What have I learned

[95XL883]

I'm 61 and started hunting five years ago. I've taken three deer, a nub buck, a large doe and a small doe. As this season ends, I'm reflecting on what I have learned, what I need to do different and what maybe I need to learn.

So some highlights from the last five years.
- The only big buck I've seen during shooting hours happened five minutes into my first hunt. It just popped out of the trees as it came up a hill. I had to pass on shooting it because there wasn't a back stop and I knew there were hunters in the field below and beyond it. Still, a real treat to see. The learn here is to enjoy the hunt and what I see. A successful hunt is one I enjoy. A harvest is nice and the goal but it isn't essential to a good hunt.
- I hunt with a Marlin 336W using Hornady leverolution cartridges. The learn here is to use it as a two shooter. I like the cartridge but I cycle the gun gently and they occasionally jam if there is another round in the tube.
- I was bow hunting (still haven't taken one with a bow) when a deer presented itself. It had gotten so dark I couldn't see the sight even though I had 15 minutes of legal shooting time left. So I sat there and watched as a herd of ten does and fawns grazed for 30 minutes in the growing dark. The learn here is hunt with the wind and cedar bushes are tremendous at masking human scent. There were points where some were only a few yards away and they were all clueless I was there. I sat in a ladder stand this year. At 35 yards, the wind swirled, the doe and two fawns winded me, despite the odorless soap and detergent, and bolted. A side learn here is don't wait for the easy 10 yard bow shot. I'll practice more, a lot more, and take that 35 yard shot next time.
- I bought 40 acres, set out cameras and was shocked by how skinny the deer were. So I bought a feeder and stock it religiously. I get a ton of pictures from by that feeder. The learn here is feeding wildlife, especially if they look like they are starving, just gets you more wildlife to feed. I've gone from three skinny ones to groups of up to 10 big does and fawns, more raccoons than I could imagine, flocks of up to 20 turkeys coming in (amazing to see them land, wow), cardinals so fat they look like Christmas ornaments and red squirrels that look like weightlifters on steroids.
- Turkey hunting has convinced me they are the stupidest animal alive. The learn here is camo does NOT matter. Movement matters, a lot. Any sudden or tense movement matters a lot. Sometimes a big tom will come in without a sound, just move very slowly and he will hang around till he can be shot. Call once every 15 minutes. It's quiet in the woods, calling too much isn't natural and it takes awhile for the prey to show themselves.
- My second year on my ground, the neighbor's dog pack took to running game. It was amazing to watch their coordinated running, a couple of small dogs making the tips of a Y with the two big dogs making the down leg. They would guide an animal, whether it was a doe or a coyote, with some precision. The neighboring 30 acre wood saved some of those animals but the damage was done. That year was a bust for my hunting. The learn here is to make friends with the neighbors. I got him to corral his dogs and still have him watch over my 40. He became much friendlier when he lost one his dogs to someone who practices SSS. (On a side note, he has pretty much kept them off my ground since then. He understands I will put them down if they ever threaten me or mine again.)
- I've lost a several deer, one which may have been shot, because I moved too soon. Last year I was busted by three does that stepped out of the neighboring 30 acres. They were about 200 yards away. I stepped slowly into the woods and gave a grunt call. Through the branches I could see them settle and bed down. I spent the next two hours moving slowly through the woods to go for a shot. When I got to 30 yards, I lost sight of them and thought they had left. When I took a step into the open they got up and bolted. This year I spent 90 minutes in a cedar waiting for a passerby. Finally, giving up, I stepped out and startled a buck, a big buck, but the only thing I really saw was a really big ass disappearing into those 30 acres. I just couldn't see it through the cedar. The learn here is patience and staying low. Getting low is hard because of sound but at least it would have given me a chance.
- I walk my ground once a week, sometimes doing chores and sometime just walking. The learn here is to practice walking quietly, to identify trails of deer and squirrels, (hint, if a "deer" trail goes from tree to tree and just vanishes, it's a squirrel trail not a deer trail. Never knew that squirrel could make a trail.) Another learn is deer have bedding areas, eating areas and watering holes. Identify the trail and find a places to set up depending on the wind. Trails and bedding ares change over time, especially with human activity changes on neighboring ground.

There's more but this is getting really long.

What do I need to learn?
- Patience for one. I've lost some simply because I wasn't patient enough. Hunt starts when I step out of the truck and doesn't stop until I get back in it.
- Better stand placement is another. I've identified a cottonwood that will get my ladder stand next year. It is on the edge of a creek bed between feeding and bedding areas. I'm optimistic that I am finally going to get something next year off that section of my woods.
- Don't use mittens. I spooked two does at 90 yards this year fumbling with the scope. Wouldn't have been a problem with gloves.
- I need a better blind. The pop up blind offers little weather protection and worse it creates a dust environment that badly irritates my eyes. I'm formulating a plan for an insulated shed. Yes, it will be expensive compared to a pop up blind but it will be so much more comfortable, especially when it 5 degrees and windy.

I'm sure there are other things I need to learn. I'd appreciate any suggestions anyone has. It was a good deer season (I got one doe) but it would have been a great season if I had just been a little more patient and had a better blind.

Sorry this was so long. If nothing else, just a learning hunter trying to figure out how to do this better.

 

[badkarmamib]

I have been "hunting" for 23 years now. I use the quotation marks, because I am still learning, and pretty sure I am still doing it wrong. I could count my harvests on my fingers with no help. A lot of the "problem" is that I truly enjoy the state land I hunt on, I know the terrain fairly well, but, after years of heavy hunting (used to be, you couldn't walk the trail without passing at least 8 other hunters) the deer seem to have moved on. So have the other hunters, so the deer that are there have little pressure.

