A little help...

[Robert Connell]

I have been on here a few times asking questions because I planned to move to TN. Well I moved and couldn't be happier with where I am living. Great place, better school, weather, and more.

Hunting season is coming up and I wanted to see what information I can get out of experienced hunters. I just retire out of the Navy, I was stationed in Gulfport MS and that's where I was hunting. Scouting a WMA where I was at wasn't allowed where I was at or something but I went a few times to do it before hunting season and the WMA gates were closed so to me scouting wasn't allowed. I never scouted but I have researched and feel I know what I am doing. I have NEVER shot a deer. I have seen deer hunting but I only seen DOE during buck only season lol.

Ok so I been hunting in Gulfport 2 years now and haven't shot a deer and only seen about 6 deer the 5 years I been there. I seen 10x more then that here in TN driving around so I take that as better luck at getting one this year. I am retired so ill be able to practice on my hunting skills.

So far I know and have tried:

Tree stand hunting. ( probably in the wrong spot bc I don't know how to pick a spot to sit so I just guess random spots)

Stalking ( which I seen 1 DOE doing this on accident just strolling through the woods and popped up on me.)

Ground hunting ( again no clue how to pick a spot)

Game calls ( I read these suck I tried them and have to agree. It seems to be something to play with if you hunt bucks only)

That's pretty much it., I don't really know much but you guys can point me to a video or book or something that can lay out the steps for me? I'm ready to learn and can't wait to get hunting. I understand rubs, scrapes, beds, food, water, scat. All that I understand, I don't know how people can track down there bedding sights, how the deer travel, all that stuff. Seems the videos and stuff I read people seem to know how the deer are moving, when and why there moving, and where there gonna be. A lot of stuff talks only about bucks but I want meat and DOE is fine to me. But I couldn't do it in MS and I am sure it is mainly because lack of scouting and knowledge. I know I'm doing something wrong so any help I appreciate it..

 

[barkscaler]

You need to get between bedding cover and feeding areas.Bedding cover is usually a thicket or thicker cover.Feeding areas are usually fields,oaks,persimmons ect..Alot of people know how the deer travel, because they have spent countless hours hunting and observing the deer on their turf.Just find the feed and bedding cover and give it a little patience,and you're sure to connect.Good luck and can't wait to see your first kill pics.

 

[Boll Weevil]

One important element I didn't notice you mentioned in your post was wind and/or thermals. You can fool a deer's eyes/ears some of the time but the nose KNOWS. Learn to scout, hang your stands, and hunt with the wind in your favor (or as much as is possible). If the wind is wrong for a particular set, find another.

My guess is that your sightings will soar when you consider wind more closely.

 

[MattR]

What area of Tn are you in?

 

[Robert Connell]

I am in Scott county. I have heard about the wind something I don't pay much attention to. I do rake my yard and throw leaves and grass in a tote box and bury my clothes in the box so that my clothes smell like outdoor elements. I have made sent smell by boiling leaved and sprayed that on. My only guess us I don't scout before season or at all really. I drove through Big Fork South yesterday and got a book on the hunting rules of TN. I am not to sure of the area but everything looked open like I was allowed to scout. I have never scouted before, I know I am spost to look for scat, prints, rub lines. I know what they look like but I look at it go yep that's scat or a rub but I still don't know where that deer is headed or what time it came through, or where I can't put my tree stand knowing he will walk through this area. I see in videos people say I been trying to get close to this 1 buck I been watching for 3 years. I'm not doing anything like they are and I am not sure how to go about getting that knowledge.

Any help would be appreciated.. I'm truly lost at what I am doing. Lol

 

[Boll Weevil]

...so that my clothes smell like outdoor elements.

In my opinion your very best bet is to smell as close to nothing as possible; not leaves, not pines, not dirt. As close to odorless as possible with the knowledge that from a deer's perspective, regardless of what steps you take, you still stink.

