Whitetail neophyte

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Brokenbow

Active Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2023
Messages
38
City & State/Province
Readyville,TN
Let me start off by saying that I'm in my 50's and have hunted since I could walk. I grew up chasing mule deer, elk, sheep, goats, and even made a few trips to California chasing black tail and wild boar (all with a bow and all on public land). In the western states archery season (for the most part) opens long before the rut starts and spot and stalk is the best way to hunt. Then I moved to middle Tennessee and began pursuing whitetail. I found out in a hurry that this is an entirely different ball game. I have been hunting WMA's and haven't had any luck finding even a doe to shoot at. This has definitely been a humbling experience. Best of luck to all of you you have to be doing better than I am.
 
I started hunting whitetail less than 15 years ago so I can relate. The greatest lesson I learned was you can ruin a spot in a hurry if you don't pay attention to the wind. The first year I found sign like droppings, and nipped trees and plants where they were feeding so I knew they were there, but I didn't see a single deer besides what I jumped going to or from my stand. Once I started playing the wind properly I saw deer while on stand.
Good luck!
 
First of all, welcome to TN and tndeer.

Yes, whitetails can be challenging, especially here in the south. I lived in NM for 11yrs before moving here in 2015, but I had grown up in southern Ohio bow hunting whitetails. I lived in Alaska for 4yrs and Oklahoma for a couple. I have also hunted a lot of the midwest states. Everywhere I've ever been, the locals think it's the most challenging hunting conditions of all and that anybody from anywhere else would struggle. While it is partially true that each region has its unique challenges, hunting whitetails in the south with a bow is about as tough big game hunting as I've ever experienced.

You'll figure it out. It's just a learning curve. They're still deer. They still have to eat. Unlike most western experiences you won't be able to glass a deer & put on a stalk. They're wily & alert and they sound off to alert others. With all the cover they can disappear right before your eyes. And their tolerance for human scent is zero. They're tough. But once you find your groove you'll be dialing in on some pretty regular. Sitting still to ambush them is the best way with archery.

I'm just north of Manchester, about half hour south of Woodbury. Not terribly far from you at all. I'll be in Ohio this weekend until I get one up there, and possibly heading to NM to aid in a mule deer hunt, but when I'm back in TN I'd be happy to show you a couple local WMA's & hunt a spot or two if you like.
 
Ski said:
First of all, welcome to TN and tndeer.

Yes, whitetails can be challenging, especially here in the south. I lived in NM for 11yrs before moving here in 2015, but I had grown up in southern Ohio bow hunting whitetails. I lived in Alaska for 4yrs and Oklahoma for a couple. I have also hunted a lot of the midwest states. Everywhere I've ever been, the locals think it's the most challenging hunting conditions of all and that anybody from anywhere else would struggle. While it is partially true that each region has its unique challenges, hunting whitetails in the south with a bow is about as tough big game hunting as I've ever experienced.

You'll figure it out. It's just a learning curve. They're still deer. They still have to eat. Unlike most western experiences you won't be able to glass a deer & put on a stalk. They're wily & alert and they sound off to alert others. With all the cover they can disappear right before your eyes. And their tolerance for human scent is zero. They're tough. But once you find your groove you'll be dialing in on some pretty regular. Sitting still to ambush them is the best way with archery.

I'm just north of Manchester, about half hour south of Woodbury. Not terribly far from you at all. I'll be in Ohio this weekend until I get one up there, and possibly heading to NM to aid in a mule deer hunt, but when I'm back in TN I'd be happy to show you a couple local WMA's & hunt a spot or two if you like.
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Thank you so much for the encouraging words. I have a feeling we don't live far apart. I'm in Readyville. Any help/advice is greatly appreciated.
 
five by five said:
I started hunting whitetail less than 15 years ago so I can relate. The greatest lesson I learned was you can ruin a spot in a hurry if you don't pay attention to the wind. The first year I found sign like droppings, and nipped trees and plants where they were feeding so I knew they were there, but I didn't see a single deer besides what I jumped going to or from my stand. Once I started playing the wind properly I saw deer while on stand.
Good luck!
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Thank you so much for the advice and encouragement. I will definitely pay more attention to that.
 
