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<blockquote data-quote="Crosshairy" data-source="post: 4358421" data-attributes="member: 3202"><p>Deer sign tells you where a deer has been, but usually not *when*. Unless you have some really specific sign, e.g. fresh tracks after last night's rain, then you probably don't have a very good idea of when it was made. Therefore you need to make note of it, but don't put all your eggs in that basket for the rest of the season. Especially when it comes to fields, a lot of the activity can be nocturnal, especially if you are hunting an area that gets any hunting pressure.</p><p></p><p>If you are going hunting for the first time in an area that never gets hunted, fields can sometimes be fantastic places to hunt this late in the season. Especially if there is a hard frost at night but non-freezing weather late in the day, the deer will often hit the fields in the afternoons. I presume this is so they don't have to eat frozen browse <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />. If you are seeing a good bit of deer sign in the area, try not to spend a lot of time walking all over the place spreading your scent around - deer that have been hunted will begin to alter their behavior (some more than others) if they notice the area starts smelling different, and your #1 priority is for them to continue with "business as usual".</p><p></p><p>Best advice for fields that have deer sign around them - find a downwind spot with a decent vantage point, slip in without a lot of ruckus well before light, and see if anything comes out. Do the same thing in the evenings, making sure you are there for the last 1-1.5 hours of visible light (30 minutes after civil twilight, if you are looking at a weather forecast). Doing those two sits will give you a good idea as to whether they are using the area regularly in the morning, afternoon, or after dark. This information is only good for the particular phase of the season that you are in (e.g. pre-rut, rut, post-rut), and can change based on weather, food quality, human activity, or alien abductions of the deer, to name a few.</p><p></p><p>I ground hunt a LOT, and have hunted on my feet (without sitting down, moving slowly almost the whole hunt) quite a bit at times. I will go ahead and tell you that you will absolutely bump more deer away from you than you will have shot chances at. The primary reasons for this are that whitetail deer in particular are very patient animals (most of the time), and TYPICALLY move slower and more deliberately than people. Point being, if you are moving very much, they are often moving less. I've seen deer sit around behind a tree and just listen and smell without moving for 10-15 minutes, and you'd swear "nothing is there!". All of a sudden, you take a step, and the deer is gone, gone, gone. If you are hunting on the ground, never take steps unless your gun is in the "ready" position (forward cradle, for me), because deer are psychic and can tell when your gun is slung over your back...they wait for those moments to step out...EVERY TIME <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>I say all that to reiterate the points made by others - if you are moving through any sort of cover or woods with limited visibility of less than, say, 200 yards, then you are pretty likely to bump the deer before you get a shot...often before you ever see them. *IF* you have an area where you can discretely follow along a field and look around corners (say, in a creek bed) and see long distances, this is where you can have the advantage as long as the wind is in your face and not blowing scent towards the deer. The reason for this is that humans have binocular vision that allows for FOCUSING on details at greater distances. A deer's vision is based on movement, and if you are not moving it must rely on scent/hearing to find you. This is why you see more spot & stalk hunts in western areas where the spaces are much more wide open, since your vision is superior in those instances. In typical Tennessee habitat, it's less intrusive and generally more effective to move very little, since visibility is often not at your advantage, and deer avoid places that are completely wide open in the daylight (usually).</p><p></p><p>If your son is young, you may want to reinforce the idea that not all hunting has to be for deer, since that requires more patience than any other (in my opinion). My son (9 years old) has enjoyed squirrel hunting pretty well, and I'm interested in taking him on a paid quail hunt or something similar as soon as he is old enough to shoot my old youth model 20-gauge, all for the reason of showing him the different "faces" of hunting and how different styles may suit you more. I say this only to point out that you shouldn't let either of you be discouraged by deer hunting, since that can be a daunting task to learn with no mentor at your side.</p><p></p><p>Lastly, be sure to have prepared for what comes after the shot. Nothing can ruin a hunt more than being unable to recover meat or handle it properly. Some folks don't consider what to do ahead of time once a 100+ lb animal is laying dead in front of them, since they just wanted to "go out and kill something big".