Frustrations of a first season

[T. J. Mercer]

I understand your situation. I have been there.

I started hunting in 2013. I would get to go hunting only 5 times every season due to various commitments. Only bow and rifle. I have gone so many places and counties, public and private land and was yet to see a deer. I even hunted in E TN on public land and in Rhea county in private land. No deer anywhere, not even to be seen. I remember venting out here in my second year of hunting and the experienced folks here reminded me that's deer hunting. I was frustrated that I go to the same place and spot that my buddy kills every time he sits and I wont even see a deer. I would see deer all around when I drive into the property, but not one from the stand. I was lucky to meet catman; he sympathized with my situation (thank you Jonathan!) and took me to one of his hunting spots as well, and unfortunately didn't see any. I felt like I was the deer repellent. I wasn't sure what I was doing wrong. My clothes were all scent free, I used cover scent on boots, checked wind etc. I kept reading and learning a lot here and from videos. (Taking this opportunity to thank everyone on here who supported with tips, good luck wishes etc.). I didn't have properties available to scout except public land, so stuck to the virtual world more.

I saw deer for the first time from a stand only in 2017, my fifth year of hunting. That too in Mississippi, and it was being chased by dogs. And in 2018 I see two does while hunting in Mississippi but no shot through the branches. In 2019, I see my first deer (a doe and fawns) bow hunting from a blind on public land in middle TN. It blew and ran away but I was so happy just being able to see a deer. Later in 2019, I shot my first deer on rifle opener deer on private land. This year, I am seeing a lot more deer because I go hunting once a week, and I think I found a good spot. Not that it matters, but i killed my first deer this year in jeans, not camo.

Even now I am not certain what I was doing wrong previously. My parents were against me hunting, in fear of whether I would follow suit one of their uncles who took hunting to his head and wouldn't take care of the family. They prayed seemingly jokingly that I don't get a deer and thus get hooked. One of my friends at church prayed in 2017 and told me there is a "block". I didn't tell him about what my parents jokingly prayed before. The next week I called mom and said no matter how much you prayed and I don't get a deer, I am still going to the woods perched on a tree, come deer season. She didnt even remember what happened in 2013 and said I'll pray you get one this time. And I doubled up a couple of weeks later on the rifle opener. In my 8th year.

I don't think my story might help you much, but praying it gives you hope. Just keep trying. You can't kill from the couch anyway. Sometimes, there might be deer where you are and you are just not seeing them. May be you need to go higher on the tree or may be, wear jeans. I wish you good luck that you get one sooner than later, and praying you get to experience the fever of seeing and shooting one.

Reading some of these experiences is painful. And here i thought I had it bad one season, b/c I didn't see as many deer as the year before. Y'all have helped me appreciate the great experiences I've had!

If ever you return to this thread for reminders, read scn's points above. Scout, scout, and scout some more. Learn the natural attractants they draw to, like white oaks early b/c of sweetness and red oaks later b/c of sustenance during the cold. Persimmons, fruit trees, etc. Learn the topography of the land. Google maps (satellite view) can be a hunter's best friend. I think one of my most useful lessons learned was being able to recognize natural barriers or spots of civilization that cause natural pinches in their traffic.
In Wilson Co, my parents & everyone on our little country road had land that backed up to I-840. The row of houses paralleled the interstate with a 150 yard gap between them. On top of this, a tunnel ran beneath the interstate to preserve a creek that was there first. The deer would literally go through this tunnel to cross beneath 840, spill out onto the stretch of field between 840 and the houses, and walk parallel between them. A little throw and grow and a trophy rock at our back edge and it felt like cheating.
In the end, that's the beauty of the hunt. When you can figure them out and set up an appointment with them. It's so rewarding.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Hang in there and stay after them....you have trail cam pics....you know they are there....hunt as much as you can in November......then after season in January and February keep scouting for new areas for next season....and over the next two weeks don't be afraid to sit all day....we just need some cooler temps....good luck hunting!

 

[zim]

We are getting somewhere . . . put a cam up on a two scrapes right beside each other. A few mornings of doe movement and some buck activity at night. Warm temps came through and activity really slowed down a lot.

I should be able to move my stand around that scrape with almost any wind direction.

Let's see what happens!

 

[zim]

Wow those pictures are huge. My bad.

 

[zim]

A month later and I haven't killed anything, but I am inching closer and closer. I've been getting my eyes on some deer, even have had 1 buck and 1 doe within range. I saw a very nice buck leaving what I believe to be a bedding area one morning while in the stand. Sunday morning a group of does came behind me and winded me.

I feel like I learn more and more about what I should have been doing/should have been sitting each week. Trying to adapt and not be afraid of changing my tactics based on what I see/don't see.

Still having fun, still enjoying the challenge. Still holding faith that it will come together before the season ends. Ain't over til the fat lady sings.

 

[WilcoKen]

A month later and I haven't killed anything, but I am inching closer and closer. I've been getting my eyes on some deer, even have had 1 buck and 1 doe within range. I saw a very nice buck leaving what I believe to be a bedding area one morning while in the stand. Sunday morning a group of does came behind me and winded me.

I feel like I learn more and more about what I should have been doing/should have been sitting each week. Trying to adapt and not be afraid of changing my tactics based on what I see/don't see.

