New deer hunter

[okiewita40]

As the title says I am a new deer hunter. This will be my second year ever to hunt deer. Went in 2009 and only had a 12ga with slugs. I was out of the country last year. This year I am going to use my SKS. The area I am going to be hunting is a public hunting area. From doing some scouting I think I have found a decent area. The area runs north to south. At the north end is where two ridges come together. the ridges run to the south for approx 1.5mi. spreading further apart gradually. they are both approx. 100 feet high from the floor of the draw. There is a good deer/game trail in the bottom of the draw. At the end of all this is a small open field i.e. field grass. The field is only about 60 yds x 30 yds with a dry creek bed along the east and south edge of the field. so with this being known where should I set up. I will not be using a stand. I will just use a natural blind or sit at the base of a tree.

Being as I am in N.E. OK there are a lot of trees and so shots are short anyways Maybe 50yds max if your lucky. other than the long 60yd. open field. So tell me where would be a good place for me to be. I will go scout more this week when I am off work also.

A little info on me to help you out. I am 44 y/o. Have 8 yrs military and 12 yrs as an LEO. I qualify expert at the range every 3 months. That is handgun, shot gun and rifle. I grew up hunting small game and upland game birds. Just never got to hunt deer. So I am way behind the curve on deer hunting. Have been reading everything I can about it.

 

[22-rimfire]

I would walk along both ridges to see what kind of food sources are there. I would be especially looking for oak trees with acorns. Apple trees? I would also ask myself "why do the deer move through the draw?" Are they bedding down nearby or are they moving toward another food source via the draw. Don't expect deer to simply walk up the trail although some will likely do that. If they are feeding, they will probably not be walking up the trail.

I would tend to position myself along the top of one of the ridges or part way down the side facing toward the trail. Being able to see both sides (both ridges) from a vantage point would be very useful.

Look for shooting lanes.

Added: If it is too thick to see much as you indicate, I would probably position myself along the side of one of the ridges where I had a good view of the middle of the draw with the trail. Then I would keep essentially use the hunting day as a scouting effort if unsuccessful and adjust my stand position relative to where you think the deer are moving through. Perhaps they like the oposite ridge side of the ridge better?

The clearing/field is the alternative. In which case, I would position myself on the uphill side of the field where the deer are either moving toward or away from the field. It would be nice to be able to see the field if for nothing else than as a place to see deer at longer ranges as they move toward you.

If there are acorns along the ridge side, that is where I would be at the same time in view of the trail.

 

[Gunnerboy]

when i hunt ridges i zig-zag them, so that i can see what is on both sides of the ridges then go from there on where im gonna hunt, but always take the high ground first.

 

[Skyshot]

Without seeing your area, When I go into a new area to hunt I 1st. look for food sources. 2nd look for cover or tickets, and 3rd look for edge areas or pinch points. As the rut approaches I like to find the areas that are holding does, because where the does are the buck's will follow. Just getting familiar with the area will help you a bunch and pay attention to the wind direction when you enter you hunt zones. Good luck.

 

[okiewita40]

I went and took some pics from the field today will post them as soon as I can. I found several bedding areas in the fields and multiple trails. There are a lot of oak trees with acorns. There are some places where there is nothing but a bluff and some others that I could climb up to some higher ground.

Thank you for all of your help so far.

 

[osprey176]

Good luck with your hunt.You said you have lots of acorns,this can be good and bad.With a heavy mast crop,deer can feed almost anywhere,making them hard to pattern.You might want to look for water,or even better,heavy cover.Scout for tracks in both directions,near heavy cover,and set up downwind.Tree stands are great,if you put them up where the deer are.If you use high ground to see better,stay below the top to avoid being spotted by the deer.Don't get discouraged if you don't see deer your first few trips out,keep at it,and try to learn your area better each time out.

 

[Sav .250]

Pay attention to what direction the wind is blowing. If there is any.

 

[courtgreene]

don't forget to put your phone on vibrate. Also, are they bedding in that field at night or in the afternoon? That's important, and you can only find out by seeing them get in and out of it. Be aware that if one sees you and blows at you but doesn't run off, it hasn't really seen you or isn't quite sure what you are. If you freak out it will be gone, if you are still and quiet, it may still run off, but it also may just go back to whatever it was doing before it saw you. That's one of the biggest mistakes I used to make.

 

[okiewita40]

Ok here are a few pics of my hunting area.

 

[courtgreene]

take that blow down in the second picture, throw some brush in front of it and bring a folding chair or something, and you've got a ground blind. If you see signs of deer activity in the area in front of it, should be good to go. look for ears and tails twitching as they travel through areas of cover like that in picture number three. Many new hunters assume deer are like us and prefer the easy mobility of walking straight through places like pictures one and four, but if people were deer, they'd be dead. Deer need to hide to survive, so look in cover. Sometimes they will come out in the open, because of food, or if they don't detect a threat, but usually they travel through cover. Have fun!

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Is it legal to hunt over bait in Oklahoma?
If it is, put out a corn feeder just a few feet off their normal travel routes. The acorns are great, but I've found a feeder in a good location is good even with acorns present. Of course if it isn't legal where you're at, ignore what I just said.

 

[sourdough44]

I'd be up with a little elevation if it's available, higher chunk of ground. The 1st key point is to have any wind or breeze in your favor. You want to be where your scent is blowing AWAY from the most likely path of approach for a deer. A crosswind is O.K. if that's what the location calls for.