</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Crosshairy, post: 4358421, member: 3202"] Deer sign tells you where a deer has been, but usually not *when*. Unless you have some really specific sign, e.g. fresh tracks after last night's rain, then you probably don't have a very good idea of when it was made. Therefore you need to make note of it, but don't put all your eggs in that basket for the rest of the season. Especially when it comes to fields, a lot of the activity can be nocturnal, especially if you are hunting an area that gets any hunting pressure. If you are going hunting for the first time in an area that never gets hunted, fields can sometimes be fantastic places to hunt this late in the season. Especially if there is a hard frost at night but non-freezing weather late in the day, the deer will often hit the fields in the afternoons. I presume this is so they don't have to eat frozen browse :). If you are seeing a good bit of deer sign in the area, try not to spend a lot of time walking all over the place spreading your scent around - deer that have been hunted will begin to alter their behavior (some more than others) if they notice the area starts smelling different, and your #1 priority is for them to continue with "business as usual". Best advice for fields that have deer sign around them - find a downwind spot with a decent vantage point, slip in without a lot of ruckus well before light, and see if anything comes out. Do the same thing in the evenings, making sure you are there for the last 1-1.5 hours of visible light (30 minutes after civil twilight, if you are looking at a weather forecast). Doing those two sits will give you a good idea as to whether they are using the area regularly in the morning, afternoon, or after dark. This information is only good for the particular phase of the season that you are in (e.g. pre-rut, rut, post-rut), and can change based on weather, food quality, human activity, or alien abductions of the deer, to name a few. I ground hunt a LOT, and have hunted on my feet (without sitting down, moving slowly almost the whole hunt) quite a bit at times. I will go ahead and tell you that you will absolutely bump more deer away from you than you will have shot chances at. The primary reasons for this are that whitetail deer in particular are very patient animals (most of the time), and TYPICALLY move slower and more deliberately than people. Point being, if you are moving very much, they are often moving less. I've seen deer sit around behind a tree and just listen and smell without moving for 10-15 minutes, and you'd swear "nothing is there!". All of a sudden, you take a step, and the deer is gone, gone, gone. If you are hunting on the ground, never take steps unless your gun is in the "ready" position (forward cradle, for me), because deer are psychic and can tell when your gun is slung over your back...they wait for those moments to step out...EVERY TIME :) I say all that to reiterate the points made by others - if you are moving through any sort of cover or woods with limited visibility of less than, say, 200 yards, then you are pretty likely to bump the deer before you get a shot...often before you ever see them. *IF* you have an area where you can discretely follow along a field and look around corners (say, in a creek bed) and see long distances, this is where you can have the advantage as long as the wind is in your face and not blowing scent towards the deer. The reason for this is that humans have binocular vision that allows for FOCUSING on details at greater distances. A deer's vision is based on movement, and if you are not moving it must rely on scent/hearing to find you. This is why you see more spot & stalk hunts in western areas where the spaces are much more wide open, since your vision is superior in those instances. In typical Tennessee habitat, it's less intrusive and generally more effective to move very little, since visibility is often not at your advantage, and deer avoid places that are completely wide open in the daylight (usually). If your son is young, you may want to reinforce the idea that not all hunting has to be for deer, since that requires more patience than any other (in my opinion). My son (9 years old) has enjoyed squirrel hunting pretty well, and I'm interested in taking him on a paid quail hunt or something similar as soon as he is old enough to shoot my old youth model 20-gauge, all for the reason of showing him the different "faces" of hunting and how different styles may suit you more. I say this only to point out that you shouldn't let either of you be discouraged by deer hunting, since that can be a daunting task to learn with no mentor at your side. Lastly, be sure to have prepared for what comes after the shot. Nothing can ruin a hunt more than being unable to recover meat or handle it properly. Some folks don't consider what to do ahead of time once a 100+ lb animal is laying dead in front of them, since they just wanted to "go out and kill something big". [/QUOTE]
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