newbie deer hunter... suggestions?

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thecarfarmer

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So, I've only been hunting once in my 45 years on this planet; went duck hunting with my dad once when I was a boy.

But, as an avid motorcyclist, I'm aware of the hazard they cause here in western WA. So, I asked a buddy to take me deer hunting; he wants to hit the late deer hunt on Whidbey Island.

For what it's worth, Whidbey is overrun with deer. I saw a big one in the middle of Coupeville, on 6th Ave, while leaving my buddy's house one day. It just stood there looking at me, while I kept having a "gollum" moment ("...but we wantsss to sshoot it, preciousss... we hasss a glock on our hip, and thossse forty-fiveses isss perfect for deerses") until I kicked the bike into gear and rode off.

And anyway, while doing a google search for "whidbey island deer hunt", I came up with this retort to someone who posted about how bad it is to hunt:

Killing deer is the answer because cooking them while they are still alive would be cruel.
Click to expand...

I'm claiming that as sig line once this post is done...

So, I'm looking for suggestions for a brand-new hunter about deer hunting on Whidbey, deer hunting in general, or just plain hunting anything.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

-Bill
 
READ all of the regulations yourself so that you are aware of any applicable laws that come into play while you're hunting. Hate to ruin a good day hunting by getting citation for breaking a local game law.

Decide if you're going to use a treestand, ground blind, or spot & stalk. If you go with a tree stand, and it's a climber, you'll need to practice so you're not fumbling around with it the day of the hunt. On top of that, there's the safety aspect of knowing how to use your equipment. I would say get comfortable with your weapon of choice, but since this is a firearms site I'll leave that one off since you probably already are.

You don't need the top of the line camo to kill a deer. Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers probably never wore camo when hunting, and if they did, it didn't look like the stuff does now.

When the shot presents itself, take your time. If your gut tells you it isn't a good shot to take, it probably isn't. Nothing worse than wounding an animal. I usually take a few deep, slow breaths to calm my nerves before even taking the safety off. After the shot, unless you see the animal drop in site, don't go running to claim your prize. Being a bow hunter, I always give it about 30-45 minutes before I go looking for blood. When rifle hunting, if I see the animal drop, I always load another round in case the shot wasn't sufficient to get the job done. Deer are tough animals. ALWAYS approach the animal from behind so if it's not dead you won't run the risk of finding out how sharp those hooves really are.

Take a sharp knife for the real work part of hunting.

Don't listen to anti's out there. If it weren't for hunting, the populations would get too out of control.

Most of all, HAVE FUN!
 
Yes I agree.

You will probably need to take a hunter safety class, and even if not required, take it anyway. Understand though that such classes are designed to cover at a basic level, all types of hunting, and you need a bit more study when going for deer, or any other game, once you decide to be specific on how you'll hunt (rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, bow, falconry etc), and what you'll hunt..., and you wrote you are going for deer. :)

I got much better, and bagged way more venison after reading The Still Hunter, by Van Dyke. The book is a century old, but deer haven't changed all that much if at all, and it's good to learn how and why the deer react to hunters. The only caveate is Van Dyke was limited in his firearm selections, and his rifle would be considered a bit light for hunting these days, and he also discusses multiple shots on deer that are running..., and I think it better to use a stronger cartridge and only need to shoot once. :)

Good luck!!

LD
 
Get your basics. Hunt first, then buy all the crap later. Your first few hunts will tell you what you need and what you dont need. Too often new hunters will burden themselves with too much crap (it also kills the wallet). Shoot the breeze with some locals who hunt the region. Get out before season and look and learn.
 
Thanks for all the replies!

As far as going out and depleting the REI and surplus stores... probably not gonna' happen. I'm the guy who shows up at the gun range with firearm cases and ammo in Craftsman tool bags. ;)

From what I understand, the place I want to hunt has firearm restrictions, so I'll be using my 12ga. Will be practicing between now and then for sure!

