Best Practices When it Comes To Hunting Deer. Here are 10 Tips

It is inevitable. You will end up shooting a deer that goes beyond your line of sight. You need to consider what is best, run off after the deer right away, or waiting till the deer calms down (adrenaline can carry a deer for a long distance).

When rifle hunting, always make sure you know where your shot is going. Never assume you will always hit your target.

1. Use the Correct Rifle or Bow: In shooting deer, you want to make sure you have enough gun. Of course, you also do not want so much gun that there is nothing left of the deer. You don’t need a .375 Winchester Magnum. or a bow that draws 80 lbs to successfully take down a deer. Always keep the game you are hunting into consideration. If you want some helpful reference to choosing the right caliber, check out our ammo guide.

Your goal is to drop the deer right where it stands. This is not always the case and you want to have a plan for when this happens. Most of the time you can follow a blood trail, but this requires an exit wound. Stay calm and look at your surroundings and what direction the deer headed in. This will help you to track the deer. If you are bow hunting. Then where the arrow landed (if it passed through the deer), will help determine what type of hit you made and how to track the deer.

2. Take Note of Location: When you are ready to take your shot, you should have fixed in your mind the exact stance of the deer. This will help you prepare for the animals escape direction. Best thing to do, is walk the area you plan to hunt to get some bearings. Usually doing this a month before your hunt can really help. Never take the shot if you are not confident you can track the deer after it bolts.
Once you have taken the shot, it is time to head off in the direction the deer took. Binoculars can help if the shot was long distance. You want every advantage to track that deer. Inspect where the shot took place and see if any parts of the deer are on the ground (hair, blood, bone, etc). This will help you know how much impact your shot had.

3. Stay Quiet: Listen for thrashing or crashing in the woods. This is your first clue s to where to go.

Planning your deer hunt carefully is rewarded with a prize buck. A great feeling of accomplishment.

This will be your best indicator for where the deer is at, and if it is taking its last breath before dying (lots of thrashing and breathing).

4. Video It: Some folks are finding it helpful to record the shot and deer taking off after the shot. Reviewing the video gives you time to think and plan your next move. Take the time you need to be a successful deer hunter.

5. Stop or Go: Many believe that giving the deer time to calm down (as best as it can), is the best course of action. Giving the deer time will allow it to slow its pace since no one is chasing it. It won’t be pumping adrenaline and staying alive for another half mile. Others believe that pursuing right away is the plan. Pursuit can cause the animal to panic and make a mistake, easily stumble and push itself to death. When it comes down to it. The best way to judge is to go on hunts with seasoned hunters and watch their approach. If it worked for them, you can plan on using it for your next hunt.

6. Darkness is Your Friend: When it gets dark, and you have a blood trail. It is easier to follow the blood trail. A flashlight (designed to pick up the trail) is a good item to have in your pack. It illuminates the blood and makes it easier to track. Never give up on tracking a deer just because it gets dark. It is part of the hunt and you will most likely experience it at least once.

7. Slow Wins the Race: Most accidents happen after the kill. You have adrenaline pumping through you and you want to get that deer. Running after a deer never works, and staying calm and slowing your pace will always win.

Planning your deer hunt carefully is rewarded with a prize buck. A great feeling of accomplishment.

8. Look and Keep Looking: Deer stand between 30 and 40 inches.

This puts the top of the back at nearly 4 feet, you need to look at these heights too for any blood. It might be the clue that bags that deer.

9. Ask For Help: Ask for help if you are having trouble tracking on your own. If you have to go back to get help, do it. Sometimes you need an extra pair of eyes to make this a successful hunt and track down a deer.

10. Keep Looking: You are a hunter who took on an obligation when you got your hunting license. It is your job to make sure you take a clean shot and take down the animal cleanly. But if you don’t, it is your job too to track it down, even if it means a few days later to recover and tag the deer. This helps the state you are hunting in know how many deer have been taken in the state to prepare for next year’s hunt.

Final Note: Following these tips can help you become a better hunter, and we hope that your stay at Two Falls Camps is enjoyable and that you have a successful hunting season.