Getting into deer hunting

Daleo8803

Daleo8803

Move along, move along
Joined
Dec 18, 2016
Messages
1,770
Location
Rock Hill SC
Rating - 100%
9   0   0
Im wanting to get into deer hunting this year. I have been a few times years ago but never got one. I have some land I can hunt that has good deer on it. Any tips? Plan on using a handgun ( lots of practice lol) 40 yards max. Is there anything I should do now to prepare? Pick stand locations etc. Any good videos I should watch? Thanks in advance for your help.
 
40 yards means you need to be very concealed. I would start scouting trails and food sources now. When you find a spot that looks promising look for a tree that offers lots of cover behind you or a large trunk to break up your outline. You can take deer from more open stands, but the cover makes it harder to see you. Pines close behind you are very good cover. My main stand is pretty open because I don't have a lot of options there. I've taken many deer out of it. You just have to be more careful of your movement. I'm about 25 yards from where most of my shots are taken so it gets exciting.

Might want to look into electronic earmuffs that you can slip over your ears.

Don't get too caught up in the camo selection. Get something that matches your area well. Keeping it clean with scent free soap is better than the expensive scent blocking stuff IMO. I've shot several deer in the early season with just a short sleeve t shirt, random camo pattern. I'm a big believer in face masks or face paint. Looking side to side can expose a lot of light skin and deer can pick that up.
 
What kind of handgun are you planning on using?

I've only been hunting for a few years, and it has certainly been easier and harder than I thought going into it. Easier because deer are simple, just like any animal. Difficult because they are smart and wary.

Don't be super concerned about the latest and greatest camo, but make sure your face is broken up.

Their peripheral vision expands much farther around than you think it does. Be mindful of that when you move to get in position to take a shot. Their head has to be facing away from you or blocked by a tree or something. They pick up movement extremely well.
 
Cover your face.
Find a spot where you can observe several trails coming together.
Cover your scent
Note predominant wind direction when picking stand sites and hang on downwind side of your trails accordingly

Prepare yourself for bloopers. I'd be rich right now if I had videoed all the crazy things that's happened to me while deer hunting.
 
Deer can't really see you unless you move side to side in their vision plane (you could wave your arms or something stupid like that of course), remember that.

Deer can hear/smell you long before they see you, remember that too.

So, make sure you're watching an area that is upwind from you and be very still/quiet.

It's much easier when the deer is 200 yards away.
 
Paying attention too the wind is hands down the most important thing you can do. Leave a sancutary bedding area that you never hunt and shoot them as they leave the bedding area to eat. For what you are doing I really like the pop up chair blinds. Being comfortable can make or break a hunt. Consider a rifle or a shotgun. I want a bang flop when I shoot a deer. A .357 will kill them DRT but you have to be fairly picky with shots. I also like have good optics for low light shooting.

https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/2...tep-_-272723&gclid=CKvTgaTPq9MCFUw7gQodZe0KyA
 
Burt Gummer said:
Cover your face.
Find a spot where you can observe several trails coming together.
Cover your scent
Note predominant wind direction when picking stand sites and hang on downwind side of your trails accordingly

Prepare yourself for bloopers. I'd be rich right now if I had videoed all the crazy things that's happened to me while deer hunting.
Click to expand...

I was in a really wet, flooded low land hunting a couple Christmases ago. I was up in the stand watching a couple shooting lanes I'd ranged out earlier, and then all of a sudden, almost underneath me, this huge "SPLASH" happened...sounded like someone chunked a bowling ball into the 18" of water under me.

A turkey. A clumsy stupid turkey apparently was trying to walk across a fallen log to avoid the water and fell in.

It did startled the hell out of me.
 
11B CIB said:
I was in a really wet, flooded low land hunting a couple Christmases ago. I was up in the stand watching a couple shooting lanes I'd ranged out earlier, and then all of a sudden, almost underneath me, this huge "SPLASH" happened...sounded like someone chunked a bowling ball into the 18" of water under me.

A turkey. A clumsy stupid turkey apparently was trying to walk across a fallen log to avoid the water and fell in.

It did startled the hell out of me.
Click to expand...
I had a group of does walk up to my ground blind 90 degrees to the way I was facing. One of em stuck her head in the blind, I could smell her breath. I turned my head and could've kissed her on the nose. She cut a backflip and fell trying to get away
 
Deer hunting is not a problem for me since I can do it off my porch
IMG_0732.JPG
 
Play the wind and get a ground blind and you should be good to go with a pistol. I fidget a lot, but still kill plenty of turkey and deer. Even more since ground blinds come out. Good comfy camp chair in it and even I can stay more than 30 mins.
 
Well I went several years ago a few times but didn't see a single deer. When I was out scouting ( looking around) with no rifle I would walk right up to them. Lol I had a squirrel try to jump on me one time when I was in the stand.

The coolest thing was when a little bird landed on my right knee and sat there for a min or 2.

Thinking of building a 300BO Ar pistol that I might take hunting.
 
Bring a book. I sit in my buddy stand (wider, for fat kids, er... I mean a pack) with a homemade "skirt" around the front of the stand, out of camo , and sit and read. I just hang out, barely moving, and ta-da! There they are in my bait pile. :)

It does help you be still and you aren't swiveling your head constantly. I've trained myself not to jerk my head up if I hear something, and every movement is covered by the stand skirt. Too easy.

It also gives you something to do while you let the does eat for the big boys to feel good about coming in.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom