huntingtips

50 Experts Share Their 3 Best Deer Hunting Tips

Deer hunting isn’t just a hobby for some. There is so much more to deer hunting rather than just aiming and shooting at your target. From scouting and planning on which location to hunt to controlling your scent as well as your equipment, there are just so many aspects to it.

hunting antelope tips

And since the deer hunting season is just around the corner, I thought that it would be really helpful (and interesting) to have deer hunting experts share their top 3 hunting tips. So here is what I asked them: What are your 3 best deer hunting tips you can share based on your experience?

And as the title points out, 50 of them took the effort to come up with useful insights which I listed down below. But before that, I would like to thank them for their time and passion for the deer hunting community. Others wanted to contribute as well, but they are just too caught up with their personal matters which I can relate to myself.

Also, being curious myself, I did a quick summary on some of the common tips they shared.

TipVote

Planning and scouting is important17

Scent control9

Patience is key7

Practice, practice, practice!5

Hunt where wind is in your favor5

Don't over hunt an area4

Leave your stands or switch them often3

Gordon Whittington – North American Whitetail

1. Location trumps everything else. In fact, I recently told someone that the most important piece of hunting gear just might be a key…to the right gate. Without access to a place holding the size deer you’re after, nothing else matters much.

2. Patience is overlooked as a deer-hunting skill, but it’s critical. No matter how well you scout or choose your stand on a given day, the odds don’t favor getting a crack at a trophy buck right off the bat. How well you handle the wait for him to show up often is the difference between success and failure.

3. Justified confidence in your gun or bow and your ability to shoot it is where the rubber ultimately meets the road. Some hunters wait forever for a crack at a trophy buck, then suffer a Chernobyl-level meltdown when he walks out. There’s no guaranteed protection against buck fever, but knowing you have good gear and knowing you can operate it sure helps.

Daniel E. Schmidt – Deer and Deer Hunting

1. How you enter and exit your stand sites is the most critical aspect tied to overall success. Intimately learn the topography — know where the bedding areas are — and learn how to get to and from your stands without spooking deer.

2. Don’t hunt a stand if the wind isn’t right. That’s a tough call for many hunters. If the wind is blowing your scent into a bedding area or an area where deer are likely to appear, it will defeat you nearly every time. Plan your stand setups that you have options.

3. When it comes to tree stands, wind placement, camouflage and background cover are way more important than how high the stand is hung. Also, the less you trim for “shooting lanes,” the better. Spend time in summer analyzing everything, and place the stand in a spot that maximizes all of these factors.

Dr. Grant Woods – Growing Deer

Deer are very conditionable critters. They rapidly learn to avoid threats and ignore unthreatening events. For example in areas where deer don’t often hear a vehicle they usually run from them. In other areas such as farms or neighborhoods were vehicles are common deer tend to ignore them. Hunters can use this to their favor by considering the common activities for the area and try to replicate them and/or avoid doing activities that deer don’t frequently experience.

For example, if you are hunting a farm ask the farmer for ride close to your stand in one of the vehicles often used there. I’ve worked on golf courses where deer ignored golf carts and the golf course manager’s truck but ran from my truck. To collect deer for research I had to use one of the course’s golf carts.

I’ve worked on military bases and been at trap ranges where deer commonly fed within 50 yards of a practice range where 1,000’s of shots were being fired. The deer continued feeding and rarely lifted thier head. I’ve also watched deer run while hunting national forest and a shot was fired in the distance.

Knowing what deer are conditioned to accept as unthreatenign where you hunt can give a hunter a huge advantage.

AJ Gall – Legendary Whitetails

1. Switch stands often or leave stands alone until the timing is right. The best chance to kill a mature buck is the first or second sit in that stand or area. https://www.qdma.com/fast-can-stand-recover-hunting-pressure/

2. Food plots are great, but they also come with some downfalls. The main thing I’d stress is don’t get too comfortable sitting over a food plot every time out, it’s often a trap many of us hunters fall into, myself included. My best success has always been dropping into the cover a ways and cutting them off before they get to any food source. Not only is it easier to get out cleanly after the hunt, but there’s a much better chance to catch a buck up and moving during daylight when you are in the cover.

