New Hunter In the House - Am I doing it right?

[Sammy231]

Welcome brotherman,you've already been bestowed with about 2-3 years of hard woods work by the very generous people that have replied before me so I won't add anything else but just have a good time and the all season/squirrel hunter advice is golden. If you ever make it east yell at me. We can hit up some mountain public.

I shall, thanks a bunch brotherman!

 

[Sammy231]

Welcome Sammy
Sit a spell and enjoy the best campfire on the web !!! You sure have come to the right place to learn . There are many archers on here that can lead you down the road to a successful hunt and a safe one . Most of all , take in, enjoy,protect,and thank our God for what he has provided you .

Amen. Thanks for the warm welcome Chickenrig and All!

 

[Sammy231]

You've already gotten a ton of good advice in here. As for the squirrel hunting, hit them hard right after deer season. You'll see very few people in the woods. And you'll probably bump a lot of deer. Don't worry about bumping them now, they'll forget well before next September. So you'll start accidentally finding bedding areas. Keep an eye out for sign of browse, deer poop, deer trails, etc. so you've got spots for next season.

And the Winter is the best time to scout anyway because it's nice and cool. You can see further into the woods and there are no ticks. Enjoy it!

That'll be an awesome season next year then!

 

[Sammy231]

Best advice someone gave me when I started: walk quietly until you bump deer. Mark where you saw those deer and figure out why they were there. Were they laying down (bedding area)? Were they traveling? This is best done after season ends because there are no other hunters in the woods. Spend as much time as you can in the woods in Jan- March. You'll see a lot more deer cuz they are not pressured so you can actually learn what they are doing. This will make for a great 2024 season for you.

Thanks Phil, this is good. This is very good

 

[Sammy231]

Studies with collared deer have shown often a hunter can walk by a bedded deer and they won't budge.
It's better to put scent on a drag. Putting the scent on your boots will get you busted up in a tree.
End of season sales oughta be starting soon. Get a good climbing stand and spend the off season practicing climbing and shooting. Be patient and it'll become 2nd nature. Public Land deer around Nashville get a lot of pressure and are very well educated

Good lookin out huntin man! I'll make sure to drop on'em from above with a spear if nothing else works

 

[rifle02]

IMO Still hunting is really hard and dangerous to do on public land. Best thing I have realized on public is to go out find you about 3-4 spots and rotate on them and just sit and wait. Eventually you will connect. Still hunting on public land honestly IMO only benefits the other hunters that are sitting you probably are bumping more than you think. But that is just my two cents. go out find you a spot sit back and enjoy the great outdoors.

What he said! Let the other folks move the deer.

 

[Joe2Kool]

I think most of this has already been said, and I'll chime in.

A climbing tree stand for archery is a must in my book. Can't imagine trying to kill a deer in the woods sneaking up on him.

Ditch the Scent Killer $pray $tuff. A deer's nose is very sensitive. A few sprays of that stuff ain't gonna stop us, well, we still stink like humans.

Don't get caught up in the latest and greatest equipment. The "latest and greatest" seems to be worse on archery equipment. My bow is circa 2000, and my ML is an old Knight from the mid 1990's. When I us a crossbow, well, it is a hand-me-down from about 15 years ago.

Squirrel hunting is a good way to get in the woods, and sit still. If you see a deer, note where it came from, where it is going. If you see the same general movement movement, hmmm.

Check that trail camera year-round. Not every week during the off-season, but every few weeks.

And if 30-06Guy offered, take him up on it! He's always killing deer! There comes a time in a hunter's development that it is more exciting to get a new hunter (child, friend, etc.) an opportunity at a deer, turkey, or whatever it is you're hunting. So it's likely he is there too!

If you're stuck on archery, awesome. If you're open to expanding, get a good muzzleloader. What does good mean? Stainless/nitride/or some other weather resistant coating. Uses 209 shotgun primers. And a scope that has a lot of eye relief (I shoot a Simmons fixed 4X shotgun scope.) A ML opens up your range significantly.

Longer than I expected, but good luck, and post some pics!

