HarleyTechTalk

Started deer hunting last year because i like the outdoors and my two step sons wanted me too, my dad never cared about it so i have been introduced by some young men into the sport, my question is for all of you hunters is........when do you go? and have read up on the moon phase's and such but you have alot of different ideas? some say full moon hunt midday and some say they just go, what do you do and recommend? Thank for any tips.  Chewy.

I'm a bow hunter mostly. I don't pay much heed to all that moon phase and such. But I do scout my area during the off season and get to know the deer, and their patterns. Have fun and enjoy it. Go when you can, but I do prefer mornings my self. Nothing like a fresh kill in the morning.

I started shooting Bow last year and do OK out to 40yds, feel good for most any 25-30yd shot, bought a PSE Nova SU last year and started shooting decent with it and wouldn't ya know i cracked the upper limb somehow? (no dry firing). bought a used Bowtech General and like it pretty good so far.
what is your opinion on the Scent control clothing and such?

Not a hunter but lately it seems all you have to do is go for a ride at dusk by a corn field and they will come to you.

Don't wear a hat with antlers during deer hunting season. Don't ask me how I know.

BnEUC

I started hunting when I was 9.  My Dad would take me up north with him every year.  I would just tag along and hang out.  I first got my license when I was 15.  I think I have only missed 2 whole weeks in 30 years.  Yes I am 39. 
I guess all I can say is to learn the deer in the area you hunt.  When then move, feed, bed down etc.
It takes a lot of time to figure that stuff out, usually years.  You will make many mistakes, but the key is to learn from them.
Bow hunting is totally different from a gun hunt.  I do both. Getting a deer to 20 - 30 yards is tough to do.  Stands make it easier.
But reaching out 120 yards and dropping a big buck within 30 yards of where he was standing is a pretty good rush too!
I haven't bow hunted much in the last 5-6 years.  I can't give you any insight on the scent control clothing, I have never used it.
That's something I wish I had more time for.
Hope this helps.
Todd

If they are any thing like the deer around my place the trick is to ride up to them on a tractor. They'll just stand there with a dumb ass look on their faces. Don't walk out to the field, they'll bolt the minute they see you, but drive a tractor right up too'em and you can shoot your pick... or just lean out and hit'em with a bat and save having to clean your rifle

i use a tree stand. i spend time off season getting to know the area. never hunt after dark it's illegal. bow hunting has a longer season than gun.

I'm a gun hunter and I'm in the field as long as there is legal shooting light.  Deer will be moving in the morning and in the late afternoon, but I like to go find 'em in the middle of the day.  Most productive days for me have always been when the barometer is on it's way down...if the weather is about to turn to crap, you WILL want to be out there.

As a rule, I've found that during a full moon the deer tend to feed all night, and being on a 6 hr feed cycle they generally seem to bed down about the time we arive in their home. Then about mid day they get up to feed. Now bucks will start to split up and start chasing does around the nov moon. Then all rules are out the window, when they sniff they roam,  you know kinda like us  . away from the moon ,like said early am coming from fields  late evening heading to the fields.

I stopped killing bambi's a few years ago but I always had the best luck at the end of a long day when I was tired from hunting at first light.  I usually would stumble across the big bucks just before dark when I was already tired LOL.

I've hunted off and on for about 45 yrs now. I've hunted in Iowa, Alabama and Michigan. I loved hunting the hills in Alabama. Although I did not see many deer.
Here in Michigan you can bait although I never really have. I just don't like it much. I have still hunted and slow stalked and mostly sit in a tree stand. I haven't bow hunted for a while but when ever I go with the rifle it is to get meat as I usually get one or two.
I have sat all day in the tree before just to see what moved in the area of the national forest I hunt. If you find where the deer bed down and where they feed. Get a couple off trail cameras and you'll find out when they travel in your area.
Read some info on deer behavior in your area also.

IME, hunting years in the mountains...buck like to be high where they can see/hear/smell around them.  They will be low ony when going to drink or feed.  And, during hunting season they keep hidden as much as possible, and spook easily.

God to know where they hang and stay out of direct travel paths and always stay down wind of them.  They do tend to stay bedded down more during low moonlight nights, or heavy rains.  Look for them to come out more during late morning, as sun is coming up...and, yeah, thats late morning.  I would go in and setup around 3-4 am, hours before sunup. 

