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Old October 19, 2001, 07:46 PM   #1
cmax2000
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New to deer hunting..

Well, not totally true, I hunted with my father years ago...we never killed a deer together, but we talked long about deer hunting...so what i need is what to plan for and what to do do when I kill one...and what do do with the meat?....my woman wont deal with it...I am lucky to hunt........

thanks chris
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Old October 19, 2001, 08:15 PM   #2
labgrade
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Need some info regards where you live = what type "woods" you plan to hunt in ("woods" can be anything from dark timber, hardwood forest, swamp, plains, desert, etc. ... matters quite a bit), what type firearm & season (dates re current versus late winter, etc.) ... not to mention what part of the country.

Different tactics & all depending on all the variables.

Then we'll talk about the meat.

&, Chris, we're all lucky to hunt.
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Old October 19, 2001, 08:42 PM   #3
cmax2000
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In middle georgia

In georgia, on a hunting lease from weyerhauser.. all types of trees, but it is gerogia.. lots of pine trees.....I have several hunting weapons..but chose my rem 700 30-06 with a leupold scope 3 X 9 40mm. i am using winchester ballistic-tip ammo..... season is oct 27 - jan 1 for rifle.....

chris
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Old October 20, 2001, 12:48 AM   #4
Jack Straw
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cmax,

You've asked some very open and general questions; we can help you better if you could be more specific (especially on the question of what to plan for - that alone could cover a few books!). Do you mean planning on the weather, hunting tactics, what gear to bring, camping supplies, what to expect to happen in the woods, deer behavior....you get my point.

As for what to do when you kill a deer, well... that depends. Have you ever field dressed or processed a deer? If you aren't hunting with someone that can help you with the field dressing, then find a processor near your lease and take the whole carcass there. Most will dress out a deer for you for a small charge. Once season opens it won't be hard to find other hunters at rural gas stations and convenience stores; ask them for a nearby processor.

What to do with the meat: whatever you would do with store bought meat. Cook some while its fresh, freeze some, give some away to friends. Its never hard to find people who want the meat. Once people know that you hunt, someone will ask for some meat (at least that's always been my experience). There is a Hunters for the Hungry program in GA if you would like to donate some to charity.

What county are you hunting in? I have hunted in GA all my life so seeing that you are here too really piqued my interest. I belong to a club that leases about 5000 acres in Coweta county.

There is one thing you can plan on: at some point, plan on having your cover blown by some deer that showed up when and where you did not expect it...its gonna happen.

Feel free to email me if you wish and I will keep an eye on this thread to see how else I might be of help.

Good luck!

Jack
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Old October 21, 2001, 09:08 PM   #5
Art Eatman
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cmax, do a search on "field dressing". We had some extensive discussion.

Dunno what part of Georgia, but unless you're near some open farming areas as well as the timber, your shots are more suited to 3X on the scope than 9X. Sight in for about 1" high at 100 yards; you'll be dead on around 150 and maybe three inches low at 250 yards...When you see a Bambi whose horns are readily identifiable to the nekkid eyebone, just point it and pull. DON'T hold over or under! (For more open country, go 2" high at 100 yards.)

Most any 150-grain bullet, although I had bad luck with some el-cheapo WalMart Winchester Silvertips, one box. (Don't like 2" groups from a 1/2" gun.)

Most Georgia hunting is tree-stand hunting. You pretty much need to be going to your hunt area these next weekends and look for places bucks have scrubbed the bark off trees, cleaning their antlers; and deer trails in general.

Lots of local literature from both the State of Georgia and other hunt-zines in the stores...

