Hello all, I am new to this forum and have plans to hunt this coming deer season. I am located in Ocala, FL, which is in the central part.
I am diligently practicing with my 45# Warf Bow nearly every day so that I will be able to make the shot when the time comes. I have access to 65 acres about an hour south of here where I am about to set up a feeder, which my friend, who lives down there, will maintain.
What I am looking for is some basic knowledge on preparation. Here is what I have so far (or will be acquiring soon):
- Warf Bow with 45# TradTech BlackMax Carbons
- Bear Kodiak Magnum (on the way)
-460 Grain Heritage Carbons with 125 Grain 2-Blade Magnus Stingers
- Feeder
- Tree Stand
- Quiet Set of Camo
- Practice from where I will actually be posted
My plan would be to harvest one or two for food this year. I am pretty sure the surrounding area is not hunted tons and when spotlighting in the past we usually see 3-6 deer. I plan on getting them fed up well and maybe putting out a mineral block of some sort.
I will talk to some bowhunters that I know in the next few months but I figured I would get some knowledge on here if I can! Thanks!
Well. For starters, I would check with the local Conservation Agent/agents concerning the baiting legality in the SPECIFIC part of Florida that you are hunting.
While it is true that baiting is permitted in Florida, it is only permitted in certain parts of Florida.
As for the equipment, it sounds like you have the basics covered. I would get a few other small things: good knife, "butt out" tool, and a "Thermacell" for the mosquitos.
As for practicing from the EXACT spot you plan to hunt; I would not recommend that. Rather, build a similar/identical set up at your residence that will allow you to practice more often, and without spooking the game. You want to stay out of the exact area that you will be hunting as much as possible.
Thanks...I will be following all of the local regulations, some of which I have not looked into yet. I've got the knife covered as well. As for the butt out tool, I just looked into that as well; makes sense.
Anything else?
The Thermacell for sure. Ummm.. the only other thing I can think of that you really NEED is a scent control routine.
Seeing as you are bow hunting, scent control is extremely important. Don't waste money on the fancy scent control products, unless you want to. You can get the same results by washing your clothes in a perfume and dye free laundry detergent. (like "Free and Clear"), and use baking soda to shower with.
You'll need a quiver of some sort, a good pair of boots is a must, I always go deer hunting with a deer call of some sort like "The can" or a grunt call. And a good rain jacket and pants if your going to hunt in any kind of weather conditions. Good luck
The best thing I could say is..."Take your time, Don't rush the shot" When all things are right You'll know it deep down inside You...
If You get a feeling that something isn't right...DON"T SHOOT.
i think the can and the hardwoods grunter are 2 call that are almost a must have in the woods good camo like preditor and good sent control with good comfortable boots as well are the biggest thing i think and practice, practice, practice with your gear on that you plan to hunt with and you will be fine like said above if the shot don't feel right don't do it you will know when it's right good luck jake
I'll go against the grain a bit and suggest that you don't need calls or butt-out tools or special scent-control stuff.
Calls can work however they can also work against you - especially if you overdo it or if the deer there get called often - which they may during the season.
Butt-out tool functionality can be covered by your knife. Get one if you want but you don't *have* to have one.
Scent control is best handled, in my opinion, by hunting into the wind. Buy the stuff if you want but again, it's not a prerequisite.
I would recommend a decent and small flashlight - brighter is better - in case you get to follow a blood trail in low light. A small pair of ratchet pruners may also come in handy for clearing shooting lanes and cutting your way back to where a wounded deer might lead you. Again, you can get by without either.
Keep your expectations realistic. Planning on 1-2 deer the first time out is all well and good but if your primary objective is meat, it will be cheaper and more efficient to just hit the grocery store. If, on the other hand, your objective is to enjoy the process of the hunt, then you will regardless of whether you even see a deer your first year. Meat ends up being a great bonus when it happens.
If you are hunting from a tree stand I would also recommend a safety harness and a rope for pulling up your equipment. I am still learning and refining my equipment every year. I currenty carry my bow with quiver and hunting arrows, knife, small folding saw, can call, flashlight, safety harness, rope, climber stand, tag and zip tie (for attaching the tag). I shower in a non scented soap before heading out, wash my hunting clothes in unscented soap, and I don't put them on until I arrive at my parking site where I start the walk in to my stand. I prefer to sneak in making as little noise and disturbance as possible.
Good luck, in the end you will have to figure out what works best for you.
Ben
If the wind isnt right dont hunt that stand.Also dont over hunt it.Your first time in will be your best shot after that, they wise up qwik.
Make sure your bow/arrow setup is tuned well and arrows are flying straight. Practice with broadheads as much as you can and save one or two for the hunt. Make sure they're sharp. Practice, practice, practice and don't take a shot out of your comfort range. If you're hunting from a tree stand, practice from an elevated position.
