We hope you enjoy these advanced deer hunting tips. The average deer hunter who has average skills and an average commitment to the hunt, usually get average results for his efforts. You might be satisfied with just getting that single deer every couple of years, but if you want better than that for yourself, learn how to get that trophy buck.
The true deer hunting masters know the following advanced deer hunting tips I am about to share with you.
1. Scout Your Hunting Area – This does not simply mean know where you are going to sit while you are hunting. It means to go out and truly get to know your hunting location. Some of my most successful hunting seasons were started months before opening day. I developed the habit of getting permission to check out the lease where I was going to hunt, then I scouted out the surrounding areas. I surveyed all the potential hunting sites and then did a “dry hunt” — went through the motions of hunting but without a gun, so I could get to know the areas that had the most deer movement, the largest bucks, and the best buck-to-doe ratios. You can walk around the lease in the middle of the day, looking for big buck signs that I could see.
2. Recognizing The Signs Of Big Bucks – By knowing what signs to look for, you will be better prepared to find the area where the trophy bucks are located. One thing you want to look for are tracks. Note the size, quantity and direction of the tracks to indicate the size, quantity and movement patterns of the deer. Look for Scrapes – areas where bucks scratch the ground accompanied with urination to mark territory and attract does, typically below low hanging tree branches at the border of heavy brush during the rut. Rubs – If the bucks rub the velvet off fresh antlers on posts and trees, be sure to see it and mark where they are. If you find a “rub line,” you will be able to find six or more rubs in a matter of about 100 yards. The rubs are typically on the side of the tree that the buck is traveling form so noting which sides of the trees have rub marks in a rub line gives clues as to the direction of movement. Observe how big the bedding areas are once you find them. No signs of bucks means no bucks!
3. Know How Your Firearm Shoots – Know the ballistics of the caliber and cartridge you are using. You also need to know how your gun reacts to the distance you are shooting. You need to know how far your shot raises for short shots and how far it falls for longer shots. You should practice judging how far your shots are and maybe even walk off the distances to possible sighting areas. This will allow you to know if you are making a 400 yard shot and also know how much your bullet is likely to drop making this shot. Doing this will enable you to be able to adjust your aim to make a quality shot.
4. Shot Placement – If you master the aim and ballistic characteristics of your deer hunting rifle, you can be more concerned with exact shot placement. While many hunters have several different ways to shoot, one way that can help you is to shoot for the neck of the animal, as that will immobilize the deer much more quickly. If you hit the deer lower on the neck the carotid arteries will be severed. If you hit the deer high on the neck you will break the deer’s spinal column. Finally, if you hit the deer in the center of the neck you will get a combination of both of these effects. From a broadside, front or rear quarter angle, or head-on angle the neck target is as large as the traditional “behind the lower shoulder” target and much more effective. I don’t recommend full rear shot attempts at all unless you are looking at a trophy buck you just can’t pass up; cleaning a deer that has been shot up the rectum is not a pleasant task to say the least. Be sure to place your shot very carefully – the best deer hunters try to bring down their quarry in one shot.
5. Attactants, Calls, and Rattling – While we do not have time to go into a lot of detail, it is an important deer hunting tip to use attractants (like natural food plots, salt licks/mineral blocks, feeders, and flavored blocks), deer calls, and rattling methods. If you are going to use food related attractants you need to prepare it in advance. Just like any garden, food plots takes a lot of time and attention. You should set out food attractants in an area weeks or even months prior to hunting season, so that the deer will become familiar with their feeding times and the location of their meals. Calling and rattling are hit-or-miss techniques that usually only work during rutting. I have had bucks come to my rattling slowly and cautiously out of curiosity when they were not in rut, but typically when it works well they tend to come rushing. There have been times when I have almost been run over by a buck while I was rattling. With this in mind, if you choose to use this technique you need to be prepared to react quickly. Proficiency is required, and it takes lots of practice. There is a learning curve associated with being able to actually mimic a call or recreate the sound of two bucks fighting. However, once you learn them, they can prove to be very effective.
No matter how interested in deer hunting you are, anyone with the slightest interest dreams of getting a nice trophy buck; you might also be a deer hunting fiend who wants a trophy rack each year. If you are going to join the ranks of the elite hunters, then you need to know the advanced deer hunting tips the elite hunters know.
We hope that you use these deer hunting tips during deer hunting season. Please check out Deer-HuntingTips.com if you’d like to learn more secrets and tips to make your hunting more successful than ever before.
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