Works great for bucks and for elk.  But, elk are more difficult, since they roam.   Deer live their entire lives in about a 1-2 square mile area.  Elk will migrate miles and miles to feed.   Much harder to hunt, but much tastier.  I have killed more elk than deer, mostly because I like the flavor more.

menace

Quote from: Dennis The Menace on September 14, 2009, 09:34:24 AM
I have killed more elk than deer, mostly because I like the flavor more.

menace

Let me know if you need any company while elk hunting!!

I live and hunt in nor-cal for my entire life (51yrs old),although I hunt from daylight to dark,I have killed more deer in the mid-day than any other time.  Coff 06

Actually it's now against the law to bait in Mich. Enforced is another story.
Concerning scent barrier clothes. I don't think they are necessary. The old guy I used to hunt with (RIP) in Central Lake sat in outdoor ground blind, smoking like a chimney, don't think he ever washed his hunting jacket, and killed deer every season. One year he shot 2, 8 pointers 5 minutes apart.

Remember to roll down the winder and keep the bullet spittin end outside the cab.

All kinds of tips out there but the best tip is know the land you hunt.  We have 5200 acres here at work (bow only).  I've spent many lunch hours searching for the best spot.  I've been in a tree stand (climber) and had 7 bucks fighting under me.  I took the ugly 14pt.  I think the key thing is watch the wind.  It can be your friend or your worse enemy.  Dress for the weather.  Arrive and ready 45 min. before legal light, easier to track and retrieve during the daylight.  A good shot (arrow) will stop a deer within 40yds.  Nothing like hearing a deer crash in the woods close by.  Practice, Practice, and more Practice.  Get good at estimating dist.  The list goes on and on and on.

-Snuff

To Deye's point, bucks tend to congregate together, so if you see one, there will be more in most cases.  So, be patient and wait for your shot and best rack!

When I was 15, I shot a 4 point and let him bleed out before I got up.  Waited about 5 minutes, and here comes another buck he was meandering with.  A 3 point but a little bigger.  So, I shot him to fill my dads tag.  To this day, my dad still thinks I killed the 3 point first, so he got the 4 point and I only got the 3 point.  lol  Then I say I had to shoot his deer for him and he shuts up.  lol

Same with elk, for the most part.  The bulls tend to stick together and are not always close to a herd of cows and calves.  But, if you see a buck or bull, there is often another one around him...just be patient and see what happens.

Some good posts on this thread, by the way.  Have fun with your boys, Chewy!

menace

Where are you hunting? Are you hunting whitetail deer or mule deer. They each have different patterns of travel. White tail seemed to live in a smaller area and follow the same basic path over an over (basically a circle). Learning the circle and variations lets you position yourself to watch them pass right in front of you. In flat land, you need a tree stand, in hilling areas you can sit near the top of ridge and watch the valleys below. All depending on terrain, walking sometimes pushes them out into the open better. This is best done with 2 or more hunters (and make sure you know where everyone is).

What's the best way to keep other hunters out of the area you are hunting in?  If you do take a shot (and miss), and another hunter comes by and asks what you saw. Tell him you saw nothing, you were sound shooting, you heard something in a bush and took a shot at it. They will stay clear of the area you are hunting - LOL

Quote from: a2wheeler on September 14, 2009, 05:14:54 PM
Where are you hunting? Are you hunting whitetail deer or mule deer. They each have different patterns of travel. White tail seemed to live in a smaller area and follow the same basic path over an over (basically a circle). Learning the circle and variations lets you position yourself to watch them pass right in front of you. In flat land, you need a tree stand, in hilling areas you can sit near the top of ridge and watch the valleys below. All depending on terrain, walking sometimes pushes them out into the open better. This is best done with 2 or more hunters (and make sure you know where everyone is).

What's the best way to keep other hunters out of the area you are hunting in?  If you do take a shot (and miss), and another hunter comes by and asks what you saw. Tell him you saw nothing, you were sound shooting, you heard something in a bush and took a shot at it. They will stay clear of the area you are hunting - LOL

Hunting in the Southeast in the Foothills of NC, hunting in pines and oaks for Whitetails.......... I will remember the tip about other hunters.