General deer hunting advice

[ZagHunter]

Any tips from people who learned to hunt deer on their own - or without a mentor or from their dad?  For those who learned how to hunt on their own, are there specific things you found helpful (particularly for hunting whitetails)?  As a newer hunter whose dad doesn’t hunt deer, I’m finding it challenging to connect what I read and hear about to the “real world.”  I’ve hunted for whitetails the past two general seasons, including this last season, but don’t think I’m being as efficient as I could be with my time and money.  Does anyone who more or less taught themselves how to hunt have any advice?

I currently live in the Tacoma area and would be more than happy to buy someone a beer or lunch if they’d be wiling to let me pick their brain.

Not trying to avoid or skip the work that it takes to become a successful hunter…just trying to put myself in a better position to learn.

Thanks.

[Sandberm]

I taught myself to hunt deer with a recurve bow at the age of 40. Id never rifle hunted or done any big game hunting at all. I was just shooting the bow for fun a half dozen years when I noticed a public area that I frequented to hike and fish had deer in it. I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be cool to get one of em with my bow". Really test myself you know? Took me seven years ...(I should have gotten about 4 deer in that time span but its a heck of a lot more difficult to hit a deer while crouched behind a rock vs standing upright at a known distance from a large target)... but I finally did it last fall and got my first deer with my trusty recurve.

What got me my deer was knowing the land I was hunting backwards and forwards. I know every square inch of it and where the deer come and go. So my advice is to hunt land you know. Get out every weekend and walk it till you do. Realistically that means hunting within a couple hours of where you live, not driving 6 hrs across the state.

[JeffRaines]

I am an adult onset hunter - I grew up in Alabama and none of my family hunted.

"but don’t think I’m being as efficient as I could be with my time and money." That is the one thing that sucks about not having a mentor of some sort, and something that often goes through my head when I'm hunting. I was fortunate enough to make a few friends through this site and it has been a huge help.

Biggest thing you can do is put yourself in the field as often as possible. Thats how I learned(and am still learning) to hunt deer. Encounters lead to experience, so try to have as many as possible. When you get home, analyze each one. See what you could've done differently. Figure out why you failed.

Like someone else also mentioned, I'd spend time closer to home vs. driving across the state to start with. You'll learn faster if you can do it every weekend or weekdays after work.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. I'm not nearly as experienced as some on this site(who will likely chime in), but I'm more than happy to share what I know... and I'll be honest if its something I don't haha.

[Billy74]

If you can swing it get a trail cam.  Use it all year and get a feel for what’s going on where you want to hunt year round.  And if you can get proof of a buck it will greatly reduce the “am I even doing anything remotely right?” Question that nagged me.  It’s like walking through the woods without a map.  You never know if you’re going the right way until you get there and who knows how many extra miles you’ve walk. 
Marking sign on a gps and keeping a log of that then keep doing that every time you go out.  After a few trips in the area look to see if there are any patterns as to how the deer are using the area.
I’m year 2 of hunting am hunting the same general spot.  This will be my first year hunting the late season so I’m excited to see how that’s different. 
And just keeping at it.  Have fun and get out as much as possible even when not hunting.



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[HereDuckyDucky]

Self-taught hunter here (with help from friends along the way). I cannot reiterate enough the value of simply spending time in the woods. You will learn so much about an area and animal habitat just by being out there. In terms of actually hunting, one thing that has brought me success is being willing to stay out longer (and typically hike higher) than the rest of the crowd. Most bucks I shoot are after 9:00am (many after 11:00am). You will be amazed the game movement you see once 99% of hunters go home.

RW

PS I'm in Tukwila and would be happy to bs over a drink.

[Boss .300 winmag]

“I’ve hunted for whitetails the past two general seasons, including this last season, but don’t think I’m being as efficient as I could be with my time and money.”

It’s a sport/hobby, if you look at it from a money point, forget it.

More often than not it’s cheaper to buy meat than hunt it.😉

[ZagHunter]

Thanks guys. All very helpful. I appreciate the advice/offers.