3. Just hunt. Sometimes today’s media and TV puts the notion of being ultra-careful and only hunting when it’s absolutely perfect conditions. If you don’t have a lot of property to hunt, knock on a ton of doors or get out and explore public land. You never know what could happen when you’re in the woods. As long as it’s still fun, you’re doing alright. https://community.deergear.com/tips/gaining-access-to-hunting-land/

4. Use the heck out of online maps. 90% of your scouting can be done online these days, whether it’s through google earth, county plat maps, topo maps, or any other mapping software. Use these tools to narrow down your ground scouting missions and to give you more time to hunt quality areas. https://community.deergear.com/tips/mapping-whitetails-03-hidden-secrets-of-county-maps/

Mike Hanback – Mike Hanback’s Big Deer

Hanback’s 3 top rules deer hunting:

1. Pressure matters. The less hunting pressure and human intrusion on a property, the more mature bucks you will see. The more pressure, the more your hunting will suffer. Big bucks wont put up with too much pressure before they turn nocturnal and seemingly vanish. Remember that when trying to find places to hunt.

2. Find the feed. To survive, whitetail deer must eat multiple times each day–crops, clover, browse and the like. The more food sources on a property the more deer you will see. Keep in mind a land can have great cover, but unless there’s ample food on there, you won’t see a lot of deer.

3. Scout more than you hunt. Start right now by walking properties and identifying food sources, deer trails, old rub, creek crossings with tracks and the like. Try to set out several trail cameras on food plots and trails and monitor bucks this summer and into fall. Every day that you hunt during the season look around for signs of buck activity, like new rubs and scrapes and fresh tracks. The best hunters rely on 70% scouting and planning year-round and then 30% on their hunting skills to shoot mature bucks.

Ian Nance – Good Hunt

Curiosity and the best of intentions ruin more deer hunts than anything else, in my opinion. Between feeders and calls and scents, we spend a lot of time, effort, and money trying to make deer do what we want and ignore basic elements of successful deer hunting in the process. Oftentimes, our simple desire to hunt overcomes good sense on how and when we should hunt.

With that in mind, here are some thoughts to lower your impact and keep your hunting area hopping through the Fall:

1. Scout and hang stands any time but right before or during the season. If you’re moving stands and skulking about the woods searching for sign after it’s legal to start killing, you’re taking two steps back with each one forward. Deer notice that activity whether you believe they do or not. They can smell your trail, hear the banging, and often spot you creeping around.

I’ve seen this unfold enough times to induce nausea – someone arrives on a lease in October to scout or erect a ladder stand for the first time. They get frustrated after only seeing yearlings in a few sits and move locations throughout the Fall. Come Prime Time, the place is dead. The deer are often around but adjust their routines. Though I realize rules and regulations on public lands often render this impossible, where able, make a concerted effort to place stands well before the season and have faith in their placement.

As for scouting, it’s not always realistic for new properties, but I prefer burning-the-boot-leather scouting during January, February, and March when the underbrush is clear. You can learn a lot for the upcoming year, and your activities will be long-forgotten by September.

Also, while I love trail cameras, it’s important to fight the urge to check them every week – digital images of antlers are not as satisfying as the real version. The models these days operate for months on the same set of batteries, and SD cards hold a ton of images, so don’t let that motivate you. Of course, cameras need to be checked or what’s the point? Just don’t overindulge.

2. Using scents and sprays sensibly. I’ve seen doe-in-estrous work. I have seen tarsal gland scents work. I believe these attractants have a place in deer hunting strategy. You just have to employ them with a light touch rather than skunk-spraying the woods.

I once hunted with a guide in South Carolina that flat refused his clients to use scents because he felt they contaminated the area as the smells broke down over time and would alarm the animals. This man thought about a deer’s olfactory system more than any I’ve met. With a season that runs from August to January, he was ultra-careful about keeping stand sites relatively clean for the next clients. He acknowledged the utility of scent lures but doubted the capability of newbies to restrain themselves from having deer urine dripping like dew from the pine needles.

