Deer Hunting Tips To Make You A Successful Hunter
If you are an average deer hunter, you have average deer hunting knowledge, put forth average commitment, and only get average results. It’s likely that every hunter will manage to bag a small buck every year or two, and maybe will even get lucky and hit his target more often. But it takes a deep understanding of hunting and the dedication to do whatever is required to bag a majestic trophy buck.
The following contains some deer hunting tips that the experts of deer hunting use every day to get the big ones.
1. Scout Your Area Ahead of Time – I don’t mean analyze where you are going to sit when the truck drops you off, I mean really get to know the area you are hunting. Some of my most successful hunting seasons were started months before opening day. I would ask permission to go to the lease I was going to hunt on and scout all the areas. You can investigate all the potential hunting areas by “dry hunting.” This is similar to actual hunting, only you bring a camera instead of a gun. You will focus your attention on determining which areas have the most deer movement, the largest bucks, and the highest buck to doe ratio. It is advisable to scout the lease during midday as well in order to find any signs of big bucks. Speaking of which:
2. Know the Signs of Big Bucks – Knowing what to look for allows you to zero in on the areas where the trophy deer are. One thing you want to look for are tracks. Be aware of the size, number of, and the direction of the tracks, which will clue you in on the size, number of and movements of the deer. Look for Scrapes – areas where bucks scratch the ground accompanied with urination to mark territory and attract does, typically below low hanging tree branches at the border of heavy brush during the rut. Look for Rubs – Areas on trees or posts where bucks rub the velvet off their new antlers or mark their territory during rutting season. A “rub line” is a series of a half-dozen or more rubs within a 100-yard area. Bucks usually rub on the side of the tree or post that he is traveling from. With this in mind, if you pay attention to which side of the trees are being rubbed you can have a clue as to which way the deer is moving. Also scout for and note the size of bedding areas. If you don’t see any bedding, there aren’t any bucks!
3. Become An Expert In Your Firearm – Learn more about the ballistics of the caliber and cartridge of your weapon. Know the distance you will need to shoot and be able to make adjustments for geography; for example, the rise on short shoots and the fall for long shots. Learn how well you can judge distance, and walk through the sighting areas before you start hunting, so you have a good idea about yardage; you’ll be able to more accurately figure out how far you are from the target and lift or drop your bullet accordingly.
4. Shot Placement – If you master the aim and ballistic characteristics of your deer hunting rifle, you can be more concerned with exact shot placement. Personally, I am a “neck shooter.” While many hunters do not agree with this technique, a properly placed shot anywhere along the neck will drop your deer instantly. If you hit the deer lower on the neck the carotid arteries will be severed. If you hit the deer high on the neck you will break the deer’s spinal column. Finally, if you hit the deer in the center of the neck you will get a combination of both of these effects. If you’re hitting the dear from a broadside or quarter angle, you’ll hit the neck just as easily as the lower shoulder target area, and you’ll bring it down faster. I don’t recommend full rear shot attempts at all unless you are looking at a trophy buck you just can’t pass up; cleaning a deer that has been shot up the rectum is not a pleasant task to say the least. Make wise shooting decisions; a quick, efficient kill is the goal of the advanced deer hunter.
5. Attactants, Calls, and Rattling – While we do not have time to go into a lot of detail, some important deer hunting tips are to use attractants (like natural food plots, salt licks/mineral blocks, feeders, and flavored blocks), deer calls, and rattling methods. The food related attractants require previous preparation. You’ll have to put in enough time and effort into a food plot as you would a garden. Start your food plot a few months before the hunting season begins, so that you can get the deer accustomed to that food you are giving them. Calling and rattling are hit-or-miss techniques that usually only work during rutting. Bucks will mostly be attracted to the rattles and calls because they’re curious if not in rut, but while rutting they’ll rush toward the noise, which is far from an ideal situation. There have been times when I have almost been run over by a buck while I was rattling. With this in mind, if you choose to use this technique you need to be prepared to react quickly. Proficiency is required, and it takes lots of practice. There’s a bit of a learning curve that comes with accurately recreating the sounds of deer fighting, but if you get it right, it’ll be very advantageous.
