Newbie needs advice!!

[Hank]

Hi,

I am a first year hunter, don't really know what I am doing. I had a previous post saying I haven't seen a deer yet. I went out again today to Bull Hill on the north side (at the bottom there are corn fields). The snow helped me to see a lot of deer tracks. I found a place where there are a lot of track, and just sat to wait for deer. After about 30 minutes (~2:30pm). I saw something moving, it is about 20 yards below me and 70 yards to the west. It is moving towards north east (down hill and towards me). I swear I only saw two legs and thought it was a turkey (only afterwards I realize it can't be, because of the size and color). I got excited and hunched over to take a better look. It stopped and turned around (i.e, uphill and to the west). I stood up and saw there are 4-5 of them. I swear they are moving like big birds -- I don't know why. I can feel my heart pumping. I took my gun and went after them, but after about 50 yards, I just don't see anything. I decided to cut them off. So I went uphill about 20 yards where there is a trail going east-west, I followed the trail west (by the way there are heavy tracks on the trail). After about 200 yards, I believe I found doe bedding area. Can you guys take a look and tell me whether they are bedding areas? Or just an area where deer dug around a bit?

In any case, there are a lot of tracks from this area downhill, so I followed them downhill (hoping to see anything), but I didn't. I went about 100 yards. The slop got too steep, so I just went back to my sitting position. I sat there until sun set and didn't see another thing.

Can someone give me some advice about what to do tomorrow or the weekend? Can I go back there ~ 1pm tomorrow and hopefully the herd will show up again? Or have I permanently damaged that site and the bedding area (if it is bed) by walking all over it and spook the deer? 

The problem is I just don't know how the deer can see me, there are A LOT OF trees between them and me, which is why I never had a good look at them (and they are quite far). 

Please help! Thanks a lot!!!

[Nytracker]

Feeding spots

[Hank]

5 minutes ago, Nytracker said:

Feeding spots

Can I go back to that spot to hunt? Is there any strategy (morning or evening, etc) advice?

Thanks a lot!

[Nytracker]

Cant honestly tell you when to hunt  dont know enough about the spot and deer movement.  Honestly cant tell for sure if it was deer  feeding or turkeys from the picture.  Deer will mat down snow and leaves where they bed ... they dont dig it up . As the leaves appear to  be pawed back and  over turned it's a feeding area. Turkeys or deer.

[wolc123]

Go back about 45 minutes before daylight (longer if it is far from where you park).  Check what direction the wind is blowing.  Walk to a position that is about 50 yards downwind of where you think they were bedded and sit tight.   Wait for daylight and hope to see them again.  You can't shoot before legal daylight (I dont load my gun until then).  The key is for you to see them before they smell, hear, or see you (wind will help with the smell and hear parts, and some cover and keeping still will help with the "see" part).    

[grampy]

OK Hank, just settle down a bit and let's work this out.

First, you have plenty of deer in that area with all those tracks. That's good! Next those deer were feeding there in your pic's. Looks to be an oak and they were pawing the snow to get the acorns, which are a preferred food source, for deer this time of year when they are available. Also good! So you have an area where deer are obviously feeding. You need to sit DOWN WIND of this area about 75 yards away. Find a big tree, a blow down, or large rock to sit in front of, to break up your human outline. SIT! Don't move! When you do, make it in slow motion. Deer are very good at picking out the slightest movement! Just sit and wait them out. Trying to stalk them, or cut them off, won't work so well until you get a bit more experience under your belt. Sit so you have at least one or two open shooting lanes, to the trail with all the tracks. And just wait for a deer to move into your shooting lane. Slowly raise your gun, get on target, aim small, miss small, and gently squeeze the trigger. You got this man! It's not real hard if you have the deer there, and you do!

OK quick review.

Find a spot DOWNWIND, a ways off that trail that will hide your outline. 75 yards or so.

Sit quietly. Don't move around! Slow motion when you do. Especially when deer are near.

Wait them out. They are there! They will come.

Make sure where you set up you have a couple open shooting lanes to where you expect the deer to come from.

Take your time with the shot. Aim small, miss small.

Hope this helps ya. You will learn something each time you go out! That will build experience. The more experience you have, the more enjoyment and success you'll have. Always remember, the deer themselves will always be your best teachers. 

Slow and steady.

