Chrishunter

I think alot or almost most of it depends on just pure luck.(timing, what shot the deer presents, seeing him before he sees you, etc). As far as time of day, I would say that anytime in the woods offer pretty much the same chance as seeing a deer.

+1. That is a nice buck.

Gonna make a statement that some of you may disagree with, but I have always hunted with my father and brothers my whole life. When one of us gets a deer, there are usually two of us dragging the deer out. I actually do not unload my rifle, due to the fact that I have shot 2 deer in my hunting experiences while dragging out one already. But, always maintaining safe gun handling while making the drag. I know that Im not the only hunter that does this. Anyone else ever take a deer while dragging one out?

I bought a really good thermos at target a few years ago. I always bring coffe with me for long hunts in cold weather. As far as scent goes, I never get too crazy about it. I know guys that have killed many deer by smoking cigarettes, not peeing in a bottle, and eating whatever they want in the woods. Guess thats where luck comes into play. But a hot drink that may help you scent wise could be some hot apple cider.

Hey Max, hunting state land can be pretty rewarding just like hunting private land. I hunt state land during rifle season and the best way to avoid running into a bunch of hunters is try to locate access points to the state land that is off the beaten path. I know its alot easier said than done, but thats probably your best bet. You will find better areas and access roads if you do most of your scouting after the season. Satellite maps on google is a great tool as well. Alot of times state land is all thats available unless your willing to pay a private landowner a good dollar for hunting rights.

I would take him

If the other hunter is a stranger, then I would move far away enough where you definitely dont see him. If that is not possible, I would give him a wave and make sure that he acknowledges you are there.

Be in the woods as much as you can this time of year. My two best bucks I ever killed were between 1pm and 3pm. Gotta be in it to win it. Good Luck!!!

city dorks?

Im ok with the times the way they are. When it comes to bowhunting, even if you see a deer that you want to shoot in very low lighting conditions, once you draw back and look through your peep sight, your just gonna see darkness anyway.

For saturday I will not be where I hunted the property for bow season, gonna move about 200 yards away to extremely thick cover. I have always hunted the thickest cover during the first few days of gun season and had some pretty good results.

I swear by the tree umbrella! It actually does a really good job at keeping you dry. I use it in the stand while bowhunting and on the ground while gun hunting. I never go on a hunt without that in my pack. It doesnt keep you totally dry, but it sure helps alot. Definitely a good addition to your hunting equiptment.

Hey Jafo, I had that same experience on a 40 acre piece of land that I gained permission to hunt on a few years ago in sullivan county. I scouted and could believe my eyes, there was fresh sign everywhere, tracks, droppings rubs and scrapes. My brother and I were pumped to hunt the property. When the season came around, NOTHING! Not a single deer. After the bow and gun season we scouted the land hard once again and decided to buy 2 trail cameras and set them up. We got HUNDREDS of pictures of good buck and plenty of does. Each and every photo was between 10 pm and 3 am. Out of the hundreds of pictures we got, none were at any other time of day. Needless to say, after 2 hard years of hunting the property, we stopped. The deer are there, but it seemed as though that property was a transition spot, and nothing else. Unfortunately we were unable to gain permission from the bordering property. But it really was amazing because we hunted that property for 2 hard years and put alot of time in the woods and never saw a single deer!

What I do when I hunt from the ground with a rifle is take 2 screw in steps and screw them on both sides of the tree at shooting level. It makes out for a nice solid rest.

Good luck on your first hunting season. But be aware, its very addicting!!!