Every deer hunter wishes he or she could display a trophy buck at some time during their hunting career, some of us are not happy unless we bag at least one monster every season. If you plan to become an elite hunter, you need to know the advanced deer hunting tips that the finest hunters have mastered.
If you want to learn more about deer hunting and tips that can help you land the large bucks that get you trophy racks, go to Deer-HuntingTips.com and have a better hunting season than you’ve had in years.
Deer Hunting Tips – How To Get Bigger Antlered Bucks
Proper management of the deer herd are usually the most effect deer hunting tips. The large antlered deer are prized among trophy hunters. We aspire to one day get that huge rack. All of us hear about and tell each other tales of huge antlers; points, spread, diameter, length of tine… However, do you know what really makes a difference in regards to antler size?
There are three main factors that decide the overall size of a buck’s antlers.
1. Genetics
2. Nutrition
3. Age
Genetics determine how big the antlers might become. In other words maximum antler size is a trait that is inherited. This is a fact that experienced deer hunters and game managers know and that science has proven. Sometimes, the best managed leases impose limits on how big an antler can be if it’s to be harvested. The gene pool of a deer population can be “antlered up” by limiting the number of deer that can be killed who have genetically superior racks and increasing the kill rate of those buck with genetically inferior racks. The actual effect of these strategies is questionable, but the though process and fact basis of this practice is very sensible. The fact is that culling of deer with inferior genetics is seldom possible when you consider the number of other deer killed within a population.
Nutrition is the next contributor to antler size. Regardless of a deer’s genetic potential, it won’t reach it’s optimum level if it doesn’t eat the right diet. Professional hunters have each gone through seasons with drought that’s affected the natural food sources for deer, and they haven’t found any with large antlers. It is crucial for the deer population to receive adequate nutrition year-round if they are to reach their antler producing potential. Summer and spring diets are the most vital since the majority of antler growth really happens during those seasons. This means that when foraging conditions are poor during the spring and summer months, antler growth will be limited. However, if time and energy are put into habitat management, adequate nutrition and foraging will be made more likely. There are many times that supplemental feeding is needed.
The final factor is age, however research suggests that once a buck has reached 3+ years of age genetics and nutrition play a larger part in antler growth. The size of the antler tends to increase greatly during the first few years of age and then to level off sometime between the fourth to sixth year depending on the breed and its genetics. For this reason, the harvesting of bucks younger than 4 years is not encouraged. The practice by insensitive hunters of culling bucks that are too young can lead to such colorful expressions from more experienced hunters as, “That deer still had milk on its breath.” It is recommended that young bucks be allowed to mature fully before being harvested. If you’re not able to kill a mature buck but require venison, shoot a doe. You will see the benefit of this during the next season of hunting.
We are hoping that you use these deer hunting tips during the upcoming deer hunting season.
Then visit us at Deer-HuntingTips.com to learn the deer hunting tips and secrets the master deer hunters know!
How To Pick Your Hunting Location – Deer Hunting Tips
Knowing how to choose the best hunting spot is a critical factor in successful deer hunting.
After a long deer hunting trip your choice in location will mean the difference between returning home and stocking your freezer full of venison, or popping something into the microwave. It doesn’t matter how good you are at shooting, you won’t have a very successful hunt if there are no deer where you’re deer hunting. As a result, follow our deer hunting tips so you can find the perfect spot to hunt. When you try to pick your site, you should know how deer move and behave. Deer tend to feel the most safe during periods of low light and come out to eat. They’ll rest during the middle of the day and during the night. Usually, deer will depart from their resting space during late afternoon in search of food. Deer will drink and eat, and then return to where they rest. They’ll follow this same pattern during the early hours of the morning also. It’s wise to look into the hunting locations available prior to setting out. Two weeks in advance is advisable. Familiarize yourself with the area you’re hunting in. Study which spots see the most deer movement, the largest bucks, and the highest buck-to-doe ratios. Find blinds or stand areas and spend time in them as you research where to hunt, so you know what it’ll be like when you start hunting. During midday, walk through the area and look carefully for any signs of deer. The deer themselves will give you the best deer hunting tips. Find their travel trails and tracks. Look at how many tracks there are in one area, and where they’re going; this will tell you a lot. While bucks sometimes use the doe’s trails as well, they’ll often venture out on their own. Typically, these buck trails travel alongside the doe trails, and occasionally cross them. You can find scrapes, which is where the ground or brush is scratched by bucks. Scraping usually starts about three weeks ahead of rutting season; the scraping lessens as the rutting begins. And locate the rubs — the areas on trees or posts where bucks either rub the velvet off their budding antlers or mark their territory when rutting. You want to find the rub lines or groups of rubs — you can find six or more within a 75-100 yard stretch. You’ll usually find these tree markings facing the direction where the buck has come from, so take note of this direction also, as you’ll be able to locate the origin of the bucks’ travel more accurately. Examine the area for bedding spots and take note of the size.
