Help for new hunter

[JPH]

ORIGINAL: flatheadnut

Thanks for the help.  I will be hunting primarily in the morning so I hope most of my movement will be hidden by darkness.  I just rully worry about crossing trails in the hedge rows and leaving to much scent.

Man, I can't wait for the season to open.  I think I will go sit out along the road and see if I see any deer move in the evening.

 
When moving to your stand before daylight, I would realy more on the wind and stealth than I would the cover of darkness. Deer see quite well in low light.
 
But by the same token, don't overthink it. Just get out there and hunt!

[msbadger]

Everyone is giving you great advise...heres what I've experianced on getting the 4:30am busted.....One year it didn't make any differance what of the 24 stands I went to in the wee hours of the morning ...BUSTED....and this still happens on occation..... so what I do is act like a deer....if your snorted at in the dark well stomp a foot and snort back...then "trot" a bit stop...so on soforth to your stand....if it's not the rut...take a doe bleat and LIGHTLY give it a go and pull down leaves and rustle some brush...it's all a learning curve on what to do but this has worked for me for years...I've had buck come in and fight under my stand ....others have walk around looking for that other deer as I waited for first light...once I sounded a tad TOO good and when I stomped the deer came stiff legged to me ...I layed down the bow and squated near some small pine....well what I thought was a doe turned out to be a buck and he came in to blow his heat breath in my ear![&:]....so I think the troting is safer...I also in leaves try to shuffle and stop...sound like the skunks or raccoons night feeding....trial and error ...have fun with it...don't scent your self though.....good hunting

[EatDeer]

I have to ask, are you walking all the way across the property to get to your stands?  Are the deer normaly bedded in the pasture, or the hedge row? If I was you I'd look into a couple more stands to switch it up, so the deer don't pattern your movements. You may need to find a access to your stands where you don't have to walk as far. I used to hunt a property where I walked across a large pasture to get to my stands, the deer would go into the bottoms of ravines, then slowly work their way pass my stands through-out the morning. I'd also be waiting there for them to come over a hill on a pinch point, on thier way to a heavily timbered bedding area after feeding in a ag crop the night before. It's hard to give out advice with out seeing a arial photo of your property with your stand sites high lighted.  

[flatheadnut]

This is great!  Thank you all for helping.  The small farm I have access to is a perfect 80 acre rectangle.  A housebarn, where I park, and the adjacent horse corral take up 15-20 acres.  I have been asked to stay away from the horse corral.  The 80 acres are surronded by hedge row, mainly hedge, elm, ash, and cottonwood.  The creek forms and "L" and bisects the north half, the creek has the thickest trees.  To get an idea of what it looks like draw a rectangle with the long side running north and south.  Then draw a line cutting the rectangle into two squares.  Then draw a vertical line cutting the top/north square in half.  The lines inside the original rectangle would represent the creek.  A little pond is at the "L" shape in the very center, and a bigger pond is at the far North boundry. The housebarn and corral are directly west of the center pond, and the driveway is at the very southeast corner.  The drive follows the east hedge row until it reaches the middle where it turns 90 degrees to the east to go over to the housebarn.  My first stand is in the hedgerow right where the turn in the driveway is.  My second stand is 2/3 of the way to the North boundry along the creek.  It is this stand that I will have to cross the pasture or walk along the hedge row to get to.  This is Kansas prarie so the only contour is the slight dip down the creek bank. 
 
I know that the deer bed in the hedge rows, and I think now they may be staying 24/7 in a corn field to the east.  I am working to try and learn when the corn will be harvested.
 
again thanks for all the input, I'm learn tons.

[Squirrelhawker]

I only wish I had the resource of forums like this when I was first learning how to hunt deer. But I have them now and I'm still learning all the time.
 
My success rate for deer went up when I became a bowhunter. You can't help but become a better hunter should you decide to become an archer.
 
