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What to do While Waiting for Deer
You only get to deer hunt a few days out of each year, make the most of it. Try enjoying the outdoors by watching the wildlife and learning your hunting site. One of your best tools for deer hunting is learning your hunting area. Some of the trees and plants shapes look like deer. Remember the location of these phony deer and when you have real targets these will not distract you as much.
Be Ready to Shoot
Some hunters will play games on their cell phones or read during the slow times of deer hunting. Do not get distracted by doing this. Use every moment and be ready when a deer comes to you. Deer get spooked very easy and if they get flushed they will be at a run when they come into your area. You need the time to judge the deer, see if it is your buck or doe, and to measure the distance of your shot.
When to Hunt Deer
Peak hunting time is when the deer are moving between food sources and their bedding areas. This usually happens just before sunrise and sunset. That doesn’t mean that you should show up right at those times.
You should be at your hunting spot at least 1 ½ hours before sunrise. This gives you plenty of time to settle into your hunting spot and for the other wildlife and the deer to relax from all the odor changes and the noise of you coming into their woods. Remember to be a quiet as possible when inhabiting your tree stand or hunting blind. Deer will remember all the noise and you want to make as little of an impression as possible.
The evening hunting peek is a little bit different. Deer do not see well at night but they can hear and smell very well. During the day they have all three senses working at full strength. Try to get into your hunting station at least 3 hours before sunset. This will give the deer that stayed in the area time to relax and may allow more deer to move into the area during the hunting time that is allowed.
Deer Avoid Hunters
Deer like snow, heavy rains, and strong winds just as much as you do. If any of these conditions are in progress most likely the deer will not be moving. All of these conditions impair what the deer can hear and smell. Deer do not like this. They will bed down and try to wait it out.
Deer use their sensitive noses to stay safe. If you are upwind of the woods most likely the deer will know you are there. Sometimes this cannot be helped. One way to avoid making more odor than needed is to skip showers and do not put on underarm deodorants. Perfumes from the soap and deodorant are very strong and will stand out to the deer more than your own body odors. Some deer scents can be applied to your shoes and hunting area to help mask your own odor even more.
Be Patient While Deer Hunting
A very important tip for deer hunting is that when you do get your shot, do not try to chase down your deer. It is important to be patient for several reasons. If you have more than one deer tag you may get another shot. Early in gun season the deer do not know to run away after they hear a shot. They will wonder what happened to their companion and sometimes they will come out to look. You just turned one kill into two.
The most important reason to be patient is to give the deer time to bleed out. When a deer is hurt it will go a little way into the woods and lie down to relax. This gives the deer time to bleed and keeps it close to you. If you go after a live deer it will hear you coming, have an adrenalin rush and take off running. You most likely will never see that deer again.
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