General question

[Sierra]

Hi all, Are you all open to questions from newer hunters?

[Deebz]

Of course!!! That's pretty much the point here, actually.

Fire away!

[JPH]

That's what I'm here for. All the experienced hunters have figured out I don't know very much.

[kellory]

Teaching younger hunters is how we pass on our heritage, to the next generation. Ask away. There no stupid questions, just unasked ones.
And by the way....welcome to the forum.

[Woods Walker]

And I'm here to disagree with anything the above posters say! (Just kidding....they really do know what they're talking about.....most of the time.... )

But I will add too.....ASK AWAY! The only thing we like more than talking about deer hunting is actually deer hunting!

[Sierra]

Hi all - thank you for the greetings. I am glad I found these forums, happy to be here.
I am actually not younger exactly. I decided to take up hunting by myself, and unfortunately don't know a whole lot of hunters I can chat with. I started when I was about 20, but I was sidelined by some back surgeries and then kids, etc. I kept up shooting, and my fiance bought me a new shotgun last week, so he has a free pass from the doghouse for at least a year.
So thank you for the warm welcome and I am glad I will be able to learn from everyone. I will post my question in a bit here, as I really should be working. *smirk*

[JPH]

Great! Welcome!

Make sure you give us a little background. What state are you in? What region? What kind of ground are you hunting? Public, private, wilderness, farmland, suburban? All of these things impact the herd and how you hunt them. Whitetail hunting is very diverse and what works for the hunter in South Alabama is far from what may work for a hunter in North Dakota.

We look forward to your questions and learning along with you.

[Sierra]

Oh, that would be helpful to explain. Ok, well I live in Ohio, literally at the geographic center of the state, and I hunt two counties over to the southwest, which is one of the highest points in the state. I am hunting a 75 acre farm, owned by a friend and hunted by one other person. This years crop was beans. There are not a lot of acorns, but a few good trees at the northwest corner of the plot, on one of three cut trails that deer also use. There are three existing ladder stands on the property, and each backs up to good cover and overlooks the crops. Deer bed behind each of the stands. Two of them look good to me, and I plan to be the earliest one there to claim one based on the wind. Now, as my bow needs to be replaced, I am limited to firearms season for this year, which runs from November 26th to December 2nd. On this farm I have seen a few nice bucks in addition to a good amount of does. There is a ton of sign, and when out scouting used my maps (arial and topo) to map out locations and what I saw and what the wind is doing at the stand locations when I visit. Also there is a funnel from the adjoining farm that they use to go back and forth on one side. (One of the stands takes advantage of this, and it's my first stand choice). The opposite side backs up to an old quarry and the road. I guess an immediate question would be should I use a stand for gun season, or stick to the ground?

Thanks!

[JPH]

I guess an immediate question would be should I use a stand for gun season, or stick to the ground?

I think you are going to get varied answers to this question, but I'm a stand hunter for the most part. Like you, I hunt small properties in farm country. My general plan is to do as little as possible to disrupt the deer's patterns and position downwind of their expected routes of travel. The less I know about the herd's pattern, the more time I spend on the ground looking for them, but once I know what they do, I stand hunt.

Bottom line, I think most of us would gladly trade places with you this year. You are hunting a private farm in SW Ohio, with lots of sign and a few nice bucks visiting the place. Your stands are already in position and your gun season may just be timed for the first snow. Yeah, I hate you.....but good luck anyway.

[Sierra]

Hi. Thank you, I will need the luck. Just lacking confidence because I am trying this again after several years, so I doubt my decisions. Also, I have not shot a deer yet. We like venison a lot, so I think it may be wise for me to take whatever opportunity is presented to me, if I am so fortunate, and worry about a buck when I have some more experience. Thoughts? I have a tag for either buck or doe.

Yes, I feel very fortunate for the land opportunity. The owner is just the nicest person to let me hunt it. I hope I don't step on the other hunter's toes, so hopefully I can have contact with him somehow before the season opens. I don't want to violate any etiquette by taking a stand he has been using, or something of that nature. The stands were placed by the property owner, and I am not sure how it works when he just lets a couple people hunt who don't know each other. Maybe I should leave a note on the stand he's been using with my phone number.