year just by managing it well, so is he the stud?

Whitetailaddict13

-scent control
-motion discipline
-scouting
-i dont think the pee thing is an issue ive read studies reporting that after an hour a whitetailed deer cannot distinguish between human and deer urine.
-most important to me, love it, make goals and accomplish them. enjoy the ups and know the downs are part of it too.

-most importantly for all of us (in my opinion)..be a good representative of the hunting community. there are enough people who are against hunting all together. let it be seen that we as hunters are disciplined, intelligent guys and girls who love our great sport. it makes our sport of choice look better. also, introduce new people to the sport and the outdoors, especially youth.

Sheridan

#1 you gotta see them, before they see you

#2 Scouting

#3 Luck increases with time spent in the field

#4 Hunt were the does are

#5 when you shoot, follow through

Chuck7

Thanks so much for the replies...

I hunt a highly pressured WMA 50,000 acres in central FL..They allow 700 hunters a day.The season has been opened since Sept..Only 3 deer have been harvested..The last one was a nice 8 point..I know deer are there.I want to increase my odds of scoring..thus the reason for the post..

I appreciate the great responces..

CHuck7