Also, if I get to get out and hunt elsewhere, I've got access to my pop's lever action 45/70. I've been told it's too big for deer, and will waste meat. My thought is that, as a new hunter, I want to stack the deck in favor of making more hits "ethical". I have no desire to injure an animal, and let it run off into the woods to die in pain over the course of a couple days. If that costs me a few steaks or something, so be it.

But, time to go to the 'nine-to-five'. And, looks like I got some reading to do!

-Bill
 
The best advice I can give you is practice shooting like you will be shooting in the woods. What I mean is it's nice to sit at a bench and make tiny groups off a vise or bags but in the field it ain't going to be like that. Zero your rifle with both hands on the gun like you would shoot an animal in the field or say prone off your backpack. Practice shots standing using a tree as a rest, sitting, kneeling and prone. There is huge difference between shooting at the range and shooting in the field so practice accordingly. You can even go as far as jogging in place for 2 minutes to get your heart rate up and your breathing out of whack then immediately try and make a shot at the target and see if you can actually hit where you are aiming under stress cause believe me that buck fever can get you. Not to mention if you have to make a shot after say walking up hill for several hundred yards or a quick shot presents itself after the many other strenous things you may have to do while afield. Hope this helps.
 
Also, if I get to get out and hunt elsewhere, I've got access to my pop's lever action 45/70. I've been told it's too big for deer, and will waste meat. My thought is that, as a new hunter, I want to stack the deck in favor of making more hits "ethical". I have no desire to injure an animal, and let it run off into the woods to die in pain over the course of a couple days. If that costs me a few steaks or something, so be it.
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Well Bill I also have a 45-70 and depending on the load/bullet etc you can use it pretty from varmints up to everything that walks the planet.
 
Loyalist Dave said:
Yes I agree.

You will probably need to take a hunter safety class, and even if not required, take it anyway. Understand though that such classes are designed to cover at a basic level, all types of hunting, and you need a bit more study when going for deer, or any other game, once you decide to be specific on how you'll hunt (rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, bow, falconry etc), and what you'll hunt..., and you wrote you are going for deer. :)

I got much better, and bagged way more venison after reading The Still Hunter, by Van Dyke. The book is a century old, but deer haven't changed all that much if at all, and it's good to learn how and why the deer react to hunters. The only caveate is Van Dyke was limited in his firearm selections, and his rifle would be considered a bit light for hunting these days, and he also discusses multiple shots on deer that are running..., and I think it better to use a stronger cartridge and only need to shoot once. :)

Good luck!!

LD
Click to expand...
My brother bought me this book over 25 years ago and, try as I might, I can't get through more than 40 pages without falling asleep. He touted it as "the best book ever". I still haven't made it through the book more than half way but have hunted and killed at least 70 more deer in that time frame than my brother has.

It may help you but it hasn't helped me .. except to fall asleep. ;)

HOWEVER, I totally agree with Loyalist Dave about taking a hunter's safety course. It's mandatory in most states but necessary in all.
 
if your looking for a reasonable cheap dependable rifle 30-06 is the most common with plenty of knockdown and still has some range you can get a remington 7600 for around 300-700 depending it is a pump action with a magazine that holds 4rds my whole family hunts whitetail with them in texas i upgraded though about 4 years ago to a 7mm rem mag remington 700 sendero sf 2 for the game in alaska
hope this helps
 
Where to start??....Okay, the 12 gauge or 45-70 will work and forget what you heard about the ruination of meat because if you place the shot just slightly behind the shoulders into the ribs,thus taking out the lungs, you will take the deer without that loss of meat because for the most part you are not eating the ribs anyway.
So,since you now have a long arm available practice with it a lot.
But you also need to get on You Tube and watch the many ways to field dress your kill as well as skin it and quarter it up for the cooler.
Yes,that's actually part of the deal after the shot has been taken.
Frankly I am sick to death of dealing with people that just want to shoot the fine animal and expect someone else to do the other work.
Read up as much as you can on how a deer reacts to being shot.
It might surprise you how many people shoot deer that dont think they hit it when in reality they have and they dont follow up after the shot of looking for signs of a hit.
There is a lot to learn but it's not rocket science and a little reading as well as conversing with expierenced hunters will set you on your way.
Good luck.
 
