Hunting is a sport that requires great skill and passion. It’s something that everyone should experience at one point in their life. With the following tips, you can safely get into the woods and hunt successfully.
Prioritize Your Safety
Ensure that someone at least knows where you’re going and when you’ll be coming back. Undertake a local Hunter’s Safety Course, learn everything regarding hunting, and practice gun safety. Always keep abreast of those you’re hunting with. You really don’t want your trip to turn into a nightmare, so do what’s right.
Carry-All the Essentials
Carry essential items with you including food, water, shelter, and fire starters. Of course, you shouldn’t forget to take a compass, otherwise, you may end up not finding your hunting area.
However, you should only carry the items you need. Limit your supplies to the essentials you need to stay safe and hunt your prey. Don’t also forget to double-check your country’s hunting laws.
Scouting Isn’t an Exception
When it comes to deer hunting, scouting is a must. There are two common types of observation; direct plus indirect. Just like the name suggests, the direct method entails going directly to the hunting zone a get a clear picture of the terrain as well as prevailing weather conditions in the location by random walks, hikes, or overhead with a chopper.
Familiarizing yourself with the hunting area in advance can help you detect various wildlife signs before and even during the hunting process. Pinpoint the best locations to set up blinds, install wildlife feeders, and plant food plots. You should also search for game trails in advance.
On the other hand, indirect observation involves viewing the area from internet resources such as Google maps that’ll provide you with a clear view of the hunting area and also certain prevailing weather conditions.
Scouting allows you to have a feel of the area, prepares you for the terrain, and also improves your knowledge of the deer bedding, trails, as well as feeding grounds. And this will help you when selecting the right spot to install your hunting stand.
Be Mindful Of Weather Changes
Monitor the weather patterns for the area where you’ll be hunting. Do it several days in advance and prepare yourself accordingly. You really don’t want the rain to get you unaware.
Opening day isn’t always the best time to make final adjustments. So, ensure that all your equipment is functioning well before you go out hunting. Get a hunter shooter’s chair that comes with a 360-degree silent outdoor swivel. This can make sitting in your more comfortable and fruitful.
Understand Different Scents
Whitetail deer have an extremely powerful sense of smell. So, beware of wind directions and use scent-free soap to shower since your scent may travel up to a mile. Utilizing scent controls for masking your smell or hunting from a deer blind can go a long way in making your hunting experience more fun and successful.
Find the Best Hunting Zone
When it comes to deer hunting, finding the perfect location is extremely important. You can’t hunt where there’s nothing!
Of course, it’s easy to wake up thinking that you could just head to the fields and find a deer. Remember, there are other hunters trying their luck in those woods too. They provide stiff competition and might just as easily ruin all the efforts you’ve been adapting to ensure your hunt is more successful.
Understand the Air Thermal Features
Understanding the air thermal patterns in your hunting zone plays an important role in helping you choose the perfect hunting spot. Plus, it can also help you minimize your scent by effectively utilizing deer scent attractors.
Most hunters assume that in the morning their air rises uphill and during the evening there’s a downhill airflow. But this isn’t always the case. So strive to gain a deep understanding of the aspects in play such as weather, time, and land characteristics.
When the ground is heated up by the sun, air thermals take full effect. One hour before or after sunrise, there’ll probably be downhill air movements thus positioning your hunting stands uphill places you upwind to the deer.
And the same thing occurs in the evening when the air flows downhill. It isn’t therefore advisable to place your hunting stands directly uphill or downhill while in wait for specific airflow. Remember, the current flow could be against you at that particular time causing the deer to notice you.
All these characteristics are unpredictable, but can significantly be reduced if you understand the air conditions.
Minimize Your Movements
If you aren’t using a blind, ensure that you stay calm and minimize movements whilst in the hunting zone.
Practice well before the hunting season starts and try pinpointing the best paths to follow. This should make things simpler for you while in the field. Making sharp movements can actually end up scaring away the deer.
Slower posture changes will allow you to comfortably adjust yourself without necessarily being visible to the deer. So, learn how to time those movements of yours and have a planned schedule through which you make slight changes when you’re perched on a tree. This allows you to regularly turn around to avoid the numbness plus pain which comes with maintaining one position for a long.
During the off-season, consider practicing on more comfortable positions and slowly switch from one stance to another with minimal detection. Doing this will eventually allow you to spot, target, and shoot the prey while still concealing yourself efficiently. And this will make it possible for you to catch your prey.
The Bottom-Line
When it comes to hunting, there are several things you may want to take into consideration. Remember, you’re going to spend a couple of days in the woods and you should, therefore, be well-prepared.
Carry all the essentials, understand the weather changes, find the perfect hunting location, and minimize movements. Following this Hunter Guide will definitely make your hunting trip a big success.