FWIW,

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Old October 22, 2001, 05:42 AM   #6
Bud Helms
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cmax2000,

Where in middle GA are you? If you need to check sight in, give me an email or private message. I have access to a good range.
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Old October 22, 2001, 09:10 AM   #7
geo57
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in the 1st place..win. silvertips will be the same quality whether bought from wal mart or cabelas. 2nd place, in my opinion, stay away from ballistic tips on big game as ive seen 1st hand several failures. you dont need a premium bullet in 30-06 for deer. a well placed win. power point, rem. core locked, or a fed. hi shok will do its job if you do yours..happy huntin
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Old October 22, 2001, 05:23 PM   #8
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I can't really help you with tactics...I hunt from a stand during bow season. I hunt over food plots and the most important thing is scent control. With a rifle, it isn't as important. In a nutshell
1) Be safe 2) locate places deer frequent 3) get there first 4) ambush. One of the most important things you can do is have fun. As far as cleaning a deer, you can get step by step instructions from this link:

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/...ing/index.html
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Old October 24, 2001, 05:34 PM   #9
cmax2000
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Thanks

Thanks for the info...I am wondering what to expect after the deer is shot....what do i do in the field...how long to get to refridge....when to skin...etc


Thanks chris
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Old October 24, 2001, 06:22 PM   #10
labgrade
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Make sure it's really dead. There's stories around of people grabbing ahold the antlers to slit the throat & the deer jumps up.

After it is, always a good idea to at least unload the chamber ofg your shooter so you don't step on it & have it discharge. Stranger things have happened.

Take a look at that link litework provided for cleaning tips, etc. It's just like a fish with legs - kinda. Get the guts out while minimizing any guts contact with the meat. Gets easier with practise BTW. Leave the skin on if you'll have to drag it anywhere. Take it off soon as you can when you have it some place you can keep it clean. The skin/hair is a very effective insulator & keeps heat in just as well as cool out.

If it's cool weather (mid 30s-40s), you can get by with hanging a deer for quite a while. Put it off the ground & in the shade (the sun will change - take that into account) even if you have to hang a sheet of something to block the sun. Don't have anything plastic-like wrapped around the deer - you want good free-flow of air around it. Always think cool & dry.

Forgot where you're located (GA?) but if in the warmer weather states, you'll want to get that thing into a cool area, say, within 3-4 hours max.

BTW, dusty roads & backs of pick ups are a bad mix for uncovered meat. Vehicle throws a bunch of dust up which gets dragged into the back with the critter.
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Old October 24, 2001, 06:45 PM   #11
keano44
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Deer hunting is an ongoing learning experience. You have asked some good questions, it shows you are concerned not only with killing a deer, but with responsible action after the shot. I wish you had an experienced partner to hunt with. But let me caution you, good hunting partners are hard to come by. If you can't hunt with someone who has the same convictions as you do, you are probably better off going at it alone.
That said, I'll try to answer some of your questions, according to my experience. Pay very careful attention to what happens after you shoot. If you can get another shot, do so until the deer is down, or you can no longer see it. If you see the deer go down, you are lucky. If not, be sure to note everything, such as how did the deer react to the shot, the direction of travel, and a compass heading of the last sight or sound of the deer. (I've found that a compass heading is especially helpful when hunting from a treestand in thick woods, as everything looks different when you get back down on the ground.) If the deer bucks up and runs off, it could be a gut shot, and you would want to wait several hours before following up. If it akes off like a jet, in a straight line, crashing through everything in front of it, with its tail tucked, probably a good boiler room hit. If you find a blood trail, and have to trail the deer, the most important thing I can tell you is TAKE YOUR TIME. I use flagging ribbon tied over each spot where I find blood if it is sparse; this way, if the trail dries up you can look back, see the trail the deer was making and have an idea of what direction to keep going. Trailing is probably the hardest part, for someone who hasn't the experience. But this is great experience which you will have forever after you learn it, and it will be that much more rewarding when you find your deer.

What to do next depends a lot on the temperature. If it is warm, as it is often where I hunt, gut the deer immediately, skin it and rinse the blood off the meat ASAP, and get it on ice, or at least hung and covered with a sheet or bag which breathes, but will keep flies off it. If the air is cooler or cold, say 40 or below, you have more time. Gut the deer as soon as is convenient, and you can hang it, for days even. Hope this helps you. LOL
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Old October 27, 2001, 02:17 PM   #12
Rebeldon
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The absolute, number one thing to remember when you go deer hunting is:

Wear two or three pairs of really thick socks.
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Old October 27, 2001, 11:31 PM   #13
Will Beararms
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Get up in a tree or stand. Cover your face with face paint or a mask-------------your face will give you away almost instanly with any game. Don't shoot the first buck you see if it's small--------a larger one may be close by. Always look beyond your target to make sure no one is in the line of fire. Practice with your rifle more than once before the season starts. Get to your stand at least 30- 5 minutes before first light.
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Old November 1, 2001, 09:22 AM   #14
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Quote:
Wear two or three pairs of really thick socks.
Rebeldon, I have to respectfully disagree with this advice. It may work well for you, but in my experience lots of thick socks = cold feet. This is especially true if you're talking about cotton or cotton blends.

