Guidance

[EastTN123]

REMOVED

 

[AT Hiker]

Id suggest getting out in the woods now and "scouting" the areas you plan to hunt. Just start taking not of terrain features that seem like they would funnel deer movement.

Start reading, like the book mentioned, and comparing what you read to the mental notes you took scouting. Learn to read a topo map and start playing with google earth.

Welcome to your new addiction!


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[larry ipock]

Congrats on taking three deer on your fist season! 1.Get a topo map of the areas you plan to hunt, and study Google Maps of the same areas. And scout them now. 2. I have not bought a MZL since 1990, (still have my old Knight). 3. Learn the wind currents as best you can.

 

[catman529]

You did great for just starting out... I would definitely focus more on learning the topography and general deer behavior rather than ozone. Sure ozone kills scent, but learning how the terrain affects wind movement is more valuable than sitting there with ozone on your clothes blowing human scent off your head to the deer standing downwind that can smell you no matter what. As for the muzzleloader I am clueless so sorry I can't help there. But congrats on a great first season and I hope you learn a lot over the next year and kill a few more next year. Good luck

 

[deerhunter10]

Ozonics heard great things but don't have first hand experience with them. As catman said don't run before you walk don't get caught up in the different things to "help" you kill a deer good scouting and a good understanding of deer goes a whole lot more then a ozone layer. Playing the wind is you main concern.
Cva ml imo
Topography you're impressing me already for your first year you are taking a lot of notice I know people who have hunted 20 years that'll walk right past a funnel. It is a giant factor in deer and people on this site could write you pages about it and the dfferent ways to hunt it. As said above there are a lot of great articles and books about it to really break it down. And don't be afraid to ask questions. If you get past the whining on this site there are some very knowledgeable people that can help you but now right now and the next two or three months are you most valuable time to scout. The rubs the scrapes the trails everything is still as it was in November and you can learn a lot about your farm.

 

[landman]

If you go to the woods now for the next 2 months you'll learn me about deer movement
with the Topo effecting deer movement than years of spring, summer and fall scouting.
You do have to note some of it could be food movement if you have late season
crops in the area that deer feed on.

On a MZ get a scope, and I'd watch buying used unless you have help or dealing with
a good member on here.


Also go online and sign up for 2 weekly emails, Growing Deer TV has a Great one, and
Mid West Whitetails,

Good Luck

And I think many members on here with 10-20-30 years hunting experience
you could PM for help and questions

 

[Muddpuppy]

As for the ML question, CVA makes a good ML but don't go with the Cheap inline CVA Buckhorn. The Gun shoots like a dream but is a nightmare to clean, even more so with a scope. Spend a little extra and get a break action ML.

 

[TNGunsmoke]

Cheapest break action ML I know of is the CVA Wolf. I have one, and really like it.

 

[Headhunter]

I am different, I do not worry about scent much at all, I for sure pay almost no attention to the wind and either kill or have a chance a nice buck or 2 every year. I do not understand for the most part when people say do not hunt here with this wind, don't hunt that field with a certain wind, etc. I have hunted places and some specific trees (many on public land) for 30 years or so. Some places deer come from the same area everytime, well almost. It is amazing how that when a really good buck shows up though, he will walk right where you would never guess he would ever be. I cannot count the number of times I have been told "you can't hunt there today, wrong wind, that is not a morning spot, that is not an evening spot, you have to have a certain wind to hunt that area", etc. only to do exactly what I was told would NEVER work, has NEVER worked, no one has seen a good buck or even a deer there, only to go in and kill a deer and many times kill a great buck. I think way to many overthink it and don't just hunt. I hunt.

 

[TNCharlie]

I'm not sure that I am qualified to give any advice to someone who in their first season of hunting killed three deer and helped someone get another one . That's danged good. And I should mention that I killed my first deer at age 50. All the posters have given sound information, so I will just give some personal perceptions.

Topography certainly affects deer travel habits. In general deer will move along the contours of hills rather than cross over the top. Typically they do not travel along the highest point of a hill or ridge. But consider topography as a subset of recognizing and discovering funnels. You can find much discussion in the literature and on TNdeer about funnels. Just think of a funnel as any feature, natural or manmade, that makes deer tend to move along a certain path. It may be as obvious as a saddle, or it may be as subtle as a low place in a fence or a spot where it is especially easy to go under a fence. In fact, it may be as plain as a fence gate. Also give lots of attention to trails such as logging roads or even hiking trails that offer an easy travel route. Thick brush and brush/log piles can direct the deer to cross trails and roads in certain spots.

As for a muzzleloader a CVA or Rossi break action with a scope added has served me extremely well. I won't dwell on that subject here. Get you one now and start shooting it. You will be back asking about loads and bullets. :smile: You definitely want to hunt MZ season.

I'm in the group that just doesn't worry about scent. I hunt small properties and don't have the option to map out wind directions and pick and choose stands based on that. Besides, wind direction isn't the main factor; it's ground level air currents that carry your scent to the deer and they tend to constantly shift directions.

I have saved the most important point for last. Spend time in the woods. During hunting season hunt everyday that you can. But get into the woods now while you can see and look for tracks and rubs. Observe the lay of the land. Look for some of those funnels. Take note of the location of oak trees. But get out there. And have fun!

 

[TheLBLman]

I turned 40 this year and hunted deer for the first time. I was able to harvest two bucks and a doe. I also was able to get my son his first deer. I learned a lot but there are a few things I would really like to learn or would like recommendations . . . . . .

Congratulations on your good start! :)
I believe you'll find this a great endeavor to be sharing with your son.

You've already been given some great advice to which I can add little.

Best I can add at moment is "timely" ----- you need to spend some time in the woods over the next month trying to find deer trails. Finding those may help you better understand how topography effects deer movement. Right now is the best time to find them, plus they may be of more value for next year's late season hunting. These trails will become much harder to find after spring green-up, even harder after fall leaves begin falling in October. Deer may use them year round, but now is the time of year the ground is typically most muddy (causing the deer to leave more trail sign).

Any money you might have been allocating towards Ozone, instead I would recommend you add that to optics. Maybe get a little better scope on the muzzleloader than you were originally thinking. Maybe purchase at least one $150 price range trail cam (Browning Dark Ops comes to mind). Maybe gets some binoculars (or better ones) if you don't already have.

One more thing about optics, avoid getting more magnification than is ideal for the situation. IMO, most TN hunters would have a greater advantage with a 2-7x scope rather than a 3-9x (or greater magnification). Similar can be said for binoculars. 10x can be of less advantage in the typical TN woods than a 6x or 8x pair. Not to mention, generally the less the magnification, the lighter weight the optics. This becomes particularly pertinent as you note so many hunters leaving their binoculars in the truck because they don't want to carry around the heavy, bulky things.

Subscribe to Quality Whitetails. This periodical will provide information you cannot find anywhere else (without extensive research).

Then engage in TNdeer.com forums regularly. :)

I think way to many overthink it and don't just hunt.

I agree. We tend to learn most efficiently by just "doing".
Just go hunting as much as you can, and don't overthink it.