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!!!

Hey 308, I gotta say I do respect your opinion on injured deer never recovered, but I definitely dont agree with it. Like said before, thats hunting. This site is meant for real hunters that encounter all types of situations in the woods. Its a great site for input, advice, and just chatting about our hunts. Yes I have injured and not recovered many deer both with gun and bow and Im sure many hunters on here have as well. But STOP drinking the kool-aid that the outdoor channel feeds you, its not REAL hunting. Those hunters lose just as many deer as we do, but will never air it on TV.

Mossy I would agree with you that going that high in a stand would help you not getting caught drawing back your bow and may even help scent wise. I would love to be that high in a stand, but to be quite honest, once I hit about 12-15 ft, thats it for me. I dont feel comfortable that high up because im not crazy about heights. I rely more on cover and concealment to help me out as best I could. What actually works pretty well is i cut a couple of small pieces of PVC pipes and attach them to the front of my stand and stick branches in them. Works pretty good.

Gotta wear that harness whether your 5 feet high or 25 feet high, once you get used to it, its just like bringing your weapon in the stand with you. It should become another piece of equiptment you need to hunt with. I hunted for a day last year on some state land out on long island with a friend from work. When I walked to him to meet for lunch, he was at least 20 feet in the air with a climber an no harness. Couldn't believe it. Just remember, the harnesses come FREE with all treestands.

The best input I could give is that the next time you are practicing with your bow, try shooting from all different positions if possible. Shoot while sitting, standing, kneeling, or even pivoting your body. That could help with accuracy. Make sure when you are taking a shot at a deer that you are not trying to see where the arrow hits, just focus on aiming and your followthrough. I have missed many deer with the bow, and I think its because I was trying to see where the arrow hits before I even completed my shot. (if that makes any sense) As far as the adrenalin rush when a deer walks out, that probably will never go away...Chris

I must say, this year so far I have done about 8 hunts. One all day sit, and the rest split up between morning and afternoon hunts. My hunting grounds are in 3H. I have only seen one small doe that I kicked up walking to my stand on an afternoon hunt. Gotta stay positive with the colder weather here!!! Nothing is worse for your hunt than sitting in a stand with no confidence. Im sure the deer should start moving more.

What really pisses me off when Im deer hunting is the fact that some hunters feel the need to "target practice" in the woods. They feel they must fire their rifle just because they are in the woods. What they dont realize is that they are spooking any deer in the area. Go to a range please!!!!!!

Great show. Definitely worth it to set the dvr.

An important key factor to also increase your odds is excessive scouting. Dont just try to hunt near a good deer trail, but try to know where the bedding areas are, the feeding areas, funnels, bottlenecks, etc. I try to put as much scouting in as I do hunting.

I definitely agree with extra steps of security being taken. And Im sure that most of us would rather be safer and most of all, alive. Correct me if Im wrong but arent these people only getting searched if they refuse the scan? The ones who complain about this extra security dont realize that flying in an airplane is like driving a car. Its not your "RIGHT" to do so, but a priviledge to do.

I have a toyota sedan, I put the deer on the roof of the car and use ratchet straps to secure it. You can pick them up at home depot. The deer is definitely secure that way.