Deer hunting is a lot more complex than parking yourself in a stand and hoping for the best. Scouting the area ahead of time will bring you best best possible results.
We hope that you use these deer hunting tips during deer hunting season. Please check out Deer-HuntingTips.com if you’d like to learn more secrets and tips to make your hunting more successful than ever before.
This article comes to you from the deer hunting masters at Deer-HuntingTips.com
Selecting The Right Telescopic Sight For Your Rifle Part 1
When deer hunting season opens, avid deer hunters will want their rifle to be outfitted with the ideal scope, one that suits not only his rifle, but also the area he is deer hunting in, as well as his own personal hunting and shooting technique.
If the deer hunter is going to hunt in an area where long range shots are required, it is vital that he/she purchases the best possible scope possible. If you want a scope that will allow you to observe, as well as shoot accurately from all ranges, get adjustable magnification scopes. Adjustable deer hunting rifle scopes typically are a listed with the minimum magnification, the maximum magnification and the objective lens diameter. A “3 x 9 x 42″ scope will have a minimum magnification of 3 power, a maximum magnification of 9 power and an objective lens diameter of 40 millimeters. Please read these deer hunting tips regarding your scope on your deer hunting rifle
Scope Magnification Range
For deer hunting, it is typical to find a a scope with a 3×9 magnification range. However, if you are hunting in thick woods and your shots will typically be 50 yards or less, you will usually do fine with a 4X scope. On the other hand, if your hunting grounds are open areas where you will need to shoot from a distance, then you will prefer a 4×12, or a 4.5×14. As a general rule, anytime you are working in open areas such as the plains you will leave your scope operating at a higher power. This is because your visibility is not obstructed, so you can usually see the entire area and will not be suprised by a deer or other animal. There are even instances where you’ll have to shoot something that’s on a different hill or mountain.
Scope Objective Lens Size
They typical deer hunting rifle scope has an objective lens size of 40-44 mm. You can sometimes find objective lenses that are up to 75mm in diameter. In most all situations these jumbo objective lenses are not advantageous. The larger lenses do not typically function much different from smaller and lighter versions, unless you are in very dim conditions and then they must be set at the highest power option. Large objective lenses can make it hard to line up your eyes, and it can be quite uncomfortable. When your scope is properly mounted and properly functioning you should be able to bring the gun to your shooting position with your eyes closed, and when you open your eyes find that you are already looking through the center of your scope. Large objective lenses prevent this from happening because of the mounting height required to keep the ring of such a large lens off your gun barrel. If you have to mount your scope higher, your rifle will be unbalanced, uncomfortable to handle, and less accurate.
It is important to know your hunting style as the proper scope can enhance and improve it, while the wrong one can destroy it. This article was condensed from Deer Rifle Scopesand you can review the original at that site to be sure you are choosing the best scope for your rifle and needs.
You can also find more deer hunting tips in our latest eCourse; “Secrets of Finding Monster Bucks Revealed”, available free of charge at Deer-HuntingTips.com.
Hunting Monster Bucks – Do You Have What It Takes?
Are you chasing that elusive dream of shooting a monster deer? If you want to get that monster buck and be the envy of your hunting friends, there are ways to do it, but they involve reversing your preconceptions of how to hunt, and challenge your patience and commitment; nonetheless, they can help your hunting tremendously. Here are some valuable advanced deer hunting tips to help you understand the effort required to successfully hunt monster bucks.
