Deer hunting, help me step by step?

lord1234

lord1234

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OK,
I'd like to hunt deer. So I took the hunting class. I got my hunting cert in the mail from the DFW. I have a shotgun. Whats the next step?

Go out and buy a bunch of orange colored clothing? Buy a tree stand? Start pacing trails looking around? Put my name in for the permit to hunt deer? Find a mentor who will help me answer all these questions(this is more a request not a question).

Any help much appreciated!
 
I would suggest that you find a friend or two who are already hunters, and hunt with them. Hunting deer is something that takes skill. Perhaps start reading magazines and books about deer hunting to get you ready for the fall. I would recommend reading books by the Benoit Brothers. They have a web page here: http://benoitsbigbucks.com/index.html
 
cricco said:
I would suggest that you find a friend or two who are already hunters, and hunt with them. Hunting deer is something that takes skill. Perhaps start reading magazines and books about deer hunting to get you ready for the fall. I would recommend reading books by the Benoit Brothers. They have a web page here: http://benoitsbigbucks.com/index.html
Click to expand...

Sadly, I have no friends who hunt(other then ones I might make through this forum).
 
Hi Lord1234. I noticed you are a member of the Ipswich Fish & Game. Surely someone there can help you out.

I took my Hunter Ed class last September in Billerica. One night the EPOs stopped by for the class. They mentioned that the farms up by Ipswich, Topsfield, etc. would love to have some hunters come in. There seems to be an overpopulation of deer up that way.
 
Antlerless permit

Make sure to fill out your antlerless (doe) permit and send it in by 7/16/09. It can be found below your actual license. Pick (1) zone and send it in. If you are drawn send them back a card (that they will send you) and $5. You have (2) antlered (buck) tags already on your license. Also, make sure to read the abstracts! Any more questions regarding rules & regs let me know.
 
Look into black powder rifles as well as shotguns for deer. I'm going to be hunting for the first time this upcoming season also.

I've got a Mossberg 500 for shotgun and putting together a Traditions Hawken BP rifle in 50 cal for blackpowder season.
 
Failing all of the trainin that you might get.... it wouldn't be the worst thing for you to just be in the woods opening day, and spend some time "still hunting". Still hunting isn't just standing still for hours and hours. It's actually a very slow and methodical walking technique, where you stop and look around a lot. It allows you to cover some area, looking for the deer, and the signs that they have been there.

It's taken me 40+ years of "practice" to become good at reading the woods, and finding the deer. It's hard to pass that along in an hour.

Just get in the woods with any gun that's legal for you to use. A bad day in the woods is better than a good day at the office!
 
as a new hunter, hunting from the ground takes some skill... you'll learn better if you hunt from the ground, but that means learning the hard way first.. you have to watch you movement more, noise, where you sitting or standing, etc etc etc..

from a tree stand you will be able to sit down, shut up, and not move around to much easier.. in return you will f up less, but you might not learn to be nearly as soft and aware as you would be if you dedicated yourself to plugging one from the ground Maine style..

still hunting, for you it would be more like a deer drive probably, you'll walk around thinking your up to something and let everyone else pull the trigger. use scouting and going to and from stands as a still hunt and take your time learning to walk soft, you have to not only see the deer first, you have to watch where your stepping and know where your going.

deer don't roam the woods they use there own trails and like us don't want to get lost so there going to want to travel run etc to places it knows..

running down hill is easier than running up hill, so when spooked or driven out of an area they most of the time run down. if you see where a bunch of hunters hung there stands due to deer sign, just hunt anywhere below in shooting range of some deer trails.. only exception to this rule is a dominate buck, he will travel with the wind in his nose to smell everything in front of him.

you can use Google earth to help a bit with scouting before you walk and scout and area, topo maps are ok.. i use Google earth more than them though. a gps is nice for scouting plug in what you find and then go home think and sleep, you might want to right down descriptions of possible way points to jog you memory on what spot is what and and sign you find, after a while you'll forget what way points what,, like tree1 tree2 tree3, scrap 1 threw 19 trails 1 threw etc etc etc..
 
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Lots of time in the woods. Preseason scouting is key. Find active trails leading from beddign areas to feeding areas. This can be tricky as the food sources switch through out the fall. Acorns are great, if no acorns apples are good too. Grassy or clover fields can be good if other foods are not present. Farm crops too. Depends where you hunt as to what is available for them to eat.

The main idea is to find a place between where they are eating and where they are sleeping and set up a treestand to ambush them as they either go to the food or return back from it. If you are just starting out get a climber as you will be the most flexible for different wind directions. You want the wind to be blowing from where you expect the deer to be to you. Not the other way around or they will smell you and be gone.

Food is always the key. Remember nothing is better then freshly dropping white acorns. NOTHING!

You also want to increase your potential as much as possible. If you can find places the deer have to go (stream crossings, openins in fences, stone walls, etc you up your chances. Intersections of trails are great. If you can find an area where numerous trails come together you may have a slam dunk spot.

Late winter just after the snow melts is the best time to scout. All the leaves are still off the trees and you can see all the deer sign very easily.
 
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Familiarize yourself with the gear needed by subscribing to magazines and catalogs. Use the internet to look up:
Sportsmansguide.com
Cabellas
Bowhunter Magazine
etc...
Research the MA State Parks you can hunt in such as Harold Parker or Georgetown/Rowley State Forests.

Use Utube for "How to dress a deer" etc...
 
You may want to start with reading articles from bowhunting magazines. After you've read deer hunting articles from 12-15 issues, you'll begin to get an idea on how to hunt this smart animal.
 
Step 2

Decide what and how you are going to hunt and go to your Town Hall Clerk and get a license. Bring your Hunter Safety cert. Choose your weapon! Read the MassWildlife Abstract to see what you are interested in. In general: 1)Bow - Deer from Mid-October to Dec 31, will need to also purchase archery stamp 2) Shotgun - For deer in first 2 weeks of December, but can be used for turkey,coyote, crows, chipmunks, etc...Waterfowl I know little about, but will need a waterfowl stamp 3) Blackpowder Rifle - all of December if you get a modern "in-line" vs. a break-open, will need to also purchase a Primitive Firearms stamp. You can do all this for between $27.50 and $60. One you have your license, apply for an antlerless (doe/small buck) deer permit. This may save you from having to pass on the first deer you see.
 
DukeInMaine said:
Failing all of the trainin that you might get.... it wouldn't be the worst thing for you to just be in the woods opening day, and spend some time "still hunting". Still hunting isn't just standing still for hours and hours. It's actually a very slow and methodical walking technique, where you stop and look around a lot. It allows you to cover some area, looking for the deer, and the signs that they have been there.

It's taken me 40+ years of "practice" to become good at reading the woods, and finding the deer. It's hard to pass that along in an hour.

Just get in the woods with any gun that's legal for you to use. A bad day in the woods is better than a good day at the office!
Click to expand...

Yep, My last hunting partner took a few years to catch on, then he moved. The first 3 years were all about tracking and stalking. Now I have to drag them myself.
 
DdukeinMaine and DeerKiller are right-on with still hunting. I've been deer hunting for 40 years and that's all I do is still hunt(no tree stands), simply because it puts venison in the freezer.
 
Well, I just got into hunting, with no experience. No one in my family hunted, and I didnt have friends who hunted. I bought a muzzleloader, and went out last December and tried my hand at the whole thing.

And, I got a smaller deer on my first day, about 4 hours of sitting in a spot I thought might work. Got lucky. Spent 2 more weeks hunting on and off, never saw anything again. But I got mine.

You really don't need that many skills INITIALLY. Just get the correct equipment, and get out there. And then work on your craft over time, it will come. But I say, just get out there as soon as you can.
 
Scout early to determine likely spots where deer will be active. Be at your hunting spot EARLY. Walk in directly and quietly. Find a spot at the base of a big tree where you can sit comfortably facing the area where the deer are most likely to show up. Sit back, relax and try not do move for a few hours. Let the deer come to you.
Still hunting is a great technique that will get deer. You need a lot of skill. Most folks will only hear hoofs or see tails. Not a good way to go for a first timer.
 
I planned to still hunt, since I'm not really a fan of heights. I'll be mailing my antlerless deer permit out shortly. Hopefully once I figure out what zone I want to hunt in...

