Deer hunting can be one of the most daunting experiences, especially for a newbie. Fortunately, today we have brought you the best red deer hunting tips. Whether you are a beginner or veteran buck hunter, the following tips will help you greatly.
Tip 1
Human scent can spook a red deer. Therefore, you have to take a shower with a scent-free soap before going to the field. Also, ensure that you do not contaminate your hunting clothes as you head the field. Preferably, keep them in a plastic container with leaves and dirt so that they take on the natural scent.
Tip 2
Practice how to set and take down your tree stand before the hunting season. Getting out of your hideout during hunting is one of the greatest determinants of your success.
Tip 3
It is not mandatory to hire own a plane or hire one before you can look at the aerial photos of the hunting field. Alternatively, you can search through Google maps for the same.
Tip 4
Do not trim shooting lanes because you will disturb your hunting area during that season. Instead, clear the lanes during the summer because red deer can smell freshly cut timber thereby associating the same with human predation. This will, in turn, make it difficult and even impossible for you to catch them.
Tip 5
If you prefer using concealment, then ensure that you maximize on the same. Tree stand blinds assist in fooling wary red deer and offer the added benefit of shade from the harsh weather conditions
Tip 6
What should you when you see a red deer that does not want to cross to your side? Well, this is very simple; you can tempt it to come over with a deer decoy. Calling it can also be another option.
Tip 7
Douse yourself using a tick repellant before going to the field. Tick-borne ailments can end your hunting spree when you do not that to happen
Tip 8
Do not overlook the benefit of reaching your tree stand before the red deer detects your presence. To do this, ensure that you have covered the entrance to the stand.
Tip 9
Wash your hunting clothes using non-scented soap or any other detergent before going to the woods to hunt for your prey.
Tip 10
Try to design a mock scrape. While doing so, wear surgical gloves to avoid human odor contamination. You can use a stick to scuff leaves off a particular area about the same size as a hubcap
Tip 11
If there is snow on the ground, check for leaves strewn in the area where the deer might have pawed for the mast. In case you notice any mast around, that will be a good spot to set up your tree stand and wait for its return
Tip 12
Many hunters fall from the tree stand before taking down their prey. Therefore, we recommend that you wear full-body safety clothes before going to the tree stand. There is nothing painful like injuring yourself without managing to capture your prey
In conclusion, red deer hunting is not as easy as most people think. You have to prepare adequately before going out. While on the field, you need to take safety precautions and other measures that will enable catch the red deer with ease.
Where to Shoot a Deer
A good hunter doesn’t need more than one shot to put a deer down. Though most of us are taught to aim for the heart and lungs, you’d be surprised to find out that that’s NOT the quickest or the most humane way to kill a deer.
We did some little leg work which involved interviewing some of the best deer cullers, and from their advice, there are several variables such as distance, shooting ability, type of gun and meat retention that come into play whenever we talk of the surest and quickest way to shoot a deer.
This article takes into consideration all these factors as we try to look at all the possible ways different shots can bring a deer down in a matter of seconds.
Places to Shoots
While waiting for the deer to orient itself in a position that will give you the best shot, you must try to pull your gun into a position that will help you obtain a good sight. Once done, go ahead and align your eye with the rifle sight then try taking any of the following shots.
The Brain
From some hunters who’ve ever killed a deer before, the best place to aim if you’re trying to bring a deer down with just a single shot is right about the brain. Simple, just draw a line between the tear ducts, then aim about 2.5 inches above that line. If done correctly, the aiming should be able to bring down the deer in less than 12 seconds.
A bullet shot straight to the brain will incapacitate the animal, killing it almost immediately. The problem is that you need a very good gun such as a sniper’s rifle to achieve these.
Heart-Lung
Try aiming 5.7 inches up from the chest. This shot should be able to penetrate the lungs and heart, albeit the deer will not go down immediately after the shot. Meaning, you’ll have to do some little tracking afterward to try and find out where the deer fell.
The best part about this shot is that you don’t have to be accurate to make the kill. Plus, the massive hemorrhaging will leave behind a trail of blood that you can use afterward to locate the fallen deer.
High Shoulder
This shot should be directed towards the part joining the neck and the back. The deer will fall in seconds following the ultimate shock.
The fast-moving bullet will first snap the spine then shortly afterward short-circuit the nervous system, bringing the deer down almost immediately, and with authority.
The problem with this shot is that it damages a lot of meat. Plus, there’s a strong chance of missing a shot as the aiming is concentrated in a limited area.
The Neck
A shot to the neck, touching the spine is another ideal spot to place your aim. It’s recommended that you aim for the part of the neck close to the jawline, as this will paralyze the deer but you’ll have to follow it with a second shot directed to the throat to finish the job.
Again, this shot has a limited area of aim, which means there’s a higher chance of missing should you fail to aim accurately.