Except for the occasion when you may get very lucky, the productive hunting of a huge whitetail or mule deer is an undertaking that may involve a complete year or more of planning, scouting, and hunting. There have been single bucks which I have scouted, chased, hunted, and fantasized about for years before I eventually saw the chance to make the kill. You’ll typically find that the biggest bucks are really good at eluding hunters and being just out of sight. Often, the reason these bucks get so big is because they’re clever enough to survive several years of hunting.
Fortunately, you can typically predict how the bigger, older bucks will move, and you have to strategize and anticipate how they will move to succeed. Their behavior patterns and movements are so different from doe and smaller bucks, that you can’t approach them the same way. Together with their being older and bigger, they are smarter, more skittish, and much more considered in their behavior. If a trophy deer has lived to the age of six, that fact alone is self defining as a statement of his survival instincts that have allowed him to elude capture. A huge buck generally will not flee at the least bit of danger but will instead remain hidden until the coast is clear. I have personally witnessed bucks remain in seclusion using their natural gifts of stealth and camouflage, and then when the time is right slink away from the perceived danger, outwitting some extremely seasoned hunters in the process.
Bagging these elusive trophies will require you to set a much different mousetrap, so to speak. It is very similar to the police detective finally getting the master criminal after months or years of hard work along with being in the right place at the right time to make the arrest.
Please visit deer-huntingtips.com to find out additional deer hunting tips, techniques and tricks. You can also download an email deer hunting course “Secrets of Finding the Monster Bucks Exposed” completely free by going here: Deer Hunting Secrets.
Brush Up Your Deer Hunting Know How Before Season Starts
One day soon, you’ll wake up and before you know it, it’ll be deer season. Hunters numbers have increased recently, mainly due to the economy. People are realizing that a few deer in the freezer can really help out on the grocery bill. If you haven’t guessed it already, putting a tag on a deer and the act of deer hunting are two totally different things. Beginners will soon see that there is a lot that goes into being a successful deer hunter. By having some patience and following these tips, you may be successful this year. You will soon realize that deer hunting is a rewarding sport.
For beginners, you need to proficient with whatever weapon you’ll be using. Sadly, many animals are missed or wounded each year because of poor shots. You’ll want to become proficient with any weapon you choose to use. This is what any ethical hunter would want.
Okay, now you’ll need to find some data for your State and find some maps. Topo maps are a good tool for finding where the deer might be. I also use data from my Wildlife Department. Contact you state to see if they have harvest data from previous years. This will help you locate areas with a high deer density. It can also mean that hunting pressure is greater in those areas. I always look for the hunter success rate. This will tell you how successful the deer hunters in a particular area are.
Let’s find you some deer. Scouting for deer and knowing what to look for when scouting are probably the two biggest factors that will determine whether or not you’ll take a deer home. Every year loads of fair weather hunters head off into the wood having never scouted their hunting area. They don’t know anything about the area they’re hunting in, yet expect to have a deer on the ground by breakfast! Take scouting serious. It’s directly related to your success. Never start you scouting a day or so before the season. You’ll spook the deer and it will take them a while to settle back down.
Proper scouting is more than just walking around the woods looking for a deer track. You need to know the difference between an old and fresh track and old and fresh poop. Look for bedding areas, feeding areas. The trails between the two are excellent places to harvest a deer. Just be careful of the wind direction when choosing a place to set up a blind or treestand. I keep a watch out for deer funnels such as bottlenecks. Learn how to find these.
If I could only give you one tip, it would be to get away from other hunters. I can hear you asking ‘But what am I looking for’? For starters, you want to look for area with fewer hunters. Deer hunting surveys in the past have shown that most hunters only go a hundred yards or so from their trucks. Get out early and get further back in the woods than the other hunters. Let them push the deer to you! Who knows, if you work hard, you may find pockets of deer that haven’t been hunted. As the old saying goes, there’s no guarantee when you hunt deer!
Brush Up Your Deer Hunting Know How Before Season Starts
One day soon, you’ll wake up and before you know it, it’ll be deer season. Hunters numbers have increased recently, mainly due to the economy. People are realizing that a few deer in the freezer can really help out on the grocery bill. If you haven’t guessed it already, putting a tag on a deer and the act of deer hunting are two totally different things. Beginners will soon see that there is a lot that goes into being a successful deer hunter. By having some patience and following these tips, you may be successful this year. You will soon realize that deer hunting is a rewarding sport.
