Deer Hunting Simple Tips and Tricks

HorizontalHunter

HorizontalHunter

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I thought with deer season nearly here it might be fun and helpful to share some of the simple tips and tricks that we have learned over the years.

Here are a few to start the ball rolling:

I always carry a couple of chem lights for marking down deer at night if I am going back to the truck for the cart or sled. It makes it easy to find the downed animal when I return. I get them cheap at the dollar store.

I use a bungee cargo carrier net to secure deer to the cart or sled. It is faster and more secure than using rope.

EACAA4-DD-176-E-49-BA-B584-A429734-F64-DD.jpg


Even if I don’t use the cart to retrieve the deer it is handy to contain the blood from the deer on the ride home.

Bob
 
I like the cart idea....

Some tips on tracking after a shot.....

Gut shot deer - 8 -12 hours minimum before tracking

Liver shot deer - 4 hours minimum before tracking

Double lung deer - should be dead within 100 yards if its not...it probably not a double lung shot.....then start rethinking where you might hit it.....One lung shot deer can go miles.....ask me how I know.

Leg or Butt shots.....push deer don't give up.....until you can't go on anymore.

No Mans Land is a real thing......aim low. High hits between the lungs and spine will end up in lost deer.

When you shoot a deer from an elevated stand, try and relax and take inventory of the last tree or landmark when you last saw the deer disappear out of sight. When you get down from the stand, things will look significantly different. You may have to get back up there after and re assess from the stand exactly where you saw the deer, getting back up in the stand will make it easier.

Lots of times I've started tracking right from the point where I last saw the deer and it saves time, and by then the deer is usually bleeding well. Watch for a flash, or flag of the tail, that could be the deer going down.

When tracking its always best to have two people......not many more than that. Too many will ruin the trail. Use the guy or gal with the most patience and attention to detail stay on the found blood and move forward slowly, while the other person goes out ahead carefully looking for a carcass or obvious blood. You can cut tracking time down by hours by doing that.

I make a separate pouch in my backpack with my knife, gloves, zip ties, tags, clear plastic tag holders, cleaning wipes and a few headlamps for when I need to dress and tag a deer so everything is there in that one pouch and I'm not reaching with bloody hands into my whole backpack trying to find shit.

Dull knives cause accidents and usually a mess.

If you didn't recover your broadhead make sure its not in the deer when you stick your hands in to dress it.
 
Great stuff guys, thanks! I'm going out this year for the 1st time (I went twice w/ a couple of buddies when I just got out of college a long time ago and we didn't see a thing, I don't really count that). I have some experience hunting waterfowl & small game but it has been a while. Going w/ bro in law who's a deer whisperer, he gets a couple/few deer every year.
 
Sparkey said:
You can’t shoot them on the couch. Don’t say it’s to warm to windy rainy etc. Get out in the woods. I have shoot a lot of deer between 10am-2pm pack a sandwich snacks and few candy bars and stay in the woods don’t leave for lunch.
Click to expand...
This is almost exactly what I was going to say.
Don't worry about it not being the right time of day, or moon phase, or any of that other crap; get out there.

Full disclosure: I actually HAVE gotten a deer while sitting on my couch. I didn't actually shoot it from my couch, but was sitting on it when I saw the deer out in my field.
 
whacko said:
The last 2 years I've learned that sitting still is alot of work. Seriously. One I started concentrating on truly sitting still I've started to have dear come within 20 yards of me on a fairly regular bases.
Click to expand...

Comfort is king. If you aren’t comfortable you will start shifting around and you will get busted.

Don't look a deer in the eyes. Once you make eye contact it is over. Somehow they just know.

Take the first good shot opportunity you get. Don’t wait for the “perfect” text book shot. It may never come.
 
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Wow, am learning soo many tips from you guys,i have to write all of it down, this will be put to good use. Any tip and trick on wild pig hunting? I alway want to go on a pig hunting trip.
 
smokey-seven said:
Now there is a tip that will save your day!
Click to expand...
Happened to my buddy right in front of me....I was just about to ask him if he found the front half of his arrow, when he stuck his hands up in the chest cavity and said FXCK....
I think I just did!

