Where to Begin...
 

Good afternoon everyone...I'm completely new to hunting deer. Never had a parent to teach me. Don't really know anyone who is serious about hunting but I want to learn so that me and my kids can spend time together when they get older. Plus being out in the woods is just plain fun anyways.

I've narrowed an area down where I've seen quite a few deer in the past. It's near water, food, and there's acres of extremely thick brush and growth that deer could use for bedding or cover. There's a good size swamp in the area that is adjacent to a large open field. From the little I know this seems like a decent area as any for hunting. I've seen a couple of trucks parked on the side of the road nearby so I guess some other folks have the same idea I do.

Now that I've got an area singled out what do I actually do? Do I HAVE to use a tree stand or can I hunt on the ground? If I hunt on the ground do I have to remain still or can I walk around? Do I just keep walking until I see or hear something? Where should I be walking to find deer? How can I keep my scent down - dowse myself in doe or fox urine? Should I try to avoid bedding areas?

Quite a lot here I know but just looking for any sugesstions. Ideally I'd like to move around as I don't know how I'd get a ladder into the woods for a tree stand but either way. Don't really know what I'm doing so obviously any thoughts or recommendations would be sincerely appreciated.

its called still hunting, take 2 steps as quietly and as slowly as you can, wait for 6 steps always looking and listening, keep the wind in your face, stay after it and it will come.
still hunt funnels around bedding areas, you will not get the drop on a deer if its in its bedding area, bucks you possibly could but does will bust you every time.
a funnel is the closest easiest route a deer could take either from a food source to a bedding area, or in the case of rut stupid bucks cruising for does from bedding area to bedding area.
also remember deer are creatures of the edge, the edge of the thickets, or just inside the woods at the edge of the field you mentioned will contain travel corridors, look for trails, scrapes under low hanging limbs, signs of deer pawing up the leaves feeding, still hunt these areas and you will see deer.
RR

From reading your post I am going to hope you are not insulted in my reply. You do not know enough to go hunting on your own. Join a sportsmans club and get to know hunters who can mentor you. Asking for suggestions on a message board on how to hunt when you do not have a clue of what to do and then going hunting can only lead to disaster and or failure. There is far too much to learn to try to do it on your own. The fact that you take other vehicles at a spot a good sign that it is a good place to be shows how much you need to learn. You have no idea if those people know what is a good spot any more than you do. Fumbling around in the dark with no plan and no skill and no knowledge will just lead to frustation and failure and eventual quitting. Do yourself a favor, get face to face help from a knowledgable person so when the time comes, you will be competent enough to teach your kids.

oldtimer, I must disagree with you, I learned on my own, dad was serving in the navy, my uncle and mentor died from cancer when I was 10, everything I know I learned on my own, give the man credit, help him with the basics and he can figure it out, we both know it ain't hard.
as long as your telling him he can't, he won't may take a couple years but if he spends time in the woods it will come.
RR

Well, we are going to disagree on this. How do you give instructions to someone who doesn't know the terms you are using. You try to describe still hunting to someone who doesn't even know how to stand hunt, You and I know what a funnel is, but telling someone who has no clue to look for funnels is not going to be helpfull. Fumbling around and failing is a good way to become discouraged and give up. The best thing for him to do is find someone to teach him and a good place for that is to join a club that has people with experience to pass on their knowledge. A message board is the worst place I can think of for someone with no foundation or experience to get information.. He will get information from people with knowledge and those who are almost as clueless as the novice. I have helped a lot of people get into hunting, children and adults, however I was with them to teach them. I still do btw. Just the laws alone for someone on their own can be overwhelming. With no foundation and no basic knowledge, learning by suggestions is a poor way to learn, if at all. You are doing a disservice in my opinion to encourage using this venue to learn to hunt. To learn new things after you have a foundation yes, to get an explaination of why we do some things, yes, to start from scratch and learn on the internet, I don't believe it is a good idea. Not going to argue, this is what I believe and I believe I am doing more for the OIP by telling him to get help than to give him words and terms that he will not understand. There is nothing better than face to face help.

just keep offering your OH SO HELPFULL advice then
, as I said I learned everything I know on my own, I'm no rocket scientist, I give everyone the benefit of doubt, maybe I'll figure it out one day.
RR
BTW your post at 1:44 today in the "What am I doing wrong" thread describes to another new hunter what a funnel is, yet I'm doing someone a disservice by doing it, yeah right!

Disaster? Like, is it really that serious?

This is the sport where men that are 50, 60, 70 lbs overweight can go into the woods with a 30-rack of Coors and an ounce of marijuana and still be successful, right?

Never criticized you, What I said is hands on help is better than long range help to someone with zero knowledge. So take the knot out of your knickers, it wasn't about you, it was me giving what I think is the best advice to a beginer with no experience at all. You disagree, so what, it isn't aout either one of us.

