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Some advice for "Newbies". #6006946 11/02/15 10:04 PM
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This list is for NEWBIES. You might not agree with some or all,,if so, YOU are NOT a newbie!
1.Get in your blind one hour BEFORE official sunrise.
2.Take something to drink (Hot or Cold) and a snack that is packaged in something that will NOT MAKE ANY NOISE.
3.Sit at the back of the blind and in one corner (if possible).
4.Use a shooting rest (sandbag or a commercial, eared rest)
5.To pass the time, take a small transistor radio AND EARPHONES.
6.If you position your shooting rest properly, you should be able to brace your elbow against the inside of the blind (maybe a cross brace) with the rifle foreend in the rest. It should be almost as steady as a benchrest w/sandbags.
7.Use ONE window (the one that faces the feeder/foodplot. More windows allow for deer to see your body or head swivel...not a good plan.
8.Place the vertical crosshair just a smidgen behind the front leg and the horizontal crosshair 1/3 of the way up from the deers sternum.
9.Sight in your rifle, BEFORE you go hunting. Use the SAME ammo that you used to sight in to hunt.
10.A pair of heavy duty pruning shears makes the job of removing the deers legs at the joint very easy.
11.After your deer is tagged, be sure to fill in the back of your license to indicate date and location of your kill (Wardens will catch you on this one).
12. Try to get your deer skinned and the meat cooled out (or on ice) as soon as possible after the shot. It will make a big difference in the taste of your venison.
rifle


Old age and treachery beats youth and stupid every time!
Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6006984 11/02/15 10:21 PM
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wow, great stuff.

Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6007067 11/02/15 11:12 PM
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Good advice forgot to mention about having tp with you

Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: hogreaper] #6007085 11/02/15 11:21 PM
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Originally Posted By: hogreaper
Good advice forgot to mention about having tp with you

13)Poo downwind of your blind.

Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6007119 11/02/15 11:49 PM
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good stuff

I'll add, you probably won't kill a deer in camp, so the longer you stay in the woods the better your chances. Deer do move during the middle of the day, most hunters don't hunt all day but you should take advantage of that and be the woods all day.

Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6007150 11/03/15 12:03 AM
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I have to call baloney on number 5. I don't think you can find a transistor radio these days...lol


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Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: 7ARanch] #6007185 11/03/15 12:18 AM
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Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6007186 11/03/15 12:18 AM
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Never hunt a stand when the wind will blow your se cent towards the area where you expect to see deer. Deer scoff at any product that claims to mask or cover your scent.

The more you walk, the move you see.

Remember deer can and do often run a significant distance after a lethal hit. If you will be hunting in the afternoon, be sure to take a good light to search for the deer, keeping in mind that if you stopped looking after 15 minutes, you haven't looked at all. Don't be afraid to ask for help, and be prepared to spend hours looking if you feel the shot was a good one, and especially if you find blood. There is an art to tracking a wounded deer and those who are good at should be the most respected men (and women) in camp.

Oh yeah, that same light you use to look for a deer might save your life when one of those hunters who claim they shoot a gun that can "cut brush", assumes you're a deer, rather than a human. Remember too that blaze orange is practically useless in the dark. Some hunters have even been mistakenly shot and killed wearing it because the idiot who shot them could not see it at night.


"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6007460 11/03/15 02:08 AM
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You must have been there once. happy3

Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: Texas Dan] #6007518 11/03/15 02:32 AM
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Originally Posted By: Texas Dan
Never hunt a stand when the wind will blow your se cent towards the area where you expect to see deer. Deer scoff at any product that claims to mask or cover your scent.

The more you walk, the move you see.

Remember deer can and do often run a significant distance after a lethal hit. If you will be hunting in the afternoon, be sure to take a good light to search for the deer, keeping in mind that if you stopped looking after 15 minutes, you haven't looked at all. Don't be afraid to ask for help, and be prepared to spend hours looking if you feel the shot was a good one, and especially if you find blood. There is an art to tracking a wounded deer and those who are good at should be the most respected men (and women) in camp.

Oh yeah, that same light you use to look for a deer might save your life when one of those hunters who claim they shoot a gun that can "cut brush", assumes you're a deer, rather than a human. Remember too that blaze orange is practically useless in the dark. Some hunters have even been mistakenly shot and killed wearing it because the idiot who shot them could not see it at night.

Just out of curiosity Texas Dan, Do you really think that it's a good idea for a "Newbie" to go out walking so he can "see more deer" ??


Old age and treachery beats youth and stupid every time!
Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6007569 11/03/15 02:49 AM
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#12!!!!

Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6007650 11/03/15 03:24 AM
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Originally Posted By: DH3
Just out of curiosity Texas Dan, Do you really think that it's a good idea for a "Newbie" to go out walking so he can "see more deer" ??


Silly me. Allow me to be a little more direct.

Spend more time walking to your stand instead of riding the ATV. You'll see more and better deer as a result. Hunting pressure includes all the sights, smells, and sounds that deer learn to associate with hunters who invade their core areas a few weeks each year.

Which reminds me of another tip for newcomers. Once most hunters have given up because they claim all the deer have "disappeared", take some vacation and hunt during the middle of the week.

