New deer hunter advice

[OutHouse]

If you will be still hunting, don't take more than three steps without stopping and assessing the new scenery. Agree with all comments on how to move. Even in thicker timber use your binoculars. Can't say how many times that has helped me locate an animal that I otherwise might have scared off.

Since you'll be hunting whites, be prepared for them to communicate with each other to alert others of your presence. And if you kick out a buck that runs away, STOP right where you are and find a place in the near vicinity to set up and wait. White tails, unless completely spooked out of their wits, will become curious as to what it was that spooked them. This often times leads them to circle back toward your location to check you out. One time a few years ago, I scared the same buck three times and each time he returned to check me out. He even got so close the last time to offer a shot opportunity (archery) but I blew it a fourth time!

Lastly, you will make a lot of mistakes and that's fine. I  have drawn my bow many, many times on animals only to scare them off during the draw or from movement or sound.

[OltHunter]

If at all possible, try to find an experienced hunter to take you hunting or scouting that has similar or better ethics than you do.

If you have Netflix, binge Meateater and check their videos out on YouTube.  There are lots of good videos on hunting, tactics, butchering, field dressing, and cooking that most other shows on TV do not focus on.

Rinella's book, The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game, is another great resource if you are looking for a good read as a beginner.

Get a good pair of boots and rain gear if you can afford it.

[Skyvalhunter]

If you live near Kirkland OltHunter will be glad to teach you the ropes

[Smoke]

best advice is get into their home without them knowing you are there....  slow... minimum movement.. slower... scent control... wind direction.. slower... wind.. slower...  then after all that... remember the deer don't read the same books we do... just cause the book says the deer will do something, or be someplace... expect the opposite...

[Jimmy33]

Learn how to shoot your weapon of choice well...


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[ZagHunter]

Thanks guys. Really appreciate it.

[pianoman9701]

Learn how to shoot your weapon of choice well...


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  This!

[dmoua]

Buy an IEP pass and sit on the many clear cuts. Plenty of deer in 124.

[Rainier10]

Starting off in a target rich environment is key.  The learning curve is steep so you want to give yourself the most opportunities that you can.  After you become a little more skilled you can then worry about being in an area with more "trophy" potential.  And even in a target rich environment you never know when that buck of a lifetime might slip up and walk out in front of you.

[Bob33]

Hunt where the deer are. If you don't, nothing else matters.

That's not meant to be snide; I know hunters who hunt the same spots year after year and never kill anything because the area doesn't hold much game.

You've got time to scout and secure good places to hunt.

Good luck.

[Cab]

Hunt where the deer are. If you don't, nothing else matters.

That's not meant to be snide; I know hunters who hunt the same spots year after year and never kill anything because the area doesn't hold much game.

You've got time to scout and secure good places to hunt.

Good luck.

100% it seems simple but I have buddies that will hunt the same spot over and over because "one time" they had luck or saw a good buck. dont be lazy, burn that boot leather!

[Magnum_Willys]

Hunt on Halloween Day dawn to dusk.   You will see a buck.

[pianoman9701]

I'm scouting a whole new area this year because the old area is burned out - no forage. Call your local WDFW regional office and ask to speak with either a bio or an LE for suggestions on where to hunt.

[Skyvalhunter]

Pianoman where you hunting at as this new hunter can just hunt there or go with you.

[Huntingtony]

I didnt really start getting deer until I was about 18, I started when I was 14, but never had anyone to teach me either, I was always hunting alone. I think after 3 years I realized I was just walking through the woods lol. After that, I decided that it was just as important for me to take something away and be a better hunter, as it was for me to find a deer. That being said, now I get one every year, and I think there's a few key things that help me there. Look at your terrain, if its desert, thats easy, focus on food, water, and some cover. Cover being trees, cliffs ect. Deer will always want to put their back to a spot where things can't approach, or won't see them from behind. Find those things, and there will be deer! If there is food and water everywhere, say a forest with openings and creeks, its a bit trickier and you will have to start by finding trails, and an approach might be to catch them when they are going to or from bed or water. I like to hunt the clearings of these types of areas, not the clearing itself per say, but look about 20 feet into the woods on any clearcut, burn, or meadow and you will likely find a trail of some sort! If you cant find a good stake out there, you may hunt the meadow or cut, because for whatever reason, a deer doesn't want to prance right across the opening, but they WILL cut the corners! Imagine a triangle, but they aren't wanting to walk all the way to the tip. Glassing is huge! More than half my deer ive found by finding an area where I can see as much land as possible, and studying it for an hour or more, they are very hard to pick out sometimes, and they seem to pop out of nowhere! One thing I've picked up in the last few years is a gut feeling. The patience thing was easy for me to get hung up on. "Just wait, be patient, your buck is going to pop out any moment tony" . Ive wasted so much time on that! But all the time I would have the gut feeling (brewed by lack of sign, sign I knew wasn't fresh but gave me hope) that I wasn't where I needed to be. Now, I'm not saying dont give those areas a chance, but if you get that feeling, you're probably right! Back to your feet and onto my last point, dont be lazy, we in Washington have to use our boots and earn our deer! I hope this helps ya, I'm still learning