Starks, if that is what you really think, I take back what I said, I thought you were serious. Forget about hunting, it isn't for you or anyone else with that mindset.

my knickers as you say are fine, after reading a lot of your posts I have yet to read you giving constructive advise, or positive input to any thread, yet your the first to hop on the high pony and state that an internet forum is not the place to learn......HMMMMM!
I know this, I have read many many reports of hunters who have never taken a deer who shoot large mature (many are booners) bucks from the so called beginners luck.
yep, that's what it is, but think about it, new guys sometimes hunt where they shouldn't cause there is no reason for deer to be there, the fact that no one hunts there is why the deer seek refuge in those spots, so anyone and everyone who takes they're rifle to the woods has a chance at harvesting a deer, regardless of they're experience level.
RR

Jesus, get over yourself. This isn't like Harvard or the Green Berets or something. Millions of people of shoot deer every year. Children shoot deer. Cripples shoot deer. Drunks shoot deer. It's not the selective club you think it is so stop trying to play up your meager life accomplishments.

I'm just looking for advice on something I'm interested in. Jesus, why do there have to be fools like you trying to play gate-keeper at every new path in life. Just be glad someone consulted you for advice or shut the **** up. You have a lot of growing up to do young man.

First thing I would recommend is a hunters safety course. I don't know if its req'd where you live or not, either way I would take one. You should get alot out of it.

You can certainly learn on your own... I did also. BUT, if you can find someone with experience willing to take you, it will likely shorten the learning curve for you.

"This is the sport where men that are 50, 60, 70 lbs overweight can go into the woods with a 30-rack of Coors and an ounce of marijuana and still be successful, right? "

Is this really your attitude towards hunters? Safety is the most important thing. Lawbreakers and drunks are not welcome and will end up talking with a LEO.

To answer your first question:
!) Take a hunter safety course
2) Make sure you have permission to hunt on the property
3) Find a place where deer move through and sit quietly downwind
4) Forget about gadgets and pay attention to noises and the wind
5) Respect the traditions of hunting, other hunters, and the game

I would recommend hunting from a stand to start. Walk the area, find the mystical "funnels," which usually means finding totally obvious deer paths that converge, best near water or in low lying areas. Find a place where you're not sticking out like a boner and put your stand up where you have a good view of this area and are within whatever is a comfortable shooting distance for you. Get out there half an hour or better before day break and sit and watch. I smoke and fart and wear clothes fresh out of the laundry, and yes, occasionally I'll screw off on my phone for a few minutes every hour or two to give my mind something else to do. But you probably shouldn't do those things unless you've got a lot of deer around and are willing to accept you may be missing out on one here or there.

It would be great to have the advice and experience of someone who's done it before and knows what they're doing, but I don't think it's necessary. It's not rocket science and it's not some secret lore handed down through the generations. A lot of it is common sense, patience, and attention to detail. I'm assuming you've taken a hunter safety course. Don't do anything stupid or dangerous and you'll be fine. The worst that happens is you enjoy a quiet day in the woods watching critters and you'll get a better idea where the deer move to make adjustments the next season.

You should get some help from someone with experience when gutting and/or skinning your deer, should you happen to kill one though. Seen a lot of terrible examples of people who didn't know what they were doing or didn't care or thought it would be great to shoot a deer but are afraid to put their hands in their kill. It's fairly simple to learn by watching and lending a hand once or twice.

Hunter safety course
 

John, Did you take a hunter safety course to get your Lic. Reason I ask is that they usually teach you the basics. I was a teacher of H.S. back in the 70's in Delaware. Do you hunt with a rifle, shotgun, bow. Read book's on hunting, learn the terminology of the language. Go to bow shop's gun stores, and ask questions. I became a better hunter after I left the crowd. You can learn to hunt from reading , doing it. Learn from your mistakes, we all do them. But I hope you were kidding about the beer and the dope, they have no place in Hunting. I learned a lot , When I would go away to other places, stay on a deer till i killed it, sleep outside at night on the trail, pick up the chase the next morning till i got my deer or Elk. Just ask for help if you want. Good hunting.

Hi John,
First off I'd take Ridge Runners advice, he's a knowledgeable guy. If you stick around here for a while you'll figure that out quickly.
Definitely take your hunters safety course (probably required).If you got a some common sense you'll be able to hunt.
Lastly DO NOT dowse yourself in doe pee ,some buck might find you hard to resist and well I think you know the rest!

hi and welcome to hunting net i hope you will stick around.but back to your questions.putting doe pee or fox urine on yourself might not be a great idea imo i would by some scent wicks you can buy them at walmart for 3 bucks and dunk them in the doe pee bottle and hang them on a branch where the deer will smell them.and as for the hunters ed course i went and picked up most everything i needed im not sure what state you hunt in or how old you are so i dont know if you actually need to go to hunt deer. and if you like to move around still hunt take 10 steps and then wait 30 seconds however i find the best results come from sitting down wind of where you think the deer will come and wait for them. hope this helps

Apart from the arguing theres a lot of good info on this site. Search is your friend, heres some threads to read.

