LPT: Life Pro Tips (hunting)

[Appalachian American]

What tips/tricks have you learned along the way that you could to pass to another hunter? I'll get the ball rolling.

• Bump a deer walking? Sit down and wait if you have time. Good chance they'll come back to check you out as long as it was sound/sight related. Never had one do this when being winded.

• Never take a nap on the ground to get warm…

 

[BSK]

* Don't get so wrapped up in trying to kill a big buck that hunting isn't fun anymore. Hunting isn't a competition.

* Don't compare your kills to others. Everybody hunts different situations, and a 110-class mature mountain buck may be FAR more of an accomplishment that killing a 140-inch 3 1/2 from farm country.

 

[Deer Assassin]

* Don't get so wrapped up into try to kill a big buck that hunting isn't fun anymore. Hunting isn't a competition.

* Don't compare your kills to others. Everybody hunts different situations, and a 110-class mature mountain buck may be FAR more of an accomplishment that killing a 140-inch 3 1/2 from farm country.

true

 

[BigRed1080]

Always carry the important papers(toilet paper) even if you "don't think you'll need them".

 

[TNGunsmoke]

Not taking a shot is easier to live with than taking a bad shot.

 

[philsanchez76]

Don't set up until your confident deer will be there. I used to waste time setting up in a tree and seeing nothing. Now I don't set up until the sign makes me.

 

[Appalachian American]

Don't set up until your confident deer will be there. I used to waste time setting up in a tree and seeing nothing. Now I don't set up until the sign makes me.

Its been said that two days scouting and one hunting is better than hunting alone. Scout scout scout. Perfect!

 

[BSK]

Don't set up until your confident deer will be there. I used to waste time setting up in a tree and seeing nothing. Now I don't set up until the sign makes me.

I'm going to be a contrarian on this one. Bucks make sign (rubs and scrapes) as communication devices. That is the signs' purpose. Bucks will only make sign (because it takes a lot of energy to make sign) where they know (by scent) that numerous deer congregate. In essence, they do not make sign equally along their entire travel route. The sign will be concentrated wherever their travels take them through high deer interaction areas. Long stretches of a buck's travels will have no sign at all because they are traveling through areas of low deer activity (outside of themselves). The point being, just because an area displays no sign doesn't mean it is a bad area to hunt.

As I've said many times, if you're after older, hunter-wary bucks:

* Hunt where no one else has been hunting

First, older bucks quickly pick up on areas where they DO NOT encounter much human scent. These are sanctuary areas for them (even if there is no major difference in habitat - the key is a lack of human interaction). Often, these areas develop because hunters find no sign in the area, hence believe it is a bad place to hunt. But if that area contains the right terrain and/or habitat, it could very well be part of an older buck's travel pattern he is specifically using to avoid contact with hunters.

Four of the oldest and best bucks I've ever killed were taken from areas no one had been hunting. And why had no one been hunting there? 1) No sign at all, and 2) the locations were too close to other non-hunting human activity (near a house, near a public road, etc.). If an area has the right combination of terrain, habitat, and lack of hunting pressure, don't ignore it just because there is no sign.

 

[wsm]

All are good tips plus make sure you still enjoy hunting and being outside in the woods ,respect the game also .It is hunting not killing .

 

[Trapper John]

Lighten up and have fun. If you're not having fun it's not worth it.

 

[BSK]

Lighten up and have fun. If you're not having fun it's not worth it.

I couldn't agree more. Over the years I've seen SO MANY hunters burn out because they were so hung up on what they killed. It had to be this age or had to be bigger than their friends' bucks. That's not what hunting is supposed to be about. Try to enjoy the experience more. Have fun.

 

[bobbuck]

Do a light grunt when you open your beer to camouflage the sound.

 

[UCStandSitter]

Know what your plans are for the meat before you make plans to hunt. I see too many fellas that end up with more meat than they care to use and are scrambling on what to do with it. No point in wasting an animal. Easy enough to find folks who want or could use the meat.

 

[BSK]

Do a light grunt when you open your beer to camouflage the sound.

Let me write that down...

 

[DMD]

When scouting - in early season, look at the small picture: acorns under trees, droppings, etc.
Later season (once rut begins to ramp up) look at the big picture: multiple travel corridors heading up together, thickets for travel, how the property in the vicinity lays, where fields, thickets, and food sources are in relationship to the property you are hunting. I try to to think bigger during the rut. If that makes any sense. This method of scouting made me a much more successful hunter. During the rut, deer sign is not near as important to me as the lay of the land.

 

[philsanchez76]

I'm going to be a contrarian on this one. Bucks make sign (rubs and scrapes) as communication devices. That is the signs' purpose. Bucks will only make sign (because it takes a lot of energy to make sign) where they know (by scent) that numerous deer congregate. In essence, they do not make sign equally along their entire travel route. The sign will be concentrated wherever their travels take them through high deer interaction areas. Long stretches of a buck's travels will have no sign at all because they are traveling through areas of low deer activity (outside of themselves). The point being, just because an area displays no sign doesn't mean it is a bad area to hunt.

As I've said many times, if you're after older, hunter-wary bucks:

* Hunt where no one else has been hunting

First, older bucks quickly pick up on areas where they DO NOT encounter much human scent. These are sanctuary areas for them (even if there is no major difference in habitat - the key is a lack of human interaction). Often, these areas develop because hunters find no sign in the area, hence believe it is a bad place to hunt. But if that area contains the right terrain and/or habitat, it could very well be part of an older buck's travel pattern he is specifically using to avoid contact with hunters.

Four of the oldest and best bucks I've ever killed were taken from areas no one had been hunting. And why had no one been hunting there? 1) No sign at all, and 2) the locations were too close to other non-hunting human activity (near a house, near a public road, etc.). If an area has the right combination of terrain, habitat, and lack of hunting pressure, don't ignore it just because there is no sign.

This is very interesting. I am definitely a meat hunter who will happily kill the biggest 2 bucks I see every year and am not an expert in killing mature bucks. Question for you BSK is: how did you know to hunt those spots with no sign? We're you putting cameras in these spots just to see? Observation sits? Your logic sounds good to me, but I would not know how to identify these spots you're speaking of.

 

[tree_ghost]

Stay in your stand 5 minutes longer…impatience is responsible for saving more bucks lives than anything IMO

 

[GreyGoose]

just tagging along on this one

 

[huntintn]

Become a farmers friend before you ask for permission.

 

[redblood]

When in doubt, dont shoot. If you dont know a deer is a for sure fire shooter at 1st glance, he isnt one!