Brokenbow said:
Let me start off by saying that I'm in my 50's and have hunted since I could walk. I grew up chasing mule deer, elk, sheep, goats, and even made a few trips to California chasing black tail and wild boar (all with a bow and all on public land). In the western states archery season (for the most part) opens long before the rut starts and spot and stalk is the best way to hunt. Then I moved to middle Tennessee and began pursuing whitetail. I found out in a hurry that this is an entirely different ball game. I have been hunting WMA's and haven't had any luck finding even a doe to shoot at. This has definitely been a humbling experience. Best of luck to all of you you have to be doing better than I am.
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Welcome!

Which part of the state are you hunting? Might be able to give you some tips/
 
Brokenbow said:
Let me start off by saying that I'm in my 50's and have hunted since I could walk. I grew up chasing mule deer, elk, sheep, goats, and even made a few trips to California chasing black tail and wild boar (all with a bow and all on public land). In the western states archery season (for the most part) opens long before the rut starts and spot and stalk is the best way to hunt. Then I moved to middle Tennessee and began pursuing whitetail. I found out in a hurry that this is an entirely different ball game. I have been hunting WMA's and haven't had any luck finding even a doe to shoot at. This has definitely been a humbling experience. Best of luck to all of you you have to be doing better than I am.
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Get a tree stand and scout . Although I have shot a deer on a stalk its not recommended. Whitetail are very difficult to stalk close enough for a bow but in the right conditions I do like to still hunt with a gun .
 
Welcome to tndeer. Depending on where you are trying to hunt, deer are probably on acorns. Around here when there are heavy acorns crops, the deer just seem to wander aimlessly to the next trees that are dropping. If you can find a good white oak that is dropping, you will have deer in the area and they will eventually find it. Good luck.
 
Snake said:
Get a tree stand and scout . Although I have shot a deer on a stalk its not recommended. Whitetail are very difficult to stalk close enough for a bow but in the right conditions I do like to still hunt with a gun .
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I have a tree saddle and have spent several hours in it. As crunchy as the woods are right now it would be dang near impossible to stalk something I'd imagine. Thank you for the advice.
 
backyardtndeer said:
Welcome to tndeer. Depending on where you are trying to hunt, deer are probably on acorns. Around here when there are heavy acorns crops, the deer just seem to wander aimlessly to the next trees that are dropping. If you can find a good white oak that is dropping, you will have deer in the area and they will eventually find it. Good luck.
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There are definitely tons of acorns this year. Thank you for the advice and encouragement
 
Snake said:
Get a tree stand and scout . Although I have shot a deer on a stalk its not recommended. Whitetail are very difficult to stalk close enough for a bow but in the right conditions I do like to still hunt with a gun .
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Forgive my rudeness , welcome to tndeer . There are some great people on this site willing to answer your questions and help .
 
Snake said:
Get a tree stand and scout . Although I have shot a deer on a stalk its not recommended. Whitetail are very difficult to stalk close enough for a bow but in the right conditions I do like to still hunt with a gun .
Click to expand...
Snake said:
Forgive my rudeness , welcome to tndeer . There are some great people on this site willing to answer your questions and help .
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No forgiveness needed. Everyone has been very helpful. Thank you again.
 
Brokenbow said:
Let me start off by saying that I'm in my 50's and have hunted since I could walk. I grew up chasing mule deer, elk, sheep, goats, and even made a few trips to California chasing black tail and wild boar (all with a bow and all on public land). In the western states archery season (for the most part) opens long before the rut starts and spot and stalk is the best way to hunt. Then I moved to middle Tennessee and began pursuing whitetail. I found out in a hurry that this is an entirely different ball game. I have been hunting WMA's and haven't had any luck finding even a doe to shoot at. This has definitely been a humbling experience. Best of luck to all of you you have to be doing better than I am.
Click to expand...
this year has been really down for sightings. It appears that the bumper crop of acorns has them NOT moving much. I have killed at least one with my bow, in most years, but this year I saw 4 deer total in 8 sits, and none were within range. It goes like that some years and if you stick with it, you will kill a whitetail deer on public land because they are in there, but they are just harder to kill due to pressure.
 
Hunting in a place that's super thick and has lots of terrain features is easier for some and not easy if you're not use to it. Study topo maps or learn to if you don't know how. It's worth it's weight in gold
 
killingtime 41 said:
Hunting in a place that's super thick and has lots of terrain features is easier for some and not easy if you're not use to it. Study topo maps or learn to if you don't know how. It's worth it's weight in gold
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Growing up in the Rockies you had to topo maps or just stay in the truck. Thank you for the reply.
 