In lieu of that, along with all the great advice about wind direction, start thinking about scent control. More gun hunters would do better and see more if they paid more attention to scent control. Yeah, your gun hunting and maybe you're not expecting an up close and personal moment of truth BUT... you are still invading their environment. They own it, and you are woefully out matched in terms of physical ability. Yet you have your intellect and chunk of lead and that is often all you need.
 
Scent control:
 
Baking soda is your friend. It is cheap and one of the most powerful oxidizing agents known to man. Wash your camo in it. Wash your body with it. Sprinkle a little inside your hat. Keep your boots in a rubber maid tub.
 
Shower before every hunt
 
Hunt a not so good stand with a favorable wind but NEVER hunt a great stand with a bad wind. If you do, it will not remain a great stand.
 
Try not to overhunt either stand.
 
Hang your camos outside
 
Do not be afraid to hunt on the ground if that is what the wind dictates.
 
Be persistant. The first one is by far the toughest.

[howhill1]

msbadger...right on. ive blown and stomped at deer for a long time with great success.

[flatheadnut]

Thanks, Squirrelhawker and I agree this forum is a gold mine. 
 
I only bowhunt.  Do you think the baking soda works better than the special/expensive no scent detergents?
 
How much soda do you use per load?
 
 

[JPH]

I have used both baking soda and commiercial scent killer detergent and spray. The cost is more or less a wash and I find the commercial stuff more convenient.

I'm going to start a "Scent Control" thread, so we can share our routines.

[fasteddie]

Even if you scare some deer off , they will generally circle around and come back to see what the noise was all about to satisfy their curiosity . I try to remember to wear my grunt tube around my neck . If I see a sillouette of a deer in the darkness , I will gently blow into the tube . A couple years ago , I walked through a field in the dark and could make out a half dozen figures . Used the grunt tube and they never spooked . Do whatever works for you .

[EatDeer]

ORIGINAL: flatheadnut

This is great!  Thank you all for helping.  The small farm I have access to is a perfect 80 acre rectangle.  A housebarn, where I park, and the adjacent horse corral take up 15-20 acres.  I have been asked to stay away from the horse corral.  The 80 acres are surronded by hedge row, mainly hedge, elm, ash, and cottonwood.  The creek forms and "L" and bisects the north half, the creek has the thickest trees.  To get an idea of what it looks like draw a rectangle with the long side running north and south.  Then draw a line cutting the rectangle into two squares.  Then draw a vertical line cutting the top/north square in half.  The lines inside the original rectangle would represent the creek.  A little pond is at the "L" shape in the very center, and a bigger pond is at the far North boundry. The housebarn and corral are directly west of the center pond, and the driveway is at the very southeast corner.  The drive follows the east hedge row until it reaches the middle where it turns 90 degrees to the east to go over to the housebarn.  My first stand is in the hedgerow right where the turn in the driveway is.  My second stand is 2/3 of the way to the North boundry along the creek.  It is this stand that I will have to cross the pasture or walk along the hedge row to get to.  This is Kansas prarie so the only contour is the slight dip down the creek bank. 

I know that the deer bed in the hedge rows, and I think now they may be staying 24/7 in a corn field to the east.  I am working to try and learn when the corn will be harvested.

again thanks for all the input, I'm learn tons.

  You should be able to find a spot along the creek where the deer are crossing to the corn field already, that might be a good spot to put a stand with the deer trail infront of your position, and the prevailing winds blowing your scent away from the deer trail, cover, feeding, and bedding area if possiable. Deer love to bed along a creek edge, your going to bust some of them out sometimes. Just hope those deer or others you didn't alert will come back through the stand area in the mornings and evenings on thier way to or from the main bedding area. If your going in under the cover of darkness, you really shouldn't bust the deer to far off the pasture anyway. They will more than likely head towards the cover, when you do alert them. If you can get between the cover and the corn field, with the right wind, I think you should be able to see some action. Rember your hunting the deer that don't know your there, not the ones that do! Good luck!