What I think I really need is someone to show me what to look for as far as "tracking". I really don't know my ass from my elbow when it comes to looking for tracks etc.
 
lord1234 said:
I planned to still hunt, since I'm not really a fan of heights. I'll be mailing my antlerless deer permit out shortly. Hopefully once I figure out what zone I want to hunt in...

What I think I really need is someone to show me what to look for as far as "tracking". I really don't know my ass from my elbow when it comes to looking for tracks etc.
Click to expand...

You dont really look for tracks as much as you do trails. Like these.

deertrails.jpg


Deer move along the same paths day in and day out in many areas. Once you have located those trails you can identify if there are tracks on them by making a bare spot of dirt on the trail and coming back later to see if there are hoofmarks in the track. They are shaped like this.

deer4.jpg



Trail cameras also are excellent for finding out if trails are active or not.
 
cool. Trail camera incoming I guess.

Also: what tools should I pick up? A knife, I have. What about this thing I heard about called a "Butt out"? Is it worth the 5$?

Also: if I do take a deer, what are the rules? Do I wait to dress the deer until it is seen by the EP? Do I dress the deer, throw it in my vehicle, drive to inspection station and show it to them? I'm confused!
 
The work begins after the kill

You kill, you tag I keep a big safety pin and pen with my license and pin the tag to the ear, you gut, and you drag. You gut immediatly so that the meat cools and doesn't get contaminated by any waste from the bowels. Also it lightens the load you have to drag by maybe 20-30 pounds. Haven't used the "Butt Out" tool, and to me that is the hardest part. But I also don't want to be carting around the dirty tool afterwards. I've only done 2 deer so I'll keep trying 'til I get better. Heights can be 6-30 feet, but most advocate 10-14 feet. Dick Sporting Goods has a 12(?) foot ladder stand on sale for $60 (small platform, but where you are using a shotgun you can stay seated). A strap-on for $39, but you would have to climb into it, and State Parks don't allow nails, screws, or cutting branches. Climbers are more expensive and tricky, save that for next year.
 
Sav has it mostly right.

Kill it

Tag (you must tag before you touch it with a knife by law)

Gut it

Drag

Bring to deer check station

Butcher


As for treestand height, I and most people I hunt with rarely hunt under 18-20 feet high unless I have excellent back cover. Being any lower they seem to see you much easier.

Scent control is paramount!

As for the butt out tool, you dont need it. The thing that works best is an 8" fillet knife.

For gutting any folding or non folding drop point type blade will work well. I have this buck knife that I like a lot.

http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productID=2907

The straight knife edge works great for trimming and skinning and keeps a wicked sharp edge while the serrated edge allows me to slice right through the sternum up to the throat when gutting a deer that I dont care haveing a mount done on, like all does. (This method allows quicker and easier gutting along with quicker cooling than traditional methods but would ruin the hide if you wanted a mount.)
 
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arlow said:
Sav has it right.

Kill it

Tag (you must tag before you touch it with a knife by law)

Drag

Butcher


As for treestand height, I and most people I hunt with rarely hunt under 18-20 feet high unless I have excellent back cover. Being any lower they seem to see you much easier.

Scent control is paramount!
Click to expand...

Drag then butcher? I figured it would be other way around.
 
SAV said:
Climbers are more expensive and tricky, save that for next year.
Click to expand...

Bullshit!!! There is no better investment for a begining hunter than a quality climbing stand. They are easy to use. A single good hang on stand and accompaning steps or sticks is just as expensive as a 200.00 summit bushmaster. (fantastic bowhunting climbing stand)

Dont get me wrong. I like hangons too, I have 14 hung right now, but when you can afford only one stand to start nothing beats the flexibilty of a climber.
 
lord1234 said:
Drag then butcher? I figured it would be other way around.
Click to expand...
Your a little quick on the trigger Lord. Allow a man to inspect his post to make sure it is correct before you jump on him.... [smile]

Butchering and gutting (field dress) are two different things

You gut it in the woods.



Generally you bring it to a butcher or you butcher it yourself at home, not in the woods. Especially seeing as you have to bring it to the check in station before it gets butchered by law.
 
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I have a scoped ruger m77 in 30-06... I don't know anybody with enough land to hunt on but maybe somebody here can point me to state land that allows rifle hunting... Also I am not even sure massachusetts allows anything other than bow, black powder rifles, or shot gun! anybody have any suggestions for me?
 

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