Game Stalker

You'll have to excuse Oldtimr. He's one of those internet, self appointed know it alls, w/ an ego.

For ground hunting, when I do a sit type hunt, I use whatever cover nature provides that allows a good shooting lane. When not using natural cover, I've found burlap to make good ground blind concealment.
http://www.camonettingstore.com/camo-burlap/ will show good style examples.
Storing clothing in bagged leaves, as previously mentioned, I highly don't recommend it. It only takes one tick bite to give you serious illness. Not worth it from my POV.

redwhiteblue

I learned on my own as well. I bought a bow in early August, spent 30 days researching forums, and practicing with my bow every day. A month later, I shot a deer on my first day in the woods (September 6th). Took 4 deer that season and could have taken more if I had more free days to get out in the woods.

Don't be discouraged by hunters that tell you it's rocket science. It's not. Just follow a few basic principles (play the wind, be still, be quiet, pattern/predict deer movement) and you'll be at least modestly successful. Be observant and you'll learn something new every time you go out in the woods. Read up on all the forums and know that with every piece of good advice, there will usually be a few pieces of bad advice too. Take the good and throw out the bad. Youtube has some great videos too.

Also, know the laws in your area and where you can/cannot hunt. Poaching is serious these days. I read last week about a hunter that was fined $20,000 and sentenced to over a year in jail for taking 3 elk without the proper tags/licensure.

Here's a few pieces of advice that I learned. I'm no expert, but it's worked for me thus far:

Beware of over-excited hunters taking low-daylight crack shots at anything that moves. To eliminate this, I move only in broad daylight with an orange hat/vest, or at night with a bright head-lamp. If you move at dusk or twilight, there are a lot of morons out there that might think you're a deer.

Deer movement changes, depending upon the time of year. Early season the wooded edges of agricultural fields are just about guaranteed (hunt the corners or points of wooded edges). Late october when the acorns start dropping, the deer abandon the fields in search of white-oak acorns. Early November, the acorns start to dry up, temperatures start to plummet and breeding takes over (Rut). During the rut, just try to find where the does are and don't worry about the bucks. Because if you find the does, the bucks will be there too.

Don't underestimate the importance of being downwind of the deer.

Even little movements in the stand/blind will get you busted by deer. Limit every movement, even scratching your nose will get you busted.

Never get in a tree stand without afull-bo dy safety harness attached to the tree at all times.

Study every deer track, scrape, rub and trail that you see in the woods. Eventually you will notice subtle differences and be able to identify things like: how long ago the track was made, buck vs doe trails, community vs individual scrapes, multiple deer highway vs lone buck trail, etc.

Learn how to identify a white-oak (rounded lobes on leaves) from a red oak (pointed lobes on leaves), and know when the acorns are dropping and when they're done dropping.

When you set up a stand/blind, don't make the mistake of being too close.

Every hunt, let someone know where you're hunting and when you plan to return. If they don't get a call from you letting them know you're back, they will send help.

Get your advice from hunting forums like this one, and not from commercial websites or magazines. The commercial websites/magazines all selling products and try to convince you that you HAVE to buy their product to be successful.

Have fun and be safe.

Oldtimr

No Game stalker no one has to excuse me. The OP ask for advice, this is somene who does not even have a clue about how to hunt, asks if he should douse himself with deer urine and walk around. I gave him good advise, join a club and find someone to help him. He comes back with a smart ass post about drunks dope users and children kill deer indicating hunting is no big deal which is pretty much an insult to those he is asking for help from. I may not know more than you game stalker but after over 50 plus years of hunting and 40 years of helping new hunters, something I still am doing, I don't need some snot nose smart ass jumping on me for giving him good advise, nor do I need your crap. Getting a few points on the iternet to learn how to hunt with no base knowledge what-so-ever is not a good way to start. Yes, there are plenty of self taught people, however, getting help in person is much better than blundering around on your own. I really don't care if he takes my advise or the advice of those giving him tips, it was the fact he ask for help, then spewed a bunch of nonsense essentially saying any idiot can do it, if that is the case, why ask for advice?

Ridge Runner

that is not learning, doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results is the definition of insanity.
sometimes as in my case, there is no one available as a mentor, when I was a kid it just wasn't possible, the only folks around at that time were my mom, grandma, a brother 1 yr. older, and the only member of the family who hunted my uncle who was slowly succumbing to cancer, dad was in viet naam in the service, so I had no one. I made mistakes, but they were well learned lessons that I still remember 45 years later.
Today there is more information available on the net than anywhere else, folks on here know more than most any mentor anyone had in history, the hard part of processing info from the net is how you filter it. Its todays way of learning, in the 80's everyone subscribed to they're favorite magazines, digested every word from they're favorite scribes, yet there are everyday hunters, who work for a living who can run circles around most scribes in the fields of hunting, its how you use the info they are willing to divulge, and how much attention you pay to those who just want to increase they're post count. welcome to the new outdoor life magazine.
RR

30-06 deerslayer

Ridge Runner if you read my last post on this subject you will see when I state he will make mistake after mistake and not learn on his own is not insanity it is a given. you would be surprised at the hunters who know about how to hunt deer who make the same mistakes and don't know it. I have hunted for 52yrs now since I was 12yrs old and still once in a while make mistakes. I have taught many young hunters the things I have learned and I know it has made it easier for them to understand. I listened to a young hunter once at an outdoor show ask a well noted deer hunter what to do because all the deer were coming out across the field from his deer stand. he said he could never get a shot at them. the noted hunter had to tell him to move his stand across the field to where the deer where coming out. this is what happens when someone has to learn on his own. you will tell me I am crazy anyone would know enough to move his stand but it does happen. I still agree with Oldtimr a mentor or hunting buddie who know something about hunting would be better for him then a 1,000 acres of land to hunt on.

Valentine

you have to take time to learn. And with deer you learn through mistakes. You spend time in different areas. You learn to see deer; part of a deer. Many a deer gets harvested by only seeing part of a deer's body.

I'm big on exercise; exercise in wooded areas. I got a climbing tree stand into the woods, by hauling it in on my back. Took it in took it out, the same day. Doesn't work without exercise.

In some hunting, it's as important to go where there are deer, as to avoid the areas with hunters; too many hunters.
Impossible to learn in a day or week.

And we all wanted it easy, when we don't know.

jerry d

I think the OP got disgusted and left the site. He hasn't been on since his original post

Topgun 3006

IMHO this was a pretty lousy post for a newbie to hunting and this forum, as well as the fact that attacking a fellow member and using foul language and going around the word filter rules of the website are website violations that us "old timers" get accused of sometimes when a guy is only trying to help you!

troutbum

Spot on 06, Shame the OP hasn't responded any more. I hope he has more drive than that, for hunting.

Ridge Runner

This is what I'm talkin about
RR