New Hunter - questions

[TwoGuns]

I am a few years from any of my previous hunting - I am now 46 and never shot a deer. I am working toward/planning to hunt deer with a handgun this next season. My last year has been spent practicing and reading. This year will be more practice and starting to get supplies.

Is there a particular camo pattern best used in Louisiana (south, north, etc)?
Is it necessary to have camo head to toe?
What about scent control so often advertised on hunting shows? I am a smoker.
What about doe urine for attracting? Is this usually used?
Anyone use a handheld GPS when scouting/hunting? What type? Is it easy to obtain good topos for the handheld GPS's?

I am expecting my first hunts to be with one of my nephews. He is an accomplished hunter and will put me in a good place I am sure - S. La. My goal is to be very proficient out to 50 yards ... I don't mind passing on longer shots. I am in it for the learning experience this year.

Any tips or answer is appreciated,
TwoGuns

 

[NitroX]

Are you saying you want to kill a deer at 50 yards with a handgun? If so that's what I would consider serious shot placement. Did I read this right?

 

[CajunTim]

I am not as experienced as the others but scent, camo etc... seems to go out the window the higher you are off the ground.

I know guys that sit 40 feet off the ground in a climber and smoke all day long.

I used Trails End 307 this year and feel it helped me bag my biggest to date which was a 7 point.

Deer are color blind from what I understand so camo isnt a necessity. I hunt in all green as that is the color of the warm weather clothes I was given at my last job and I use that.

But then again I havent killed any trophy deer yet.

 

[TwoGuns]

NitroX - that is what I said alright. But ... keep in mind my subject line "New Hunter". I really don't know what to expect or plan for. I would expect that shots in S.La are not long range due to dense woods. What are typical shot distances in the south part of the state?

I am shooting a Ruger Blackhawk - 45 Colt. 50 yards loaded up will have a significant punch to it and be accurate enough to stay in an 8 inch circle or less. Would this not be good to train/practice for?

TwoGuns

 

[CajunTim]

Im not sure on your weapon as I know very little and no even less about hunting pistol; but I think a lot of folks use the 460 to pistol hunt with.

 

[NitroX]

You will wound a deer and it will run. And that's if you are correct about it being 8'' or less. IMO Just not possible even at 50 feet (little own 150 feet) to do shot placement with a handgun to properly bring down a deer.

 

[Bearco]

The following is just my opinion.

Is there a particular camo pattern best used in Louisiana (south, north, etc)?
Is it necessary to have camo head to toe?
More important is what your backdrop is going to be. All the camo in the world will not help you if you have blue sky behind you. If you are going to be up close (bow hunting), then I like to use the 3D stuff. If you have a dark backdrop, then as long as you are in dark clothes, you will be fine. Deer do see UV light. If it glows under a black-light, then it will be glowing in the woods. Most laundry detergent made for hunters has UV killers in them.

What about scent control so often advertised on hunting shows? I am a smoker.
Scent matters if they can smell it. Like Tim said, if you are above the scent line, then almost anything goes. 15' off the ground is not above the scent line. However, people do shoot deer while smoking 15' off the ground. But I doubt you will get a older/wise buck doing that. The smell of camp fire smoke seems not only to be ok, but a good cover scent. I try and wear scent proof clothing when bow hunting.


What about doe urine for attracting? Is this usually used?
Only during the rut.


Anyone use a handheld GPS when scouting/hunting? What type? Is it easy to obtain good topos for the handheld GPS's?
I use one all the time. It allows many things besides keeping you from getting lost. I use it for mapping rub lines, scrapes, deer trails, other stands (to know how close you are). I even use it for tracking deer, it allows you to see a pattern that a deer is taking.

 

[TwoGuns]

Thanks Sound - as much as I can tell for now, handgunning will be at ranges very similar to bow hunting so I will keep in mind your knowledge on camo. I didn't mean to say that I would intend to smoke while in a stand or blind ... just that clothes pick up the smell and hang on to it for a long time.

NitroX - what would you consider a good pattern (4", 6", 8") and at what distance to train for ... how big of a circle is the vitals area? I keep my rounds in 6" circle at 15 yards (45') quite regularly shooting freehand. Using my legs, a tree or edge of a stand/blind would give me better accuracy out further.

TwoGuns

 

[Bearco]

You normally have about 8" to 10" area that you need to stay within

 

[rhettro]

...

Scent control= hunt the wind always no matter how high. I know people who hunt from the ground and smoke and kill BIG bucks. If the wind isn't right , they won't even attempt. Deer trust their noses above all other senses. They cannot smell you when they are upwind.....period. I have personally seen them circle downwind of a ridge in Tunica before even approaching it.
Camoflage= as said earlier not nearly as important as where you sit. Break up your outline with trees or any cover. you can't be sticking out in the open. Deer will pick you off quickly and even if they are unsure of what you are, they will quickly refer back to paragraph one and circle you. There are tons of state of the art camo out there. Alot of it is very cool looking and no doubt works. The best hunter I have ever met in my life only hunted in green dickies work clothes. This old fella brought home the bacon more consistantly than anyone I've ever seen. Point is that movement is the major aspect of camoflage that the big camo companies never address. try to conceal movement to almost nothing. If you move they will pick it right up. Of course being 40 feet up frees you up a ton!

 

[rhettro]

...

I can see you being successful only if you are very patient. I mean VERY! treat it almost like bowhunting. Wait until you get a close range shot. Wait wait wait for a broadside shot. wait for a still target of opportunity. No frontal shots with that caliber. Maybe a neck shot would pancake him. but front chest is a no no. Sure it will kill him but he's gonna cover plenty of ground dead on his feet. But the catch is that he probably won't leave much of a blood trail. It can be done but alot has to come together for a kill. Probably would be very rewarding.

