New to deer hunting!

[CarJunkieLS1]

Like the title says I'm new to deer hunting, I've pretty much hunted any kind of small game Alabama has to offer, but I've never shot a deer. I'm 28 years old so its time...lol. I've got some guys at work and some at church that are gonna take me deer hunting with them this November. I've got several questions so please guys bare with me. I'm a deer hunting NEWB.

1. What type of equipment will be beneficial to me. i.e. clothing,gloves,boots,etc.

2. Are some clothing better to remain "unseen" and "scent free" than others.

3. Where do I need to shoot the deer to make him DRT. I have been told where I'll be hunting that if it runs I may not be able to recover it.

I'm sure there is alot more things I've overlooked and haven't thought of and please share any advice you have. If you have any questions for me don't hesitate to ask. Thanks

 

[3212]

As far as where to shoot the deer.Basicly, the chest area.It can be accessed from various angles but don't take a shot at the butt.The best scenario is a broadside shot at the area just above and behind the the front leg.

 

[dprice3844444]

scent is more critical than clothing,deer are color blind

 

[wyohome]

Knowing when to stay still and when to move is important...unless you are feeder hunting. Then movement implies feeding time. Have fun.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't know deer were color blind thats good info. Now I have more questions lol. How do you guys feel about the "high shoulder shot" I primarily want to kill a deer for the meat. I LOVE deer meat but if I go for the standard "boiler room" its possible it could run and I may not be able to recover the deer at all. Is there a certain type of clothing that is scent free or a particular process that makes them scent free. I also won't be feeder hunting I'll be hunting over open fields surrounded by woods in shooting houses and sitting in tree stands. Again thanks for the replies and any info will be appreiated

 

[ldlfh7]

Shoot it in the neck. This will save all the meat and make an immediate kill.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

How do you guys feel about the "high shoulder shot" I primarily want to kill a deer for the meat. I LOVE deer meat but if I go for the standard "boiler room" its possible it could run and I may not be able to recover the deer at all.

I love the high shoulder shot. It is true that you can make a perfect double lung shot behind the shoulder and have the deer run for 50-75 yds. I don't shoot em behind the shoulder. I put it in the shoulder. Yes, it will damage the off side shoulder where the bullet exits, but they generally don't make it out of their own shadow.

I'm not a fan of neck shots unless you're shooting a ballistic tip or other bullet design that blows to confetti upon impact. If you're shooting a standard soft point bullet, I wouldn't do it. There are pros to neck shots. If you hit the spine, obviously the deer will make no more tracks. If you hit the jugular vein it will die quickly, but this is a luck shot and not one you can aim for. If your bullet lands in the meaty part of the neck and does not hit the spine, or the bullet clips the esophagus, the deer will suffer and take many hours to die. I don't want to see a deer suffer and I darn sure don't want to kill one for the yotes.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

I have thought about the neck shot. I don't feel like I can comfortably make that shot time and time again. High shoulder I believe I can, but obviously I'm not positive because I've never shot one.

Don't really if it matters, but I'm shooting a Tikka T3 Lite in .270 Win 22" barrel.

Handloads are 130gr Nosler Accubond 3.300 COAL 56.5gr of IMR 4831 and a Rem. 9 1/2 primer. I have no idea on velocity but consistently shoots 1/2 inch groups at 100 yds. Does this have enough "power" to bust through that shoulder and do what I need it to?

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Does this have enough "power" to bust through that shoulder and do what I need it to?

That is a dandy whitetail load and the Accubond is a fine bullet. You will have no problems with that.

 

[Captcurt]

Perfect!

Car,

I wouldn't be afraid to tackle an elk with that load. I shot a 270 for twenty years and the Accubond is a great bullet. You should be cranking around 3000fps with that load. Even with a 22" barrel.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I really haven't had the need to chrono my load because it shoots so well but now I really want to see how fast this load moves. I developed this load myself and I developed for accuracy first. Bad part is I've got a brand new chrono sitting at home. Also being in Alabama there aren't any elk around I'd maybe one day I'll get to travel and bag me one. This year I'll settle for a deer though.

Now I gotta get in the woods and give it the field test. I already know that it does good on paper.