Do practice some scent control, but also hunt the wind making sure the wind is carrying your scent away from where you think the deer will come from. If you're hunting from a tree stand, use a safety harness and a hoist rope for your gear. Once in your stand, practice drawing at different directions so you're sure nothing will be in the way. Have a good sharp knife and a good flashlight. I like the handsfree led ones you strap around your head. It makes getting in and out of the stand pretty easy in the dark. Don't go overboard on the calling. It can hurt you just as much as it can help. I've never used a "butt-out" and IMO don't think it's necessary.
Learn how to field dress a deer before you go. Ask a friend who hunts if you can help field dress their deer when/if they kill one before you.
Good luck this year and welcome to TradGang.
The land that I will be hunting on is easily accessible so I will be able to take any game to the house and hang it and dress it.
I have a Surefire 6PX Light ready to go, several rolls of paracord, and scentless soap and deodorant.
Some of the main things I am thinking about it what I can do to get the deer coming through a certain path regularly.
I know you're planning on practicing from an elevated position since you're going to be stand-hunting. I'd also recommend practicing from the ground. It's good to know how your bow shoots (or rather how you shoot it) in different scenarios. You never know when you're going to walk up on an animal on your way to or from the stand. It's good to be ready.
I'd also like to recommend the Thermacell, as others have. Hunting in the swampy South Louisiana, the skeeters can be killers. I never go into the woods without the Thermacell, a spare butane and the scent strips.
Rusty
They are right, you don't NEED a butt out tool. But for $8 it is an excellent investment. I think that it takes the toughest part of the field dressing out of the process for the most part.
And avoiding having feces on your meat is priceless. (Which I know is easily avoided if you take your time and do things right, but this guy has never ever done this before. remmeber that)
I don't know if you are going to process your own meat, or take it to a processor. If you will be doing it yourself, (which is simple; I could teach you in 30 minutes) then i have a few recommendations for that as well.
Let me just add, that you are going to mess up a LOT ur first season, if you are self-taught. Failure is the best way to learn tho. :-)
Lot of good advice here. If you've never deer hunted, it probably won't be as easy as you are anticipating and is nothing like on tv. You might get lucky on a deer strolling on in, but deer are wily.
Most has been mentioned, but you need to watch your entrance and exit routes. If the deer are accustomed to a feeder, they will probably try to bed in an area that allows them to know when you go to and from the feeder. So make sure you can get in there with the wind blowing away from the feeder and are as quiet as possible. Also, a lot of feeding will be at night, so hunting trails between the feeder and bedding area may be a good bet. Also, if you can slide on in way before sunrise and sit still and quiet till first light that will probably be best odds.
I haven't hunted feeders much at all (not my favorite), but deer will typically hang up away from the feeder and check the area, so you will either need very good cover or be very still. They will also notice something new in the area, so if you are perched where they can see you there is a good chance they will pick you off.
When you get busted or wear out a stand, don't be afraid to move. Also, don't view the feeder as the answer, it should only be a tool. You have 65 acres, so be flexible and have fun.
Last thing, IMHO minerals will be much less likely to result in a kill than a feeder. They are great for your deer herd and may result in some patterning, but a mineral lick is not something that really ups your odds for daylight sightings in the fall anymore than most other areas or trails.
I'm not into gadgets and gizmoes. But here are some things you may need.
1. Practice shooting
2. Thermacell
3. Practice shooting
4. Razor sharp broadhads
5. Practice shooting
6. Tons of patience
7. Practice shooting
Go practice on the hogs you have there.good training
Oh yeh, apparently we have large numbers (100-200) hogs out there too!
I would say you first need to practice, practice, and practice.
After that a healthy dose of patience and the ability to laugh at yourself.
I would personally lump butt-out tools with cough mufflers and fishing lures, meant to catch hunters money more than anything else.
Have you ever killed a deer before? The heat is going to be an issue down there and the temptation to admire and chat about your first will be strong, almost as strong as the meats ability to rot.
Is ice readily available? I grew up in Georgia where we would haul the deer out whole and go home to clean. Go to YouTube and look up "gutless" method of field dressing.
The critters will clean up the mess and you can get home with all the meat in a large cooler and well cooled very quickly. After moving to CA and backpack hunting my eyes were opened to the ease of breaking an animal down without a gambrel, hoist, and three buddies.
Mostly just enjoy yourself. If food is what you are after solely then it is cheaper to buy filet mignon than hunt deer. It is all the other stuff that we get from hunting that makes it worth the investment... And please don't run the numbers on what you spend per pound of meat!
Good luck, shoot razor sharp broadheads and soak it all in. Take a billion pics too...
