Did you know there are around 30 million whitetail deer in the continental United States? This is one of the reasons so many people are excited when hunting season rolls around.
The opportunity to help control the deer population and store up meat for the year is appealing. For some, just the thrill of the hunt is enough.
However, if you need some whitetail deer hunting tips, you’re in the right place. Keep reading for some tips that will help ensure this hunting season is a huge success.
1. Focus on Scent Control
You should never forget how important scent control and wind direction when you hunt whitetail deer. Remember, the deer’s biggest defense system is their nose.
You can’t go into the woods with cigarettes and cologne, get in your tree stand, or blind and expect to get lucky – this isn’t going to happen.
If you want to improve your chances of getting a whitetail this season, you must be as “invisible” to the deer as you can. Therefore, being obsessed with scent control is the most important tip to remember.
2. Find the Right Terrain
There’s a huge difference between hunting mature bucks and deer. Deer, such as young bucks and does, usually bed near food sources, while older bucks don’t.
In some situations, they bed in areas that aren’t as secure, as well.
Mature bucks choose beds that provide advantages over common predators. Because of this, the type of terrain you choose matters.
Bucks may bed at the end of a ridge on a point. By doing this, they can hear, smell, and see danger before it has the chance to get too close.
Try to find terrain that gives the deer an upper hand if mature bucks are your target.
3. Use the Wind
While managing your scent and choosing your hunting terrain carefully is important, scent control doesn’t stop there.
You must also pay attention to the direction of the wind when preparing for a hunt. If you ignore the wind, it’s a huge mistake.
Even if you are hunting in a more suburban area, you should stay aware and in tune with the wind.
It’s also a good idea to be familiar with deep patterns where you will be hunting. If you know where the deer are usually found, you know what to do to ensure the wind doesn’t carry your scent to them.
4. Stay Quiet
While this may seem like an obvious tip, you are a deer’s number one predator. It’s difficult to be an effective predator if the deer can hear you coming.
For example, are you tromping through the woods like a person? Deer know what other animals sound like when moving about. They also know what people sound like.
You have to take steps to be as stealthy as possible. Try walking on just the heels of your boots, which can reduce the noise you make.
Also, if you are stand hunting, messing with ammo, trying to figure out “does ammo expire,” and just hitting items against your stand are going to alert deer to your presence.
You should also be as silent as possible when trying to climb into your hunting stand with your gun or bow. The smart idea is to wrap your metal items in something soft to avoid hitting them against something and alerting the deer to your presence.
Coughing is also a huge no-no. You need to do everything possible to avoid coughing or try to muffle the sound if you can’t avoid it.
5. Choose the Right Location for Your Deer Stand
While knowing where the deer will be where you plan to hunt is a good start, you can’t base stand placement on this information. Make sure you know what stand placement will look like during the time of the day you plan to hunt.
You need to know what you will look like to the deer when choosing a location for your stand.
One option to avoid being seen is to find a tree with a wide base. This will help the shape of your body virtually disappear.
While you can’t use a climbing stand in these types of trees, they can be great for lock-on deer stands.
Also, if you choose quality camo clothing, it’s going to be more difficult for a deer to see you next to a wider tree than your body.
Remember, coverage is your friend. This is true no matter if you choose to use a lock-on stand or climbing stand.
Try to find a tree with another tree nearby that offers some cover. Remember, the deer’s line of sight is different than yours. Try to imagine what you are going to look like from the deer’s perspective.
Finding leaves and branches of a tree that will help break up your silhouette without impacting your shot can help you stay concealed.
Now You Have the Best Whitetail Deer Hunting Tips
When it comes to whitetail deer hunting tips, there are more than a few things you can do to help ensure your experience is successful. Be sure to keep the information above in mind, which will ensure you “bag the big one” this hunting season.
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