But, I enjoy the experience. If I can sit in those woods that I love, and spend 6 hours watching squirrels play, maybe see a turkey pass overhead at dawn, and listen to woodpeckers, I have had a great day. The fact that I can carry a gun, and maybe see a deer, just adds to the pleasure.

After all this time, I have learned, as you have, that you can always learn more. And that is one more thing that I love about the sport.

 

[stringnut]

42 years small game hunting , 38 deer. I still screw up. OP you have learned some good stuff already. Deer see movement better than anything. If you move slow sometimes you can get away with a lot of movement. Also get ready to shoot at the first opportunity. I'm ready to go on just about every deer and I watch quite a few before I actually get a shot off. The gun isn't always up, but, I'm in position and at least have the binoculars in hand. Here is something most people don't do enough. Practice shooting. A lot. Then practice some more. If you can shoot some forms of competition (informal is fine) it will help deal with pressure of the shot.

 

[95XL883]

Thanks guys. It has been a good year even though I am disappointed by mistakes I made. I just need to eliminate some mistakes. Good point on more shooting practice. I'm a reasonably good shot, but practice is always good. Thanks again.

 

[LoonWulf]

I enjoy the experience. If I can sit in those woods that I love, and spend 6 hours watching squirrels play, maybe see a turkey pass overhead at dawn, and listen to woodpeckers, I have had a great day. The fact that I can carry a gun, and maybe see a deer, just adds to the pleasure.

This is IMO the most important part of hunting, enjoy yourself.
As for eliminating mistakes in stalking, or picking a spot to wait, practicing wood craft is really the only thing you can do. It helps to have someone who KNOWs what they are doing there to give you pointers, but at the end of the day its your senses, instincts, and decisions that will put you in a position to make a shot.
Learn to pay attention to the wind, learn your deers habits (since its your property youll have plenty of time to do this), and learn the lay of the land in terms of where they like to hang out and how and where you can get a decent shot from. When something dosent work think it over and see where you got busted (damn franklins!), some times its something you can fix some times it was just bad luck, so dont be too hard on yourself about it.

Best shooting practice i can recommend is honestly getting a pellet gun, or if you can use a .22 that, and carry it all the time when your out walking, plink at stuff as you walk around (making sure its safe to do so). small game hunting can be fun and provide some good stuff for the pot, and is excellent practice as well, so def do that if its an option.
Most of all have fun

 

[Stevenvalleyky]

The most important thing I have learned in 27 years of deer hunting is that no matter how much you spend to be scent free, if a deer is downwind of you, you are busted, especially if you are on the ground. You cant eliminate the scent molecules you are breathing out with every breath. Correctly playing the wind us the number 1 indicator if I will have deer in range. This is particularly important bowhunting since the range is so much shorter. I bow hunted exclusively for my deer hunting until 6 or 7 years ago so hunting the correct wind was drilled in my head from the beginning.
I hunt on a 40 acre piece of ground like the OP. We buy stands and climbing sticks at different places when they go on clearance at the end of the season. Now we have about 15 stands already set up on that 40 acres. We know the correct wind/winds that allow hunting at each stand and we have at least 2 stands for any wind direction. That has been a big help. I hated getting sweaty using my climber and I never get sweaty climbing 16-25 feet when its just climbing a ladder.
Another thing I learned is that deer move alot more mid day on a full moon. These are a few of the things I have learned.

 

[Sniper66]

Thanks to our OP for sharing his "learnings". Thoughtful observations. I turned 70 last year and hunting, among other things, serves as a reminder. Having hunted for so many years, 60+ years, I need reminders of things I've learned and forgotten; but neglected might be a better description. Filling the freezer dozens of times over 6 decades can lead to over-confidence. Getting skunked on occasion serves as a reminder that enjoying the hunt is more important than filling the freezer. Our OP reminds us that a successful hunt is one that you enjoy. Quick story....My buddy and I headed west to hunt pheasants in western Kansas. It started off raining, then turning cold and freezing, then snowing 6 inches on top of that. Everything was covered with ice. I set a personal record for falling on my butt. Then the wind came up and it got bitterly cold. Our friend drove us to various favorite spots on his farm, but after the 3rd ditch we walked, I was frozen and gave up. My buddy persevered and actually got his limit. I wouldn't say I actually enjoyed the hunt, but I'll certainly never forget it. Hunting will create memories for you that are etched in stone.

 

[J-Bar]

Interesting thread, thanks for getting it started.

I came to deer hunting late in life, age 55. Now nearly 73, I am still learning of course, but I agree with many of the lessons above, particularly:

...they will always smell you if you are upwind of them, no matter how well you wash yourself or your clothes.
...they will see you when you move, so get comfortable and be still.

When I hunted from sunrise to sunset, I saw more deer in the late afternoon than in the morning. I tolerate cold temperatures less now than when I was younger, so I do more hunting from noon to sunset than before dawn because it is bit warmer. Limiting myself to afternoon hunting has not hurt my success rate the past few years.

Practicing shooting is always a good idea besides being a fun pastime in itself, but I have found that I do not have to use my deer rifle to stay sharp. Practicing with a .22 is less expensive, even with the recent increased cost of rimfire ammo. Learning to acquire the sight picture quickly and squeeze off an accurately aimed shot are transferable skills to center fire rifles. A week before the season starts, a single test shot from a clean bore over a rest to make sure there has not been a change in point of impact in my hunting rifle has been sufficient for me.

Finally, get a gun you can trust. I shot one deer with a .30-06, one with a .30-30, two with a .54 Hawken, and all the rest (17) with a .270 Winchester. All the ones taken with the .270 have been one-shot kills, most dropping in their tracks. I'm too old to chase deer very far. Having confidence in your rifle and ability to use it is priceless.