 

[LongRange]

I shot a 4pt once with my Ruger Blackhawk .30 carbine @ 115yrds.. Not to mention i cant shoot pistol worth a crud. I have friends that shoot Sillouett pistols out to a grand, Don Sipes shot a turkey at 300yrds with his handgun, so i guess it depends how good you are and what caliber handgun you are using. Weatherby makes a real nice handgun in a 7mm08. I wouldnt suggest using a slow moving large caliber handgun out beyond 40yrds, unless you like to walk, cuz hes not gonna drop right there, @ 50yrds your .460 will be doing about 900 fps and hitting with about the same in energy. might as well use a 22mag.

All the rest of that stuff, camo patterns, scents etc, may very well help, but i have yet to ever use it. I typically dont hunt at a close range where it would matter. I have taken many deer at under 100yrds , and i smoke the whole time, I have never hunted deer from a tree stand, ive seen it on tv though,lol. I believe hunting has become far too commercial, stick to the basics, find good sign, and post and sneak or use a stand if its the thing around here. Problem with scents is, if your lucky and find the right scent itll work, get the wrong scent for the wrong time or wrong manufacturer ,which there are far more of, and thats gonna keep deer away.

 

[Bearco]

Problem with scents is, if your lucky and find the right scent itll work, get the wrong scent for the wrong time or wrong manufacturer ,which there are far more of, and thats gonna keep deer away.

This is why I do not use them. Deer **** in one location can smell very different from deer **** in another location and as stated, it will have the reverse effect b/c of that. Some people do have success with them, I have not. Deer ratios tend to be way out of whack around here for many things to work. When you have 7 doe deer to every buck, rattling antlers and smelling like a doe in heat will not get you very far. They just do not have to fight for it. Well managed properties have a ratio closer to 1-1. It would be different in this case.

 

[dzelenka]

You will wound a deer and it will run. And that's if you are correct about it being 8'' or less. IMO Just not possible even at 50 feet (little own 150 feet) to do shot placement with a handgun to properly bring down a deer.

NitroX,

You are quite wrong concerning your facts. Perhaps it is not possible for YOU to properly place a shot and bring down a deer. His .45 Colt is adequate to 50 yards if he is up to the task. A better suggestion would be to pick up a T-C Contender in .30-30 or 7mm Waters or one of the JDJ wildcats if he handloads. With a scope, most of those rounds will cleanly take a deer out to about 250 yards if you do your part. With a revolver, 50 yards ithe open sights and 100 yards with a scope is about right. Practice is essential. A .44 Mag. is good enough for revolver hunting for deer. You don't need a .460 or a .454 or any of those big rounds. They kick significantly more than the .44 and do not give any more practical killing ability on deer (on elk or bear that is a different matter). The reason I say that is that revolver accuracy is limited by pistol design and the sights more than power (my one caveat is that the Freedom Arms revolvers are good for another 50 yards on accuracy alone). If you want to stretch your shots, a single shot pistol is the best solution.

Practice, Practice, Practice and pick your shots. By doing this, the OP be able to accomplish what he wants.

Dan

 

[NitroX]

NitroX,

You are quite wrong concerning your facts. Perhaps it is not possible for YOU to properly place a shot and bring down a deer. His .45 Colt is adequate to 50 yards if he is up to the task. A better suggestion would be to pick up a T-C Contender in .30-30 or 7mm Waters or one of the JDJ wildcats if he handloads. With a scope, most of those rounds will cleanly take a deer out to about 250 yards if you do your part. With a revolver, 50 yards ithe open sights and 100 yards with a scope is about right. Practice is essential. A .44 Mag. is good enough for revolver hunting for deer. You don't need a .460 or a .454 or any of those big rounds. They kick significantly more than the .44 and do not give any more practical killing ability on deer (on elk or bear that is a different matter). The reason I say that is that revolver accuracy is limited by pistol design and the sights more than power (my one caveat is that the Freedom Arms revolvers are good for another 50 yards on accuracy alone). If you want to stretch your shots, a single shot pistol is the best solution.

Practice, Practice, Practice and pick your shots. By doing this, the OP be able to accomplish what he wants.

Dan

Whoa, you spent a lot of time typing all that out to tell me how wrong I was. Did you not see in my post where I said "IMO"?

 

[dzelenka]

Another thing that I would like to mention. Use a rest. Depending on your set-up you may be able to rest you gun on a padded part of your stand. If you are i a blind you might be able to use a sand bag (look at the window bag made by Protektor). Shooting sticks or a back pack will work in the open. Use a 6" circle for shot placement without a rest (not necessarily standing on your feet). The sitting or kneeling position can be handy.

I can't tell you how much game I have shot with a handgun from .45 auto to .375 JDJ. If you do your part they can be extremely efficient killers.

With your .45 Colt, don't use light expanding bullets. Penetration is your friend. A heavy cast bullet with a wide flat nose penetrates deeply and leaves a wound channel like an X bullet out of a rifle. It is a very good killer (and they almost always leave an exit wound for tracking).

 

[dzelenka]

Whoa, you spent a lot of time typing all that out to tell me how wrong I was. Did you not see in my post where I said "IMO"?

Most of it was info for his and others' education.

 

[NitroX]

Most of it was info for his and others' education.

Then you dedicated it to me why? Just messing with ya!

I agree with you I just don't hunt that way and seldom do I see ppl that are really that good with handguns shooting game. Otherwise no need for rifles right?

 

[LongRange]

ummm i hunt deer naked gives me a 3rd leg to be more steady while aiming.

 

[NitroX]

LongRange,
That's why they call you TRIPOD