 

[peacemaker45]

I don't know about shoot houses, as I've never used them, but generally deer will bust you first for movement, second for scent, third for noise, and only fourth because they saw you sitting there.

Regarding scent, a lot of folks say that learning to deal with the wind is more important than buying the right scent control gear. The theory is that if you keep the wind in your favor, scent won't matter, and if you don't, then even the best scent control gear won't save you. I take sort of a middle way. I don't go full out for scent-lok clothes, keep them in a special airtight container with some leaves and dirt like some guys do, but I do use deeroderant and deertergent when hunting. It's cheap enough, and might help.

But really, scent is much more of a concern for bowhunters than rifle guys.

 

[ldlfh7]

All the neck shot nay sayers are crazy. I shoot standard core-lokts and it drops them cold with a neck shot. Try it, its great. I have not taken a shoulder shot for years. Yes, it is a harder shot but my average shot is within 50 yards so not much of an issue.

And scent blocker...LOL!!! Its a waste of money. I hunt in my carhart and orange vest and jeans. Deer are not as intelligent as people make them out to be. They are spooked easily but while the rut is going on they make bad decisions trying to breed, and expose themselves when they normally would not. You could spend all kinds of money on gadgets and smell blocker etc... But in the end its useless. Just make sure you can shoot where you are aiming. Thats all there is to it. Deer hunting is quite simple. Just be quiet while in the woods and you will have no trouble.

 

[Fremmer]

Take a good knife, some candy, and some food and water. And tp.

You're using a .270, and that bullet is gonna plow right through that deer. I prefer the behind the shoulder shot because you'll waste a lot of meat shooting the shoulder, but ya gotta do what you've gotta do.

Make sure you sight in that rifle yourself before the hunt. Bore-sighted isn't enough. (I Now realize you handload and you tested your rounds.) Use the sp round it shoots the best. (Now I realize you're using an accubond with sub-moa accuracy, that's great!)

Being quiet and motionless is most important. You've gotta try to be quiet going in and picking your spot. If you have to move, do it very slowly. A tree to lean back against is always good. If you wade through leaves and make a bunch of noise, you'll never even see one.

Watch for paths that deer might like, especially coming out of the brush and out near open farmland or pasture. Set up near (but not directly on or next to) that path with a good view of the open areas they'll come to feed on.

Deer hang out in groups. When you first see one, you might want to wait a minute to see which other deer pop up. After you shoot one, be absolutely still and leave it lay. Others may show themselves and you might be able to get another.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

Thanks Fremmer and all you guys for the vote of confidence and the tips. I definitely understand that I'll waste some meat if I shoot the shoulder, but where I'll be hunting if it runs I may not be able to retrieve my deer at all...

I may try neck shots but I'm just not confident to do that yet. I'll NEVER take the head shot. Boiler room I'll take if I can't hit the shoulder. Is it bad I've got several hunting items you guys mentioned already packed up and ready to go.. lol

 

[ldlfh7]

Regarding head shots, never say never lol.

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Only shot I had was a head shot and it was sure nice to get all of the meat undamaged. Made processing a breeze.

Any FYI, it fell to the ground immediately as you could imagine. The back of the head was a mess though.

 

[3212]

I'm curious as to the reason you can't recover a deer that runs 75 yds.My reason for shooting through the lungs is bleed out.When they run after the lung shot,the heart is still pumping blood until they bleed out.The meat does not have dried blood in it.This run averages about 75 yards in the ones I have taken.I had one bad experience with a neck shot that only hit meat,a second neck shot did no better.I finally finished the deer with a lung shot.

 

[wgaynor]

Stay away from scented soaps, aftershave, shampoos, and cologne on the day of your hunt. Also, take note where the wind is blowing and use that to your advantage.

Wear orange. Orange vest at a minimum. Don't want to get shot by other hunters.

As for clothing, dress appropriate for the season. Nothing worse than deer hunting and being miserabley wet, cold, or hot. Also, stay away from blue jeans. I hear that while deer are mostly color blind, that blue does show up.

I have the best luck when sitting under a tree. Just don't move. At all. Remain perfectly still with your rifle in your lap. When looking around, don't move your head, just your eyeballs. If you nose itches, ignore it... yeah,that sucks. When birds land on your rifle, you're doing it right.

