Deer hunting is loved by most hunters, both beginners learning to hunt and experienced hunters who enjoy hunting by hunting deer, the most common of which are whitetail and long-eared deer.
A good hunter = experience + hunting spirit + good equipment.
Almost anyone can hunt deer, so pluck up your courage and go on a daredevil’s adventure!
Of course, before entering the forest, please fully understand your opponent. The following 8 tips can help you quickly become a master deer hunter：
1.Mask your scent as much as possible
Never underestimate any wild animal. Sensitive noses and sharp antlers are their weapons of defense. Deer can smell human scent up to a mile away, so make your scent as clear as possible before approaching the forest.
-Clean yourself with plenty of unscented soap before entering the forest, this removes the unforesty smell left behind by the delicious bacon/burger. Of course you can also try commercially available deodorizers.
-The towels, clothes and boots you wear shouldn’t leave a smell either. There are many odorless laundry detergents to choose from, and washing with baking soda will also be very effective.
-Proper hunting clothes will prevent you from sweating while walking. And certainly don’t wear clothes that make a lot of noise.
2. Please be careful of the wind
You should always be aware of the wind on every hunt, this is a very important point during the hunt. Scent in the wind will accurately tell a deer if a guy who doesn’t belong in the woods is approaching, which is often easy to overlook.
If the wind is blowing directly toward your face, it proves that you are in the right direction!
Because the direction our face is facing is often the direction we are moving in, and the wind carrying your scent behind you means that deer that are in front of you are less likely to smell you.
3. Try to trick the deer
Have faith in today’s technology; they’re good enough to trick deer that don’t know how to use a smartphone. The best hunters can go home empty-handed, so you can increase your luck through grunting, baiting, and other means. Realistic models can relax a deer’s guard and risk dropping the ball thinking they’ve encountered a companion.
Another way to increase attraction is through the use of deer attractants. As mentioned earlier, deer have very sensitive noses, so they can be well attracted by scent as well. You can buy deer feed, deer urine etc. in the market. Using the scent of a doe during the rut can be effective in attracting stags.
Attract the deer to your hunting area and get close enough to get a good shot.
4. Explore where and when deer appear
Public hunting grounds are a good starting point for beginners, and if you can familiarize yourself with where and when deer are present you will be able to hunt more efficiently. Deer are usually more active in the early morning and at dusk, and are more likely to be found at water sources and in areas where tracks, scat, and scuffs have been seen.
However, once you’ve exposed your tracks in the process, a spooked deer may not approach the area again for 3-4 hours.
That’s why a trail hunting camera can help you find where and when deer are showing up.
You can place it in locations that interest you and let it do the work of finding deer for you, which can save you countless hours!
The disorienting shape allows it to stay quiet in tree trunks without being spotted by animals. When an animal passes by the hunting camera, it will wake up and quietly take a photo/video. When you go through the trail camera can help you to know what time of the day the deer visit the pond. (Of course you can find out more about the animals that live in this forest. It can also tell you if there are threatening big guys living here).
Even late at night in poorly lit areas, a hunting camera can spot animals and take pictures.
The first step is to use multiple hunting cameras placed in multiple locations you are interested in and spot a deer, usually deer range is 500-600 acres but the core area is usually only 50-60 acres.
When you have confirmed that the spot has the deer you want, guess the core area of the deer and surround that area with your multiple cameras. Keep in mind that ponds are usually only visited by deer for a short period of time each day.
Knowing when they visit and the paths they are used to can help you plan the perfect hunt ahead of time.
Share some tips for using your hunting camera:
1- Mount your hunting camera 3-4 feet high, then you can adjust the tilt angle of the camera by placing a log between the tree trunk and the hunting camera. Setting it up high is less likely to be noticed by animals.
2- Rubber gloves are recommended when using it to avoid leaving odors in the camera.
3- Face the camera to the south/north. Deer tend to be more active early in the morning and late in the evening when the sun is lower, and if the light shines vertically into the camera it will degrade the quality of the photos and possibly cause more false triggers.
4- A high quality battery will keep the camera working longer.
5- Set the camera’s parameters according to your needs. If you only check your camera once in a while, lower the trigger time, take photos instead of videos, set the camera to start at a certain time of the day, these changes will make the camera work longer.
6- Secure the camera tightly enough that it won’t move.
7- Don’t use a flash on your camera, instead use an LED style to avoid the flash scaring away your prey!
8- Knock down the branches around the camera lens, this will avoid triggering the camera incorrectly because of the shaking of the branches.
5. Conceal your form
You can use pop-up blinds or climbing holds to hide your figure, and believe me they can really help a lot.
You can set up your landing spot in an area covered with rubs and deer feces. You may have imagined the scene where you take a picture of a deer, but you also have to imagine the scene of your landing spot in the eyes of the deer.
Easily overlooked are the shadows that come from the sun’s rays; a shadow that moves around can also frighten a deer.
That’s why a large enough tree is our ideal spot, preferably with other trees around to help shade you.
Wearing camouflage can also help you better deceive the deer’s eyes.
I prefer the option of hunting in trees because I don’t think deer are usually prone to focusing on what’s above it.
Also standing up high will give me a wider field of view, trees not only help to hide our bodies but also make it harder to spot the deer.
6. Keeping Quiet
A deer’s ears are just as sensitive as its nose, so making noise can also easily cause spooking.
You can set up your drop sites two days in advance so that you don’t make noise while you’re hunting.
Wearing hunting clothes that don’t make noise and hunting boots that are fitted with a special sound deadening device will minimize the sound you make when you move.
Move carefully and try to use the heel of your boots to walk on fallen leaves and branches on the ground.
7. Enough patience
After spending so much time learning about deer and preparing your hunting gear, have more than enough patience to wait for the deer to show up.
Waiting is an important part of the hunting process. When a deer appears in your sights, don’t let joy take over your brain and be a little more patient.
You have plenty of time to be able to take aim and wait for the deer to get close before making your shot. There is usually only one chance to attack, so you will want to wait until you have the best chance to make a nice shot.
It’s easy for beginners to miss an opportunity due to lack of range, but of course, this opportunity will bring you one step closer to being a master hunter.
8. Please don’t pay too much attention to your cell phone
Cell phones help us beat the wait, and you can share what you’re doing with your family and friends.
But many people will neglect their surroundings by paying too much attention to their cell phones, which may give the deer more time to escape and may even get scratched by the deer as a result.
Trust me, it’s enough to ruin your good mood for a few days.
In order to fully enjoy your deer hunt to the fullest, please don’t miss any possible good hunting moments because of your cell phone.
Woo, I never cared for “wind”.