Luckily it wasn't bad and didn't require stiches. But it could have been ugly.
 
HorizontalHunter said:
Comfort is king. If you aren’t comfortable you will start shifting around and you will get busted.

Don't look a deer in the eyes. Once you make eye contact it is over. Somehow they just know.

Take the first good shot opportunity you get. Don’t wait for the “perfect” text book shot. It may never come.
Click to expand...
These are 3 good ones.

Especially the last one....I've heard....It was a ten pointer, with a kicker and a scar near its front eye....or some bullshit more times than I can shake a stick at.....

my response is always....if you had fxcking time and you were close enough to count the points, or see any detail...........you had time to find a shot.

I've never known how many points are on a nice racked buck Im going to shoot ....I'm too busy looking for a shot opportunity. Not at the deer. Count the points when its laying front of you dead.

You should never be looking right at the deer, you should be looking ahead of it, at its travel path, and getting an idea where you are gonna draw (if you havent already) and shoot. That keeps you from accidentally making eye contact. I swear to god, if you stare at a deer long enough, it will know it.
 
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one-eyed Jack said:
Litle Jack and his dad in NH put trail cams on the several trees that they have stands in starting months before the season. Jack arrowed a nice buck and his dad arrowed a doe yesterday from the stands that showed the most activity. Lazy man's scouting. Jack.
Click to expand...
On the flip side of this......never trust the camera too much. Bucks in the rut will sometimes skirt food sources just looking for does, if you cam is on the food, or main trail, that doesn' mean a buck is not just coming by and scent checking.
 
PatMcD said:
This is almost exactly what I was going to say.
Don't worry about it not being the right time of day, or moon phase, or any of that other crap; get out there.

Full disclosure: I actually HAVE gotten a deer while sitting on my couch. I didn't actually shoot it from my couch, but was sitting on it when I saw the deer out in my field.
Click to expand...
Similar happened to me once. Hunted all morning in MA during the rut behind my house. Came home and while cooking some breakfast at 10:30, I looked out the slider window on the side of my house, and a buck was chasing a doe into the swamp. They were headed toward the road and i figured they'ed either cross or she would circle him around in front near the road, then come back the same way.....

As They disappeared into the hemlocks toward the road, I grabbed my bow and waited behind my woodpile, as I knew there was a little patch of dry land to cross behind my woodpile, and was funnel point they would likely cross if they came back. She did just that, and as the deer came in I let the doe pass, and I stopped the buck and shot him with the arrow as he turned to look at me. Double lung, 50 yards crashed. Nice 7 point....160 pounds. Rut crazed, just didn't care.

Mind you Im like over 600 feet from the road and no neighbors on that side, so its all legal.
 
one-eyed Jack said:
Litle Jack and his dad in NH put trail cams on the several trees that they have stands in starting months before the season. Jack arrowed a nice buck and his dad arrowed a doe yesterday from the stands that showed the most activity. Lazy man's scouting. Jack.
Click to expand...
Those guys are honed in the last few years.....gotta get us some pics Jack!

I miss my September bowhunting, especially the last few cool dry mornings. I was supposed to be down in PA but that trip got FUBAR, had to stay this week and work.

Which leads me to another tip....you can work at killing deer or you can work at a work.....usually not both!
 
Mark from MA said:
On the flip side of this......never trust the camera too much. Bucks in the rut will sometimes skirt food sources just looking for does, if you cam is on the food, or main trail, that doesn' mean a buck is not just coming by and scent checking.
Click to expand...
Maybe so, but my guys live to hunt. They hunt the same areas year after year and know how the deer move around. Hell, when Little Jack was 10 he took a NH buck with his bow, a big Maine doe with shotgun and then another NH buck with his rifle. But he had spent the summer shooting the bow and guns for group at various ranges and was ready. Between him and his dad and uncle the three state tally has been 9 -11 deer and lots of turkeys for many years. But then again, they put an awful lot of time into it. Like their mom would say "It's a sickness". I have walls full of the pics in my office at the Mill and here at the house for "evidence". Two NH bow deer down already. Jack and his dad. Jack.
 
If you're not in the game, then you're not in the game. Don't sit dead stands waiting for things to happen. Get down and make things happen. It's better to be on the ground on hot sign than in a stand that's a dead zone.

Keep mobile. Deer will respond to pressure. You can not entirely predict when and where that pressure will occur. Places that looked good in spring scouting may turn into a wasteland after opening day. You want to be able to respond. Fixed stands are fine, but have a mobile setup.

People seem to be going in farther and "hunting harder" than ever before. The edges of the woods are often overlooked.

Deer can see better than many give them credit for, especially in low light. Try to keep yourself in cover.

You won't beat their nose with fancy suites, sprays, cover scents, or carbon, silver, holy water, campfire stories, or herbal essence. Play the wind. Learn how the wind flows over the land, how thermals interact with the wind in the terrain you hunt, how that changes in the AM vs PM, etc. The deer will use this to their advantage. So can you. If you can predict how the wind will behave and specifically where it swirls, you can predict where bedding could be.

Most deer die during the rut. But next in line is the early season. Don't blow it off waiting for cooler weather. Grab the thermacell and hit the woods.

Stealth matters. Go slow, keep your head up and on a swivel. Don't be in a rush to get to where you're going. You need to see the forest through the trees.

Every ounce counts. If you're carrying gear you rarely use, leave it in the truck. Do those double-step climbing sticks spend more time under your feet during the climb, or on your back during the hike? Choose wisely what you hump in.

Check the zero on your firearms every year before hitting the woods.

Shoot your bow as often as opportunity allows. Even if it's only at 10 yards in your basement. Develop that muscle memory.

Practice shooting from an elevated position. You can be surprised at how this can move your point of impact around.

Don't be afraid to go in blind. I would rather hit unfamiliar woods than woods I know if the deer vacated due to pressure. Plan evening hunts and scout your way in. You can do mornings too if you time it right. ID a terrain feature you want to start at and hit the woods just before grey light and scout your way in.

Don't undervalue in-season scouting. Hot sign is hot sign.

Don't overuse your calls. Nothing turns a deer inside out quicker than someone turning over a can every minute, or hearing the wrong calls in the wrong situation or at the wrong time of year. Peter Fiduccia has some good videos on YouTube about how to use your calls.

Don't be afraid to bump deer. If you're not kicking them up from time to time, then you're too far out of the game.

The rut is hot where it's hot, and it's not where it's not. If last year's spot has no action this year, get down and go find them.
 
ThePreBanMan said:
If you're not in the game, then you're not in the game. Don't sit dead stands waiting for things to happen. Get down and make things happen. It's better to be on the ground on hot sign than in a stand that's a dead zone.

Keep mobile. Deer will respond to pressure. You can not entirely predict when and where that pressure will occur. Places that looked good in spring scouting may turn into a wasteland after opening day. You want to be able to respond. Fixed stands are fine, but have a mobile setup.

People seem to be going in farther and "hunting harder" than ever before. The edges of the woods are often overlooked.

Deer can see better than many give them credit for, especially in low light. Try to keep yourself in cover.

You won't beat their nose with fancy suites, sprays, cover scents, or carbon, silver, holy water, campfire stories, or herbal essence. Play the wind. Learn how the wind flows over the land, how thermals interact with the wind in the terrain you hunt, how that changes in the AM vs PM, etc. The deer will use this to their advantage. So can you. If you can predict how the wind will behave and specifically where it swirls, you can predict where bedding could be.

Most deer die during the rut. But next in line is the early season. Don't blow it off waiting for cooler weather. Grab the thermacell and hit the woods.