Welcome to middle Tennessee. I'm in Rutherford county too. First question…how do you vote? Ok kidding. I haven't hunted public land in quite a while but it can be tough. Hunt the hunters and if you can go during the week I would and avoid the weekend. Best of luck!
 
Gravey said:
Welcome to middle Tennessee. I'm in Rutherford county too. First question…how do you vote? Ok kidding. I haven't hunted public land in quite a while but it can be tough. Hunt the hunters and if you can go during the week I would and avoid the weekend. Best of luck!
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Republican of course. I work weekends so all I do is hunt during the week. I've yet to see another hunter. Thanks for the reply
 
Welcome to TN & TnDeer from a guy in AL!

As out west, onX is your friend here too. Grew up in TN & just live 6 miles south of it now. Have hunted a lot out west, Midwest & south in my 69 years. Southern whitetail are tough and a totally different breed to the ones that live along creeks & river bottoms out west & Midwest. Our abundant cover & food makes it a challenge, especially with a bow. Even though there are tons of acorns, on just about any property there is always some trees that deer prefer than others. That's where you want to be. Whitetail have to have cover for bedding, gonna eat & gonna breed. That's the basics for them. With the hot weather right now & they have winter coats on, expect a bunch to be nocturnal, which just adds to the difficulty.
Cooler weather & rut is just around the corner so if I was you I'd be concentrating on finding does as that's where the bucks will be shortly. Figure out where the does are bedding & feeding. Bucks will be cruising and checking out those areas. During that time you'll want to be in woods as much as possible.
As others have said, hunt the wind. You can fool a whitetails ears & eyes but you'll never fool its nose. I'm so anal about it that I have an Xcel chart with stands broken out by optimum wind directions. Whatever direction the wind is, then I immediately know which ones to choose from. Along those same lines, you have to consider the wind on approaching stand as well.
Good luck & with as much hunting you have under your belt, you will figure it out. There's a wealth of knowledge here and most are willing to share it. Also you can do a search for threads for just about any topic like rut dates for your area.
 
tellico4x4 said:
Welcome to TN & TnDeer from a guy in AL!

As out west, onX is your friend here too. Grew up in TN & just live 6 miles south of it now. Have hunted a lot out west, Midwest & south in my 69 years. Southern whitetail are tough and a totally different breed to the ones that live along creeks & river bottoms out west & Midwest. Our abundant cover & food makes it a challenge, especially with a bow. Even though there are tons of acorns, on just about any property there is always some trees that deer prefer than others. That's where you want to be. Whitetail have to have cover for bedding, gonna eat & gonna breed. That's the basics for them. With the hot weather right now & they have winter coats on, expect a bunch to be nocturnal, which just adds to the difficulty.
Cooler weather & rut is just around the corner so if I was you I'd be concentrating on finding does as that's where the bucks will be shortly. Figure out where the does are bedding & feeding. Bucks will be cruising and checking out those areas. During that time you'll want to be in woods as much as possible.
As others have said, hunt the wind. You can fool a whitetails ears & eyes but you'll never fool its nose. I'm so anal about it that I have an Xcel chart with stands broken out by optimum wind directions. Whatever direction the wind is, then I immediately know which ones to choose from. Along those same lines, you have to consider the wind on approaching stand as well.
Good luck & with as much hunting you have under your belt, you will figure it out. There's a wealth of knowledge here and most are willing to share it. Also you can do a search for threads for just about any topic like rut dates for your area.
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Thank you so much for the reply! Will definitely do those things. This is a huge change from what I'm used too that's for sure.
 
I've been hunting public land in tn since I was 15...I'm 39 years old now and let me tell you...it's tough...I've learned a lot in this time tho...anybody that can go on public land and kill deer with a bow is a true hunter....here's the best advice I can give you....get the wind in your face...look for places where many trails come to one...think outside the box...HUNT THE THICK STUFF..hunt travel areas..deer are not hard to find here...but very hard to kill...hope it helps
 
Bloodwolf1984 said:
I've been hunting public land in tn since I was 15...I'm 39 years old now and let me tell you...it's tough...I've learned a lot in this time tho...anybody that can go on public land and kill deer with a bow is a true hunter....here's the best advice I can give you....get the wind in your face...look for places where many trails come to one...think outside the box...HUNT THE THICK STUFF..hunt travel areas..deer are not hard to find here...but very hard to kill...hope it helps
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Heck yes it helps! Thank you so much for your reply
 
Brokenbow said:
I have a tree saddle and have spent several hours in it. As crunchy as the woods are right now it would be dang near impossible to stalk something I'd imagine. Thank you for the advice.
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Welcome to the fire!!!!