Good luck! You got this man!

 

 

[The Engineer]

Hello Hank you gaining experience. No worries like Grampy said sit still and watch. I don't know if you have a doe tag, but just wait and watch. If your lucky enough to see deer watch what they do where they are doing it and what times they are doing it. Seeing bucks this time of the season is hit or miss. Doe are much more abundant and more day time creatures then bucks after the rut. On my property which is not huge from 6:30 to 9 the doe go from bedding in my neighbor's property through the back of mine and up the mountain for the day. At 3:30 to dark they come off the mountain through the front onto my property close to my cabin and go back to the bedding area. I learned this pattern just by watching quietly and you will learn too. Remember where's theirs doe will be bucks during the rut. Just watch and learn

[Hank]

Thanks a lot for all the advice. I truly appreciably it! I do have a doe tag, so I just want to get a deer this season, doe or buck. 

I am a bit worried that since I walked over those tracks and seemingly spooked them. Do you think they will go back there? By all the answers I have read, it seems people are not as worried. Did I understand this right? Just want to double check.

[grampy]

10 minutes ago, Hank said:

Thanks a lot for all the advice. I truly appreciably it! I do have a doe tag, so I just want to get a deer this season, doe or buck. 

I am a bit worried that since I walked over those tracks and seemingly spooked them. Do you think they will go back there? By all the answers I have read, it seems people are not as worried. Did I understand this right? Just want to double check.

With the amount of deer sign in your pic's, there WILL be some deer in that area. Either some of the ones that saw you, or others that did not. The key as I said before, is to get in there quietly, and sit there quietly, downwind, without movement, to draw their attention to you. And use a big tree or something to break up your outline. 

It really is that simple. Try not to over think it.

Get in there and send it!

[Hank]

16 minutes ago, grampy said:

With the amount of deer sign in your pic's, there WILL be some deer in that area. Either some of the ones that saw you, or others that did not. The key as I said before, is to get in there quietly, and sit there quietly, downwind, without movement, to draw their attention to you. And use a big tree or something to break up your outline. 

It really is that simple. Try not to over think it.

Get in there and send it!

Thank you so much, Grampy! I really appreciate all your detailed instructions. They are super helpful!

[grampy]

5 minutes ago, Hank said:

Thank you so much, Grampy! I really appreciate all your detailed instructions. They are super helpful!

All the thanks I need, is to see you in a picture with your first deer!

You really do got this!

[Hank]

5 minutes ago, grampy said:

All the thanks I need, is to see you in a picture with your first deer!

You really do got this!

I sure will try my best...

[maplehillfrm]

12 hours ago, Hank said:

Thanks a lot for all the advice. I truly appreciably it! I do have a doe tag, so I just want to get a deer this season, doe or buck. 

I am a bit worried that since I walked over those tracks and seemingly spooked them. Do you think they will go back there? By all the answers I have read, it seems people are not as worried. Did I understand this right? Just want to double check.

more than likely you havent messed anything up by walking there,, I have seen and many others deer walk right in our foot prints,, its hard to stalk a deer, sit and wait in the best possible area with sign, and a shot, which appeaes to be the advice here,, and know that you will seldom see a whole deer at a  time at first,, look for a leg, and ear, something that is perfectly horizontal in the woods, you will get better with time,, good luck

[Daveboone]

Whats been said....BUt….you mention a lot of brush between....70 yards in the woods can be a VERY long shot with the brush in the way....don't get over excited, tempted to take a shot where you don't have a clear shot....looking through the scope, depending on lighting etc. you often can see the brown /silhouette of the deer, and cant see all the obstacles in between, which are likely to deflect you shot. Be wise, and often the smart shot...is no shot. Once the bullet flies, there is no getting it back.  

Grouse hunters count their success in the number of flushes a day. I have many a day where I am very happy to just spot deer. It means you are getting closer....

[rjrdomer]

Grampy is right, but also, try to position yourself where you can see a little better. You don't want to just be shooting at something that may be legs. If you can get up from a higher vantage point, that helps you see as well. But try to hide your outline like others said. You don't want to be sitting on a peak with nothing behind you. Sit against a tree or rock..something to break you up. 

