Deer Camp Protocol

Total green-horn novice here. Long-time competitive rifle shooter, but never hunted. Recently invited by friend to hunt deer with him on his hill country ranch. Won't be roughing it; there is lodging/house on the property. Looking for some guidance and suggestions. What should I do as a guest? What should I bring? What should I not do? Already applied for license.

What do you mean applied for a license? They're over the counter.

Bring steaks, beer (if he drinks beer), if you're riding together and stop for gas, buy it. Make sure you know what to shoot and what not to shoot. Make a good shot (if you shoot comps shouldn't be a problem). Clean up the house when you leave and take all the trash with you. And about a million other little things.

Clean, pick up, help with chores, take a good whiskey with you to share, ask about what food to bring, make your bed, do dishes, treat the place as if it was yours, be considerate,
Don't get drunk, don't cuss like a sailor, don't be a [censored]

The biggest thing is just ask your friend what you need to bring and what he needs help with and offer to help. I'd bring a couple of bags of corn to use to spread around. Gestures like that goes a long way.

Shooting at a live breathing animal is completely different than shooting a paper target.
You will find out what I mean once you level your sight on an animal.
The main thing is to understand what is legal to shoot and what is not, and to have an understanding about shot placement as there are no dots on the animals. That may sound corny, but you have to know where the vitals are located to make an ethical clean kill.
Don't take a questionable shot, and above all be sure of your target, and you can't undo that shot once you pull the trigger.
As others have said, remember you are a guest! Having not hunted before, I would hope he would sit with you and not turn you loose first time out!

Be a good guest and you'll always get invited back. Bad guests exit and never return. Just the way it works. Here's a few suggestions that my good guests always do and continue to get the invite because of. I've never asked for a single thing from any of my guests and treat them as if they were guest at my own home, but this is what the ones who continue to get the invite do. Hope some of this helps. Enjoy yourself and welcome to the outdoors.

- Be legal. Have your hunting license on you at all times.
- Buy the groceries for the weekend. I've never expected this, but it's a sure nice gesture.
- Pick up after yourself; leave the place cleaner than you found it. Ask what you can do to help before leaving the place.
- Offer to buy a few bags of corn to throw out at your hunting spots.
- Offer to fill the gas tank if you're traveling together.
- Clarify what you are there to shoot; what should and should not be shot. Mistakes here are costly for future invites, so listen closely.

If you've never hunted before, make sure you have your hunters ed card. License is over the counter like mentioned above. If your not sure if you should shoot it don't.

Lots of good tips already suggested.

Don't hesitate to ask even the simplest questions because at this point you don't know what you don't know. Good sportsmen will respect you far more for asking instead of making assumptions and then making very poor decisions as a result of pure ignorance.

It is pretty simple like everything else in life. Respect, common sense, logic. Treat the person who invited you as you would want to be treated - Have fun

Helpful feedback, much appreciated! Thanks to all.
And, by the way, TX hunting licenses (and fishing) are now conveniently available online through the miracle of the internet, just takes a couple minutes, then delivered to your mailbox.

Something that happens frequently when a guy invites a guest, is that guest will be told they can only shoot a certain type of deer.
That deer may be a doe only or what the landowner considers an inferior deer or a management deer.
All too often the "guest" will take it upon themselves to shoot an animal they were specifically told not to, and that will result in not being invited back and in most cases an end to that relationship.
More relationships have been broken over deer lease flubs than most any other activity.
It's all about honesty, respect, and trust......It's just not that hard to do the right thing!

And nothing can get you invited back any quicker than passing on a nice buck, not because you were told you couldn't shoot one, but out of respect for the longstanding lease members, or because you felt your lack of experience might end with the deer being wounded and unrecovered.

As noted earlier, establish good relationships first and good hunting is sure to follow. If you don't kill a thing but lay the groundwork for good and lasting relationships, it will have been a great and successful experience.

Why come ask for help then be a tool when folks are trying to be helpful? You didn't apply for it online, you bought it online. Convenient if you have time to wait, sucks if something happens and it gets delayed and it's time to go hunt. They lost my Duck Stamp one year. He was trying to make sure you had a real license since you're a rookie

Good luck on your hunt.

Good luck and hope you get something. My only request for guests is make sure gun is sighted in and you know how to use it. Or you can borrow one of mine for pigs. And bring beer or something else to sip and share. Anymore than that you are doing way too much as a guest unless I ask for it. Oh, firewood is a big bonus though.