You're right stalking a deer right now in the timber is about as tall an order as man could make. There are times when it's more advantageous IMO to try and stalk one. Early season being one of those when the bucks can often be found in row crops or fields of various types. Right now we're in the pre-rut phase and feed trees and scrapes are the hot ticket items for all the deer right now. I would encourage you to spend your time through this coming weekend covering ground and locating both feed trees and scrapes. If you come up on some hot sign then try to use you tracker feature in OnX to map your entry and exit. It can be very disorienting entering and exiting the woods in the dark and you can easily blow all the deer in the area out if you don't have a good plan for egress. After the cold front hits early next week go slip in there with your saddle and set up downwind of your targeted sign. Don't beat yourself up to bad right now if you're not seeing deer. You are attempting to learn in about the most difficult conditions you could be given. Hot, dry, acorns for years, and more cover in the woods still than I've seen in many seasons. The good news is your in a good area with lots of access to land and plenty of deer on it. Good luck and have fun!
 
Welcome to TnDeer...conditions will improve soon with a temp drop and in November your sightings should increase with pre-rut and rut activity...its going to get right very soon...stay after them.
 
tree_ghost said:
Welcome to the fire!!!!

You're right stalking a deer right now in the timber is about as tall an order as man could make. There are times when it's more advantageous IMO to try and stalk one. Early season being one of those when the bucks can often be found in row crops or fields of various types. Right now we're in the pre-rut phase and feed trees and scrapes are the hot ticket items for all the deer right now. I would encourage you to spend your time through this coming weekend covering ground and locating both feed trees and scrapes. If you come up on some hot sign then try to use you tracker feature in OnX to map your entry and exit. It can be very disorienting entering and exiting the woods in the dark and you can easily blow all the deer in the area out if you don't have a good plan for egress. After the cold front hits early next week go slip in there with your saddle and set up downwind of your targeted sign. Don't beat yourself up to bad right now if you're not seeing deer. You are attempting to learn in about the most difficult conditions you could be given. Hot, dry, acorns for years, and more cover in the woods still than I've seen in many seasons. The good news is your in a good area with lots of access to land and plenty of deer on it. Good luck and have fun!
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First of all, thank you for the advice. There is a ton of great info in your post. Had to read it a few times to make sure I got it all. There definitely is a learning curve to all of this and as frustrating as it can be sometimes it's still a blast being in the woods and trying to figure it all out. Best of luck this season!
 
Brokenbow said:
Middle Tennessee
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I've been hunting in Tennessee for 2 decades now, but I grew up in New Mexico hunting the Guadalupe mountains, so I feel your adjustment struggle.

If you are hunting a WMA that has a lot of mature oaks, it's gonna be really hard to pin the deer down right now. And it's still pre-rut so movement is predictable but not widespread. A doe's home range is averaging about 40 acres, and bucks are just now starting to mill around.

My advice would be to spend plenty of time scouting for deer sign, particularly white oaks that show signs of acorn feeding. Then set up on trails that are leading to that area.

WMAs can be tough, especially depending on what part of the state your are in.
 
DeerCamp said:
I've been hunting in Tennessee for 2 decades now, but I grew up in New Mexico hunting the Guadalupe mountains, so I feel your adjustment struggle.

If you are hunting a WMA that has a lot of mature oaks, it's gonna be really hard to pin the deer down right now. And it's still pre-rut so movement is predictable but not widespread. A doe's home range is averaging about 40 acres, and bucks are just now starting to mill around.

My advice would be to spend plenty of time scouting for deer sign, particularly white oaks that show signs of acorn feeding. Then set up on trails that are leading to that area.

WMAs can be tough, especially depending on what part of the state your are in.
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If it works out I'm heading to South East New Mexico in January chasing mule deer during the rut. Thank you so much for the advice there is definitely a learning curve to this whitetail hunting. Best of luck this season!
 

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