Deer Hunting Tips for Advanced Hunters
Wednesday, 11 November 2009 11:01 | 
Written by John Eagleheart |
The average deer hunter who has average skills and an average commitment to the hunt, usually get average results for his efforts. It's likely that every hunter will manage to bag a small buck every year or two, and maybe will even get lucky and hit his target more often. But it takes a deep understanding of hunting and the dedication to do whatever is required to bag a majestic trophy buck. The advanced deer hunting tips I'm sharing with you here are for the true hunting masters.
The average deer hunter who has average skills and an average commitment to the hunt, usually get average results for his efforts. It's likely that every hunter will manage to bag a small buck every year or two, and maybe will even get lucky and hit his target more often. But it takes a deep understanding of hunting and the dedication to do whatever is required to bag a majestic trophy buck. The advanced deer hunting tips I'm sharing with you here are for the true hunting masters.
1. Scout Out Your Hunting Area - This does not simply mean know where you are going to sit while you are hunting. It means to go out and truly get to know your hunting location. The most successful hunters actually start hunting months prior to the first day of the hunting season.
Get permission to be on the lease you intend on hunting and scout out all the potential hunting spots. You can investigate all the potential hunting areas by "dry hunting." This is similar to actual hunting, only you bring a camera instead of a gun. You will focus your attention on determining which areas have the most deer movement, the largest bucks, and the highest buck to doe ratio. It is advisable to scout the lease during midday as well in order to find any signs of big bucks.
2. Learn the Signs of Big Bucks. When you know what you're looking for, you can zero in on the spots where the trophy deer gather. Spot any tracks. Look at how big the tracks are, where they're going, and how many there are, and you can see where the deer are moving.
You also want to look for scrapes. These are areas where a buck scratches the ground and sometimes urinates to mark their territory and attract does. Bucks usually do this below low hanging tree branches that are located on the border of heavy brush areas during the rut. Another thing you want to look for are rubs. As a buck attempts to get the velvet off their new antlers thy need to rub on trees and posts. They also do this to mark their territory during rutting season. If you find a "rub line," you will be able to find six or more rubs in a matter of about 100 yards. Bucks usually rub on the side of the tree or post that he is traveling from. With this in mind, if you pay attention to which side of the trees are being rubbed you can have a clue as to which way the deer is moving.
Also, look for bedding areas and make a note of their size. If you don't see any bedding, there aren't any deer living in that area!
3. Know Your Firearm and Ammo - You need to know the ballistics of the bullet and cartridge you shoot. You also need to know how your gun reacts to the distance you are shooting. You need to know how far your shot raises for short shots and how far it falls for longer shots. You should practice judging how far your shots are and maybe even walk off the distances to possible sighting areas. This will allow you to know if you are making a 400 yard shot and also know how much your bullet is likely to drop making this shot. Doing this will enable you to be able to adjust your aim to make a quality shot.
4. Shot Placement; If you master the aim and ballistics of your deer hunting rile, you will be more comfortable with precision shot placement.
While many hunters have several different ways to shoot, one way that can help you is to shoot for the neck of the animal, as that will immobilize the deer much more quickly. If you hit the deer lower on the neck the carotid arteries will be severed. If you hit the deer high on the neck you will break the deer's spinal column. Finally, if you hit the deer in the center of the neck you will get a combination of both of these effects. No matter what angle the deer is at, whether it is broadside, front or rear quarter angle, or head-on, the neck will be as large of a target area as the typical "behind the lower shoulder" targets. The difference is that the neck target is much more effective.
Taking a full rear shot is not advisable unless you have a trophy buck standing there and you just can't leave it. If you have to clean a deer that has been shot up the rectum in not at all pleasant. You want to make smart decisions when you take a shot. The best deer hunters make a fast and efficient kill.
5. Rattling, Calls and Attractants - Briefly, our last advanced deer hunting tips involve attractants (food plots, mineral blocks and flavored blocks, and salt licks) deer calls, and techniques for rattling. Preparation time is necessary for food-based attractants. Planting and tending food plots requires as much time and attention as gardening. You should set out food attractants in an area weeks or even months prior to hunting season, so that the deer will become familiar with their feeding times and the location of their meals.
Only try rattling for bucks or using calls during rutting season, as that's the only time it will usually work. Bucks will mostly be attracted to the rattles and calls because they're curious if not in rut, but while rutting they'll rush toward the noise, which is far from an ideal situation. You could run the risk of getting run over by bucks if you rattle, so make sure you are prepared to act quickly if you want to do this. It'll take a lot of time to get good at this. There's a bit of a learning curve that comes with accurately recreating the sounds of deer fighting, but if you get it right, it'll be very advantageous.
