White Tail Deer Hunting Tips

Deer Hunting

Hunting for whitetail deer requires patience, skill, and knowledge of deer behavior. Some hunters spend season after season in the brush without ever bringing home a successful kill.  These whitetail deer hunting tips can help increase your chances of getting that big buck.

*Store your hunting clothes in large zip lock bags or a plastic container with your preferred deer scent. Get dressed in your hunting gear right before leaving camp to avoid contaminating your clothes with human scents. Don’t forget to scent and change your boots as well.

*Rub your hunting weapon, leather shoulder straps, slings and ammo pouch

down with deer scent to remove manmade smells.

* Arial maps and topographical maps of your hunting zone work best for navigating in unfamiliar territory. 

* Waterproof binoculars that can store images you capture during the hunt can help you better plan your strategy the following year.

*If you are using an ATV to get to your stand, make sure to use a muffler silencer and scent mark your ATV well in advance.

*Keep your cell phone turned off when hunting. Even a vibrating cell phone can spook a deer.

* Do not forget your hunting license and your regulation blaze orange.

* A hunting scope can help pull off shots, especially in low light conditions.

* Use a small rope or cord to raise and lower your weapon into your tree stand.

*Take along a notebook to track rubs, scrapes and tracks you find in your hunting zone. These can be studied in the off season and used to determine if you should relocate in future hunts.

*Deer travel everyday to and from feeding grounds. This occurs a half an hour before sunrise and a half an hour after sunset. These are the best times to spot a whitetail deer.

* Since your hands are the most frequently moved areas of your body, camouflage hunting gloves are great for hunting whitetail deer.

* Determine where you will hunt before the season begins. This allows you to scope out the area, and allows your scent to fade away before your scheduled hunt.

* Choose a spot for your deer stand near dense vegetation, known travel paths or dense brush used for sleeping quarters. Deer are motivated to eat, sleep and mate. Putting yourself in the path of deer foraging for food, bedding down for the night or searching for a mate increases your odds.

*Leave normal soaps, deodorants and shampoo behind. These items are full of human scents and will tip of any deer in the area. Use a scent remover if necessary to mask your body odor.

* Except for your safety orange, camouflage everything in a natural print.

* Smokers will have to forgo the habit while deer hunting. Any clothing that smells of cigarette smoke will also give you away so be sure to wash all items in scent-free soap and scent mark accordingly.

Masking your scent, disguising your shape, and learning the habits of whitetail deer will increase your chances of getting that big shot.