Advice for first hunt?

[SPUSCG]

Going this november, never hunted before but going with some buddies that have. Seeing what advice i could get, im going to be putting together my small survival kit and getting some camo and orange soon, but dont know anything about actual hunting and tracking. I dont feel like bumbling in the woods aimlessly

[DiscoRacing]

Be safe... be sure of your target..and its background...take a good shot only...then you wont have to wonder aimlessly around the woods.

[mitchell koster]

+1 for "Be safe... be sure of your target..and its background..."

Watcha going hunting for? Could be helpful for giving more specific advice?

[longranger]

Every thing posted above.Get to where you want to be an hour before sunrise find a place to sit and sit(saddles,funnels thick cover) for at least an hour after sun up.Let the late starters push the game to you.You will be less of a target and see more of what your after.You may or may not get to shoot but you will see if theres game in the area.Then you you can make informed decision on your next hunt or still hunt,thats walking real slow using available cover.Once you know how and where the fun begins.

[SPUSCG]

Deer hunting, i kind of need to know how to find deer, where they like to stay, what time of day (dawn, morning, afternoon?) and such. Also thinking of picking up a 336marlin before hunting, more precise than the 870 i have now.

[DiscoRacing]

30/30 is a good first rifle for deer...its better in the brush...deer can be where they want to and when they want....they could be anywhere...and they can see you before you will see them.. go early...sit and wait.

[elkman06]

FWIW, the second purchase,,after the rifle, should be a GPS...learn how to use it and waypoint the truck,,every morning or outing.
elkman06

[jimbob86]

When are you hunting, and where?

Our firearm deer season in Nebraska falls (usually) the second week of November, when the rut (breeding season) is in full swing- Buck's constantly moving in search of receptive does. They are often dumb as bricks if they think there is a hot doe around.

Unless you can move "deer quiet in dry leaves", try sitting in one place, near a trail with deer sign (poop, buck rubs, scrapes).

Practice shooting at the range you intend to shoot at deer, from the position you intend to take shots from: shooting from a benchrest only proves how accurate your gun and ammo is...... YOU are only as accurate as you can shoot from field positions: standing, sitting (which I recomend, w/a shooting sling), kneeling, prone( not very useful- you can't see much laying on the ground in most situations).

Practice. Practice until you can hit a paper plate (cheap target approximately the size of a deer's heart/lung area) with boring regularity, at the maximum distance you intend to shoot.

Don't smoke on stand or be around folks who do while wearing your hunting clothes- deer don't seem to think that "ashtray" scent is normal. In fact, I put my outer layer (layers are good!) of clothes in a bag full of dry cotton wood leaves a week before opening day.... I smell like the ground around me.

+1 to getting to your spot before first light, settling in and letting everybody else (or nobody else - the deer will move on their own at dawn and dusk, and the bucks never stop moving during the rut) push the deer to you. Be quiet and listen. Listening to the woods wake up as the sun comes up is one of the best things in life.

Scout before the season to find where you want to be.... and figure out how to find it in the dark (I use a compass to walk across an empty field and hit a tree line right where 5 trails come together.... I never failed to see deer move by me on opening weekend.)

Get permission from the land owner beforehand, if the land is private. Develop a relationship with the land owner, and he may ask you when you are coming back to thin the deer! 'Round here, many farmers look at deer the same way restaraunt owners look at folks who dine and dash...... "Sure you can hunt! Take an extra or two! .... mind ya there's cattle east of the fence coming up from the creek. ...... I saw a whole slug a' turkeys on the south end, there.... you got a permit for those, too?" Send him some sausage or jerky or a can of coffee or a bottle of his favorite whatever....... A place to hunt is the hardest thing to come by these days ..... show your appreciation, and leave the place cleaner than you found it....


Any of that sound right?

[FrankenMauser]

FWIW, the second purchase,,after the rifle, should be a GPS...learn how to use it and waypoint the truck,,every morning or outing.
elkman06

I'll second that, if you like the idea of using GPS. (I know some people feel their manhood has been insulted, if you suggest they use GPS.)

Take a look at the Garmin Rhino series if you will usually be hunting with a party, but venturing off on your own. (Camping as a group, but hunting separately.)

We used the Rhino series for Op-For training in the military. I can't even begin to tell you how many people got lost in the swamps, only to be tracked down because they still had their Rhino on. (Has a two-way radio (multiple channels and formats), and a feature to track other party members.)

....Sending Air Force weenies off with a modified M60, 600 linked blanks, GPS, and telling them to kill the Army was always a guarantee of having some one get lost. They would get too excited, and forget to keep track of where they were, and where they were going. (They never did abandon any of the weapons, though.)

but dont know anything about actual hunting and tracking.

For this... I don't know that this forum will be much help. Most tracking techniques are learned over time. It's mostly trial-and-error, with each person figuring out what works best for them.