Do a search on here for threads about scent econtrol; there's plenty of perspectives. If the wind is blowing your scent (however slightly) into a deer's nose, you're busted. Learn to hunt (and scout, and hang stands, and enter, and exit etc) with the wind as much in your favor as possible.

 

[MattR]

Look at a map of the place you plan to hunt and scout out the natural funnels, benches, saddles, ect. If you are hunting a place where there are deer then these are great places to start looking for sign.

Most of my scouting is done by looking at a map and the ground scouting is just to confirm what I have already seen on a map.

I'm not at all the most experienced deer hunter or the most knowledgeable. But from being a corpsman with the marines, I had to travel a lot and get used to new hunting areas.

here is a good tutorial about using maps to help scout for deer. Also you can use google earth and get more of a image of what kind of land you are hunting.
http://bowsite.com/bowsite/features/pra ... ter/topos/

Also, putting your clothes in bags with leaves isn't going to trick a deer's nose. I would suggest washing with scent reducing detergent, putting them in a air tight, scent free bag, and not putting them on until you get in the woods.

The best way to get the "knowledge" is getting in the woods and going deer hunting. Time in the woods is the best teacher. Then at least when you read something you know what they are talking about and then you are able to apply that knowledge for the next time you are in the woods.

 

[Robert Connell]

That link you gave mattR helped. I figured funnels and intersections were where a bunch of well beaten paths that deer took we're connecting. LoL not how the terrain of the land funnel the deer into those locations. That kind of clears up a lot of things. Check out a map, find some areas that deer look to be, and go check those areas for deer signs. What about farm fields? Am I right when I say deer will bed up in the tall corn and when it gets cut they feed in the open field? I'm get out to big south fork and start some scouting.. How is it people hunt acorns?
Walk around until you see a bunch on the ground and look for deer sign? Sorry if these are dumb questions but it helps..

Thanks again

 

[Robert Connell]

So I went scouting my by house a little bit today. I wanna try to run what I found by you guys see what you think..

So if you sat on my front porch and looked straight out in front you would see a big hay field. To the left of the hay field there is a pretty big corn field. To the right of the hay field there is woods that go up a small hill and then there's a few abandoned houses that the grass hasn't been cut for a year or 2.

I took my kids into the woods that are right of the hay field and found some pretty good beat down trails. I followed them and they ran to the abandoned houses with tall grass. I stopped there at the edge of the wood line because I figured that would be a good spot for the deer to bed up in, and I didn't want to disturb there hiding spot.

So I turned around followed all the trails and it looks to me deer could have been traveling from them houses down through the woods over the hay field into the corn.. Looks that way but none of the beaten paths had any prints in them. They were really beat down and then come out right by the hay field. I did find a few pair of deer prints between the hay field and the woods but not enough to tell if the deer are coming in and out of the woods.

So I am not sure if deer are actually traveling through there or not. Seems to be a good spot what do you guys think? I am some what confused because the corn seems to be where they would be hiding and eating until it gets cut. So do you think they were using those trails last year and this year there in the corn? Should I worry about them trails or set game cameras up there?

Thanks again for all the help

 

[7wsm]

set game cameras up there may not be deer making those trails.

 

[Vermin93]

Put up a trail camera or two overlooking those trails or the area where they enter the hay field.

Buy a Trophy Rock and set it near one of the trails and put a trail camera near it.

Hang a treestand at a distance and get out there really early and mid afternoon and watch for deer movement into and out of the hay field and corn field with binoculars.

There's lots of good books about deer hunting on Amazon.com available for $10 - $20 or check your local library. I learned a lot about whitetail deer, scouting and deer hunting from books. My scouting is much more effective and I have much more productive treestand and ground blind sites because this.

If you know an experienced deer hunter invite them over to walk the property with you in return for a weekend hunt.

 

[SALTMAN]

Check the old home places for fruit trees, deer lovem . maybe where the trails are coming from. Trail cams are a big help.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

BSF will be tough for someone trying to learn on their own. Need to find you some private land in the SW part of the county where there are quite a few deer.