Bringing 'em in close....

[bigdaddyb]

I plan to start deer hunting this season. I plan to start in bow season and then gun hunt.

I've never deer hunted, and have, obviously, never killed a deer.

I'm all ears.

I've read that calling can make the difference between getting them into bow range or just watching them pass.

I'll take any input on any topic that has to do with deer hunting.

Thanks in advance,

brianb
West Monroe, La

 

[scubasteve]

My advice......just walk in the woods and kill the biggest deer of your life. That's how it works. Noobs making every "mistake" in the book kill the big deer.

 

[TowTruck]

plan a 50' garden in the woods and put a deer stand above it. works for me every year lol and by planting its not considered baiting at least I haven't been put in jail over it yet. I'm just keeping watch over my crops

 

[bigdaddyb]

My advice......just walk in the woods and kill the biggest deer of your life. That's how it works. Noobs making every "mistake" in the book kill the big deer.

This noob's definitely hoping your right sir!

brianb

 

[scubasteve]

But seriously.....Deer are relatively easy to kill. They are a curious animal. Don't become stuck to one spot. Walk the area your'e gonna hunt and learn it. Not just before the season but during the season also because the terrain does change once the leafs fall. Myself, I love hunting the swamp. The more water the better. You can walk silently in water or pirogue thru like a ghost. Deers make a lot of noise goin' thru the water.
If ya wanna be a WalMart Still hunter, go ahead and build you a box stand over a food plot with a feed dispenser. If you don't have the time or money for those gadgets, hit Sam's club and buy a couple of gallons of molasses or syrup. Pour over your favorite stump and give'm a days to find it. Deers have a serious sweet tooth.
Want some real fun that'll make your heart bust out of your chest? Get a pack of hounds and let loose.
There's no real hard concrete advice that you can get from books, the intranet, or the frat boy at Bowies. The best way to become a deer hunter is to get out there and learn for yourself. Remember deer can hear, see, and smell better than you. They can outrun you. When your'e in the woods, your in his house. You just need to learn where the livingroom, bathroom, kitchen, and bedrooms are. Your'e gonna make some mistakes, learn from them.

And don't call me Sir. please.

 

[Zip7]

Hey what kind of place are you going to hunt? A club or lease, or public land?

I grew up in West Monroe, and know many places around - all on public land. Killed many deers around there. Never have fed them anything but broadheads or lead.

I don't know that calling helps that much. Bow hunting is about 99% watching deer pass and 1% shooting. The good part is that you learn a lot about deer by watching them.

If you hunt public land without any kind of baiting or whatever, the best tactic by a mile is this: figure out what most of the other hunters are doing, and do something completely different. Like 100% different. Like if they park their truck in one place and walk off to hunt somewhere else, you ride a bicycle to another location, and then walk on your hands to where they parked their trucks and hunt there. If they hunt in trees, you dig a hole. If they hunt on land, take a tip from scubasteve and hunt in the water (my favorite tactic). That's the way you have to think on public land. It works.

 

[bigdaddyb]

I'll be hunting a small private spot west of Calhoun.

I tend to take that approach in life anyway.

My hunting buddy and I will be taking similar approaches, but with some strong differences.

He's traditional, I'm high tech. We're using different scent control strategies and different baiting techniques. He's using corn. I'll probably use fruits, sweet potatoes, and molasses to entice their sweet tooth. I also plan to use a scent drag and wicks as the rut approaches. He doesn't use any scent lures.

I'll start walking the land this weekend to learn the place and get a feel for where and how many are moving through there.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll post what I find and we can discuss options, if folks are interested.

brianb

 

[scubasteve]

I do believe sweet taters are ILLEGAL to use. Can use anything but sweet taters.
Scents and scent controls.....heheheheheh......vanilla extract is more available and can be bought a whole lot cheaper than the packaged products.
Keep it simple, keep it real. And don't forget the terlet paper.

 

[bigdaddyb]

I do believe sweet taters are ILLEGAL to use. Can use anything but sweet taters.
Scents and scent controls.....heheheheheh......vanilla extract is more available and can be bought a whole lot cheaper than the packaged products.
Keep it simple, keep it real. And don't forget the terlet paper.

Really?!?! I called myself checking the laws, but I missed that one.

No sweet taters for the furry ones. I'll just keep 'em beside my favorite T-bone and for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I am working on scent control. I got a SMOKING deal on some scent control undergarments. I'm washing the clothes in scent control/no UV detergents. I also plan to use a scent suppression spray.

I'm not going to invest 'real money' in the Scent Blocker stuff. I will, however, try to stink less than most.

Gonna make my second scouting trip for stand sites this weekend.

Anybody had any luck with scent attractants? The Code Blue stuff is pricey, but their press makes sense.

Opinions?

brianb

 

[jldak318]

sweet potatoes are illegal cause they will start to rot and grow a bacteria on them and it makes the deer sick and weak. im going to have to secone the code blut, although it is pricy it works, i also use tinks.

 

[Danny]

if you can get your hands on some IV bag and tubing and a 60cc syringe you can refill them with apple juice and hang it in a tree over a handful of corn on the ground and that help to attract them in. When setting the drip rate you want it to drip out the end at 1 drop to every 4-5 seconds that should last about 2 -3 days before you have to change it out.

I work as a med so I can get my hands on that stuff easily. Go to the local hospital ot EMS and tell them what you plan to use it for and they may give you some. I hang 2 bags on either side of my climber like 100' away and usually start about 2-3 months before I plan to hunt the area. On public land you can't bait them.

 

[scubasteve]

BigD, In 30 years of huntin' deers, I have yet to meet one that is "hi tech". The U.S. militry forces were goin' "hi tech" till they got in country and found that actual boots on the ground carrying guns kills bad guys.