[mburrows]

I'd say learn how to use a bow or muzzleloader and hunt turkey's in the spring.  Multiple weapons helps you get more time in the field and hunting turkey's is a good way to sharpen your skills.

[DOUBLELUNG]

I wanted to hunt from an early age but grew up in a non/anti hunting family.  Took hunter safety at 19 and began the same journey you are on hunting whitetails in NH 32 years ago.  The things I wish I'd have known at the outset:

1.  Buy the best binoculars you can afford.  A low end rifle and scope won't limit you nearly as much as low end binoculars.
2.  Assuming you aren't stand hunting, slow down.  When you are hunting whitetails, 100 yards per hour is not too slow.  Learn to grid everything out with your binocs.  Spend lots of time glassing and looking from one position, use the binocs to penetrate the woods.  Your objective is to see deer before they see you.
3.  Scent control is king.  Not sprays and the like, but keeping the breeze in your face is paramount.  You might get a pass from the deer on sound or movement, but it's game over when they smell you.  Scent rises in the morning and falls in the evening as a general rule (as temperatures increase and decrease), so you want to be moving downhill in the morning and uphill in the afternoon.
4.  Scout preseason.  Locate feeding areas and bedding areas.  Stay out of bedding areas when hunting.

[WSU]

Where and how are you hunting?

[fishnfur]

When you're not hunting, read about hunting.  There a great books available and this site has a ton of information on it.  Spend some time searching for things like "tactics", "help", etc.  You can read for days.  Take notes or copy and paste the important things you find along the way.  Periodically re-read your notes and try to put that information into practice or make sense out of it while you're in the field.  Many times, you'll find you were interpreting written words incorrectly.  A sudden "ah ha" moment in the field is a wonderful thing.

My best advice:  Watch your wind.  Only backyard bucks put up with human stench.  Others:

1.  Hunt where game is plentiful.  The odds go up.
2.  Hunt fresh sign.  Scouting is very important.  Pay attention to and look for fresh sign while you hunt.  Fresh rubs are like a flashing light in the woods saying hunt here!
3.  For beginners, I think the most common mistake (beyond getting winded) is moving too fast.  Deer are programmed to see movement.  Noise and movement together will make them move or hide.  Otherwise, you're basically hoping for a lucky buck to come into you that didn't hear or see you moving.  Sit more than stand.  Stand more than move.  As Jakeland  aptly said it last year, move "slug slow".  Look at everything twice before moving again.
4.  Learn to see deer.  They spend something like 70% of the day bedded.  Look low.  Glass through the brush to see what is on the other side.  Watch hunting shows.  It is a great opportunity to see many deer in many environments.  Burn those images into your mind so that your brain recognizes it when you see it in the field.  Deer are good at hiding.  You have to develop your brain to be able to imagine a whole deer out of the bits and pieces that are visible to you in the woods.  If you don't make the connection, you walk right by.
5.  Listen.  Deer make noise when they move.  Don't ignore sounds you hear.  Instead, question what made the noise and investigate.
6.  Be a predator.  Act like a house cat pursuing a little bird.  Stay hidden, move slow, be quiet. Use camo.


Keep hammering away at it.  It is hard sometimes, easy others.  You'll get better with experience.  Have fun and enjoy the time in the woods.

[Cervus]

The single biggest thing that helps me spot deer: glassing off a platform of some kind. Whether its a tripod or even just a single trekking pole or shooting stick, getting my binoculars onto a more stable platform (instead of just holding them) has drastically increased my ability to find deer in all kinds of cover. That added stability means I can see animals/count points in low light, and spot pieces of "hidden" animals (flicking ears, bits of antler, etc.) that I would have otherwise missed. Total game changer.

The single biggest thing that's helped me stalk deer: a bottle of wind-indicator powder. Best $5 you'll ever spend.

Keep at it and good luck!

[slowhand]

Good stuff all around. Tag

[ZagHunter]

Where and how are you hunting?

Thanks everyone. Can’t tell you how helpful this is.

WSU, I’ve been hunting 124...mostly out of a blind. I have family that lives in Spokane and am hoping to move there in a year or two. The situation isn’t ideal now, but I think it makes sense since I see myself being in the area long-term.