No matter how interested in deer hunting you are, anyone with the slightest interest dreams of getting a nice trophy buck; you might also be a deer hunting fiend who wants a trophy rack each year. If you want to learn what it takes to be a master deer hunter, keep these deer hunting tips in mind when your next season comes up.
The average deer hunter who has average skills and an average commitment to the hunt, usually get average results for his efforts. It's likely that every hunter will manage to bag a small buck every year or two, and maybe will even get lucky and hit his target more often. But it takes a deep understanding of hunting and the dedication to do whatever is required to bag a majestic trophy buck. The advanced deer hunting tips I'm sharing with you here are for the true hunting masters.
1. Scout Out Your Hunting Area - This does not simply mean know where you are going to sit while you are hunting. It means to go out and truly get to know your hunting location. The most successful hunters actually start hunting months prior to the first day of the hunting season.
Get permission to be on the lease you intend on hunting and scout out all the potential hunting spots. You can investigate all the potential hunting areas by "dry hunting." This is similar to actual hunting, only you bring a camera instead of a gun. You will focus your attention on determining which areas have the most deer movement, the largest bucks, and the highest buck to doe ratio. It is advisable to scout the lease during midday as well in order to find any signs of big bucks.
2. Learn the Signs of Big Bucks. When you know what you're looking for, you can zero in on the spots where the trophy deer gather. Spot any tracks. Look at how big the tracks are, where they're going, and how many there are, and you can see where the deer are moving.
You also want to look for scrapes. These are areas where a buck scratches the ground and sometimes urinates to mark their territory and attract does. Bucks usually do this below low hanging tree branches that are located on the border of heavy brush areas during the rut. Another thing you want to look for are rubs. As a buck attempts to get the velvet off their new antlers thy need to rub on trees and posts. They also do this to mark their territory during rutting season. If you find a "rub line," you will be able to find six or more rubs in a matter of about 100 yards. Bucks usually rub on the side of the tree or post that he is traveling from. With this in mind, if you pay attention to which side of the trees are being rubbed you can have a clue as to which way the deer is moving.
Also, look for bedding areas and make a note of their size. If you don't see any bedding, there aren't any deer living in that area!
3. Know Your Firearm and Ammo - You need to know the ballistics of the bullet and cartridge you shoot. You also need to know how your gun reacts to the distance you are shooting. You need to know how far your shot raises for short shots and how far it falls for longer shots. You should practice judging how far your shots are and maybe even walk off the distances to possible sighting areas. This will allow you to know if you are making a 400 yard shot and also know how much your bullet is likely to drop making this shot. Doing this will enable you to be able to adjust your aim to make a quality shot.
4. Shot Placement; If you master the aim and ballistics of your deer hunting rile, you will be more comfortable with precision shot placement.
While many hunters have several different ways to shoot, one way that can help you is to shoot for the neck of the animal, as that will immobilize the deer much more quickly. If you hit the deer lower on the neck the carotid arteries will be severed. If you hit the deer high on the neck you will break the deer's spinal column. Finally, if you hit the deer in the center of the neck you will get a combination of both of these effects. No matter what angle the deer is at, whether it is broadside, front or rear quarter angle, or head-on, the neck will be as large of a target area as the typical "behind the lower shoulder" targets. The difference is that the neck target is much more effective.
Taking a full rear shot is not advisable unless you have a trophy buck standing there and you just can't leave it. If you have to clean a deer that has been shot up the rectum in not at all pleasant. You want to make smart decisions when you take a shot. The best deer hunters make a fast and efficient kill.
5. Rattling, Calls and Attractants - Briefly, our last advanced deer hunting tips involve attractants (food plots, mineral blocks and flavored blocks, and salt licks) deer calls, and techniques for rattling. Preparation time is necessary for food-based attractants. Planting and tending food plots requires as much time and attention as gardening. You should set out food attractants in an area weeks or even months prior to hunting season, so that the deer will become familiar with their feeding times and the location of their meals.
Only try rattling for bucks or using calls during rutting season, as that's the only time it will usually work. Bucks will mostly be attracted to the rattles and calls because they're curious if not in rut, but while rutting they'll rush toward the noise, which is far from an ideal situation. You could run the risk of getting run over by bucks if you rattle, so make sure you are prepared to act quickly if you want to do this. It'll take a lot of time to get good at this. There's a bit of a learning curve that comes with accurately recreating the sounds of deer fighting, but if you get it right, it'll be very advantageous.
No matter how interested in deer hunting you are, anyone with the slightest interest dreams of getting a nice trophy buck; you might also be a deer hunting fiend who wants a trophy rack each year. If you want to learn what it takes to be a master deer hunter, keep these deer hunting tips in mind when your next season comes up.
About the Author:
Do you want to know the advanced deer hunting tips that the finest hunters have mastered? Then visit us at www.Deer-HuntingTips.com to learn the deer hunting tips and secrets the master deer hunters know!
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