Hey guys,
This will be my first year deer hunting and I need some tips on pretty much everything. Is there a good dvd to watch that has good information? Or any other information that could help me out would be great. I already have hunter safety, hunting license, deer lease with cameras set up, feeders, blinds, and guns. Just need some basic tips on the actual hunt.

Thanks

Spend every opportunity out in the field,always pay attention to the wind,try to keep it in your face,STAY in your stand-dont go walking around .Talk to some of the guys on your lease,I'm sure a couple have hunted before and could be a wealth of info.Don't shoot the first deer you see(unless its the buck you want)If you're in a high deer density area and want to take a doe opening weekend thats fine,just remember that there could have been the buck you wanted staying in the background that just got educated as you get out of the stand and give your best rebel yell.Get some good binoculars,they are a neccesity not a luxury and you'll see so much more game.Good hunting and good luck.One last thing partying around the campfire is great and a big part of our camp,but if you do that and stay up late make sure its on a full or semi full moon,that way you can sleep until 8 and go out and hunt mid-day,I have seen deer move many times in the middle of the day when there was a full moon at night.Good luck and tell us how you do>

Just a little tip for you if you have the possibility of taking long shots from your stand (could be so thick at ur place that this is not needed, but I figured I would throw it out there)...

Make a range card and post it up in your stand. That is to say, get a rangefinder and make note of permanent landmarks and their distance from the stand (the feeder, a burm, this pile of rocks, etc.). I've even gone a far as making my own reference points such as a stake in the ground painted a certain color for a certain range (ie. blue stake = 200 yrds, red stake=300, etc). It can make things allot easier when the time arrives and you dont have the extra time needed to range a target.

And as far as wind goes, don't hunt a stand unless the wind is correct. Sure, you may see some deer still, but that old man your after has seen this play out before and sitting on a stand with bad wind just once could ruin your season on that stand.

Another thing, if your place has been hunted regularly in the past and everyone always leaves the stand at, lets say 10am, then stay in yours till 1 or 2 pm. I've seen this multiple times when the deer are conditioned to certain hunting times and make a break for the feeders in the middle of the day when nobody's hunting.

I'm not being preachy here, just my 2 cents when it comes to what I believe is one of the most over looked fundamentals of hunting.

Regardless of your weapon of choice:
Find a range and practice (more than once) ... take your time ... visualize as you practice.

The nerves and jitters will/should be there when the moment arrives but being comfortable and confident in your ability and your weapon of choice goes along way ... not to mention the safety and ethics involved.

Remember Dirty Harry: "A man has to know his limitations". You can do yourself and the game a favor by being honest about yours. If you or your weapon of choice is not confident/comfortable shooting accurately over "x" yards ... then don't shoot.

At the end of the day your goal is to hit what you aim at, one shot, meat on the ground. And that has more to do with placement of your shot than what you are shooting.

Welcome to the club! I'd bet your gonna be hooked for life.

This site is a great way to learn, lots of guys on her that really know their stuff! Everyone has their own methods/opinions but it's still hunting. Expeirence is the best teacher.

In my onion 25-06, 270, 280, 30-06, 7mm-08, 243, 300, are all great rifle's for deer. Find something you are comfortable with and practice, practice, practice. I looks like your familiar with weapons, but when it gets time to make a clean shot on an animal it's a different story. Chances are your adrenaline will be rushing so hard you lose focus. Get comfortable with shot's 150 yards and closer. You want to get familiar with making a clean shot at these distances, you want to make sure you dont wound an animal you cant find or cause it to suffer from a misplaced shot. The amount of money you spend on blinds and feeders is up to you..but in the end they all serve the same purpose. Find an area that shows signs of deer, rubs, trails, etc. Set up a feeder so that the deer still feel protected. Put your blind about 70 - 100 yards from the feeder, in an area where you have the best visibilty in all directions. During the rut deer are everywhere and you are not always going to kill at the feeder. Study the wind when choosing the placement of your stand, you want to make sure you dont set up where your sent will head in the direction of known deer lanes. The most important point I would make about stand placement is know what is behind what you are shooting at in all directions (cattle, other propertys, other hunters,etc. If you are not sure then DO NOT SHOOT. The last thing you want to do is make a terrible mistake that can very easily be avoided!

Dont expect to kill a monster anytime soon. You might get lucky and spoiled real quick but dont expect that to be the case year after year. Be pateinet = huntings best virtue.

Again, every has there ways, I could go on for hours, this is just my quick two cents. Be safe, have fun, and good luck!!

thanks guys! These are some great tips and I will be using them come deer season! Can't wait to apply them to my hunt.

jcarlson, I am an old man and I just started deer hunting about 7 years ago and I want to help you NOT make the same mistake I did the first time I shot a deer. I can't believe I am admitting to this! I had always heard that you want to shoot the deer behind the shoulder but no one ever told me how far behind the shoulder. The first buck I shot, I think I aimed about 4-6" behind the shoulder. The buck turned away from me, staggered, turned his head to the left and his tongue was hanging out. Why I don't know but in the excitement I set my rifle down and picked up my binocs to watch the deer fall, I thought. He staggered again, turned his head to the right, tongue hanging out and ambled down a trail into the creek bottom.
Remember I told you I set my rifle down? I set the synthetic stock next to a Blackcat heater and melted a hole in the stock.
I had always heard that you don't go look for the deer right away if it didn't drop where you shot it, you waited 20-30 min.
I may have waited 10-15. I never found that deer or a blood trail. It is one of the most sickining feelings I have ever had in my life. I looked for that deer for at least 5 1/2 hours that evening and several more hours the next morning with my hunting buddy that arrived at the lease that night.

