Deer Hunting Tips & Information Sharing

[Stephen Cue]

I recently recieved inquiry from members new to deer hunting and I realized we do not have a thread devoted to tips and information specifically for deer hunting.

So if anyone new to deer hunting has any questions, post them here. We have many, well seasoned hunters across the many regions of Oklahoma with an infinite wealth of info to share.

Also if there are people that need hunting partners, chime in and lets get some newbs huntin'.

 

[Cougar]

The "newb" would be me. I live in Tulsa and need someone to go hunting with. I have my Hunter Safety stuff done and am good to go legally. I'm interested in everything from squirrels to bear. I'm particularly interested in waterfowl and deer.

 

[the man]

I think the most important thing is get in the woods and stay in the woods. I think many hunters go to the woods 3 or 4 weekends a year and don't see the #'s or quality of deer they would like and wonder what they are doing wrong. . You have to put your time in out there to have consistant success. They hunters that I know that are "lucky enought" to kill large bucks routinely...live and breathe it. They don't stop looking for them even in the spring and summer. Good land helps as well. Also know the game you are looking for. If you are meat hunting...hunt the food sources or the trails leading to and away. This seems to produce the best # of deer. If you are looking to kill that old mature buck...it changes a bit. You have to look for them slipping in or out of their bedding areas or know exactly where they are feeding. They don't move around much unless they are chasing does.

For years, everyone told me to "Hunt the does" and the bucks will eventually be there. That is not always true with the big boys. If I could tell any hunter anything..it would be if you want a big mature buck....hunt the big mature bucks. Find large tracks, large scat, large rubs and keep scent free and stay there. They will show up eventually.
Anyways, good luck and hope you have tons of fun.

 

[bigcountryok]

Don't over hunt an area. Most mature deer are killed on the first day or two of being in a new stand.

Rotate where you set up regularly. Don't allow the deer to patern you. Just because you didn't see deer on a set up doesn't mean they didn't know you were there.

 

[_CY_]

scent is everything... deer are prey animals that run at the least bit danger. their sense of smell is many times better than ours.

you can be covered top to bottom with carbon clothing. deer can still scent you if the wind is right. so pay attention to the wind.

unless blind luck strikes... don't expect results unless you've done your homework and know the land intimately. like where the deer signs are, their path from food to bedding areas, etc.

be in the woods before daylight... twilight hours at dawn and dusk are your best chance at success.

 

[JCW355]

I've heard the stories but it has never happened to me, check your zero on a scoped rifle.

 

[DORR]

Be still and quiet in the stand.

 

[Bantam510]

I'm new to Hunting, and am looking for someone to possibly go hunting with probably on public land. Interested in hunting anything really, deer, hog, varmints. Have limited expertise, but a pretty good shooter, and limited weapons to choose from. 7.62x54 MN, and a Single shot .22 LR.

 

[Bantam510]

I guess this Thread is dead. Hopefully it will get revived with the deer rifle season coming close.

 

[Hog Shooter]

Three of us work very hard on our land during the year, food plots, mineral licks, feeders ect.. three guys come in and hunt during season and do very little scouting. These guys have had limited sucsess in the past several years because they haven't noticed the deer have moved their main feeding/bedding areas since the big ice storm. I try to hunt out of a stand no more the once in a weekend, and use my climbing stand more each year. I walk the trails early in season for bow hunting sites and use info picked up from the year before for locations to hunt during rut. I try to stay in the stand till noon when the bucks are pushing does and I only leave to eat and then get back in around 2:00. We also have several game gameras set up on feeders sites to get counter intelligence on the feeding times and areas when bigger deer are haning out. I do not hunt the feeder unless my freezer is bare, I find the trails leading into and away from the feeder. I have killed the biggest deer in our group for the past three years, but I am just lucky cause I have time to scout. I think deer hunting is like painting a car all the work goes into prep, very little time in the hunt compared to the time you spend getting ready.