New Hunter. Any tip's?

[Erik7181]

Hi, I am getting into deer hunting, I got my 1st license last year but Iv never had anyone to teach me about deer hunting other then the hunter safety course I took. I live in nyc and I really don't have time to be out there to scout and when I am and I try I can't seem to find any rums or anything, I do see foot prints but not enough to make me think there all over, in the area I go I know there are deer but thats about it.

I am a good shot, and iv been hiking and camping sense I was a kid, but when I tried to hunt last year I was just lost.

[SplitG2]

I would go buy some books and start reading. Than try those tactics in the woods.

[Dom]

I agree with reading but you know like i do you realy have to be in the wood's to learn the way's of the wood's.Where will yoo be hunting that would help us give you some info.Are you bow or gun hunting be glad to help if I can.

[Erik7181]

Yeah iv been doing that, Iv been watching youtube videos to learn to make the diffrent sounds correctly. There is a spot where i hike where there are deer and bears although iv never seen them, and theres a path, it mite even be an old carrage road as there are old stone walls all over, I think im gonna hike in at 3-4am and post up with a tree to my back. Im planing to buy the Ghili-leaf suit from cabels to blend in with the leaves. I mite use a small stool.

Ill be hunting in Greene county near haines falls off of gilespie road. I plan to use my 6.5x55

Im pretty good in the woods, Its just I never had anyone to teach me this stuff, Im pretty much self taught in alot of stuff.

Edited July 4, 2012 by Erik7181

[wooffer]

^{There are some hunting shows on FIOS and Cable too. Youtube may have a couple. Bottomline, enjoy your time in the woods if you kill something or not. Most often you won't get a shot, but that is as much of the hunt as getting one.}

^{You could also join some hunting clubs and hunt as a group alongside other hunters. Long Island has some clubs and they own land upstate they hunt on.}

Edited July 4, 2012 by wooffer

[Deerthug]

Reading a lot helped me too. I would pick up a bottle of Sawyers Permethrin tick spray for clothes. You don't want your first time out scouting with you ending up with Lyme disease.

Edited July 4, 2012 by Deerthug

[Erik7181]

You know I never thought of joining a club im gonna research that. Ill be honest last year when I tried to hunt I ended up just hiking and didnt really care. In my eyes theres just certain skills every man/child should learn. I like the woodcutters spray for ticks.

[PostedBoys Gallego]

Welcome, like Dom said, reading is great but nothing beats being in the woods. Your hiking already gives you an advantage, but you'll need to get off the path and look for areas such as bedding/cover and food sources. I often find tons of tracks also however dose not guarantee they will pass by as I learned last year in an apple orchard. All movement was done under darkness, at least during the 5 full days I waited nearby. I hardly find rubs on trails/roads. Bucks more often do rubs in areas they feel safe, not where people like walking through often, so find ridges and look around swamp edges if you have any.

Would be great to hook up with someone that hunts, or a club. Maybe someone will offer to teach you the ropes. I already have a few rookies I am teaching while still learning myself. Not easy these days, I know, none of my friends ever hunted and less hunters all the time. I had to use jedi mind tricks to get my friend to hunt.

Keep at it though!

[Erik7181]

I have a house in lanesville and the deer only move at night, i have a game cam in my front yard and there on there every night walking through and iv seen a couple of does in the day and theres a pretty big buck but i only saw him once and i dont know if he stays in the area i saw him last summer. I hiked up behind my house and it looks like the deer come down from the mountain and walk across the river and then through the yard. But the mountains pretty steep so hunting it would be tough.

I actully just talked to a buddy of mine who leases property with a NYPD hunting club in Hancock and i think im gonna go with him, His property is untouched all year so the deer move freely

[PostedBoys Gallego]

I have a house in lanesville and the deer only move at night, i have a game cam in my front yard and there on there every night walking through and iv seen a couple of does in the day and theres a pretty big buck but i only saw him once and i dont know if he stays in the area i saw him last summer. I hiked up behind my house and it looks like the deer come down from the mountain and walk across the river and then through the yard. But the mountains pretty steep so hunting it would be tough.