Getting back to walking more and riding less, I became a believer in this after two incidents. The first is when I decided to make the near mile walk to a stand that I had on public land, rather than riding my ATV, which was legal at the time. A photo of that buck is shown below. The second happened several years later when I had two young bucks come scampering from behind me very soon after hearing the sounds of hunters on an adjacent lease riding their ATV's to the stands just before sunrise. The two of them trotted straight past my tripod, stopping about ten yards in front and looking back from the direction they came. Could something else have spooked them? Perhaps. But the same thing happened when I took the buck in the photo below. He too came walking by from the direction I had heard hunters riding ATV's about five minutes earlier.



"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6007726 11/03/15 03:55 AM
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Dan: If you spend more time "walking to your blind" and still get there ONE hour before official sunrise (See #1 in the original post) exactly how many deer would you expect a newbie to see ?? This post was intended for a NEWBIE.
Not saying some of your advice is not sound; I do question if it will help a newbie put venison on the table any better than the advice offered.

Last edited by DH3; 11/03/15 03:59 AM.

Old age and treachery beats youth and stupid every time!
Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6007766 11/03/15 04:21 AM
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I would say that the walking comment is a really good one. Walking to the stand is one thing, but spend a few days before season starts, just walking around your hunting area. Look at the pathways in and out of where you will be watching. If you are hunting a lane, walk the lane and see where the game trails cross. As season gets closer, check them to see how fresh the tracks are. You can know where to concentrate your attention if you have a live trail vs one that doesn't show much or any traffic.

Riding an ATV is good, but you miss alot of small clues, and you also will either spook the animal out or cause them to stay down in the brush out of sight. Walking around you can walk up on deer grazing and see where they are normally.

Walking may not be for everyone, but I think it is a good way to develop situational awareness of your hunting area.


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Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6007780 11/03/15 04:33 AM
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Wind, wind, wind....I see more new hunters not follow this advice. It doesn't just mean to avoid hunting from a blind that the wind takes your scent to the corn, it also means don't let your scent go into the woods where your deer come from.

I have seen a lot of new hunters that set up two blinds on the same stand, one on the north side and one on the south, and then hunt opposing winds.

Just because you don't hear a deer blow or stomp, doesn't mean you weren't busted. Many just turn and slip away without a sound.

Relax. Too many times, people get excited or antsy in the stand and end up making extra noise and movement looking for deer. Take your time and scan slowly.

Enjoy it. While many newbies are accused of not knowing, some tend to over think it. Moving your stand, changing the paint color mid season, moving to a different stand mid hunt, scouting bedding areas mid rut, etc. are not going to increase your chances. Do your homework, make a decision and make minor adjustments if necessary.

Screwing up is part of learning. Learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them.

Get a mentor and listen.

Don't get caught up in all the hype. Most of us started at the same place. Management, herd control, culling, right deer/wrong deer...it can take away from the experience. Eventually, it can become another dynamic to your experience, but I am glad I didn't start where I am today in my hunting growth.

Buy the dang gadgets and gimmicks. Doesn't hurt a thing and you might get lucky. There was a time I think I enjoyed shopping for some new "miracle" almost as much as the hunt itself. Gave me something to do in the offseason.


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Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6007835 11/03/15 05:30 AM
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As hard as we try to do everything right, pure luck is often the deciding factor.


"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: Texas Dan] #6007851 11/03/15 05:42 AM
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Originally Posted By: Texas Dan
As hard as we try to do everything right, pure luck is often the deciding factor.

happy3 happy3 happy3


Old age and treachery beats youth and stupid every time!
Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6007854 11/03/15 05:45 AM
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Originally Posted By: DH3
5.To pass the time, take a small transistor radio AND EARPHONES.

Listen to nature.

Last edited by Mickey Moose; 11/03/15 05:46 AM.

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Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6007855 11/03/15 05:45 AM
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I hunt in a thick creek bottom, in East Texas...I have 3 lanes, that are basically 12-14' wide. If I only had one window open, I would miss the majority of movement grin BUT...I do sit in one corner and watch the 2 longer lanes, and occasionally glance around the corner at the lane that has less travel crossings. But that is because I do like bull279 stated. I have studied my lanes for the last few months and know where the crossings are up


Originally Posted by East...
Originally Posted by East...
I will get off in a little bit

You shouldnt have said that
Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6008163 11/03/15 02:29 PM
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#1 Pick a spot!!! Don't shoot at the whole animal.

(look a deer, raise rifle, see brown, Bam, wonder how you missed the deer.)


If you ain't hunting, you ain't living right.
Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6008350 11/03/15 04:21 PM
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How about just have fun and enjoy Gods creation? It does not matter if you want to paint your face and crawl through the woods with a thousand bucks worth of sent proof clothes on. Or if you forget to bring bullets with you half the time. Just realize how lucky you are to have the chance to get out there.

Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: lawndart956] #6008429 11/03/15 04:58 PM
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Originally Posted By: lawndart956
How about just have fun and enjoy Gods creation? It does not matter if you want to paint your face and crawl through the woods with a thousand bucks worth of sent proof clothes on. Or if you forget to bring bullets with you half the time. Just realize how lucky you are to have the chance to get out there.


That is, or should be, rule number ONE!


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Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6008440 11/03/15 05:06 PM
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Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: DH3] #6008457 11/03/15 05:17 PM
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Or your spit bottle with your water bottle...

Re: Some advice for "Newbies". [Re: High Country Archer] #6008473 11/03/15 05:26 PM
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Originally Posted By: High Country Archer
#1 Pick a spot!!! Don't shoot at the whole animal.

(look a deer, raise rifle, see brown, Bam, wonder how you missed the deer.)

High Country..Take a look at #8 in the original post. Maybe you missed it ?? confused2


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