Be aware of noise from yourself and then the surrounding area. At first, you'll be hyper vigilant of leaves falling and such, but soon, it become part of the norm. It's the other noises that will tell you in advance that a critter is in the area.

When you see a deer, be still. Don't move when it's staring at you. If it's time to move into firing position, slow is good and fast is bad. Aim small miss small. I tend to aim directly behind the shoulder about 1 inch up.

If your shooting down hill, aim low. Learned my lesson on that last year.

 

[matrem]

Stay away from scented soaps, aftershave, shampoos, and cologne on the day of your hunt. Also, take note where the wind is blowing and use that to your advantage

Absolutely.
Including the scents marketed as "deer friendly".
I've watched a few and have several more on film of deer getting "antsy" and yotes bolting like a bat out of hades as soon as they cross the scent stream of an "earth wafer".
Spose they've learned what's associated with that in some areas.
Wind direction is easily the most important.

 

[Russian Hammer]

One suggestion I have that is often overlooked by a lot of hunters is practicing with your binoculars. Having a good set of binoculars and knowing how to use them is invaluable to a hunter. One exercise that really helped me was having a friend take 5-10 sets of antlers from various kinds of animals and setting them around the woods on the other side of a lake, I would then sit across the lake from the antlers and try to find them all and identify what kind of animal they belonged to with my binoculars. That type of practice has greatly improved my ability to pick out animals in the woods that I would otherwise miss and I always recommend it to new hunters. The best rifle/scope/camo combination won't do much good if you can't see any of the animals hiding all around you.

 

[bob4]

Can't add to much that hasn't already been said. But... be thinking when you bring food in the woods. Powerful scents are a nono. Cough drops are out. :banghead:
Watch your step. Some shooting houses have noisy wooden floors.

 

[travisd]

I had 3 does walk within 15 feet of me last weekend, down wind. I was wearing a blaze orange hat, gray sweatshirt and blue jeans all washed normally. Sit perfectly still and watch the wind and they'll never know you're there. If you have to move wait until the deer turns its head the other way. Get some trees behind you as they'll bust you from your silhouette a long ways away. Just getting set up in the right spot for the conditions will do more than all the camo and scent blockers you can buy. Shoot just behind the front leg and about 1/3 of the way up.

 

[herkyguy]

I dropped a doe Saturday evening, right after sunset. I was in a blind i built, shooting a 30-06 and she was at about 75 yards. one thing i took for granted beforehand was the ability of a good scope to shoot in low light. i had passed on a big doe about ten minutes prior since she still had two fawns following her and thought that was it for the night.

then 5 minutes later, another doe walked out onto the trail and she fell right where i shot her. with my naked eye, i could just make out the silhouette. but then i pointed my rifle and looked through my Zeiss Conquest and could clearly make out the coloring and features. i shoot into the shoulder area for the vitals since my land is 90% brush so thick it's nearly impossible to walk through. i want a deer to drop in its tracks even if i lose some shoulder meat. it's a better option than losing the deer entirely, which has happened.

i was wearing a camo facewrap, but just a plain grey merino wool shirt with some camo pants. my blind is wood, wrapped in camo tarp, and i've brushed up the opening so i'm pretty tucked in there. so long as the wind doesn't bust me, i think i'm pretty good.

happy hunting.

 

[Sentryau2]

I've hunted in all kinds of clothing, camo is nice to break up your outline, they are not as stupid as you think they are. You can buy some things to spray your clothing with to mask your scent, really just try to stay down wind. Most importantly check your sights the night before you go hunting.......and dont bump them :banghead:

 

[Woodworker74]

All this seems to be well founded advice from experienced hunters. I am 39 years old and grew up a "city slicker" outside Philadelphia. Relocated to Oregon 5 years ago and caught the fever. I went on my first ever deer hunt 2 weeks ago and shot a little buck right at first light. I geared up over the last couple years, and maybe fell prey to the advertising a little. I will say that I used scent blocker spray on all my clothes. I don't know if it made a difference, but the wind is pretty shifty in the sagebrush desert I was hunting. The best advice I can give you is to take your time and enjoy it. I am hooked for life now. There is such a huge sense of accomplishment in getting your first deer, especially, I think, as an adult (and with a round you loaded yourself). Good luck, be careful, and HAVE FUN!!!