For beginners, you need to proficient with whatever weapon you’ll be using. Sadly, many animals are missed or wounded each year because of poor shots. You’ll want to become proficient with any weapon you choose to use. This is what any ethical hunter would want.
Okay, now you’ll need to find some data for your State and find some maps. Topo maps are a good tool for finding where the deer might be. I also use data from my Wildlife Department. Contact you state to see if they have harvest data from previous years. This will help you locate areas with a high deer density. It can also mean that hunting pressure is greater in those areas. I always look for the hunter success rate. This will tell you how successful the deer hunters in a particular area are.
Let’s find you some deer. Scouting for deer and knowing what to look for when scouting are probably the two biggest factors that will determine whether or not you’ll take a deer home. Every year loads of fair weather hunters head off into the wood having never scouted their hunting area. They don’t know anything about the area they’re hunting in, yet expect to have a deer on the ground by breakfast! Take scouting serious. It’s directly related to your success. Never start you scouting a day or so before the season. You’ll spook the deer and it will take them a while to settle back down.
Proper scouting is more than just walking around the woods looking for a deer track. You need to know the difference between an old and fresh track and old and fresh poop. Look for bedding areas, feeding areas. The trails between the two are excellent places to harvest a deer. Just be careful of the wind direction when choosing a place to set up a blind or treestand. I keep a watch out for deer funnels such as bottlenecks. Learn how to find these.
If I could only give you one tip, it would be to get away from other hunters. I can hear you asking ‘But what am I looking for’? For starters, you want to look for area with fewer hunters. Deer hunting surveys in the past have shown that most hunters only go a hundred yards or so from their trucks. Get out early and get further back in the woods than the other hunters. Let them push the deer to you! Who knows, if you work hard, you may find pockets of deer that haven’t been hunted. As the old saying goes, there’s no guarantee when you hunt deer!
Tracking Techniques For Wounded Deer
You can basically feel your heart pumping faster as the cross hairs of your scope come centered over a ten point buck. Here is the moment you have been anticipating; you gently squeeze the trigger and, Wham! You hit the deer, but it started running, so you are going to require to track it down to put the deer out of its misery. There are many tracking techniques, but there are some basic guidelines that basically every deer hunter uses.
First off, it helps a lot to know where you hit the deer. If the deer falls on the spot, then you have most likely hit it in the spinal column, brain, or right in the heart. If the deer jumps after impact, you may have shot the heart, lungs, or some muscles. If the deer is slightly hunched over and runs with its tail down, it is most likely a gut shot. After you have discovered the area that the bullet has hit, a good quality pair of binoculars, such as some Nikon sport optic binoculars, can assist in your search. If you have binoculars, you are more likely to see which direction your deer is running, and you might even see where it comes to rest.
It is good to wait some amount of time between the shot and searching for the deer because if the deer thinks it is being chased, it will keep moving, especially if it is shot in the gut. If a deer does not feel like it is being chased, there is a decent chance that it will hide on the ground in thick cover and try to rest. After laying down, the deer will have difficulties getting back to its feet and could possibly bleed out in the resting spot. After waiting anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours, let the searching start. When you think the time is right, look for spots of blood on vegetation, trees, and on the ground. Other tell-tale signs are hair, bone fragments, russled up leaves, and hoof prints.
The important thing to keep in mind when tracking a deer is to always be patient. If you wait for a little while and just listen and observe the surroundings in the place where the deer was shot, you may hear the deer running or discover some other clues. The deer will probably lay down to rest in the meantime. Also, hunters who try to hurry the tracking process will most likely overlook many tell-tale signs and lose the trail they were pursuing. There are a couple products out there that make tracking a little less difficult, such as chemicals that light up blue when they come into contact with blood. If snow is on the ground, tracking should be much easier than in dry or rainy conditions. Finally, good hunters and trackers know that they owe it to the deer to put it out of its misery after it has been shot. Do yourself and your deer a favor by following these simple tracking tips!
