So I have declared 2015, "My final Season". I plan on finding 1-2 areas and scouting/prepping and hunting each to the best of my ability. If I do not succeed on seeing deer after a highly increased effort and studying, then it's just not for me. 4 deer in 28 seasons just isnt worth it.
My question to all is: What are the best resources, Video, DVD, person, etc. to really get down and dirty reading those subtle deer signs in the woods, picking spots to focus on etc. Even if someone is interested in getting out in the woods or sitting down for a "lesson". Any info is appreciated.
A subscription to Deer and Deer Hunting magazine will help. In about three years all subjects pertaining to deer hunting are discussed and examined.
28yrs of "deer hunting"? Some of it must have been enjoyable for some reason. " I know people who get multiple deer per season", They're not much help?
I've read alot, but to me it's all the same basic things:
Find the does and you'll find the bucks during the rut. Find the crops and you'll find the deer early and late seasons.
But, I want the more in depth knowledge. To read the more subtle signs of deer in the woods. Any veteran hunter can read tracks and droppings, rubs and scrapes. I think I need to go beyond that to be successful.
In regards, to why I still have hunted 28 years: I love the outdoors. However, when you see one deer while in stand throughout bow, shotgun and muzzleloader in two states, it gets old staring at trees and squirrels. Even to see a deer on stand would be satisfaction. It's not about harvesting a deer as much as being able to successfully pattern a whitetail.
I know alot of it is bad luck over the years. Who else can boast about going to North Carolina on a 5 day guided deer hunt to one of the most densely populated areas of the region and didn't even see a deer. Other people in camp did and harvested them, but not myself. lol.
Bloodtrail, I am trying to decide where to hunt in CT. I'd love to find some private land and open up options, but I have hunted state. Mostly, near Union, CT on state land. I'm open to hunting anywhere in the northern half of the state. (Or zone 11/12 if it falls in my lap, lol).
I think understanding the whitetail, behavior and needs will go a long way. I read a Penn State study that is ongoing and was interesting to see how the deer actually moved in this study. Learning to read topos to focus my scouting will help, too.
I will definitely check the book mentioned above, as I am sure it will help.
Thank you for the responses thus far and for the ones yet to come.
Everywhere else crop damage permit or a WB membership will do it.
P.S. Regardless of hunting zone during rut make sure your legs are tanned and then walk in the woods wearing only a white, pissed on, pair of underwear while bent at waist line. Keep bow handy 'cause the antlered boys will get you. Times have changed and as the same sex marriage is making strides, inter-species relationships will follow logically.
"Bow Hunting Pressured WhiteTails" 3 DVD set by John Eberhart has good info that might help.
The most I hunt a location during the season on state land is once or twice. I would move around if your hunting pressured property because it doesn't take long for the deer to pattern you rather than the other a way around. Their lives depend on it! I'm no expert by any means but if I could give you any advice I would say 90% of your success hunting will be directly related to boots on the ground scouting and record keeping. Know where they eat, sleep, move during the entire season and why so when you choose stand sites you'll expect to see deer because you know the area and their movements almost as good as they do.
Good luck! Never give up just change it up.
I'm sorry but if after 28 years you didn't learn it one more year might not help. When you say 4 deer in 28 year, you mean 4 big bucks or total?
come on dude, I've seen PLENTY of deer in the past 16 years, I just didn't shoot any of them. I know what BIGZ is feeling because I think most of us were there at one point in our hunting careers.
My first 3 years of hunting I saw zero deer, then I found a spot where there were deer all over the place, but it took 3 years of looking and talking to other hunters to get to that point.
BigZ - I've said this before about state land. Do your homework. Pick a spot that you'd like to hunt, pull up the topo map and study it, drive around the entire area to see the lay of the land, and then try to find a back door into the area. Ask landowners if you can cross their property to get to the state land (not hunt it) and offer to share the prize with them. By getting in the back door you let the deer come to you as the other hunters push them your way.
Understanding where deer are going to and coming from takes time. Finding food and cover are the 2 keys. Once you find the food look trails and follow them. They'll probably end up in thick laurel stands, a swamp, or tall brushy areas. Pick a stand location just outside their bedding area and then note the wind direction needed to hunt that area.
Good luck with it.
Simple:
Get up earlier in the morning, then Walk farther into to woods, Quieter than anyone else can, then Climb higher up the tree and stay there longer. Make it your goal to have 0 scent and 0 noise in the woods.
Then repeat this process in a different location, day after day after day.