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/sear...earchid=177770


Big thing is to be legal where you hunt, ie hunters ed, hunting license, tags, correct weapon etc. Pick up your states hunting regs book at walmart or hunting store. read up on basic rules and seasons for the animal (deer) you are hunting. Some dates you can only use rifles, some are bow only, some are muzzle loader only, some are shotgun only etc just have to do some research for your state and county.

When hunting be sure to know your target and whats beyond. It sounds like you are hunting public land so be careful of other hunters. Wear as much hunter orange as your state requires. This is more for your safety. You dont want to get shot. Same goes for the other hunter, you dont want to shoot another hunter. Get your rifle sighted in prior to your hunt.

A DIY hunt is possible but learn from your mistakes, I learned bow hunting this way. Also I had equipment problems the first year I hunted exclusively by myself. ( i didnt take my gun to the range and properly test it) SO consequently my gun didnt shoot like it was supposed to because of some crappy propellant/powder and I missed a chance at a couple deer. Then next year I did much better and got a muzzle loader kill and bow kills.

hey john I am a self taught hunter as well and i will be honest it is not easy but some of the things I have learned I will gladly share one as far as scent control I leave my cloths on the cloths line and NEVER wear in your truck or car when traveling I keep them in a bag of leaves including boots, when I scout I wear my boots only in the woods and every pile of deer dropping i find i mush my boots in them so my scent is covered , the next best thing I have learned is if you get snow in your area please scout a day or 2 after the snow if you get a morning snow scout the last couple hours of the day and those are typically day time trails. and do this every year the deer do change trails I have found, the next thing is go on ebay and buy some instructional videos on how to hunt !! I am the only hunter in my family so I as well had no one to teach me only a determined mind set to accomplish my goal, hit the fishing and hunting expos and sit in the seminars you will learn alot trust me, and forums are also a great help there are a lot of really good people here that will answer alot of your questions.
as far as where i sit I have found that ground blinds are good but please put a black light to it and make sure it doesnt glow reason I say this is a friend gave me a blind and I got busted 4x in a row from a far I put a black light to it and well it glowed I put the same light to a blind my mother in law bought me and did not glow and have never been busted in it!
if your gonna sit a tree look for one that has a pine tree in front of it to hide your silouete or trees in front to help hide you if thats not possible there are branch holders you can buy that clip to your tree stand to help hide you or fake branches you ca buy from cabellas or bass pro that attach to your stand,
my best sightings came from finding areas with fresh droppings and sitting there so you need to scout a lot
I hope this helps you out
p.s dont waste your money on scents and calls untill your are more skilled and versed especially if your hunting state land, you need to figure if theres 75 people there and 20 are using the same scent the deer know this and avoid those ares I have yet to find a scent that works on state land populated areas
good luck and dont give up itll happen took me 3 years before I shot my first one w a bow

I think Oldtimr is trying to tell him it would be better to take the effort of trying to find someone who already knows the ropes. Yes anyone can try to learn how to hunt on their own and eventually will but, with a lot of mistakes to go along with it. the problem with no one there to help him he will keep making the same mistakes over and over and get frustrated because he can't change the situation. My dad taught me how to gun hunt for deer but never archery hunted. I had to learn archery on my own and yes I have become a good archery hunter to this day but, I still wish someone would have been there to guide me when I started. so before you find a place to hunt look for a mentor to teach you the ropes as Oldtimr is suggesting.

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

When you don't know
 

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.

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

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!

I agree
 

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

This is what I'm talkin about
RR

I concur that some of your advice is quite valid, though not all.
I agree 100% that drugs and alcohol don't mix w/ hunting. And the previous statements about a hunter safety course. It's always best to learn the ropes from experienced individuals. The OP may not have the same opportunity others of us have had. If he does, he can act accordingly on that. It's not an absolute necessity,though. The OP has otherwise shown ambition/effort and has made some good observations and claims to have seen deer.
He has the potential of receiving good advice from experienced members here, even though those members aren't physically by his side. He's asking questions- and is perhaps teachable-so let's not rob him of the chance based on some initial careless remarks that we don't know he adheres to anyway.

This post makes me wonder if you are really serious, but perhaps you were just a bit annoyed at some of the responses you got.

Your first step will be to check with your state's department of natural resources to check the regulations as to where you can hunt, weapons, seasons, etc. You will probably find you will have to take a hunter safety course in order to get a license. You'll find there are lots of regulations.

Then head to a library, bookstore, or online to get the background information on hunting that you will need, which you can get from books and magazines. My Husband swears by "Big bucks the Benoit Way," for example.

Then decide how you're going to hunt, tree stand, ground blind, still hunting, etc. (Still hunting means actually moving carefully through the woods looking for deer. It's more than moving carefully, but you'll have a better idea after you do some research.)

Don't expect to go out in the woods and get a deer your first trip, or even your first season. My husband is pretty good, but we spend a lot of time hunting for what we get. That's why it's called "hunting." But that's the fun part.

We spend a LOT of time in the off season just scouting. We take our daughters along. Actually, our older daughter, she's seven and goes with us hunting as well.

Good luck.