 

[DC219]

You've been given lots of great advice here. But most importantly, you've been offered a hunting trip with a very experienced hunter. The best advice you've been given is to take him up on it. It's an extremely generous and valuable gesture. You're too new into hunting to truly understand just how generous. Good luck!

 

[Sammy231]

I think most of this has already been said, and I'll chime in.

A climbing tree stand for archery is a must in my book. Can't imagine trying to kill a deer in the woods sneaking up on him.

Ditch the Scent Killer $pray $tuff. A deer's nose is very sensitive. A few sprays of that stuff ain't gonna stop us, well, we still stink like humans.

Don't get caught up in the latest and greatest equipment. The "latest and greatest" seems to be worse on archery equipment. My bow is circa 2000, and my ML is an old Knight from the mid 1990's. When I us a crossbow, well, it is a hand-me-down from about 15 years ago.

Squirrel hunting is a good way to get in the woods, and sit still. If you see a deer, note where it came from, where it is going. If you see the same general movement movement, hmmm.

Check that trail camera year-round. Not every week during the off-season, but every few weeks.

And if 30-06Guy offered, take him up on it! He's always killing deer! There comes a time in a hunter's development that it is more exciting to get a new hunter (child, friend, etc.) an opportunity at a deer, turkey, or whatever it is you're hunting. So it's likely he is there too!

If you're stuck on archery, awesome. If you're open to expanding, get a good muzzleloader. What does good mean? Stainless/nitride/or some other weather resistant coating. Uses 209 shotgun primers. And a scope that has a lot of eye relief (I shoot a Simmons fixed 4X shotgun scope.) A ML opens up your range significantly.

Longer than I expected, but good luck, and post some pics!

You're 2 kool for that Joe, thanks a bunch! Seems I'll be well off to the races with all your help folks

I've got a shotty and a 30-06 I'd like to use, it's just the public areas around me are archery only. But I figure if you can get a deer with an arrow, you can get him with anything

 

[Sammy231]

You've been given lots of great advice here. But most importantly, you've been offered a hunting trip with a very experienced hunter. The best advice you've been given is to take him up on it. It's an extremely generous and valuable gesture. You're too new into hunting to truly understand just how generous. Good luck!

Thanks DC!

 

[Sammy231]

You willing to drive? Have a rifle or just bow? I'm 45 south of Nashville. I can probably get you on some deer.

Hey! I'm told I'm a dope for not jumping at the chance to hunt with ya - still learning how the culture works. I'm game if you'll have me. I've got a 30-06 remington 700 and a 12g shotty. I'm playing around now with the crossbow and makeshift saddle hunting setup

 

[megalomaniac]

Good to have you here!

Didn't read all the responses, but as a new bow hunter, you want to spend 100x scouting than hunting.

Try to find feeding sign... a small grove of oaks with fresh droppings under them. Once you fins that, find a tree that will be downwind of them. Then climb a tree and shoot the deer

Well, it's not quite that easy... but after hunting that spot, hopefully you see a few deer and watch where they enter and leave the area from, you can make adjustments for future hunts. Sometime the future hunts are the next day, but sometimes the info you gain today will benefit you 5 years from now.

DONT get stuck on one spot... if you arent seeing deer in a couple hunts as a new hunter, find a new spot. Once you have experience, it's fine to spend a season in a small spot hunting one particular buck.

 

[Sammy231]

Good to have you here!

Didn't read all the responses, but as a new bow hunter, you want to spend 100x scouting than hunting.

Try to find feeding sign... a small grove of oaks with fresh droppings under them. Once you fins that, find a tree that will be downwind of them. Then climb a tree and shoot the deer

Well, it's not quite that easy... but after hunting that spot, hopefully you see a few deer and watch where they enter and leave the area from, you can make adjustments for future hunts. Sometime the future hunts are the next day, but sometimes the info you gain today will benefit you 5 years from now.

DONT get stuck on one spot... if you arent seeing deer in a couple hunts as a new hunter, find a new spot. Once you have experience, it's fine to spend a season in a small spot hunting one particular buck.

Awesome advice! I'll keep to lessons learned and maybe I'll score before season's end!