I actully just talked to a buddy of mine who leases property with a NYPD hunting club in Hancock and i think im gonna go with him, His property is untouched all year so the deer move freely

climb it! bucks/deer might be bedding up there in the daylight hours. get up there before they do.

Edited July 4, 2012 by PostedBoys Gallego

[Dinsdale]

Ill be hunting in Greene county near haines falls off of gilespie road. I plan to use my 6.5x55

Isn't that off Clum Hill past Ski Cortina coming in from 23a?

Not to be too much of a downer; but that's not the easiest place in the world to cut your teeth on deer hunting. IMO.

Private can be OK....but once in the mountains, deer can be on the sparce side.

Hmmmm....I'd take your buddies offer up at least once to go out with him; even just on a scouting mission to get a better feel for where to try a set up and to have a better chance at understanding deer movement.

[Erik7181]

I would actually go past cortina road at the bottom and at the end theres a field and the old road is on the other side and somewhere back there is a stream or a river. Yeah im gonna go with my friend he has a tree stand for me. Whats the best color camo to get? im looking at this jacket and pants but wasn't sure which color to get there are different color options for the pants: http://www.cabelas.c...80;cat103951080

Edited July 4, 2012 by Erik7181

[5.9cummins]

ASAT Leafy suite

This is all i wear anymore

[Doc]

Actually there is no better way to learn about the basics than hunting with somebody that has been hunting for a few years. Hunters in general are always eager to teach and share information. We all love to talk hunting so there will be no problems getting other hunters to lay out all their strategies and knowledge.

Don't worry about some of the more exotic theories and methods, and just master the basics of reading sign, learning the habits and lifestyles of whatever you are hunting and setting up for an ambush. Calls and rattling and all the other little unique aids can be added later if and when you feel the need for them. But the very first order of business is to learn about the prey as much as is possible. Then spend a lot of time in the woods learning even more about the prey and checking out the validity of whatever book-learning and things learned from conversations. Then learn the fundamentals of setting up for a possible intercept and shot opportunity. And most of all, avoid frustration and discouragement when you don't see deer everytime out or things simply don't go as planned. Learn to appreciate the challenges of the hunt as much as the successes. I've never heard anyone say hunting was easy, and most hunters like it that way.

[tj1187]

Learn how to play the wind,and blend in the woods. Not alot of movement,eyeballs only.

[nyslowhand]

It will be a lifetime learning experience & you still won't completely understand why they do things sometimes.

If you ever think you have it mastered, time to quit. You'll be fooling yourself.

Best way to reduce your learning curve is like others have said - hook-up with an experienced hunter (or even better more).

Be a "sponge" and soak up everything they do/say and try to apply it to your situation.

Take you 10 years to learn on your own what you can absorb from them in a couple of years.

The more (#s) experienced hunters you are mentored by, the more diverse your skills become.

BTW - The very 1st thing you need to do is to determine what you expect or want hunting to mean to you.

If you think you want to experience the same thing they do on those TV show - forget it, take up fishing.

[Erik7181]

I love fishing, I just got back from fishing up near saranac lake the fishing was very ok. I think they were worn out from the spawn they were hanging right at the drop offs, i caught 1 in the pads, my friend caught a nice pike that was about 3 and a half feet and thick. thanks for all the help, im just gonna continue researching and Im also gonna join the fish and game association near me they have a range in the back.

[growalot]

Two things...try cutting your teeth on small game hunting this fall first and 2nd...If your going public lands...Blaze camo...it's movement deer see not the color camo you have on...Safety first always...have fun

[Doc]

Great tip about starting with small game first. It will get you out in the woods where you can work on all aspects of hunting.

[Elmo]

I agree. Small game is where to start. Unfortunately, there is no short-cut to it. You have to spend your time in the woods scouting. Small game hunting allows you to scout and hunt/practice at the same time. You may not see a lot of signs initially but as you become more familiar with them, you start to develop an eye for them and start to notice a little more of it at spots that you initially thought didn't have any signs.