TIPS FOR BEGINNER DEER HUNTERS
Always Remember Safety
Above and beyond bringing home a buck, make sure to bring yourself home! Practicing safety is a form of discipline. If you can train yourself to be a safe hunter, then you can train yourself in the art of buck hunting
Know Your Firearm
Whether rifle, shotgun, or muzzleloader, know your firearm. Practice with your weapon until you feel comfortable. Adjust your sights if you are using a scope. To ensure consistency, group 3 to 5 shots within one inch of the bull's eye at a distance of 50 yards.
Familiarize yourself with the gun's safety features: where is the safety button? when is it on/off? Know when the ammunition is locked in the chamber and how to safely unload the gun.
Select Proper Clothing
Dress according to conditions. Wear layers for warmth, and bring rain gear if showers are forecasted. Even if it feels warm, it's better to dress for the cold and be able to remove layers if you get too warm than not be warm enough. Wearing hunter orange reinforces the importance of safety
Know Your Location
When choosing your prime location, look for runways, scrapes, and rubs. Decide whether you want a ground blind or treestand. On opening day, determine from which direction the wind is blowing and face it.
Deer are creatures of habit. If a buck has moved through an area before, he will likely revisit it. Hunting from a tree provides safety from other hunters and an element of surprise for you. One of a buck's keenest senses is smell. The chance of him moving downwind is unlikely. By hunting in a tree, he will have a harder time detecting you
Silence
Don't move! Not only do deer have a sharp sense of smell, but their hearing isn't too bad either. Cracking a pop open or munching on food will send them running. Likewise leave the radio back at camp. Remember you are in the deer's home. He knows every inch of the woods and every sound it makes
Sit From Dawn To Dusk
Thinking about leaving your stand? Don't! The trees may look the same and you have probably named the squirrel that keeps running circles around you, but don't leave your stand from dawn to dusk during the first three days of the season. The deer haven't been shot at enough to become spooked. Since they may are in rut, they tend to move all day
Be Alert
When does and fawns pass through, let them be but be alert since bucks will be passing through as well. Sometimes a buck may be with the group, off to the side with his nose to the ground, other times he may be an hour behind them following
Count The Points-After He's Hanging
When a buck arrives, properly identify him as a legal buck. However, do not count the points and avoid buck fever. Too often the beginner already has the deer hanging from the buck pole before firing the first shot. Nothing will make you miss more than concentrating on something other than the task at hand. Remember, the sight goes behind the front leg, and squeeze, don't pull the trigger
Take Your Best Killing Shot
Do not fire unless you are 100% sure that you can kill the deer. To ensure this, practice "wood to wood" while shooting. Keep your cheek pressed to the gun's stock while firing. Wood to wood ensures that your best shot will find its mark
Mark Where You Last Saw The Deer
Whether the deer drops or runs, use a fallen tree or mossy stump to mark where you last saw him before you leave your blind. The scenery looks awfully different with the deer not standing there and being away from your blind. Even if you hit the deer, he may run. Not only are bucks elusive, they are resilient. By marking his last position, you will have a good reference point to look for him or blood and begin tracking
Written by Mark Bergmooser
Woods-N-Water News Magazine October 2001 issue
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