Five Bow Hunting Tips

Bow hunters don’t kill good deer consistently because they have a rabbit’s foot in their pocket. It is true sometimes deer hunters are lucky and a monster walks by, but those are isolated incidents. To kill deer consistently with a bow you need to practice and be using some sort of plan to outsmart the deer.

Location:
When picking a hunting location, you want to make sure your stand has some of the several necessities. First you need to be able to access your stand without spooking deer. This is one of the harder items to accomplish. One way to help accomplish this is to cut a path to you stand during the summer. You also will need at least two stands for different wind directions. Also, you will need a location where deer will pass within thirty yards of you stand during shooting hours.

Pack it Light:
Another tactic is packing light so you can do more stalking and still hunting. What you need for this set up is a light tree climber and the minimum of gear so you are not dragged down during you hunt. To be successful you need to hunt slowly and patiently so you do not spook or miss deer.

The Little Things:
The little things all add up to be very important and can be the difference between a shot and staring at a bobbing white tail as the deer jumps away. First thing to do once up in a stand is check you safety harness (What do you mean you don’t have one!?) and your bow to make sure they are functioning properly and that you can make a complete draw and release without getting a twig caught. Also, double check you shooting lanes, even a small twig can move your arrow enough to be off target.

Know the Land:
To be successful every year, you have to know every foot of the land you are hunting. This allows you to be able to change your plans quickly and to be to know where the most likely places the deer will be during a certain time. To do this you have to be able to observe deer and the signs throughout every season. Then once you file away that knowledge you will be able to be more consistent during the hunt in the coming season.

Start Early:
Trimming shooting lanes and putting up stands several months before the season will help let deer settle down after you disturbed their peace. Also, while you are trimming and setting up stands don’t forget to make a path to your stand so you can get their quietly. I have seen times when a person does all the work for the season a week before and they don’t see anything because they have spooked all the deer.

Being a successful hunter isn’t all about luck (though it certainly helps), it is about the preparation and practice you put in before the season. So, practice, be smart, and kill a deer this season.

For more deer hunting tips check out:
Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips I
Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips II

Summer Deer Scouting Tips - How to Scout Deer in the Summer

for all you slackers.
There are many different ways to scout in the summer from trail cameras to just walking around in the woods looking for deer signs. These are some of my favorite ways to scout in the summer.

Scout from a Distance:
You can scout from a distance many different ways. You can sit on the edge of food fields with binoculars or a spotting scope and watch as deer come and go during the twilight time. As you do this you should be paying attention to the certain areas where you can set up a stand that will be where most the deer come in and out (or where the big buck does). You can also scout from your truck or car if the area you hunt is littered with roads.

Use Trail Cameras:
Trail cameras can be a great way to watch deer trails or food plots without disturbing the deer with your presence. The best trail cameras are the ones without the normal flash these don't spook deer (which is why we use trail cameras). You can put a trail camera anywhere you suspect a big bucks comes through or where you think there is a deer trail littered with does (this will help during the rut when all the bucks are searching for does).

Find the Core Areas:
When I'm talking about core areas I mean their bedding areas, food plots, and trails. You can do this with aerial photography or with trail cameras or if its early enough in the summer or spring you can just walk through the areas you suspect to find these areas and look for clues. Once you find these areas you can set up a stand/s that will take advantage of your hard or easy work.

If you take advantage of these tips your percentages of success will greatly increase. I know people who when doing these strategies have increased their success rate by two-fold.

For more deer hunting tips check out:
Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips I
Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips II
Five Deer Bow Hunting Tips