I don't guess anyone mentioned this but.... Dude.. you are hunting not killing. If it was killing it would be a slaughter house... etc.
Ya don't need a "butt out" tool or the plastic gloves.. just learn to do it... God, give me a break.. more generation X gadgets... be a man..be a hunter. Ya do need to practice!!!!! I will admit, the thermocell might be a good idea in FL...
Ya do need to have a plan... Seems you are working on that... thats good.
Use the KISS theory. Most of all enjoy yourself for what this experience will be.... a learning one. You do not become "The Deer Slayer" over night and really its not about that.... Its about the whole experience.
I am 65 years old an been doing this since I was less than 10... enjoy it don't overload it
"Be a man. Be a hunter."
Interesting statement there. It suggests that using a tool that makes a task quicker, simpler, and more fail proof takes away from the 'manliness' of the task in question.
I guess I better throw away my electric meat grinder and buy a hand grinder so that I can more effectively be a 'man' and a 'hunter.'
I mean no disrespect huntschool, but to mock a simple plastic tool as a silly 'gadget' is fine. But to suggest a person is less of a hunter or a man for using said tool... is well... just plain silly.
As for the Thermacell... I recant my suggestion and recommend that you bring a fly swatter instead. Much "manlier".
:biglaugh:
I agree with the above. Messing up is part of learning and as long as you don't take yourself to seriously its not a bad thing. Laugh at the misses and remember to have fun, taking an animal is just a bonus. Good luck and happy hunting
I think the single most important thing to remember is to be safe.No big buck is worth taking stupid risks.Let somebody know where your going and when you'll be back in case you get lost or hurt.I have a cousin who is as strong as they get, slip and break his leg on a log and had to crawl a mile on his arms to get home.Thats the best advice I can give.
Sam:
I am sorry, but I don't see that tool doing anything I can't do with a knife any faster. I learned to do it "the old way" and I am damn good at it. I should have thrown an LOL in there for you have taken me too seriously.. but thats OK because I still do think that tool is not needed. The comment was not directed at you it was directed at the gadgets in general.
I have been around hunting for a long time and I guess I am tired of the gadgets... you can keep your electric meat grinder... bound to help with all the surplus meat... and allows you to make your owm recipe sausage and ground products the way you want. I actually thought about getting one years ago.
Any way... don't get all fired up.. it was a comment not diirected at you... you do your thing
There's a lot more to hunting than just setting up over a pile of corn. Learn what deer do and what they prefer, and you'll have some skills you can take with you. Personally, I have never hunted over a bait station. I have hunted food plots on rare occasion, but have never planted any myself. I'm not opposed to it, but I find a lot of satisfaction in hunting the deer on their terms. Now, I will use some attractant scents during the rut, but mostly use some cover scent and try to minimize my own smell as much as I can.
I think you just need to spend some time in the woods. Deer are creatures of habit, but there's no guarantee they'll follow the "rules" you impose on them. One day, they'll be coming into your corn, the next, some succulent browse or a fruit tree may have their attention. You need to scout out the piece of land and find out what's available to them. Where do they bed, where do they drink, what are the different food sources, etc.? One stand on a piece of land won't cut it. And even with bait, deer and hogs will figure out real quick that those smelly two-legged creatures only show up during the daylight.
By scouting, you should be able to identify travel routes. In my opinion, you'll have a lot more success hunting the travel corridors. I've shot a lot of deer over the years by catching them going to and from a food source. I typically don't like to stink up where they are actually feeding. Of course, a blind or stand near a big oak shedding acorns, or a tree dropping fruit can be a real hot spot.
Spend some time making some natural ground blinds. My most thrilling hunts have come from natural ground blinds. They're cheap, plentiful, quiet, and you don't have to fool with your setup much when you get there. Remember, the less noise, the better. They do require some work, though. You'll probably need to have several. I build and modify mine in the winter, after season closes, but you can build them anytime. Just remember that the woods can look a lot different at different times of the year. South Florida may not, though, so just use your best judgement. I typically go in a month before the season starts and make sure that any new growth isn't in my way. Your first couple of seasons will be learning experiences for you anyway, so don't expect to get things exactly right the first time.
When building a blind, you want to have good cover behind you, not just in front. Blown down trees are good foundations to work with. Make sure you'll have room to draw your bow and that the ground is free of leaves and litter. I'd recommend investing in a good seat. A bucket will do, but you want something you can sit on without squirming around.
When choosing blind and tree stand sites, be conscious of how you will approach them. The last thing you want on a hunt is for your scent to be blowing out over an area you're going to hunt for the day. You'll also need to be conscious of where the sun will be in relation to your stand. You don't want the sun in your face, but you do want the wind to be.
Using the wind is vitally important. A deer's nose is his first defense. They also pick up movement extraordinarily well, so when you move, do it cautiously and slowly. You'll be amazed at how a deer can suddenly materialize right in front of you.