You'll see deer, I promise
Carolina Whitetail Outfitters. If your friend is the guy I know, he goes to Carolina Woods and Water with about 9 other guys and hammers them in early December. Unfortunately, they were booked for that week and we went to this other outfitter. At my outfitter, the guys brother who was the co-owner died a month prior and I really don't think that he had his heart in it. That plus, colder than normal weather, etc. seemed to change patterns on him. Every other hunter (5) saw and/or harvested multiple deer. The least amount anyone saw was 6 deer for the week.
Andyw, I have 6 trail cameras. I had mine up September and checked weekly. (I wouldn't check so often but I wanted to see if the deer were in the area.) Where I hunted it was loaded with acorns. The bigger issue is that there were so many acorns and much of each property is a mix of whites and reds. My one stand is a climber so it's nice to have the freedom to move, and wind is my number one factor on deciding where to sit on a given day. I've actually wonder if setting numerous hangons and ladder stands would help me be more stealth like in entrance/exiting.
Stlhtr..I'll check that out thank you
CT Crow I hear you about hiking. Used to just walk all during shotgun season as a kid. It wasn't until I sat still or had a stand that I started seeing deer.
BigBuckBob, I've actually seen more deer on CT State Land this year (2 on ifferent sits after dark) vs. 1 on private land in MA). Any suggestion on articles for what to be looking for on topos?
BobHunt71 I scout in the winter especially after fresh snow. Even this year while hunting in MA early shotgun. THe deer had the same movements as last year. Moving across a ridge in the oaks about 1/2 mile and cross down into houses at night.
MikeLeone, if it were that easy I'd have deer in the freezer or at least see them more often. I'm in stand 60-90 minutes before dawn. If it's an afternoon hunt, I'm in there minimum of 3 hours before shooting time. My last hunt I walked 45 minutes to get to the spot high up on a mountain.
Just going through my hunts this year. I hunted CT 6 times with bow (2 deer sighted after shooting time walking out)
in MA I hunted 10 days with bow ( 1 deer sighted while in stand)
16 sits 1 deer sighting at 70 yards away. approximately, 64 hours on stand 1 sighting.
Shotgun and Muzzleloader no sightings while on stand.
I did see 3 deer opening of shotgun, but that was a deer drive in Zone 11, so I don't count that in my stats.
Total 1 sighting in about 80-90 hours of stand time.
It made me realize how much time I wasted hunting over deer sign when I should have been worried about hunting topography and ignoring sign for the most part. I still need to reset and remind myself from time to time, that I am not hunting deer scrapes, deer rubs or deer dropping, I am hunting deer.
Also it made me realize that climbing higher is almost always better.
That said, while it has helped me kill more deer with firearms, I think it is slightly less helpful is your only interested in archery.
Just re-read your first post. I think limiting yourself to only a couple of spots is really silly as well, especially if your a gun hunter on public land or a large parcel of private land. Hunt from the ground, with a gun, you don't need a stand if your hunting areas with elevation changes, which you should be. I never hunt from a tree stand with a gun.
Gonna go against the grain here, but in my opinion you don't need to do a lot of scouting to be successful especially with a gun. Just find a bunch of areas, a lot more than two, with good topography, check them out once long before the season opens, (or maybe even just trust the map and don't check them out at all ahead of time,) mark them on a GPS or in your head, and don't go back there poking around looking for sign or doing any prep work (not sure what needs to be prepped, just find a comportable rock or tree stump and sit there). The second time you visit a spot you should be hunting them, and, just gut it out, stay put and hunt, try to resist the urge to go searching for deer sign. Easier said than done, especially for someone like me that likes to explore and look for rubs and stuff, but you got to make a choice between exploring and seriously trying to kill something. In my experience you can't do both.
we agree on another issue buddy! Even for the bow season, I don't go to my best spots until the rut starts, then I get right into hunting, no scouting needed.
Hunting the topography is also a key for me. There are natural funnels. Deer will take the route that requires the least amount of energy and provides safety, and sometimes safety is secondary.
Gunning - I've only used a gun 2 out of the last 46 years in CT, and that was to teach a young man and his dad how to hunt deer (they didn't do bow). We went to big area of state land and started still hunting towards a funnel at the end of swamp, sat them down for a couple of hours and sure enough a deer came by but didn't offer a clear shot. Mid day, I switch to bedding areas and late day work toward food sources.
Can't remember the last time I moved my stand over a scrape or a rub, just know I was young.
