Deer hunting will require you to apply all your tracker experience, maximum endurance and patience, excellent physical fitness, and first-class marksman skills. Choosing the right equipment, weapons, stance, bells, and smells is just as important as knowing the deer's habits and anatomy for a successful hunt. Despite a solid list of requirements, emotions from your trophy bucks last for life. This article will draw your attention to important points to consider if you want to harvest.
Deer hunting in a nutshell.
Before going hunting, you must familiarize yourself with the local charter of the city regarding hunting on private or municipal property and obtain permission. It is not necessary to hunt in an area stuffed with hunters to the eyeballs. You can look for the so-called blind spots with low traffic. Deer are shy and will avoid places where they are constantly and massively hunted. You can ask residents about places where deer are often found. This can shorten the time for surveillance and detection of animal routes. It is imperative to scout the area so that you can navigate freely both day and night. It is perfect to have a plan of several entrances and exits to the hunting area, taking into account the direction of the wind and the trail of movement of the deer. If you plan to set up a rack, do so in advance so that the animals get used to it. Avoid visiting the counter before hunting day to scare off the deer with the fresh scent. Apparent obstructing greenery and branches, in the direction of a possible shooting and travel routes, a couple of weeks before the hunting season. Old deer associate the smell of freshly cut wood with the presence of humans and leave the places of fresh felling. We strongly recommend that you practice your shooting skills from any position whenever possible. This dramatically increases the chances of a successful shot.
Deer hunting tips.
To get the coveted big trophy, it is necessary to comply with several simple but essential conditions. If they are not met, then the hunt will fail without even starting. Experienced hunters have highlighted the most critical points that we will announce below.
1. It is worth controlling and minimizing human body odor. We don't just smell bad for the deer; we stink a few hundred yards before getting close to the deer. The entire forest is alerted to our presence before we enter the animal's kill zone. Therefore, it is worth taking a shower immediately before hunting with odorless soap. There are special tools for hunters. They are affordable and effective. In this case, you need to dry yourself with a towel, washed in an odorless product. This applies to linen and clothing. Deodorant, aftershave, or shave is worth using if designed for the hunter and odorless. The equipment should be stored so that it does not absorb the odors of the house and the person, for example, in an airtight bag with dry needles and foliage. Before hunting, you should not eat smoked food seasoned with garlic and spices. Better to give preference to something more neutral. You should not visit fast-food restaurants on the way to the hunt and get soaked through with the smell of food. The smell of cigarettes and booze will also reveal the hunter's location. We select special repellents, odorless. This means that neutralize the odor of a person is very good. We apply them to the most sweating parts of our body - neck, head, soles, armpits, and do not forget about the insoles and the hat. When choosing snacks, choose something with a neutral natural taste - banana, apple, nut-grain bar.
2. Don't make noise! No music, no messages or mobile phone calls, no rustling clothes, no clattering metal parts of equipment. Speak softly, only when necessary. Deer have very delicate ears, and the wind carries sounds to a great distance. It would help if you crept, rolling the foot from heel to toe, trying not to crunch branches and foliage. The outsole of the shoe should allow for quiet movement and have a good grip on the ground. We mentioned that the route needs to be prepared in advance. It should be designed for your silent entry and exit. Experienced hunters control smell and sound by moving along the bed of streams and shallow streams. So they successfully hide their presence from the inhabitants of the forest.
3. For covert observation of deer, many hunters use surveillance cameras. You can install several cameras along the proposed movement route and track the number of individuals on the site, their gender, age, and the usual daily routine. Since deer are more active at night than during the day, night vision goggles can be helpful. Night vision binoculars work great for observing feeding deer in open spaces. A night vision monocular comes in handy in the confined space of a forest. And the night vision scope works wonderfully in a rack or ambush on the ground. Night vision goggles allow you to chase prey in the night forest comfortably. They keep their hands free for weapons and provide an excellent view of the area.
4. For a successful hunt, it is necessary to determine three places: sleeping, feeding, and a watering place for deer. Knowing all three, it is not difficult to understand where the animals are now and where they are going. Before the rutting season, this rule works great, but in the heat of the rut, the breeding instinct becomes dominant, and the deer become more aggressive and less cautious. It is worth keeping an eye on the females during the rutting season. The males chase the fallow deer and will undoubtedly appear where they are.
5. Watch the direction of the wind. To do this, use a bottle of fine powder. Approach deer only from the leeward side. It is also necessary to leave and enter the hunting site from the leeward side. Sometimes the wind swirls and changes direction from obstacles or heat flows. On the same terrain at different times of the day, it can change direction. Be attentive and let yourself be discovered.
6. Observe the ruts and marks that the males leave. Simulate marks or place a stand close to natural spots. The attractive smells of deer have proven themselves well. They should be applied from the stance towards the deer path. The maximum concentration of odor should be in the area of the rack.
7. Study the behavior and habits of the deer. Learn to use deer calls and imitate the voice of an animal. Reindeer antlers have proven to be excellent for creating a false fight of males. Dominant individuals will check for strangers on their territory and come into your arms.
8. Become invisible to the eyes of the deer. Set up a tree stand so that the sun is behind you and your silhouette is hidden behind a thick tree trunk. Use camouflage and branches of neighboring trees for maximum.
9. Study deer anatomy for ethical shooting and proper cutting. When taking a souvenir photo, make every effort to make the trophy look without an unnecessary scene of cruelty.
We strongly recommend taking care of your safety and the safety of your hunting companions. Deer hunters must wear five hundred square inches of bright orange clothing in shotgun and primitive firearms season. Always know where your comrades are. Never shoot unless you see the target. We hope you enjoy the deer hunting season with benefit and pleasure. With a bit of effort and patience, you are sure to get your clean shot and reap your harvest.