Some general advice-
Keep your eyes and ears open, and make note of everything you see the animals doing:
How they eat.
What they eat.
How they move.
Where they move. (Through the bottom of the gullies, or do they stay slightly elevated, or do they use ridgelines.)
What they avoid.
Where they drink. (Most animals have preferred drinking locations, and will avoid certain areas, though they may look perfect to humans.)
Where they are bedding down.
What time they start moving.
Which direction they are going, each time you see them.

After a while, you'll see the pattern. Eventually, you may even be able to predict where they'll be, and how they'll escape if you spook them.

Don't feel let down, if you don't get something the first year. It's a "hunting" license, not a "killing" license. The hunt is far more fun than the kill.

[jimbob86]

...after the shot: what did the animal do? Just because it ran away does NOT mean you missed, or even hit it poorly. Deer shot through the lungs will often run 100 yards before piling up (out of oxygen). If you shoot and the deer jumps up and runs..... don't panic. Watch it. If it stops running be prepared to shoot it again. If it disapears, wait 5-10 minutes, then go to where it was when you pulled the trigger. Mark that spot with something you can see from a distance (an orange stocking cap works great) . look back to where you shot from. turn around, looking past where the deer was. See any blood or hair? If the shot was under 100 yards, the bullet likely went all the way through the animal- there may be a "spray pattern" on the "exit side". Mark any blood found, and look for the next spot or track..... move in the direction you aw the animal move, looking for more signs of it's passage. If you don't find any, go back to the last place you saw blood, and begin to search in a spiral pattern, very carefully. Blood will lead you to him. If you hit him in the lungs with a .30/30 , he won't have gone far....

[mitchell koster]

Man i wish our season was starting.

When my dad goes hunting he will have a look at the area before he hunts it so that he can determine where they could be holing up during the day and also where they are feeding. For instance: We go hunting in an area where there is large dark pine planation (this can be very good in terms of there is spots where the sun gets through and also it dark, which the deer like.) about a kilometre away there is a paddock with a well matured crop of lucern. He then sets himself up where he can shoot deer that are on the paddock but also in a position which gives a view of the plantation and other areas.

If you gonna be sitting in one spot and if you don't have a range finder is to pace out different spot to different land marks. ie: a tree from whee your siiting is 130 yards, the paddock is 210yards ect. Its easy if you have a range finder but make sure you have a rough guess on the distances before you have to shoot because you might not have time to do the distances and then do shot.

Another thing others have said is KNOW YOUR RIFLE AND THE AMMO YOUR USING TO SHOOT THE DEER WITH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Dont shoot a cheap box of ammo and then go and shoot a deer with different stuff) go to the range or a paddock and get to know what the ammo is doing a 25yrds, through to how ever far you think you can shoot SAFELY!!!!!!!!! a complete miss is better than a wounding shot.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And also make sure of your shot don't shoot something on a ridge, make sure you know your shooting!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think the main thing is to enjoy yourself!!!! For me I don't enjoy the killing of the animal as much as just sitting and watching nature at the different times of the day and enjoying the quietness of sunrise and sunset.

Hope it goes well for ya mate. Best of luck and safe shooting.

[shortwave]

Again know your target and background.

Remember a deers nose is it's best defense weapon. Leave your cologne at home. Keep the wind in your face.

Toilet paper is a valuable asset . Besides the obvious, You can also mark deers blood trail with very small pieces of TP.

When on a blood trail, DON'T WALK IN BLOOD. Stay off to side, go slow and spot blood ahead of you before stepping. If you loose trail go back to last drop found, stand and look hard for next drop.

[jimbob86]

Keep the wind in your face.

+1. even when moving to your stand, if possible.

Toilet paper is a valuable asset

Though you NEVER want to poop (or "water the weeds") where you hunt. That'd keep them outa there for the season.

[Teirst]

On the GPS thing if you use an "andriod" smart phone there is an APP designed to help you find where you parked. It works off of GPS (not cell service) so it will still work in places that do not have good service. The app is called 3DCoche

If you plan on moving a good distance away from your car it might be a good idea. If you are concerned about finding your way back out then there are also several "breadcrumbs" apps that will kind of track your foot steps (several you can even add pictures for landmarks too)

It is the time of the future, and a good smart phone can now replace many of the items the normal person carries around. Hell why carry; a phone, a gps, a music player, a calculator, a note pad, etc. when you can just pick up a good smart phone. Hell If you are not to far away you can even take a PIC of your deer right after you kill it and upload it to TFL right away

[FrankenMauser]

It is the time of the future, and a good smart phone can now replace many of the items the normal person carries around. Hell why carry; a phone, a gps, a music player, a calculator, a note pad, etc. when you can just pick up a good smart phone. Hell If you are not to far away you can even take a PIC of your deer right after you kill it and upload it to TFL right away

In some parts of the U.S., there are still large areas that have no cell phone service (no "off-network" roaming, nothing). And... most people don't know that most smart phones are paper weights, without the ability to communicate with the network (especially Palm phones).

It often amazes me how few phones and applications can operate autonomously. Almost everything on the market requires a "network check", or "license validation" every time an application starts. If you can't get the phone the signal it wants... it just sits there beating its head against a wall.

