Deer Hunting Tips To Make You An Expert Hunter
As a deer hunter, you’ll only succeed as far as your dedication and knowledge will take you. You might be satisfied with just getting that single deer every couple of years, but if you want better than that for yourself, learn how to get that trophy buck. The following contains some deer hunting tips that the experts of deer hunting use every day to get the big ones
1. Scout Your Area In Advance. I’m not talking about where you’re going to sit when you arrive at your hunting spot — I mean be genuinely aware of the area that you are hunting in. In fact, my most successful hunting seasons actually began months before opening day.
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.
Look for Scrapes. These are the areas where bucks scratch against the ground and urinate to mark their territory and attract does. Usually scrapes are beneath low-hanging tree branches along the edges of heavy brush. Look for Rubs. These are the spots on trees or posts where bucks rub the velvet off their budding antlers, of where they mark their territory in rutting season. If you see six or more rubs in 100 yards, that’s called a “rub line.” You’ll usually find rubs beside a tree on the side that the buck’s traveling from, so you can get an idea of where the deer is moving and mark it down, making it easier to find them.
You should also look for bedding areas and make a note of their size. If you don’t see any bedding, there aren’t any bucks!
3. Understand Your Firearm. Know the ballistics of the cartridge and bullet you are using. Know the distance you will need to shoot and be able to make adjustments for geography; for example, the rise on short shoots and the fall for long shots. Take some time to practice estimating distances. If possible, walk around the likely sighting areas ahead of the hunt, so you’ll know what length of shots you’ll be making and what sort of drop your bullet will make at that distance.
4. Know Where To Place Your Shot – Once you fully understand the aim and ballistics of your dear hunting riffle, you will be able to concentrate on where you are going to place your shot.
Personally, I prefer neck shooting. While many hunters do not agree with this technique, a properly placed shot anywhere along the neck will drop your deer instantly. 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. Attractants, Calls, and Rattling – While we do not have time to go into a lot of detail, it is an important deer hunting tip to use attractants (like natural food plots, salt licks/mineral blocks, feeders, and flavored blocks), deer calls, and rattling methods. You have to do some prep work beforehand with food attractants. Just like any garden, food plots takes a lot of time and attention. You want the deer to get used to feeding in the area of the food plot weeks or even months prior to hunting season. This is important so you know when and where they will be grazing.
Calling and rattling are hit-or-miss techniques that usually only work during rutting. It’s been my experience that bucks would approach my rattling cautiously, and only out of curiosity when they weren’t rutting. When it does work during the rut they usually come rushing. There were times when I was nearly run over by bucks when I was rattling in a field. So if you get good at this, be prepared for some quick action. Proficiency is required, and it takes lots of practice. There’s a learning curve involved in knowing how to effectively mimic the calls or recreate the fighting sounds of deer. But once you learn how to do this, it’s a very useful skill.
Every deer hunter wants to display a trophy buck at some point, and some of us can’t rest unless we bag at least one grand creature every season. If you plan to become an elite hunter, you need to know the advanced deer hunting tips that the finest hunters have mastered.
We hope that you use these advanced deer hunting tips and techniques during deer hunting season to enjoy the most successful hunt ever. And please visit us at www.Deer-HuntingTips.com to learn more secrets and advanced deer hunting tips.
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