Just starting out, any advice?

[TNboy6]

I'm 21 years old and this is my first year deer hunting and I'm super excited. I'll be rifle hunting with a .270 in East TN. I was raised by a single Mom so I missed out on hunting growing up. I'm basically starting from scratch. I read hunting articles on the web everyday on the web trying to learn as much as I can. Any advice from the veteran TN hunters? Thanks!

 

[plinker22]

Do you have a mentor, someone who can show you the hands-on knowledge in the woods? That will help your learning curve tremendously.

1. Always have fun. Just being in woods is such a blessing.
2. Make sure your rifle is sighted in perfectly... and OWN & PRACTICE all safety rules.
3. Hunt where there are deer.
4. Shoot the first 10 legal deer within your effective range. You will learn a ton & have a great time.
5. Ask any questions to the amazing folks on TnDeer.
6. Did I mention to have fun?

 

[deerhunter10]

good caliber. the biggest advice I can give you is don't get discouraged. deer will win the majority of the time and in east tn it can be tough any way. just always keep an open mind and always learn something when your out there. good luck its an awesome sport.

 

[plinker22]

I forgot to add, "Welcome to TnDeer".

 

[catman529]

welcome to the best campfire on the internet. I got started in 2010 and went on my first solo deer hunt in 2011 and now 2 years later I am 21 and have a few deer under my belt. I hear the deer hunting can be tough in east TN, but if you have deer there, you can kill one. You can learn a ton from this web site, and I have found a few youtube videos useful as well. Also don't give in to the hype for a lot of hunting "gimmicks" that you find on the shelf at your local walmart or sporting goods store. Hang around here enough and you will see people recommending some things and criticizing others. All you need really is your gun, license, warm clothes, blaze orange, knife, etc. You dont have to be in a treestand, but it helps. I killed my first deer ever sitting on the ground with a 30-30. Also killed deer 20, and even 50 feet up in a tree. Do some scouting and find some deer sign, bedding cover, and food sources (white and red oaks, persimmons, green browse, etc). Oh and did I say you can learn a lot on this web site? Hope you stay around and learn a lot and kill your first deer this year. And like said above, don't let failure discourage you, it's all part of learning, and part of deer hunting. It's why they call it hunting, not killing. Best of luck to you this season

 

[Poleaxe]

One thing everyone's leaving out and is the most important. Stay safe. Wear you safety harness. Do your hard work thru topo maps instead of going in and bumping the big ones and educating them. Find the food next to the thickets. So thick you don't want to go in. Stay safe, you have people I'm sure that care about you and don't want to see anything happen to you. Good luck and welcome.

 

[mike243]

Welcome to the site,if you need help or advice we have members in your area standing by that will share knowledge & or help,stay safe & hope you have a great season

 

[Vermin93]

Welcome to the site!

If at all possible, I would ask around locally or on this site to see if someone experienced can take you scouting and/or hunting for a day on some public land. Since you are just starting out I think it's more important to get some basic scouting experience than hunting experience. Deer hunting East TN can be a major challenge, but it will be fun and enjoyable if you truly love the outdoors and you have the primal instinct. If you don't get a deer this year or see very many then don't give up. One of the best ways to learn is with post-season scouting after the season closes in January. However, scouting can be unproductive if you don't know what to look for. That's where reading articles and books and spending time with a hunting mentor can really help.

I was in your shoes about 4 years ago when I first started to try and hunt public land around Loudon County. It took me about two years to start figuring it out, but eventually I started seeing deer on my hunts and I was fortunate to put a few in the freezer. I did not have a hunting mentor in TN to help me, although I wish I had tried harder to find one because it would have helped a LOT. Most of what I learned came from this site, reading several books, watching a few DVDs and a lot of time walking around in the woods.

Best of luck to you.

One more thing - there are some basic things you can do that will make the experience more enjoyable. Insect control is a big one. If you aren't already familiar with Permethrin and how to use it, then I would start there.

 

[Daniel n]

East Tn is tough. I grew up hunting Carter and Johnson county. Not sure where you are but there is some great public land there (Cherokee National Forest). I think I hunted it more than I hunted private land. Like was mentioned above, the number one thing is to be safe, closely followed by having fun. Scouting is a key part to the whole process. Food sources, bedding locations, thickets, are all things that should be considered when choosing a place to hunt. Having someone show you the basics to look for in the woods would be good place to start. One more quick thing, on public land be extra careful, there are a bunch of idiots out there. I'm relatively new to the forum, at least on the contributing side, but this place is great. A lot of great information on here. Welcome!!!!

 

[348Winchester]

What county are you in TNBoy?

 

[TNboy6]

I live in Anderson county but I plan on hunting the neighboring counties too.

 

[TNboy6]

I appreciate everyone helping me out!

 

[anorris6]

I hunt in Jefferson County myself and this will be my first year off of the apprentice license so I'm in the same boat, just a later start to hunting hahaha. Last year I got one deer. Little spike that kept coming back and finally gave me a shot with the crossbow. That was a great day. They are there in East TN just harder to find. There are some big ones too but they are the smart ones, why they got big. saw a monster on my property once, min 10 point, havent seen him since. But as everyone has said if you are hunting for the right reasons just being in the woods is awesome. Happy and safe hunting my friend!

 

[Winchester]

Spend as much time as possible in the woods, and spend a lot of time scouting and learning about the woods themselves and the lay of the land. A good education on how to identify different trees, plants, and other food sources will help you from now on. Also pay attn. to terrain features and how deer relate to them, this also will help you from now on.