I don’t know if his deep obsession with this was warranted or not, but it stands to reason that introducing new flavors into an area will alert deer. We always hope it’s a positive reaction, but it’s difficult to gauge. Hunters are protective of the items they buy and never admit they’ve been duped by Magic Beans. I’ve listened with a furrowed brow to camp stories of hunters spraying deer urine around corn feeders and maintaining that secret potion was what lured the animal into the open…

If you choose to use scents, the guide’s train of thought was to keep them contained so you can remove them when leaving a hunting area. For instance, using otherwise-clean sponges sprayed with scents clipped to trees. Once finished, place them in a plastic baggy for the next time. Don’t hose down the base of stand or tree branches or whatever.

In all honesty, I rarely use scent lures any more. I prefer to keep the woods smelling as natural as possible; however, I know lure scents can work, but I definitely recommend moderation.

(Quick aside – you can always test different scents for effectiveness using a trail camera. I have. It’s revealing but not always in a positive way. You’d be shocked by the number of foxes and coyotes that respond to these liquids.)

Note: You might want to check out some great hoodies for hunting. See more here.

3. Don’t hunt a poor wind. This is the Golden Rule of Deer Hunting. I realize opportunities to get away to sit in a stand is limited for many hunters, and Mother Nature is often a cruel enemy, but don’t waste your precious hours battling a losing situation. Many try to keep a stiff upper lip and fight through a wind blowing in the wrong direction hoping their scent-killing spray will come through. Not saying some in the Heartland haven’t killed deer with the breeze on their necks gusting right to a buck’s nostrils, but 99% of the time, it’s game over.

Worse than a steady wind coming from the wrong direction is the swirling wind. If you hunt creek bottoms, swamps, or oak hammocks, you know how a hard wind can cyclone the branches in every direction. If this is happening, it’s time to bail on that location in search of a better set-up.

The biggest buck I’ve shot came after days of waiting for a perfectly still morning so I could slip into a bottom adjoining a peanut field. We knew the big bucks hung out down there and did everything to keep from tampering with the site. When the time came, I was in the stand less than 20 minutes when the West Georgia stud cruised nearly directly underneath me.

Don’t let anxiousness to hunt kill your honey-hole when the conditions are less-than-ideal.

James Gwilliam – Kentucky Deer Hunting Outfitters

If you’re asking a Kentucky Hunting Outfitter what would be the 3 best hunting tips, I’m going to answer that based upon 95% of the people reading this having more than a little experience in the woods.

#1) Use the information you already have in your head! So many hunters know what they are supposed to do, but they don’t apply it to their hunt.

#2) This pretty much coincides with #1, but most people go out of their way to be scent free. If I had to guess, 95%+ of all hunters do not use scent free oil on their guns. They all know better, but don’t use it anyway. Look at it like this as far as the deer smelling you; it’s the difference between a subtle squeaking fart and room clearing monster of a fart that can be smelled by all!

#3) This is my hunting expertise and my “thing”, but spend an hour stalking/creeping getting to your hunting spot. Take 1, 2 or 3 super quiet steps and wait. Look. Scan. Make sure there isn’t a deer in site. Look at your path, see what direction you have to go that makes the least amount of noise, and take a few more steps. If it’s dry with leaves, you’re pretty much wasting your time trying this. If it’s moist, wet, or raining you are golden! I’ve shot many trophy bucks doing this.

If I made you chuckle, please read about my humble deer ranch. http://www.huntingkentuckydeer.com

Steve Elmy – Rack Stacker

1. “Missing link” – Coming out of the winter, the deer are deprived. They need vits and Minerals as soon as they come out of the winter. If you have a mineral out there like Blaze or Glory they will hold on the property that you hunt because they need that mineral for the spring to replenish before the next fall.

2. “Variety” – Deer need variety in their diet. By planting products that are favorable towards the deer in the summer they will be happy. Make sure that you provide tall growing cover like upland/turkey blend. This food plot variety is great for providing cover and food in short time and the deer will forage there right until the snow starts to fly.