I hunted near there for nearly 30 years. You will need water resistant clothes and boots. You will be still hunting almost exclusively, learn to move very slowly and pick out pieces of deer, seldom will you see a whole one. Use a GPS if you can, it is very easy to get turned around in that stuff. Try to find where they are bedding, generally a southfacing slope, and get above that area a couple of hours before shooting time.
 
You might not shoot anything your first trips, but you WILL make some great memories! For me, it's about the outdoors whether i shoot something or not. I do kinda prefer wing shooting to deer or hogs, just personal thing, like the challenge of the shotgun and especially of ducks, the deek sets, the calling, the variables involved. Deer huntin' on public land in Texas has a pretty low success rate. The ones that do best live near the areas to be hunted and scout year around. If you enjoy camping and hiking and photography during the off season, you can get out and notice things, find areas, makes you a better hunter. Just don't expect to go there, get out of the car/boat and go kill something unless you have a good guide. You need to understand what's going on in that particular area and that requires scouting. Deer habits also are seasonal, don't forget. Where they are in April ain't necessarily where they're going to be in November. Once you get 'em patterned, work a strategy, then you're hunting intelligently, not just relying on luck, but even then, there's an element of luck necessary. Deer are tough to hunt on public lands. The pressure makes 'em elusive.
 
If you like using the 45-70, do so. Chances are it will ruin less meat than the 12 ga. Good cast bullet loads are available and they'll work fine. Outside of that it's all pretty much been covered. Good luck...
 
You're going to use a slug in that 12 gauge, right? I was able to get a 20gauge down to about 4" accuracy at 100 yards by switching the barrel to a rifled barrel and trying several different types of slugs 'til I found the best for me.
 
You could use anything from a 20 gauge or 12 gauge shotgun or for rifles I would suggest .270 Win caliber for rifle up to a 30.06. There are plenty of options out there, but the best thing would be to look up local regulations to see what calibers are legal in the area you will be hunting. Good luck venison is an awesome and very healthy source of protein!
 
I got much better, and bagged way more venison after reading The Still Hunter, by Van Dyke.
Click to expand...
I've always love to read "classic" hunting and camping books. Sounds like another one to add to my outdoor library! Thanks for mentioning it, LD.
 
I would just hire a guide or join a big club. At 45 no one is going to take you by the hand and teach you the fine points of locating game.
 
i was in a similar position to you last year. first time hunting at 34. I'm from jersey so its' shotgun/slug gun only. which i found to be no real hinderence. the woods are dense and with the pines, cedars and pin oaks holding their needles and leaves through the fall and winter so tree stands are almost worthless. I did research and struck out by myself. Basically stuck to sections of the woods i scouted and knew well so i wouldn't get too lost.

I had no camo, no stand, and no real experience. the biggest advantage i had was i'm not the fidgety type. That being said, i had a lot of fun, saw all kinds of animals. had a doe pass within 10 feet of me, and passed on shot on two small deer. i considered it a success. no meat in the fridge, but i learned a lot more about spotting game trails, setting up with the wind, taking advantage of the terrain and natural cover of dense woods.

Things i knew i needed from the bare minimum last year. INSULATED boots, holy crap was i cold. and warmer, water resistant. coat and pants and tick repelent. other than that common sense stuff for being outdoors in the elements for hours at a time.
 
I can't put much stock in all the magazines and books that are out there. You can read all year and it will not help you as much as one day in the woods. Most deer will know you are there long before you see them and the older, smarter ones will go the other way while the young, dumb ones will come on in. I enjoy watching the deer hunting shows on TV especially if they are filmed in "real" locations instead of all the ranches and farms where the deer are managed for trophies. Nothing wrong with that but a novice hunter should be proud of a spike buck or a doe. When a 12 year old girl gets her first deer on TV and it is a 14 pointer then I think her expectations may be a bit high.
Every deer hunter gets busted. Every deer hunter misses the shot. Don't drink too much coffe that morning, be still and quiet, and you will eventually get your deer.
 
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