Hunting is hard!

[Faw]

Hey guys, this may be better served in the newbies forum but I was hoping to get more educated answers. Hunting is hard! I'm on year 2, didn't get anything last year, no biggie I'm learning.
Brought the boy on a grouse hunt tonight, ended up getting into whitetail territory and bumped 4 does from their bed. Scared the crap out of me, we were about 20 yards lol.
Tried to explain to him how we gained more from learning where whitetails were, rather than bagging grouse. Didn't see one bird.
I'm left with buck fever lol. Can anyone compare buck fever to blue balls?!?!?! It sucks sometimes.

Anyways, my head is high and I will persevere, but sometimes I need that motivation that proper scouting, and smart planing will eventually bag a buck. I had one in my crosshairs last year, but he was facing me, and being a new hunter I felt it wasn't a responsible shot. Then I find out a guy I know took a headshot on a deer which I am not cool with unless you know what you are doing.

It's hard to hunt! Let alone do it the right way!

On a side note, me and another buddy are heading out Saturday morning. Since I saw those does, we are going to sneak in from behind and hope that a buck is nearby. That's where I saw the one last year!

Cheers to everyone on their hunts and hopefully this is the year. I know I'm probably just being impatient.

[scotty30-06]

Keep at it brotha.....and if you want some real frustration come chase blacktails in region 2 lol

[boxhitch]

Sounds like you are on the right track, stay focused, if you are looking for grouse you will bump more deer instead of seeing them first.

[MRP]

go slow. enjoy the outings. notice all the little thing, in time thing will come to you. going hair straight back hell bent for meat will only slow you down.

[markathome]

Good call on not taking the front on shot last year - Rinella has a great podcast about blacktail hunting and he won't take head shots - even as a very experienced hunter. He compared the vital area on deer head shot to be about the size of a tennis ball (at 100 yards) - if you're off by an inch or two it's either a clear miss or a very injured animal that will be very hard to follow up on. Vitals on the broad side shot are the size of a volley ball - you have up to 4" inches of leeway.

Good luck this year. If you're in WT country - it's a waiting game. Most new hunters like the spot and stalk and moving place to place. But with whitetails - find a good well used trail, set up the day before so you have a well hidden comfortable place to sit and wait. WT are too skittish for new hunters to get close to.

[wideopenthrottle]

my favourite trick for stalking game is always count steps...in good areas likely to contain game I will go as low as 1 or 2 steps between stopping and doing a full look around...even on a road I have a max limit of 20 steps before stopping for a full look around...you want to see them before they see/hear you and that is very unlikely if you are moving at all.. if you are stopping often to look around,you will notice after awhile that you are spotting them instead of bumping them...

[.264winmag]

Practice lots of free hand shooting if you're gonna be doing lots of walking in deer territory. One thing I know is you take whatever shot opportunity you can get while still hunting/stalking wt and bt. Gotta break eggs to make an omelette, gotta burn powder to bag a buck. Once I started shooting at em they started dying, oh yeah I've made some awfully bad misses, not the first not the last, but after awhile you get pretty confident. I think back at all the shots I passed up while learning, it bugs me more than the missed shots. Good luck!

[Seeadler]

You'll get one.

My advice is #1 make sure your rifle is sighted in.

Then, go to the vicinity where you saw the does as there are obviously deer around. Walk SLOWLY, looking all around with binoculars every few steps. Find a place where you can see 50-100 yards, sit for 30 minutes watching and listening. Repeat. Look behind you sometimes, I can't tell you how many times I have had deer walk up behind me, they are curious and often any small unexplained sounds with get them coming to look.

Don't over think it, scouting has value when you are looking for a big buck, you can't hunt something that might not exist in any given area. Otherwise, you have already determined that there are deer in the area, it is a certainty that there are yearling bucks in the area you found the does. Getting out there and time and patience are the 3 things you need now.

