How to Spot More Whitetail Deer

Want to see more deer, read these tips.

Understanding the habits of whitetail deer gives a hunter an advantage when hunting deer. Studying the known habitats and habits of whitetail deer allows a hunter to plan his actions and hunt intelligently.  

Where to Find Whitetail Deer

Open Fields and Crop Areas

Grassy open fields and crop areas are great feeding grounds for whitetail deer. While deer are oftentimes weary when they are in the unprotected open, they do graze in open fields, especially in the early morning, at dusk, and at night. Corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa and clover are all favorites for the whitetail deer.

Pine Tree Groves

Whitetail deer love pine tree groves. The shed pine needles provide a warming layer of protection from the cold earth, and are a popular bedding area for deer. Since pine trees never completely shed their needles, they provide year round coverage and shelter for whitetail deer.

Watering Holes

Whitetail deer often return to the same water source over and over again. The ideal habitat for a deer has bountiful foraging, dense brush for bedding down and a constant water supply all within close proximity. In Northern states, prolonged winter weather usually forces a deer to expand their territory to search out new areas to graze and find fresh, unfrozen water. This territory may reach an excess of 60 miles or more for a single whitetail deer.

Whitetail deer have amazing senses. They use these senses to evade predators, including hunters.

Understanding Whitetail Deer Communication

Whitetail deer communicate through sounds, scents and marking. Does and bucks both grunt to communicate, and this sound draws the attention of any bucks in the area. Hunters can often track whitetail deer by examining the markings they leave behind.

Bucks paw at the earth with their hooves in order to spray the area with his scent and urine to mark his territory. Bucks also rub the bark off trees to mark territories and clean their antlers. Female whitetail deer frequently visit these areas in search of the buck that created the markings.

Bucks spar for territorial rights to a particular area and the resulting sound of crashing antlers can attract the attention of nearby bucks who want to complete for the territory as well.

Hunters can attract deer by imitating scent markings, reproducing deer grunts and clapping shed antlers together. Hunting stands situated in sight of marked trees and known bedding areas increase the likelihood of spotting a whitetail deer. In addition, hearing amplifiers are used to pick up on the noises emitted by nearby deer. Binoculars assist hunters in locating bedding areas and concealed fawns.

By studying the behaviors of the whitetail deer, a hunter gains a greater understanding of his prey. These whitetail deer basics serve as a starting point for many successful hunting seasons.