 

[Mike Belt]

Hunt safe, hunt hard, have fun. As mentioned, if you can pick another hunter's brain do it. Also, let the deer teach you. After years and years of deer hunting they're always teaching me something new. Basics include your gun (zeroed in), a good knife, a small ditty bag or pack, and a stand (with a fall restraint system). You can add to that a bunch more stuff that fits your style of hunting or your needs as you go along.

You can scout with maps but nothing beats seeing what you're facing better than footwork. Deer have 3 needs; food, security, and breeding. Familiarize yourself with what the deer feed on and where to find those food sources. Always think terrain, terrain, terrain. Look for features that will funnel deer movement to and between those food sources and remember that food sources are always changing throughout the seasons. Also think cover. Deer, especially bucks under hunting pressure, seek security. Again terrain, terrain, terrain. Look for places that supply security during travel and rest. This may be some of the thickest areas you have or it might be open country. It just depends on surrounding hunting pressure. Breeding, when the time comes, is the demise of most bucks (especially the older bucks). You'll see deer movement during this time frame that you won't see any other time of the year. If you only hunt 2 weeks out the entire year this is the time you need to be in the woods.

Learn as much as you can about the 3 things mentioned above. Now place yourself somewhere in the middle of everything again thinking terrain, terrain, terrain. Learn how to position yourself somewhere in the mix in order to eliminate as much as possible the deer's number 1 defense...his nose. Those terrain features will often influence just how the wind and thermals react and believe me the deer know.

 

[Bone Collector]

even 50 feet up in a tree.

Hijack: You are insane.... End Hijack:

I think it has all be covered. Just remember Hunting is fun and to have fun. I taught myself and i learned new stuff almost every time I went out and the deer are still teaching me new stuff all the time.

Remember nothing beats hands on experience in the field, and try to find someone that knows the woods to help you.

Good Luck.

 

[bowriter]

The major ingredient to successful hunting is successful scouting. You have to know what to look for, where to look for it, when to look for it and what it means. This will be my 59th deer season and I am still learning each year. I have written books on it and then found half the stuff was incomplete. I have hung stands I would bvet the farm on and never seen a deer from them. I have hung stands I thought sucked and killed a truck full from them.

Best advice I can give you, go hunt, do a lot of looking around and keep asking why.

 

[dsa5455]

I would go to You Tube or get you a good DVD on field dressing and taking care of the meat in the field. My first deer I grabbed a big old knife and was ready to plunge it into the belly of death until my mentor stopped me and showed me how.

 

[G_Man]

Big tip from catman about product hype!! (Also,i think you're a crazy man for hunting 50 feet up haha. ballsy for sure) And don't watch the outdoors channel and think that is how hunting goes...You wont see a booner every hunt or fist pump after every shot (i do bc im awesome) And you won't wait till nightfall to start tracking. That stuff is entertainment, but you'll learn from honest opinions from guys on here, and from your own experiences

 

[plinker22]

I would go to You Tube or get you a good DVD on field dressing...

Good advice. I watched 15 or 20 videos about how to field dress, felt like I would be ready.

When I finally killed, I got a double deer kill (two in about 40 seconds). Once I had everything at the truck, I was about the start gutting and truthfully had no idea where to start. My mind was blank. At that instant a fellow pulls up in a jeep and says, "Looks like you had a great morning." Asks if I need any help.

He was a great teacher. He gutted (field dressed the first) and then talked me through field dressing the other. It was an awesome day.

It really does help to have a mentor. Maybe some Anderson County TnDeer member will offer a 1/2 day to show you the ropes. Again, good luck and have fun.

 

[Grill-n-man]

Welcome to both the site and the exciting as well as frustrating world of deer hunting. As others have said the number one goal is to make it in and out of the woods safely. Second is to have fun and enjoy the bounty god has given us as you do not have to kill to have a successful hunt. Any deer you take is a trophy no matter the size and don't let anyone else tell you different. As far as hunting in east Tennessee it can be difficult but we have pines, hardwoods, creek bottoms, fields, farms, etc and alot of the time a mixture of all on the same property but each holds deer. If the property you are going to hunt has a mix I would start by picking one type to concentrat on. This will tell you if, when, and where the deer are moving. Then you can adjust. Also don't look at spooking deer as you messed up but use it as a learning experience to figure out what went wrong. Also if others are hunting the property too use their movements in and out to push deer to you. Have taken many a deer while slowly walking into and out of my spots. Also, many will disagree with this, but if you are not familiar with the property and the exact spot you choose to hunt wait till it is light enough to see without a flashlight when going in the morning. It will do you no good to get in before daylight if you aware walking around in the dark trying to find your spot. Same when leaving in the evening. Better to be in late and leave early than scare em walking around lost in the dark. Be patient and start with baby steps. We all started out as beginners and it will take a couple of seasons but if you can stick with it you will make it. Oh and you can use satellite views from map quest or Google to find what type of terrain you have to hunt.

 

[VolHunter22]

First year for me was last year in Knox so I know how you feel! As everyone said, a mentor is invaluable. My fiance's step dad and dad hunt and I learned a lot about my property from them. If you don't have anyone to talk to you can still learn yourself. Read all you can on here and other sites and then go out to the woods and try to apply it. Picking a good spot is important, as East TN deer are tough. Finally, don't get discouraged. I saw 1 buck last season that was to far away, but several does every day. When doe days came for Union I saw 0 does that week! Deer hunting can get you down, but even if you don't get one you'll be hooked.

P.S.- If you have a deer in sight, be careful to not move! They see movement very well!

 

[TNboy6]

I really appreciate the advice from everyone. I'm happy I joined this website, everyone is very nice. Thanks everybody!