7.62NATO

You can't find deer because you don't know what you're doing on the ground. Just lack of experience, that's all. Tracking a deer down to kill takes a ton more skill than ambushing from a stand. If you are walking around like Elmer Fudd the deer are most likely long gone before you even catch sight of them. OR, they are bedded and stay bedded because they know you are not a real threat.

I'm assuming since you're out there with a weapon that you've taken and passed your state's hunter safety course. If not, get out of the woods, please.

Find the heaviest deer sign you can find (droppings, fresh tracks or blazed trails, feeding areas, etc) and setup downwind in some cover but to where you have a decent vantage point of the area. Just because you are on the ground doesn't mean you can't ambush them. I hunted on the ground exclusively for the first several years and killed quite a few that way.

Be patient and don't move much. Sometimes you have to move. Do it extraordinarily slow. If you think you're moving slow enough that a deer won't bust you, do it even more slowly.

When looking for deer, don't look for a deer. Look for movement. A flick of an ear or tail. And remember deer will be doing the same…looking for movement. And they are really, really good at seeing it. When you see a deer, you need to wait for its head to be behind a tree or heavy cover before moving your weapon into position, otherwise you'll get busted.

As for Elmer Fudding your way around, it takes practice. It's a bit of a misnomer but it's called "still hunting." It's called that because you spend more time being still than walking. Never move with the wind; always into it or perpendicular to it. If the sun is at your back, that is an advantage. If it is in your face, that is a severe disadvantage as it highlights you (same with ambushing…if the sun is on you, you need to be extra careful with movements…try to avoid the sun). If the leaves are dry and crunchy (or frozen) it takes extra skill to take a deer this way. But still hunting is the most rewarding way, IMO. And you need to be in shape to do it. You will see that easing through the woods silently takes a lot more effort than simply walking.

7.62NATO

Wait…I just saw your other thread. You are trying to take your first deer via spot and stalk with a bow?? If you get your first kill this way and this season you're a natural and my hat is off to you.

Jrichard6817

First of all i want to thank you for taking the time to explain that to me. I have taken the archery hunters safety course. and they taught us all about the still hunting, hunting from a stand, and blind. i just figured staying on the ground and tracking with the still method would just get me more comfortable with recognizing the tracks, rubs, bedding areas, feeding areas, and all that. i wasnt really expecting to get anything. i never cross trails. i usually make my way with the wind in my face along side the trails. im totally new at this so i figure even if it takes me all year to get aquainted with the signs of deer, its still a win. but now that i know the tricks to what im doing im going to use the methods you have shared. i live near a lot of large boulders. i have gone out a few times and used them as a natural blind. i clear the leaves from the ground where i am going to be moving back and forth behind so i dont make any extra noise. i just didnt know if there were any little tricks like you had shared above. I really appreciate it. i know how annoying it can be to deal with a "newb" so to speak. so i really do appreciate your time and efforts.

7.62NATO

If that is the way you are going to hunt, get some binoculars and a a proper binocular harness (not the strap that just goes around your neck). When you are still hunting, binoculars are like x-ray vision goggles. They allow you to focus past the brush and such that is blocking the view to what's beyond. I have spotted many deer this way that I never would have known were there and probably would have spooked.

One thing to remember is that a lot of times when you are busted by deer, you never even know it. They slip away quietly and undetected. It's likely this has happened to you a lot.

Take your time. Move slow. When you get tired, find a spot like you talked about and just sit for 30 min to an hour and triple check before you get back up. One time I took a breather against a tree in the snow and fell asleep for a few minutes. I was so tired (and sick) that I didn't notice a doe 30 yards away standing in the open. Until I stood up! Man I was pissed.

Jrichard6817

i cant imagine how mad you were. it must suck working so hard, and having a deer right in your line of sight. then its gone. thank you so much. this really helps.

Barefoot Friar

Hey, man, we're all beginners at some point in our lives. Some of us, like me, like to try lots of new things and thus are beginners quite often. Whether you're beginning a new job, a new friendship, a new marriage, a new hobby, or a new phase of life, being a beginner and asking obvious questions is okay. Besides, sometimes people take basic things for granted if no one is around to ask questions. The biggest example I can think of is in religion; we just tend to assume that everyone else knows and believes what we know and believe and forget that there are a lot of folks out there who wouldn't mind learning about it if we weren't so consarned stuck up about it and so set in our ways over the dumbest things. I think anything that humans do is subject to this phenomenon.

Ask away. There are certainly other beginners out there who haven't quite worked up the nerve to sign up and ask those questions, and you're doing yourself and them a favor. It also helps those who wouldn't think to ask those questions, as well as those who are answering them.

furgitter

That is some real sound and helpful advice from a bunch of you! I'm starting to like this forum more and more. Some others would just pick on the guy and that aint right at all. Now that we have snow, we can see the paths and trails that deer normally move on. Deer are going to use those again in early season most likely, so make a note of them as you go about your hunts. Gathering info as you go through the woods is something you should never stop doing. Pretty soon you will have 2-3 favorite hunting woods that you know like the back of your hand. Stay at it !

Jrichard6817

thank you everyone who has taken the time to talk to me and keep me motivated. i really appreciate it. youre all great people with great insight. thank you so much and ill keep you all posted on my finds!

BarnesX.308

If you're hunting small wood lots around town, how far can you track? Tracking may push them off the property and on to people's lawns. For small wood lots in an urban setting, ambush may be the only way to go.

furgitter

I use the two man method in small woods. One shooter on the escape route, and one walking upwind from the deer weaving back and fourth so the deer try to tip toe out slowly instead of blasting out at 100 miles an hour.