I have been hunting pheasant with my father of 11 years and I just started getting into both Turkey and Deer.

I have only been once but I am trying to learn as much as possible in the off season.

I bought around 8 videos to get an idea of what to do.

Although I picked up a ton of great tips like deer drop when they hear a bow shot, how important scent blocking is, how to call, that grunting will stop a deer etc I think I'm a bit confused on reality. Also these vidoes seem like a freakin ad so I don't know if they are BS or not?

I live in Massachusetts and I was checking the success rates of bow hunters in the State and only 12% of bow hunters got a deer.

Now with that math you could hunt 9 YEARS and never get one right?

One of the women here at work's husband got one with a bow this year but he took the ENTIRE MONTH off to hunt?! He has been hunting 10 years and this is his first.

Are there a lot of poor hunters of is it really THAT tough?

Welcome to the board. There is a lot of info and experience to learn from here. Well I have been learning this year also, and I have spent over 100 hrs. in a tree and have yet to get my first. There is a lot of luck involved too. Some people get a deer without much trouble at all, but I think the majority of bowhunters have had long periods without anything.

First step is go to your local library and get some whitetail books and learn about the animal you are hunting. Scouting is the key to success the more you know about the deer in your area the better the chance you have of seeing them.I hope this helps.

Take everything you saw on the videos and read in magazines and file it away in the back of your mind for later. Always remember this: There is really no right or wrong way to deer or turkey hunt. Every situation is differant with a differant outcome depending on what you do or don't do and the mind of the animal you are after. Experance is the best teacher. You need to get the most time you can in the field and build up that experance. If the season is closed go with a camera. I could tell you how I hunt but it wouldn't do you much good untill you could compare it to something that you KNOW. It took me 14 years to get my first deer with a bow but I never gave up and kept learning. There are more storys of the one that got away than the one in the freazer. It won't take you too long to learn that bagging the game is only a very small part of hunting. Deer hunting can be increadibly easy and the next day can be alomst imposible. It sounds like the guy you refered to would be someone that you should hookup with to get the lowdown in your area. Don't assume that he is a poor hunter. He might be very picky on what he takes or have my problem with Buck Fever or just had bad luck. He has 10 years of experance and you should try to draw from that if he is willing.

I got a deer the first time I used a bow for hunting ,but I had been deer hunting for 12 years .As stork said the more time you spend in the woods the better your odds are of getting a deer . Videos are fine if your hunting under the same conditions but most of us don't .Every place you hunt is different and you need to learn how to hunt it.Thats why people spend so much time scouting .LOTS OF LUCK

I just wonder how many hours of taping they had to take or the hours spent in the woods to get thse videos lke that?

Welcome to the board and to deer hunting. As you have read, a lot of the "luck" is directly related to where you hunt. If you are in an area with a large deer population, then your chances are better. I got a deer on my first hunt, but I know that doesn't happen to many people. I was in a good spot. Like Stork and Halcon said, spend as much time as you can in the woods. Off season is a good time to just watch the deer and you'll be suprised at what you can learn from that. Good luck with your hunting.

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Thanks for all the help guys. I have a few new questions.

How often do you see deer when you are hunting? Everytime? 1 out of 10 trips?

Also is it ok to scout areas with your dogs? I am frequently in the woods but my dogs are always with me. I'm guessing this won't hurt me in terms of looking for signs and scrapes?

Geoff, good luck with your new endeavor. Don't be discouraged by the 12% number. That is probably based on total license sales - so it doesn't account for licensed hunters who end up not hunting or hunt very little.

Around my area in Columbia County (NY), most bowhunters who put in a decent amount of time each year have good success (2 deer every three seasons).

In early season, I rarely see bucks so I try to save my vacation and my patience for early to mid November. During the pre-rut and rut I have seen many more bucks in the morning than afternoon.

Try hunting hard, if you like it, great. I used to think I needed to be in the woods for two months straigh or I was missing out, but now I hunt only a fair amount and when I need a break, I take it.


Hunting is a right, treat it like a priviledge - respect nature