You need license in hand for deer as you use tags so hope you already got it in the mail. Mine took two weeks to get mailed. And buy the hunter ed deferral if you born on or after Sept 1 1971.

"...tool..."?
Seems helpful to share that the license is obtainable online, too, because others might appreciate knowing that. (To buy, that is, not apply for. )
Thanks for the good luck wishes. Looking forward to the experience.

I remember years ago I was invited to hunt with a friend of mine on his lease. 8 points or better was the rule of the day. I had the opportunity to see a really nice mature 10. I thought to myself what a beautiful buck.
I then thought that I would not like to be the member that had to answer for a guest killing such a nice buck so I passed and ended up shooting a really nice mature doe as I was really looking only to fill my freezer.
when I relayed the story to my buddy I could tell he appreciated the gesture.
Use common sense and don't get caught up shooting the first thing you see. Better to pass than have to answer for killing the wrong animal.
good luck!

In addition to what’s been said, don’t be a know it all.

Over the years I've taken MANY guys to our ranch. The guys that get invited most often are the guys that usually do one or more of the following:

1. Bring good food. snacks, brown water, etc
2. Offer to drive
3. Offer to pay for the gas if riding with me
4. Help keep the house clean, cook, dishes, etc.
5. Call me when September is rolling around and offer to go with me to help fill feeders, etc (usually in exchange for dove hunting)
6. Invite me or my kids to stuff they do (camping, fishing, a day on the lake in the boat, etc) - seriously, reciprocation is the most appreciated thing for me. A buddy that has a son the same age as my 10 yr old invites my kid to camp at the lake with them in their RV. That means the world to me because it's an experience they have easy access to that I don't. And when you get invited, do the above stuff.

I have one lifelong friend that I invited once and haven't invited back. I brought good steaks, he commented that the place he goes has better , bigger, whatever. He drove separately at the last minute after offering to ride and split gas. He woke up and left early Sunday while I was still asleep without saying anything ahead of time, leaving me to change bed linens, wash towels, and clean the house by myself. I cooked the meals and washed the dishes while he sat around and acted like a paying lodge guest and treated me like a paid lodge host.

Honestly, just show up and try to pitch in wherever. Your host will appreciate any help or participation you can give. If you have a signature breakfast or dinner, offer ahead of time to incorporate that into the meal time. Take some cookies, a batch of brownies, some sort of baked goods from a local bake shop, etc. Everyone loves company while at the ranch, lease, etc. The guy that makes the trip easier on me is the guy on the top of the list to go back.

tell him you can't go and I am going in your place

Hell I do 5 of the above. I'm usually like you, stuck with the work.
Better yet, I vote for you to take colt45.
Except for Turkeys!!

AKA "Lease Manager".

Take toilet paper. With you. To the blind.

If the LO is there FOLD your full house to his pair of TENS all in!

If you know what he likes to drink buy it. If you can find an inexpensive cool gadget that he can use on the his property or house.
Bought a friend of mine one of those guest books that they sign and share their experience while out there, they love it.

Cannot go wrong getting him a Propane Torch that either hooks up to a tank or one of those canisters. Good for starting campfires, brush piles, burning cactus etc.

Great advice on here. I can't think of anything really to add that hasn't been said at least once. Have fun

Don't poop where you're not supposed to!

Speaking from experience ?

Or at least carry a trowel to dig a cat hole. I was on a lease 1 year where everyone went (for years) just about 50 yards from the cook shack, went on the ground, and walked away. Used toilet paper just a "blowin' in the wind". Can you say "cholera"?

WOW! Applied on January 1, received in mailbox January 4.

Okay! Experienced first deer hunt last weekend. Fun. But no shootable deer.
Brought with me a box of firewood, bottle of wine, and bottle of single malt Scotch. All put to good use.
After we gave up getting a deer, did some target shooting (gong and paper): 1900-built Winchester M1895, and a nearly-new DSA FAL
Ready to go again, when season re-opens, or maybe just to shoot hogs - one triggered the feeder cam/alert, but it took off after a missed shot (dark, 4:30am), no blood.

Sounds like you had a good weekend regardless and enjoyed your time, That’s what matters most. The fact that your ready to go again means your gonna be hooked like the rest of us.
Dont be ashamed of a miss, use it as a tool to learn. Just about everyone who hunts has missed before, and 95% of people who say they never miss either haven’t hunted much or are liars.