Camo-wise, the most important thing is to break up your outline. Plaids do this, as do any one of a thousand different camo patterns. Of course, hiding in a blind accomplishes this for you, but you'll need to be conscious of your face and hands. If you're light skinned, your uncovered face will be a focus of attention to a deer. I use a carbon-based face paint, but some folks use headnets.
Aside from a seat or stand, and my bow, my most used item is a pair of Leupold 6x32 Yosemite binoculars. For bowhunting, I haven't found a better pair. I also use a camelback-type water system. I've hooked one to my Waldrop Pac Seat and it works perfectly. One thing I'm going to make sure I have is a good camera with me this year. I'm always forgetting to bring one.
Shooting wise, starting in the summer, 99% of my practice is stump shooting or shooting at a tennis ball thrown around the yard. I don't like to fool with my equipment at all. I want to have my setup sorted out. Switching bows and changing arrows can introduce something I don't want. I want to have my eye used to seeing a specific arrow flight. Sometimes you might have to shoot in low light conditions and at unknown distances. I want my arrow to hit where I look. When that big buck steps into your range, the last thing you'll be thinking about is your grip or your release or your posture. You want that shot sequence ingrained and instinctive. You want it to just happen.
Regarding distances, for deer, the closer the better. You'll need to have the self control to wait for the right shot. Just because you can hit a tennis ball at 40 yards, doesn't mean you should shoot at a deer or hog that far. There may be circumstances that allow that, but mostly, you're looking at limiting yourself to 15-20 yards. Believe me, having a big buck at 35 yards and not being able to shoot is nerve-racking, but you'd have regret for the rest of your life, if you slung an arrow and hit him in the jaw or leg or gut and couldn't recover him. For my hunting setup this year, I'll be limiting myself to no more than 20 yards, with 15 or less preferable. My heavy, slow arrow has more than enough oomph, but the time it takes to get there dictates a close shot. Come to think of it, most of my shots over the years have probably been around 12 yards or so.
A deer has incredible reflexes, and their natural response to an unnatural sound is to leap away from it, immediately. I like to shoot at a calm deer and one that is not looking my way. A lot of people make a noise to get a deer to pause. I've rarely done that. I don't want a deer focused in my direction when I'm ready to shoot. I've found the best way to get them to pause to have a natural deer scent sprayed around my blind in various spots. In order to keep my scent down, once I'm in my spot, I'll spray some sticks and toss them to various spots. I shot my doe this past year as she stopped to smell a pee stick I'd tossed 10 yards from my hiding spot.
When you do get one, field dress as soon as you can. You might want to have a cooler in your vehicle with some bags of ice, too. Leave the ice in the bag and put it in the chest cavity as soon as you get the animal back to your truck. And get it to a cooler as quick as you can. In the heat, they can go bad quickly.
Just remember, you're choosing a method of hunting that has restrictions built in. Count it as a success if you get a deer in range and undisturbed. Count it a blessing if you get one. Good luck and keep us posted.
Lots of great information! Thanks so much. I will not be hunting alone often, but if I do, people will know where I am so I am safe. I'm a patient person and can enjoy the process as much as the kill itself so I'll be fine if I don't get anything this year.
My advice would be to get out on foot and survey the grounds for trails and such. Figure out the location you will put the feeder(if legal) and find trails that are leading to the feeder and find a good set up spot just off the trail. Don't hunt over the feeder for they will be spooked cumming within a 20 yrd circumference of the feeder,and the big boys will almost always hang on the outskirts of the feeder till dark. Clear all the small dried twigs and such on the route you intend to use to go to and from the stand so you make less noise(dont enter and exit on the game trail,make your own). And dont clear to much cover from the top of you stand. And if possible hunt close to water or on a trail that leads to water.
As stated practice at home from the same height as your intended stand height,and make yourself have difficult shots at practice so when an easier shot appears it will be a little easier to make.
Think like a deer and you will have good success,Good Luck.Tim
@Huntschool:
Not worked up at all brother. Note the smiling laughy face, and that I said that I mean no disrespect.
I just wanted to tease you about the irony of recommending the Thermacell (an actual gadget with several working parts) while simultaneously dismissing a simple hunk of plastic as a Generation X 'gadget."
It is all love here brother.
Have Fun!!! :wavey:
Sam:
Yep... thats what I did...
Sorry, but I can see the thermocell... (old guy creature comfort although I dont need one here in S. IL. I fought black flies in Maine an up East fly fishing as a youth so I can see it. I know, and I did use the ole citronella stuff) but for some reason I can not abide the butt out... too much tradition I guess an I am really burned by the "next newest thing" syndrome... yet I shoot modern made bows, go figure..... Just me.