A big mess of socks simply traps moisture next to your feet, and when that moisture gets cold, your feet are never going to warm up until you get back to a heat source.

I recommend a good boot for starters--one with a fair amount of Thinsulate. As far as socks, most hikers and hunters in the know will opt for a thin poly liner sock that wicks away moisture. Then, on top of the liner, wear a quality wool sock, or at least a wool blend. Wool also keeps moisture away and is an excellent insulator.

I've also had a bit of luck with the chemical warmers you stick to your sock. They last for a while--sometimes the entire hunt.

For the butt, take a good pillow that will keep your backside insulated. And for the head, I recommend one of the hunter's ski-masks that covers everything but the eyes and nose opening. For the body? Good coveralls. Walls makes some good stuff in various grades. For cold weather, use their "Blizzard" line.
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Old November 1, 2001, 11:01 AM   #15
labgrade
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Good point about the socks, Guyon. I only wear one pair of thick quality wool blend & let the boots do the rest. Wear the socks you'll be wearing when buying your boots.

& I'll respectfully disagree with the face mask bit, the tree stand & getting up early at all. 'Course I still hunt in the dark timber where the critters go to bed down anyway. Everything I've shot has all been from about 10AM-1PM Get up, have a cup, hang out a bit, walk on out to where I'll start hunting, put on the game face & go to it.

Biggest thing is to watch to wind, minimize movement & keep your eyes open. Much easier to look than to walk & you'll see a ton more game.
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Old November 4, 2001, 03:14 AM   #16
cmax2000
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THANKS

Thanks for your replies......I have not killed one yet but, I only get to hunt sometimes....Keep the info coming.....


thanks again..... chris
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Old November 4, 2001, 03:21 AM   #17
Bud Helms
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Chris,

Did you show up at the Fort Valley Gun Club for Sight in Day on Oct 14th? I seem to remember a Chris that showed up with a Rem 700 BDL and Leupold 3x9.
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Old November 4, 2001, 01:17 PM   #18
weagle
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I hunt several places in GA and here is my advice. Your choice of firearms is perfect. Any of the 30.06 standard 150 to 165 grain ammo works great. The winchester silver ballistic tips work great also and while some claim to have seen them blow up, I have killed at least a dozen deer, and seen dozens more killed with them and never witnessed one failure. The ballistic tips will give you more blood shot meat than the standard softpoints.

As for tactics. If the property you hunt has any openings near thick cover simply use a climbing stand to climb a suitable pine tree and stay put till you see a deer. A low call on a grunt tube every 15 minutes won't hurt anything and will sometimes bring a buck running to you. The bucks are chasing does like crazy on the 2 main areas I hunt. One is just south of atlanta and the other area is close to statesboro In 26 years of hunting in GA i've found the peak of the pre rut doe chasing usually is around the week of Holloween and maybe a week or 2 more. .

If you haven't done any scouting. Hunt from your stand for about the first 2 hours in the morning then slowly still hunt the edges of the thick areas keeping a sharp eye out for deer droppings, rubs, scrapes, heavy acorn crops etc. You may find a real hotspot to put your stand. Also if you hunt slowly, you will stand a very good chance of seeing more deer. Especially for the next week or so while the Bucks are chasing the does.

There are so many deer here in GA that if you spend a good bit of time in the woods, move slowly or not at all, and pay attention to the wind you will get some shots.

Good shooting, Weagle
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Old November 5, 2001, 07:09 PM   #19
macondas
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Site wiht information on field dressing

http://www.whitetaildeer.com/howto/fd/

HTH
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