Hunting
The hunting instinct is one of the most basic instincts of mankind. We are the ultimate predator. Take a look at “prey” animals. Because their eyes are on the sides of their heads, they have a wider field of vision. Their key to survival lays in this configuration. Predators, on the other hand, characteristically have their eyes set close together, very useful for estimating the distance between he and his target. Beyond this, the urge to kill lies within us all, especially as children. Abusive adulthood is only one consequence of not correctly guiding these instincts in a child. Can any of us honestly say that, as kids, we didn’t shoot birds with our slingshots and bb guns, or set homemade traps for other critters? I say that if you can say that, then you either never had an opportunity as a child, or you’re an exception to the rule of human nature.
The kill is the fulfillment of the hunt. We hunt to be alone, to observe wildlife without being observed ourselves, to face one of the greatest challenges in this world: to take a wild animal on his own turf, using our brain and little else. Forget the wild tales you may have heard about “automatic” guns and telescopic sites. When it comes right down to it, those things are no good unless you can create an opportunity to use them. We don’t swagger into the woods and slay Bambi when he meekly peeks from behind a tree. We have to use every sense, every bit of experience we have, and when we accomplish our goal, it’s a milestone. I once watched a videotape on hunting that theorized that, on the average, if you are hunting and get a chance at a deer, that chance will last 7 seconds. In my experience, that’s not far off. Sometimes you’ll have longer, sometimes not that long, but 7 seconds is just about average. Think of what it takes to be alert and ready, and to make an honest, clean shot on an animal that always believes there’s danger behind every tree! In those 7 seconds you must verify that it is, indeed, a legal animal, find a chance to shoot (not easy when you’re in brushy country), and you must usually remain undetected by those roving eyes and swivelling ears. What a high! The adrenalin rush I get from it is like nothing else in this world. The fulfillment of long hard hours of hunting is definitely worth it!
Get The Best Telescopic Deer Hunting Rifle Scope Available Part 3
The only thing more important than a telescopic scope that works with a deer hunting rifle, the chosen hunting environment, and the shooting style of the hunter, is the actual rifle itself.
For the deer hunter who is needing to make long range shots it is important to get the very best scope that he or she can afford. Often hunters find themselves in a variety of conditions, and so they may prefer variable power scopes that allow them the options of general observation, close range or long range shooting. Adjustable rifle scopes typically are a listed with the minimum magnification, the maximum magnification and the objective lens diameter. For example: a “3x9x42″ scope will be listed with a minimum magnification of 3 power, a maximum magnification of 9 power, and a 40 millimeter objective lens diameter.
How To Mount Your Scope
The following deer hunting tips concern the scope on your deer hunting rifle
The weakest link in a shooting system is the scope mount. The finest rifle and scope combination is rendered useless without rugged and reliable mounting rings and bases. Many times, the mounting is not seen as a problem and will result in a miss, or, unfortunately, a wounded animal. There have been a ton of rounds wasted because the rings and bases were not installed properly. When you miss an easy target during informal plinking and target practice, you can quickly and easily get irritated.
There’s more at stake than your accuracy if you install your base and ring poorly. Damage to both rifle and scope can occur, often leading to the shooter getting hurt as well. Having a gunsmith install these critical links between your gun and scope is always a good idea, and the peace of mind from a professional installation is well worth the small fee. Do-it-your-selfers often end up spending the saved money anyway on ammo in a fruitless and expensive effort sighting in. This aggravating process is more like work than pleasure. Remember, shooting is supposed to be an enjoyable activity.
A professional will install the ideal mounting system which will keep your scope as low as possible, and will use as few parts as possible. The more parts needed to install it, the more things are likely to break. You can do well with aluminum mounts, but solid steel mounts are absolutely ideal. You need to know that the see through rings are known to be weak and that while carrying your rifle or bumping it you may change how your scope is sited in. For the most part, if you have the right scope, you won’t have to worry at all about your iron sights.
It is important to know your hunting style as the proper scope can enhance and improve it, while the wrong one can destroy it. This article was condensed from Deer Rifle Scopes and you can review the original at that site to be sure you are choosing the best scope for your rifle and needs.