Is this public or private land? If it's private land, you should setup a ladder stand or tree stand of some type about 50-75 yards off of this spot maybe next year.  Snow is very helpful in showing deer movement and patterns. There are obviously deer around here which is good. They likely chose that area to feed as there are oak trees mixed with some hemlocks. The hemlocks provide cover/stopped the snow from piling up.  The oaks provide acorns, which deer and turkeys eat right now. So if you can position yourself over an oak flat,, that's great. What are you hunting with? If you have a good rifle, you don't need to sneak up on them.

And unless you are tracking a monster buck through the snow in the Adirondacks, just sit tight. I feel that too many people walk and hunt. It's one thing if you're doing a drive, but it's tough to walk up on a deer alone. Don't get up and try to "cut them off." They know those woods better than you do and will be 150 yards ahead of you at all times just out of your sight. So get in there, sit down, and don't move until the day is over. You know where the deer are, now you just need patience and time. Patience has killed more deer than any luck or skill out there. Good luck.

Edited December 5, 2019 by rjrdomer

[dbHunterNY]

good advice already given. good luck hank.

[ApexerER]

I don't really have much to add other than my dad told me a long time ago to just look for movement. You almost never just see a whole deer at first in the woods. What you catch is pieces of it moving, legs, ear, tail flick. If I remember it exactly he said, look for chickadees, (yes something that small) movement that small can easily be a deers ear or tail. Everyone else's advise sounds perfect to me...

PS:  I loved how you wrote out the story, like I was right there while reading it and loved how you said your heart was pumping etc. I can't wait to read what you write in the harvest thread! Good Luck....!

[Moho81]

I have nothing new to add as you have already had all the advise you need. I just wanted to say I am glad to see you still hunting and still posting on the forum. Be patient and your time will come. Just remember hunting isn't just about the kill it's about all those things that lead up to it as well. 

[BowmanMike]

Great advice here. Deer can pick out movement like crazy..There could be brush you cant see through between you and the deer,but they will see your movement,especially if you move fast.

It is almost impossible to cut deer off,because they will bust you if you move fast. I agree that it would be smarter to sit and wait for you at this point. If you do want to move around and still hunt/scout,you have to be looking around constantly and moving very slow. Luck plays a good factor too,but then it does with sitting as well.

Don't get discouraged and learn something every time you are out.

[JALA RUT]

All great advice! Good luck and looking forward to seeing your excitement in your first harvest story

[grampy]

You been back out yet Hank?

[Hank]

10 minutes ago, grampy said:

You been back out yet Hank?

Thanks a lot for asking, Grampy. I did went back out both Thursday and Today. I didn't ever see another deer. I have to go on a work trip tomorrow, so my first deer season is over. :< It is ok. I will go back out next year. I will buy a number of trail cameras and do a lot of scouting in Sept - Oct. 

I went out Thursday, It was snowing, windy and foggy. I stayed at the same spot that I saw deer Wed, but never saw anything. The weather was bad. And I have to say that I was a bit scared when the trees started to sway side to side, and I felt I was all alone in that forest.  A couple of times I really wanted to pack up and leave, but decided to stuck it out. I thought that I earned a deer, but never saw anything.

Today, it was great weather. I thought I had to change strategies, so I wanted to do tracking in snow (watched A LOT of youtube last night; there was one reporter in the park and tracked deer in snow for a few minutes and caught up to a herd of deer -- he even interviewed people during tracking. It was unbelievable and frustrating -- knowing that I don't see a thing). I did see a lot of tracks (can't really tell how new they were. Definitely a lot of tracks that I didn't see Thursday). Didn't see a deer, eventually I followed the trail to the same spot I was Wed and Thu. I set up a sit from 2:45 and tried to be as still as possible until 4:35. Never saw anything.

[turkeyfeathers]

Was following along Hank and pulling for you.  Seems like you’re on track and learning fast.  
 

Have you ever turkey hunted ? May 1 right around the corner. Listening to the woods wake up in the spring is an outstanding thing.  

[crappyice]

Atta boy Hank...good season already with much learned. Thanks for sharing your experience which allows us to learn or relearn from you.


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[cbyzerman]

Follow the trails to there bedding area.....  Or where trails intersect...   I always scout my new hunting areas in snow...  You learn alot...  Yesterday scouted new spot and found 4 heavily used trails intersect in a thick swamp area coming off mountain. If not this year there will be a stand there next year....