Stealth matters. Go slow, keep your head up and on a swivel. Don't be in a rush to get to where you're going. You need to see the forest through the trees.

Every ounce counts. If you're carrying gear you rarely use, leave it in the truck. Do those double-step climbing sticks spend more time under your feet during the climb, or on your back during the hike? Choose wisely what you hump in.

Check the zero on your firearms every year before hitting the woods.

Shoot your bow as often as opportunity allows. Even if it's only at 10 yards in your basement. Develop that muscle memory.

Practice shooting from an elevated position. You can be surprised at how this can move your point of impact around.

Don't be afraid to go in blind. I would rather hit unfamiliar woods than woods I know if the deer vacated due to pressure. Plan evening hunts and scout your way in. You can do mornings too if you time it right. ID a terrain feature you want to start at and hit the woods just before grey light and scout your way in.

Don't undervalue in-season scouting. Hot sign is hot sign.

Don't overuse your calls. Nothing turns a deer inside out quicker than someone turning over a can every minute, or hearing the wrong calls in the wrong situation or at the wrong time of year. Peter Fiduccia has some good videos on YouTube about how to use your calls.

Don't be afraid to bump deer. If you're not kicking them up from time to time, then you're too far out of the game.

The rut is hot where it's hot, and it's not where it's not. If last year's spot has no action this year, get down and go find them.
Click to expand...
Scout more than hunt, and when you find hot sign hunt it immediately...that means having a mobile setup. The best hunters are mobile and don't just sit the same stand daily.
Have many spots, so you can play the wind, and also check all of them. This is important in the urban northeast, where you may have limited land to hunt. Having more spots and keeping track of them, if one of them gets hot.....you can go on the correct wind and hunt it.

When you see a big buck on your camera during the pre rut....hunt that spot at least for a day or two if you can, and try some calling at peak hours. Even if the buck is coming in at non hunting hours, it means he's around and checking. Many of these big bucks hit a spot for a few days during the rut, see if does are around. Then move on to another section of woods, never to be seen again much in that area.

If a big buck is on your camera now during early season during daylight......that is almost a gimme as long as you don't get busted........he is coming in for food only and will be relatively easy to pattern and may be with a batchelor group. Many times he will be the last deer that shows up.
 
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You can be a great hunter, but if you have poor quality deer land to hunt with low deer numbers

The majority of times a mediocre hunter with less time to hunt, and high quality private land that holds high deer numbers will outhunt you every year.

The more doors you knock on in high quality areas, or hunt higher quality states the more your success will go up.
 
When still hunting always try to stop behind a tree or something that breaks up your figure. Don’t just stop in the wide open.
Keep your eye yes up and looking ahead.
 
vcman said:
Wow, am learning soo many tips from you guys,i have to write all of it down, this will be put to good use. Any tip and trick on wild pig hunting? I alway want to go on a pig hunting trip.
Click to expand...
Know how quickly you can climb a tree.
Hogs will not be afraid of you.
DISCLAIMER: I have only seen shows and video of real hunts. My cousin in Florida was up for a wake years ago and I spent an hour watching him killing hogs with a dog and knife. He caught a massive black pig and fed it in a cage for a while before filling freezers.
 
vcman said:
Wow, am learning soo many tips from you guys,i have to write all of it down, this will be put to good use. Any tip and trick on wild pig hunting? I alway want to go on a pig hunting trip.
Click to expand...
First pig hunting tip is the only wild pigs you'll see around here are from Lowell, Lawrence, Gvegas, or Athol or the North Shore.

Seriously, wild pig hunting is different than deer hunting and Florida and Texas are two of the best states. Most of that type of hunting is done over corn feeders, or with dogs.
Pigs aren't like deer, they can't see as good, and are less skittish for the most part, and if your on private land in those states, its a year round hunting season and bait is allowed.

Where most states around here with the exception of CT (in some zones) and NH allow baiting for deer and there really aren't any huntable populations of pigs. The majority of pig hunting
takes place south of the mason dixon line.
 

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