I've gone out and strapped my beehind to a tree four times over the last couple weekends. I did all the proper scent routine, maybe was a little loud hanging my stand(public deer) but once up, I'd sit from four/five until I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I'd hike in deep and early, the last time I was 20yrds off some standing corn in a spot where sign showed eaten ears from at least a few days ago and yet.............no deer. Not a "shooter" deer to use a term I hate to use, I mean any deer at all !!! So because I hunt alone and am new bowhunting whitetail, I have no one to clue me in on what's going on. So I'm asking you all. I feel sort of decieved by the numerous hunt shows I watch on tv. I can't tell you how many times it's always the "last day of the hunt" and the "last ten min of shooting light"...........and the host arrows some monster rack....I notice no one ever shoots does on tv, what's up with that anyway????? Someone told me when I got into this it's not easy to shoot a deer with a bow, I get that but I'm not sure if I'm experiencing "normal" levels of skunked for everyone or if I'm just a REALLY BAD bow hunter????? Thank GOD for the supermarket because a few hundred years ago my familia would have STARVED to death waiting for me to drag some steak home Here's a few pics from my weekends, notice there's not a deer any any of them
Did u scout out the area your hunting in? If you did and so plenty of sign you mite want to change your stand location. Put a trail cam up in a heavily used area and see if you can figure out when they are there.
A trail camera is the only way to figure out when they are there. Last year I got skunked probably five out of my first six hunts. I change stand locations constantly until I see something promising.
Also, those hunting shows are deceptive. They don't usually air video of someone getting skunked. When you see dozens and dozens of deer hunting shows with people getting a deer on every episode, it is deceiving. The only hunters I know that never go a season without a kill are those that have primo private land.
Early season like this - its always a good idea to know what the deer like to use as their preferred food source and setup there... Acorns, old grown over hay field, fruit trees, some small parks between heavy cover they like to browse, etc.... Plus deer do move around some, its not uncommon for me to sit 5-6 times and not see a deer - but then I'll see deer on 3-4 sits in a row.... Keep at it. If your not seeing fresh sign, don't be afraid to look around, hang a stand quick and hunt it....
All my hunts so far have been on different patches of public land out of town. I've yet to hunt the same land twice, so I try to pick a "really good" spot each time I was wondering if maybe it was the time of year also since food is abundant they may not need to move far or be limited to a small food source patch. Have another piece of dirt I'm going to try this weekend and instead of posting up early evening on the edge of soy beans maybe trying a stream water source post up. When do deer get thirsty generally ?????
First off - don't feel bad about not seeing deer. I'll go somewhere from 6-8 sits a year without seeing a deer. For most people this is normal. For a beginner, you may have more of these hunts than not. Now there's a lot of factors here that go into why you're not seeing deer, but the biggest is simply that you're probably not hunting where they're at. Either they aren't there during the daylight ever, or you're doing something to cause them not to show up while you're there. So a couple things to look at - Do you know where the deer are bedding? Do you know where they are feeding? If you know these two things, or at least think you do, you're headed in the right direction. Now if you're sitting in the same stand all day long at this time of year, chances are you're in the wrong spot for at least one of the two hunts of the day (morning or evening). On morning hunts, you want to hunt closer to the bedding areas. This generally means not hunting near food sources or field edges. If you do this, you risk spooking the deer that are feeding in the dark while you are walking to your stand. If you spook them off the food on your way in, then set up over food for your hunt, that's a recipe for not seeing deer. So try to stick to the woods while you walk in during the AM, and setup closer to where they bed than where they feed. For afternoon hunts you want to get closer to the food than the bedding. In these cases walking in through fields is a great idea so you don't spook the deer that are in the woods. It's basically the opposite of morning hunting. In both cases you need to watch the direction the wind is blowing. You want to make sure it's not blowing in the direction you think the deer are going to come from. If you setup on the edge of a field with your wind blowing into the woods, hoping deer are going to come from the woods to the field, your hunt is over before it even began. Those are some very basic ideas of where and how to setup that may help point you in the right direction. Of course there's quite a few more advanced techniques when it comes to hunting, but those are the real basics. Also, read this article I put together here on Morning Vs. Evening stands. It may give a little more detail and has some fancy pictures. http://www.bowhunting.com/blog-arch...acement-morning-stands-vs-evening-stands.aspx
Hunting public land is tough - no matter how good of a hunter you are. So again, dont' feel so bad. Also, you may want to give up on the ground blind. Deer don't like ground blinds when they are "new" to their environment. So if you walk in and setup in the dark, and a deer gets anywhere near your blind it's probably going to leave before you can get a shot. Also, keep in mind it's tough to see deer from a blind especially when the leaves are still up. Being in a stand gets you a much higher/better vantage point. Once you start seeing deer you can then try to figure out where they're going to/coming from and then possibly move your stand to intercept them if they do it again.
Justin gives some good advice. Maybe post up a map of the property and mark your stand locations and we can see if we see any issues with your set up. If you want, blur out any location information.
I have to agree 100% with Justin. He has given you some great advice. Moon phase dies seem to play a factor in there too. If you were out during the full moon it makes it a bit tougher to see them during shooting light Sent from my LG-E739 using Tapatalk 2
Check it out, DO NOT put to much stock into the hunting shows. When these so called Pro hunters show up at Joe Bob's farm/outfitters the owner tells them exactly what has been seen and were to setup. As far as you not seeing any activity while in stand it could be multiple things. I would mormally advise putting up a camera but since it is public land that is out. I would suggest trying to figure out what areas they are using for bedding if possible. Then consider the food sources available and hunt between them. Depending on the size of the public land, it could be that setting up 20 yards from standing corn is to close to the edge. The deer may not make it to that area well after sunset. Another thing, if you ask around I am sure you may find a kind soul who has hunted the land before and can give you some tips on how to hunt it. Goodluck Dave
First- it is hard to kill a deer with a bow. it is hard work, it's mentally tough, it's physically demanding. second- It's not hard to get better with time. third- hunting shows portray hunting in the same reality as the crappy show survivor.
Don't get too down on yourself. Having confidence, staying mentally focused, and having patience are a big part of bowhunting. Hunting on public land makes it that much more difficult as well. Hunt smart and you will be rewarded. If you are new to this, try to have somebody with some experience take a look at the spots you are hunting, or show them an aerial map and get some ideas on what you should do.
Sounds like last year for me. I was over half the season without even seeing a deer. Only had 2 deer (both bucks) come within range of me the entire season.1 was after shooting light and the other was during rifle season. I can count on my hands the total deer I saw all season.
Keep at it bro! I was in the same boat as you. This is my first season hunting, and for the first five or six sits I didn't see a single deer. About three sits ago I actually got a shot off, and today I had deer all around me (including the bottom of my tree, no shot though). Just hunt hard, go in early and stay late, be quiet going in and setting up, sit still in the stand, and try to learn something new every time out. I didn't do hardly any scouting pre season, just going into public spots cold. There is a lot of scouting you can do online (Acme Mapper and Google Earth/Maps). Good luck and happy hunting! Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk 2
Relax and enjoy. No worries my man. You are hunting and there is nothing easy about bowhunting. There is also no hunting more rewarding. Learn something each time you go and don't stress. I promise before you know it youll look and a deer will be standing at 20 yards and you'll be shocked that is just appeared. Keep going and ENJOY. SB
Sounds like you might wanna do some more studying and scout a little harder. You might find a prime ambush spot not so far in. I'd hunt the corn in the PM and find some routes to some bedding areas for a morning hunt.
