Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Key to Sucess

What do you believe is the most important thing you do, before, during or when ever, that you think is the key to your sucess during deer season. Is it your preperation before, scouting, working the land or what ever it is you think you do that is the most benifical. Just wondering what some people do before a season and during it.


I tend to believe it is my preperation that is the key to my sucess. I also like to scout not only before but during the season.. I know somepeople i have had contact with refuse to change a stand location or something even though they are having little sucess. M8x57

#1 by far is being where there are lots of legal deer.

"#1 by far is being where there are lots of legal deer."

A big Plus One on that. No point wasting time where there are no legal deer. Here in Washington, that means a mulie buck with at least three points on either antler. Can't shoot a 2x2 even if he's 200 pounds - and we've seen 'em.

Going right along with that is pre-season scouting. If I get out and actively look for deer, I seem to meet with success much more quickly in the field. If opening day is the first time I've been afield in the hunting area - well - the odds just aren't real good.

Entire books are written to answer this single question. In truth, it takes several preparations to be consistently successful. Some of these include:

- You gotta hunt where the deer are;
- You gotta know where to hit-'em;
- You gotta be able to hit-'em there;
- You gotta control where your scent goes;
- You gotta go huntin'.

These are the basics. There are finer points.

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First find where the deer are, even if there are not alot of deer you can find where the ones that are there move.

Learn how to set up on a deer (blind / treestand) in terms of locatoin.

After that's it's getting out there and doing it.

Spot

Confidence is a huge factor- If you don't believe in your ability to find deer, you won't look as hard as you would otherwise, or you will be surprised when you DO see one.

Washing my camo in scent-free soap, getting into the woods in the dark, and being humble enough to not act "human" in the woods.

That's for hunting blacktail in the thick stuff. It'd be a different list for different deer in different terrain, I bet! Wish I knew...

-jeff

Know where the deer are and their habits before deer season starts and figure out a way to get to your stand that avoids detection and make sure you will be downwind of the critters.

Bumble around the woods without a clue, making as much noise as possible, with just enough knowledge of your gear to know which end aims where, and little to no regard for other hunters or the game.

Works every time for a friend of mine.

Sometimes luck trumps all.

At its most basic, I would say spend as much time in the field as you can, meaning scout year round and hunt when the season is in daylight to dark, rain or shine. You simply can't kill a big one while you sit in the living room watching TV!

Be ready the second your butt hits the stand or woods. Darren

Ya can't shoot'em from the living room, ya gotta get out there.

Warm clothes help keep you on the stand, chemical handwarmers, a small thermos, and candybars.

Spot

My uncle Elmer Trump was the most successful hunter I have ever known. He is the only person I know who had killed three 7x7 bull elk on public land hunting without horses etc.

He told me to go out in the woods and "wander around". By that he meant move slow, don't march, stop and rest and don't hunt with a directional plan. Go where you haven't been by 50 yards or so in the past. Be a little unpredictable.

Most of all be ready to shoot and be capable of hitting moving and long range targets when necessary.

Hunt when other folks aren't.

So far it seems to work.

Persistence. I've hunted a spot knowing there were bucks in there, but only seeing doe or smallish illegal bucks. But, I kept at it, and got what I went for. Sometimes it's hard to make the time, but like has already been said, you can't have any success at all sitting on the couch.

Scouting. Everything else is secondary.

Hunt where the deer are and spend lots of time in the woods. I like to hunt in the early am and late pm but I know a good many deer are moving in the middle of the day if undisturbed. in the last club i was in, we kept a harvest record and most of the bucks were killed between 9-11 am with about 50% of that number killed in the afternoon. I like to watch the woods come to life while on stand in the morning but I know the hunting may be even better from 9-12. I typically hunt from first light for three hours.

I was driving my electric golf cart the other day and rounded the corner and saw a nice buck standing 20' from my stand at 11 am.

I need to learn the discipline of sleeping in and going to the stand later and hunting in the bright morning sun.

many of the big bucks that are killed in my area are shot by local guys that hunt for a few minutes here and there on the way to and from work. they hunt often but not for long at each session. I think the key is catching them when they are moving and or rutting. sadly, this does not always happen on saturday morning at 9am!

I don't hunt during the week since it's a three hour drive to my farm but I do wonder what the deer are doing while I am gone!

#1 Key to Success: Hunt from the stand I just left.

The key is based on The Slot Machine Rule...

A few thoughts assuming you have scouted an area;

Elk: Mental toughness, persistence and determination

Deer: Discipline (minding the wind, staying in a stand, waiting for the better or best buck)

Antelope: Good Optics, ability to recognize cover where there is little, commitment (be willing to belly crawl, etc)

shortside

mine: not having to fix the stupid CAR! and be able to get in the woods! to me that is success right now....


stupid oil pump relief valve.....