The moral to the storey here is, do some research about shot placement and find you a good picture of the anatomy of a deer so you know where the heart, lungs etc. are before you ever put the crosshairs on a deer.

You will never forget the first deer you shot, make it a good memory.

Sorry for the long winded explanation but know one thing, it's gets better every year.

Good luck,

TB

Have fun...enjoy being out in natures playground. Watch and listen to all of the animals, alot of times they will warn you if something is comming in. When you are looking for deer at distances dont neccesarily look for the whole animal. Look for movement, the tail..the ears. Once you spot movement you can take a closer look with your binos to be sure of what it is. Be absoutley sure of what it is before you shoot. Learn deer signs,droppings..tracks, rubs, hair on a fence where they are crossing.
Watch the weather, it can be your friend or your enemy. Deer movemnts change with oncomming weather fronts. HAVE FUN! Deer hunting is my absolute favoritest thing in the world. I love opening weekend.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I really appreciate it! Some of the main things I need help with is telling the age of deer, knowing if a buck is old enough to take, and how to tell if their 13" spread. Things like that.

Hunt the rut hard. If you're gonna take time off from work, do it in the rut. Don't get too anxious and shoot the first buck you see unless he's a dandy. Be patient.

Shoot 'em in the shoulder or tight behind the shoulder for a quick kill.

Keep your knife sharp. I also carry a pair of limb loppers (I call 'em my Cindy Loppers) to cut bones/rib cage. And they actually work pretty well at trimming limbs out of the way.

A good hatchet (I call mine Molly Hatchet) to split the pelvis when gutting a deer. Makes getting the urine bladder out a little easier.

After you quarter a deer wash the meat down real good and put it in an ice chest covered in ice for 3 to 5 days. Drain off the water daily and replace ice. This will pull the gamey taste out if there is any.

Have fun.

1. Practice with your rifle-OFTEN

2. Buy a set of good 10power binocs

3. Take your time and learn from your mistakes...Trust me you will make them.

4. Dont admire your shot, if its still on its feet and you can hit it again then do it!

A few tips:
1. As others said, PRACTICE every chance you get with your rifle in different positions. Also practice shooting uphill and downhill as these shots are different than those on level ground.
2. Have several different spots picked out for specific wind directions and only hunt them when the wind is in your favor.

3. NEVER SHOOT AT A DEER THAT IS RUNNING, NO MATTER HOW BIG. You may get lucky but 90% of the time you end up with a deer that may or may not have been fatally wounded. I did this once on an 11pt buck and ended up tracking him for 2 miles and crossed 3 different neighboring properties before catching up with it only to find out that I had hit him in the upper front leg which was now dangling by a tendon. That deer would have been taken down by coyotes or if lucky would have had to live the rest of his life on 3 legs.

Rather than go through the characteristics of each age class, I will suggest you get the book "Observing and Evaluating Whitetails" by Dave Richards & Al Brothers. It's been my bible ever since I got a paperback copy. I keep it in my hunting backpack for reading on stand. As for the spread, the easiest phrase to follow is don't shoot it if the spread is blatantly inside the ears when a buck is looking directly at you. A deer's ear is usually 4.5 to 6 inches in length when perked out and the measurement across their head between bases of the ears is about 4-5 inches. Therefore, a spread at the ears is easily more than the 13 inch minimum. You WILL make mistakes, as many of us have before, in shooting a young deer with very promising antlers. Our unwritten rule of thumb on the lease is "Don't shoot a forked antlered buck unless you plan on having him shoulder mounted at the taxidermist"

Greetings from Afghanistain. I am a recent transplant to Texas from California (I know, I know...but give me a break - I got here as soon as I could) and I am currently deployed. I should be returning mid December / early January. I am intrested in locating any information regarding deer leases or hunting clubs. I live in Tomball (NW Houston) and dont know the area too well. Any input or advise would be most welcome. Thank you. Semper Fi.

Here is something I got from a bowhunting magazine but you will get the same deer reactions and effects from shooting with gun:

Good info here. I'm taking notes!

Order a subscription to Deer and Deer Hunting magazine. It's a little pricey compared to other hunting magazines, but you won't find a better source for learning about deer and deer behavior.

Also, check out your local public library and pay special attention to any older books that cover the hunting skills that are quickly being lost on a generation that equates deer hunting to waiting for something to show up and eat.

Make sure you take care of your gun! If you drop it on your way back to camp you might want to sight it in just in case you bumped the scope. You want to get some 10x zoom binoculars. Very helpful when you're in the field.

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