As I mentioned above, Palm smart phones are horrible. Without a network signal (of any kind), they are completely useless. Even with the stand-alone GPS apps that are available, the phones are paperweights. Palm's GPS system cannot "cold start" (picking up the GPS satellites with no information about location). It can only hand off network information about the location ("warm start"), to get a satellite fix. The process renders the whole GPS system useless, if you can't get a network signal.

[jimbob86]

many of the items the normal person carries around. Hell why carry; a phone, a gps, a music player, a calculator, a note pad,

..... hell, I must not be normal.....of the above, I only carry the phone....

"a gps, music player" ...... I think if ya took the earbuds out and payed attention to your surroundings, you would not find yourself lost and in need of a GPS so often....

[jimbob86]

In some parts of the U.S., there are still large areas that have no cell phone service (no "off-network" roaming, nothing).

Interstingly enough, it is in these "Off the beaten track" areas that offer the best hunting.....

One of the things I like the most about going hunting where I do is that there is no cell coverage there. Nobody can bother me once I drop into that valley...... going there really IS "getting away from it all".

[Gbro]

If you were born after 1976 you will need a firearms safety course unless you have taken one in any other state or have already purchased a license prior to now.
http://www.maine.gov/ifw/licenses_pe...requirementsis a link to Mains requirements.
If you were born prior to 1976 its still a good idea to take a safety course if you have never hunted.

Welcome to the sport and I hope your hunting pals are good ethical hunters.
And just because someone tells you not to smoke or relieve yourself anywhere near your hunting position as it will spoil your chance of success is only their Humble Opinion. I don't but I know many that do and still are successful.

Be respectful,
Be safe,
Be Kind,

[SPUSCG]

I already have my licence, just waiting for season to start.

[Deerhunter]

I didn't see anyone mention it, but if you don't have time to get out and actually walk around and do some scouting check out some maps. Find a creek bottom or other terrain that might hold deer.

Scouting the best thing though. Get out now and check out the property / area you will be hunting

[elkman06]

It may have been mentioned but, after pulling the trigger, mentally mark where the animal was standing when you did pull the trigger. For us, much of our hunting is in sagebrush which all looks the same. Pick out a rock, tree, bush..just something to mark where he was when hit. That gives you that point to start circling outward from once you give him time to bleed. Even using this method, I have had to retrace myself after having walked past a bull elk in the brush that I was looking for.
Even an elk can get pretty smallish when laying in 4ft brush.
elkman06

[kraigwy]

I totally agree with the GPS, get one NOW and start playing with it. They can be a life saver, plus they are fun. Mark you camp, mark your stand, mark water (if no snow). The woods look a lot differant at night but the GPS dosnt care if its dark or not.

If I'm not mistaken, its cold in Maine in Nov. So make sure you can make a fire, if lost or disorinated nothing calms a person down like a nice warm fire. You have snow, so water isnt a problem, a surplus army canten cup is all you need.

Don't get carried away with the survival kit BS, I use to hunt and travel a lot in Alaska. I carried instant oakmeal and instant coffee. When things look bleak, nothing revives you like a warm fire, oatmeal and cofffee. All you need to perk up and start enjoying the hunt again.

But you're hunting with a group so not to worry. Keep your feet dry and warm and you'll be a happy camper.

Get your rifle as early as possible and shoot the crap out of it, learn what it will do, and more important, WHAT IT WONT DO.

I could never understand the ideal of camo and orange, but you see it all the time.

[Teirst]

I don't know what kind of phones you guys are using but the majority of current phones can access GPS satalites without cell service.

As far as the "head phones" comment, I don't wander around the woods blindly listening to music while hunting. However on the times i decide to camp out it is nice to have something to occupy some time.

[doofus47]

A. Prepare to come back. If you are stand hunting, this is not quite the catch-all requirement as if you are going into backwoods Colorado or Wyoming. If you are going into the backcountry, take a USGS map, gps (spare batteries) and a compass. I had an eye-opener a few years ago when I got caught in a sudden snow storm just before dark. Couldn't see the sun or the mountains or any guide points. Then the sun went down. The map and GPS got me back fine. If I had dropped my GPS, I still would have gotten back to camp. Later that week, two local policemen wandered off into the woods they knew so well and almost got lost. No worries in this department lets you relax more and enjoy the experience.

B. You're a beginner, enjoy the experience. Being the rookie and getting to fill your tag is exciting, but you're going out into the woods with your buddies for cryin' out loud. Ask lots of questions; don't put any pressure on yourself. Beginner's luck is very real and takes care of itself.

Good luck~ ! Let us know how it turns out.

[Deerhunter]

@kraigwy.....I have camo cloths for archery season. I also don't like to wear my good jeans out in the woods since my $20 camo cargo pants are comfortable. That is why I wear camo with orange when gun season comes in. No need to buy a bunch of extra cloths that you don't mind getting briers in or blood on.