From the illustration, you must have noticed that the surest and quickest way to bring a deer down is to aim right at the brain, by directing your bullet or arrow slightly above the region between the deer’s eyes. All the other shots will see to it that you’ll leave with the deer home, but it’s only the shot directed to the brain that will make it happen with a single shot and minimal wastage.
What is Camouflage to Deer? What Do Deer See?
A deer has natural predators and so it has to ensure that its environment is safe all the time. To do this, the deer looks at anything unusual around it. But what the deer sees are light and dark shadows, and that is how it can read its surroundings. For instance, you can take a medium-sized carton box and place it on top of a rod, and to the deer, that is something unusual in its surroundings. When a deer sees something unusual, it gets skittish and wary starts to use its sense of smell and hearing to decide whether to stick around or run away.
A whitetail buck doesn’t want to see something different and that is where camouflage plays a role. Different camouflage works in different environments depending on the vegetation. What can work well in spring might not necessarily work well in fall because of the foliage. The reason why a deer sees light and dark shadows is that it has a dichromatic vision, which means that it only has the bluish and yellow-green light cells. In contrast, humans have trichromatic vision, which means that we have three color sensor cells, able to pick up red, blue, and yellow-green light, allowing us to see in color.
So when it comes to hunting, if the deer can’t recognize it, it can’t see it. That’s the reason why camouflage manufacturers have decided to design their gear based on how the deer sees the world. What they have come up with is a digital camouflage design that mimics a deer’s blurry vision. Also, the design incorporates the colors that the deer can see, which will make it blend with the surroundings and not spook the animal. If you wear such camouflage gear, you will increase your chances of having a successful hunt.
You also need to recognize that human odor spooks the deer. So you can shower with a scent-free soap before your hunting trip, and try not to contaminate your hunting clothes on the way to the field. You can also use doe estrous, which is the urine taken from a doe in heat, to attract the bucks. During whitetail rut, you can soak a rag in doe estrous as bait for a buck to follow its trail right up to your location.
You should avoid trimming your shooting lanes or disturbing a hunting area when the season is in full swing, and clearing shooting lanes should be done during the summer. The reason is that wild old deer can become accustomed to how freshly cut wood smells like, and start to associate that with human hunting activities. When the ground is covered by snow, you can search for leaves scattered in an area where the deer have looked for the mast. If you find some mast still lying around, that is a great spot for setting up and waiting for the deer to return. Above all else, the trick is to remain still and let the game come to you.
Simple Tips To Create Your Own Deer Hunting Video
If you were to search the Internet, you would find hundreds of deer hunting videos. However, if you like hunting and you are confident that you can get a trophy whitetail deer; why not take a shot at creating your deer hunting video? All it takes is the right equipment and just a little know-how. Besides, this article will guide you through the process of creating a high-quality and informative video that can greatly benefit other hunting enthusiasts.
- Hunting Knowledge
First of all, you need to have sufficient knowledge and experience in deer hunting. After all, the video will be about informing viewers of the various processes and phases of landing a trophy deer. Therefore, you must have knowledge of pre-season scouting, food, clothing, boots, rifles, ammunition, muzzleloaders, tree stands, and scent blocker among other requirements. In a nutshell, the more information you can provide the better and the more valuable your video will be to the viewers.
- Get the Right Equipment
With the modern advancements in technology, creating a deer hunting video is much cheaper and easier. Remember that the aim is to create a realistic video to make viewers feel as if they are on the hunt. Of course, you want equipment that can afford and also has special features, clarity, and quality. So, it is advisable to get a digital recorder that can capture digital 8, HDV, and MiniDV. Furthermore, the video recorder should have a feature allowing it to connect to a computer for downloading and editing. When filming, make sure that the lens is regularly cleaned for perfect clarity of your video.
- Editing
Editing is an integral stage of the video-making process. You can certainly hire this function out. However, being able to work on your video from the beginning to the end is more gratifying. To do the video editing on your own, you have to get a top video editing program that can run on your computer. You can try inbuilt programs existing in your computer such as Windows MovieMaker. However, purchasing a special video editing program will guarantee you better quality. A robust program that allows you to add special effects such as music, fade-ins, and fade-outs and titles is commendable. This way, you will be in a position to create a more professional video for better returns when putting on the market for sale.
- Video Layout
A good deer hunting video should, certainly, be properly organized. You do not want to confuse your viewers nor make them feel overwhelmed. Instead, you want to inform them. Make sure you observe chronological order. With this, your viewers will be in a position to follow without any problem.
- Video Upload
You need to have the compatibility of uploading the deer hunting video in a compressed format. Riva FVL is a great encoder. It works perfectly with several file extensions including MPEG, AVI, and WPV among others. The uploading process is crucial because it will take your edited deer hunting video and allow you to put your file in a finished format.
In conclusion, creating a deer hunting video is not as hard as you may have thought especially if you are a seasoned hunter. Using the above-discussed tips, you can create your deer hunting video to showcase your skills, inform other hunters, and make money from it.