Still having fun, still enjoying the challenge. Still holding faith that it will come together before the season ends. Ain't over til the fat lady sings.

It won't be long. Hang in there. It can happen at any second when you are hunting deer—many times when you least expect it.

 

[catman529]

Remember to try and be where the deer want to be, not where you want the deer to be. Acorns are king, but are the acorns you're hunting being eaten actively or is there no fresh deer sign to go with them?

 

[Mescalero]

Hang in there. Enjoy the experience. Enjoy being in nature. I've had to hunt some new to me public land this year and have seen deer only one sit. Last year I was fortunate to kill a doe, but EHD hit the lease I was on hard. As others have said, it can be feast or famine and tough seasons are part of learning.

 

[tndeerman]

That is why its called hunting

 

[BSK]

Take heart Zim. It's your first year hunting. Learning to be a successful deer hunter takes years, and many of the most important lessons that can be learned are usually learned the hard way, through failure! In addition, deer hunting never gets easy. If it did, we wouldn't stay deer hunters for long. We would move on to something more challenging. I went deer hunting for the first time when I was 16. I'm now 58 and still at it, just as obsessed as ever. And I'm still at it because it never gets easy. The deer usually "win." But on those rare occasions that they don't, that's what keeps me coming back!

If you keep at it, years from now you will look back on your first year and see all the mistakes you made. Looking back on my early years of hunting, I wonder how I ever killed a deer. I was making every possible mistake. But it does explain why I killed very few deer and almost never killed a "good" buck.

I wish I knew of a great "How To" manual on becoming a successful deer hunter, but I know of no such single work. In fact, I'm not sure you will find the necessary information in writing. Honestly, your best source of information will be successful hunters IN YOUR AREA. I stress that because deer behave differently in different habitat and terrain environments. Hunting mountain deer is not like hunting river bottom agricultural deer. Their behaviors, and the techniques for successfully hunting them, are night and day different. Find successful hunters in your area and pick their brain about why they choose to hunt specific locations. Although each hunter will be working from different "theories" and use different tactics, eventually you will find commonalities in their approaches.

And as for what NOT to do - and I hesitate to say these, as I'm probably going to piss someone off - take everything you read in hunting magazines with a grain of salt (a really BIG grain!). Having worked in the hunting industry, I've had the opportunity to meet many of the "famous" outdoor writers, and most don't know squat about deer. They're just excellent writers. Secondly, never, never, NEVER watch hunting shows on TV! They are designed to do only one of two things: sell products or hype a personality, and sometimes both. I've watched some of these shows being filmed and the finished product you see on TV has absolutely no connection to what actually happened. In addition, they are often filmed in situations/locations that are highly unrealistic and unrelatable for the average hunter.

 

[Hduke86]

Take heart Zim. It's your first year hunting. Learning to be a successful deer hunter takes years, and many of the most important lessons that can be learned are usually learned the hard way, through failure! In addition, deer hunting never gets easy. If it did, we wouldn't stay deer hunters for long. We would move on to something more challenging. I went deer hunting for the first time when I was 16. I'm now 58 and still at it, just as obsessed as ever. And I'm still at it because it never gets easy. The deer usually "win." But on those rare occasions that they don't, that's what keeps me coming back!

If you keep at it, years from now you will look back on your first year and see all the mistakes you made. Looking back on my early years of hunting, I wonder how I ever killed a deer. I was making every possible mistake. But it does explain why I killed very few deer and almost never killed a "good" buck.

I wish I knew of a great "How To" manual on becoming a successful deer hunter, but I know of no such single work. In fact, I'm not sure you will find the necessary information in writing. Honestly, your best source of information will be successful hunters IN YOUR AREA. I stress that because deer behave differently in different habitat and terrain environments. Hunting mountain deer is not like hunting river bottom agricultural deer. Their behaviors, and the techniques for successfully hunting them, are night and day different. Find successful hunters in your area and pick their brain about why they choose to hunt specific locations. Although each hunter will be working from different "theories" and use different tactics, eventually you will find commonalities in their approaches.

And as for what NOT to do - and I hesitate to say these, as I'm probably going to piss someone off - take everything you read in hunting magazines with a grain of salt (a really BIG grain!). Having worked in the hunting industry, I've had the opportunity to meet many of the "famous" outdoor writers, and most don't know squat about deer. They're just excellent writers. Secondly, never, never, NEVER watch hunting shows on TV! They are designed to do only one of two things: sell products or hype a personality, and sometimes both. I've watched some of these shows being filmed and the finished product you see on TV has absolutely no connection to what actually happened. In addition, they are often filmed in situations/locations that are highly unrealistic and unrelatable for the average hunter.

Listen to this man cause he knows what he's talking about. I always enjoy reading your insight BSK

 

[BSK]

BTW, let me second what scn posted. Great advice.

 

[BSK]

Try 50+ years ago. Just seeing a track was an encouragement.

When I first started with the agency in 1977, I think we killed 16,000 STATEWIDE that year.

I started hunting in 1978, in KY, most often up near Frankfort. Mostly rolling pasture land with a few woodlines along creek drainages. If you saw antlers - even just spike ones - once in an entire season it was a truly successful year!