Deer Hunting Tips for Advanced Hunters

By John Eaglesmith


The average deer hunter who has average skills and an average commitment to the hunt, usually get average results for his efforts. It's likely that every hunter will manage to bag a small buck every year or two, and maybe will even get lucky and hit his target more often. But it takes a deep understanding of hunting and the dedication to do whatever is required to bag a majestic trophy buck. The advanced deer hunting tips I'm sharing with you here are for the true hunting masters.

1. Scout Out Your Area In Advance. I'm not talking about where you're going to sit when you arrive at your hunting spot -- I mean be genuinely aware of the area that you are hunting in. In fact, my most successful hunting seasons actually began months before opening day.

Get permission to be on the lease you intend on hunting and scout out all the potential hunting spots. You can investigate all the potential hunting areas by "dry hunting." This is similar to actual hunting, only you bring a camera instead of a gun. You will focus your attention on determining which areas have the most deer movement, the largest bucks, and the highest buck to doe ratio. It is advisable to scout the lease during midday as well in order to find any signs of big bucks.

2. Know the Signs of Big Bucks. When you know what you're looking for, you can zero in on the spots where the trophy deer gather. One thing you want to look for are tracks. Look at how big the tracks are, where they're going, and how many there are, and you can see where the deer are moving.

Search for Scrapes. These are the areas where bucks scratch against the ground and urinate to mark their territory and attract does. Usually scrapes are beneath low-hanging tree branches along the edges of heavy brush. Look for Rubs. These are the spots on trees or posts where bucks rub the velvet off their budding antlers, of where they mark their territory in rutting season. If you see six or more rubs in 100 yards, that's called a "rub line." You'll usually find rubs beside a tree on the side that the buck's traveling from, so you can get an idea of where the deer is moving and mark it down, making it easier to find them.

You should also look for bedding areas and make a note of their size. If you don't see any bedding, there aren't any bucks!

3. Understand Your Firearm. Know the ballistics of the cartridge and bullet you are using. Know the distance you will need to shoot and be able to make adjustments for geography; for example, the rise on short shoots and the fall for long shots. Take some time to practice estimating distances. If possible, walk around the likely sighting areas ahead of the hunt, so you'll know what length of shots you'll be making and what sort of drop your bullet will make at that distance.

4. Shot Placement - You'll be much better at your shot placement when you know how best to aim your deer hunting rifle.

Personally, I prefer neck shooting. While many hunters do not agree with this technique, a properly placed shot anywhere along the neck will drop your deer instantly. 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. No matter what angle the deer is at, whether it is broadside, front or rear quarter angle, or head-on, the neck will be as large of a target area as the typical "behind the lower shoulder" targets. The difference is that the neck target is much more effective.

I don't recommend attempting full rear shots unless you are trying for a trophy buck that you can't pass up. Cleaning a deer that's been shot in the rectum is unpleasant, to say the least. Make wise shooting decisions; a quick, efficient kill is the goal of the advanced deer hunter.

5. Attractants, 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. You have to do some prep work beforehand with food attractants. Just like any garden, food plots takes a lot of time and attention. You want the deer to get used to feeding in the area of the food plot weeks or even months prior to hunting season. This is important so you know when and where they will be eating their free meals.

Usually calling or rattling will only work occasionally and only during the rut. Occasionally I have been able to bring a buck in slowly and cautiously by rattling outside of the rutting season, but during the rut, they tend to rush right in. 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. It takes time to learn how to rattle and react proficiently. 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.

While every deer hunter dreams of being able to display a trophy buck at some time in their life, advanced deer hunters are not satisfied unless they get a trophy buck each and every year. if you want to be able to regularly bag trophy bucks on a regular basis, you need to know and understand the deer hunting tips explained here.




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