3. “Use the WIND” – don’t hunt an area in the fall that has a wind blowing into where the deer are going to be coming from. You have spent the whole summer preparing for this hunt, take the time to wait for the right wind. Deer’s best friend is its nose, so use the wind to mess with him. Hunt the right wind after using the right products and before you hunt, pour out some Rack Stacker Entice to increase your odds of harvest.

Steve Phelps – Illinois Trophy Bowhunter

1. Hunt all day, dark to dark. Don’t come out for breaks.

2. Never hunt an entire farm in a season. Hunt half, and manage the other half as internal refuges or sanctuaries, then you won’t push the best mature bucks off your farm. The best bedding areas are the sanctuaries.

3. Only hunt a tree stand in the best wind, if the wind changes, move to a stand where that new wind is best. With shifting winds, if you can’t keep your scent out of the bedding area you are hunting, then just leave.

Gregory Beckman – Military Hunting and Fishing

Although you asked for the top three Best deer hunting tips, I am going to provide you with the four P’s of hunting for any wild game. If you follow this tried and true method you will be successful no matter what you are hunting.

1. Planning: Gathering all your gear in advance, maintaining your equipment and proper scouting of the area all year round are a must to have a successful hunting season. Proper scouting will provide you with everything you need to know about the animal you are hunting and help put you in place to make that shot.

2. Practice: You would be surprised at the number of hunters that don’t touch their bow or rifle till hunting season. Knowing the limitations of your weapon of choice are a must! It takes a lot of range time to become a master of your craft. Practicing from multiple angles, elevations, and situations will always make you a better hunter. When it comes time to make that shot and the pressure is on, this could make or break your season!

3. Persistence: We call it hunting and not catching for a reason. Animals won’t just fall into your lap. You can’t just go out once and expect to bring home a deer. You persistently need to pursue your game. You most likely won’t come home a winner every time, But you have to put in the time in the field to be successful.

4. Patience: We all know that sitting for hours on end is no fun. Scouting can help alleviate you of some of this sitting, but you still need to be in the field to get the deer. Calling it quits early before that big buck or fat doe walks your way will never bring home dinner. Spend the time enjoying nature and you will be a success.

Mike Roux – Mike Roux Outdoor Enterprises

1. Pre-season Scouting

If you like to fight the heat and the bugs of the early archery season then pre season scouting is a must. With most, if not all of the summer foliage still in place, visibility is limited. Trail cams are your best bet. The most common mistake made by hunters using trail cams that must be visited to be checked is that they do not go to the cameras in “hunt ready” mode. Always prepare your clothing and gear as if you are hunting when checking your cameras. There is no need to educate your bucks before the season even starts.

2. Never Stop Shooting

One of the biggest mistakes made by both archery and firearm deer hunters is that they do not practice all year. The more you shoot, the better shot you become. I know dozens of guys that shoot a hundred arrows a week all summer getting ready to hunt in the fall. But when the season starts they stop shooting. Shoot every chance you get all the way through the season.

3. Do Not Forsake the Late Season

As I do seminars across the country each year one of the most common questions is, “What is your favorite part of the season.” For me the later the better. My best big buck hunting comes after Christmas almost every year. The rut is over, winter is looming and food is all that is a on a mature buck’s mind. To survive winter he must replenish the fat he lost during the rut. Bucks are as easy to pattern in January as they are in October. Food sources are the key to success. Hunt late in the season and hunt all day.

Mark – Poronui Hunting

1. Money spent on optics is money well spent

2. For stalking quiet clothing is essential. Some of the Gortex hunting gear can be very noisy both when sitting watching and stalking

3. Make use of the natural cover when stalking

4. Follow where the guide walks, it reduces the possibility of being spotted by the animals

5. Listen to the guide in particular in relation to shot placement

6. Use a calibre of rifle suitable to the body size of the hunter. Hunters using a calibre too big for their body size often tend to pull to one side or shoot over the animal.

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