I'm new to this so I want to ask how some people go hunting. I'm trying out for deer, so I want to ask what do you personally do when hunting? Do you track it down and stalk it? Do you wait in a tree stand or one of those camouflage covers? If you wait in one of those, do you leave out bait as well? Or is there some other way you go out and hunt? I'm just curious to see what methods people use.
falconry2
Favorite Answer
Deer hunting is very dependent on terrain,hunting in Alabama or Illinois is different than hunting in Idaho,Wyoming...
Best resource you'll have is your State Fish & Game Dept,especially if you have access to a local office. They have harvest information,regulations and maps;some states also have mentoring programs for novice hunters. Scouting is what you want to do before season opens,it makes little sense to hunt in areas where there aren't deer and you don't know the area. Whitetail stay in a home range that usually isn't that large and you can "pattern" some behaviors;looking for rubs and scrapes during rut for example can help in that regard.Mule deer are a different animal to hunt and normally need to spot-stalk into range. Fieldcraft is important, you don't want to scent up the actual game trails,so learn to read topographic maps (if the terrain requires it) and see where choke points might be. In some areas you might be working a fence line or other barrier where deer have to cross. A lot depends on if you're hunting public or private land too;that also can impact your use of tree/ground stands. Might investigate the use of cover and/or attractant scents too. It varies from state to state if you can "bait" for deer (not in most western states). There are numerous hunting books out there, they can give you some basic ideas,but nothing beats being in the woods and getting the feel for it.
zipper
I will stock with a slow walk two or three steps stop and look around front and in back. I also hunt from tree stands and blinds, planting deer food plots does help bring them in. And down south they run the deer with dogs and stand and wait for the deer to come their way.
No perfumes or after shaves, no scented soaps, and no noise if possible unless you are using a deer call. They do work, but like every thing else not all the time.
Carl
Read some hunting books. Deer hunting is a real challenge. You need to find and follow the habits of deer. I look for feed lots, after deer eats. They lay up until later in the day. Find that area anywhere they eat and drink how they get there. Hunting is a great way to learn about nature and yourself. Killing a deer is not hard, finding the right deer is the hunting.
?
Where I hunt, the land is flat and the brush is high. Deer are skittish and smell travels a long way. Stalking is not a practical way of hunting.
Generally, once the trails are known (or cut, like fire lanes), one can build a stand and sit in it, waiting for them to come out and walk those trails. I'm usually out every morning from dark out until almost noon, and every night until I can't see any more. Usually only takes a few days before I get my first white-tail of the season.
But I've only been hunting for about a decade. I can't claim to be an expert or anything.
Anonymous
You can't learn to deer hunt here. You have to learn by doing.