[Cody1771]

it is, 3 years and only shot grouse so far. had some opportunities on bear but never took the shot.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Keep at it this year but also plan ahead for next year. If you are going to hunt the early season, your scouting should be done before the season starts. Once undisturbed deer are pressured, the game changes and your odds of success will decrease.
Once late season arrives and the deer migrate, it all changes again.

[Faw]

Thanks everyone. We're going to get there before the sun this Saturday and hope for the best. Going to still hunt into our spot then I'm going to post up and buddy is going to attempt a push. Hopefully this is the day! Whitetails are like ghosts lol.

[sawmill]

Practice lots of free hand shooting if you're gonna be doing lots of walking in deer territory. One thing I know is you take whatever shot opportunity you can get while still hunting/stalking wt and bt. Gotta break eggs to make an omelette, gotta burn powder to bag a buck. Once I started shooting at em they started dying, oh yeah I've made some awfully bad misses, not the first not the last, but after awhile you get pretty confident. I think back at all the shots I passed up while learning, it bugs me more than the missed shots. Good luck!

How many did you hit and lose? Every shot I passed on was because I didn`t want to wound. I don`t shoot offhand unless the shot is close and clear and I have no rest.. I don`t take head and neck shots. I have taken 2 deer a year for 21 years. Be absolutely positive before you shoot to make sure the critter will die fast. Nothing worse than hitting one and losing it, makes it hard to sleep at night. I do not regret any shot I did not take.I sleep well.

[Faw]

I second that. I won't shoot without the intent of a quick death. I can always get meat at Safeway if I have to.

[Bugle M In]

Hey guys, this may be better served in the newbies forum but I was hoping to get more educated answers. Hunting is hard! I'm on year 2, didn't get anything last year, no biggie I'm learning.
Brought the boy on a grouse hunt tonight, ended up getting into whitetail territory and bumped 4 does from their bed. Scared the crap out of me, we were about 20 yards lol.
Tried to explain to him how we gained more from learning where whitetails were, rather than bagging grouse. Didn't see one bird.
I'm left with buck fever lol. Can anyone compare buck fever to blue balls?!?!?! It sucks sometimes.

Anyways, my head is high and I will persevere, but sometimes I need that motivation that proper scouting, and smart planing will eventually bag a buck. I had one in my crosshairs last year, but he was facing me, and being a new hunter I felt it wasn't a responsible shot. Then I find out a guy I know took a headshot on a deer which I am not cool with unless you know what you are doing.

It's hard to hunt! Let alone do it the right way!

On a side note, me and another buddy are heading out Saturday morning. Since I saw those does, we are going to sneak in from behind and hope that a buck is nearby. That's where I saw the one last year!

Cheers to everyone on their hunts and hopefully this is the year. I know I'm probably just being impatient.

keep the wind in your face.....
move slow...the quieter the better...some guys won't hunt in the snow at all if it is crunchy...road hunt then.
look for lots of fresh sign...also easier when the snow falls.
A place where there is a lot of criss crossing is a good giveaway.
that being said, the deer could still be in the trees 1 km away....
it isn't easy, your right on that point....
Hope your season is filled with fun, regardless of success or not....
but, hoping you get something this season...get out as often as you can.

[Codes44]

Yep, there is a reason they don't call it killing haha. Hang in there, took me 3 years to shoot my first buck. It's an investment of time, and some hard work if your willing to put the time in scouting before the season starts. It's only a matter of time before you get something. You are correct, especially further on in the rut, where the does are, the bucks are sure to be around somewhere. It's a long deer season, I've always had better luck in October-November. It's about getting out in the bush too, no place better to be...be an outdoorsman, respect the wild and you'll shoot a buck before you know it.

[.264winmag]

How many did you hit and lose? Every shot I passed on was because I didn`t want to wound. I don`t shoot offhand unless the shot is close and clear and I have no rest.. I don`t take head and neck shots. I have taken 2 deer a year for 21 years. Be absolutely positive before you shoot to make sure the critter will die fast. Nothing worse than hitting one and losing it, makes it hard to sleep at night. I do not regret any shot I did not take.I sleep well.
Never lost an animal to my knowledge, at it about 21 years also and shot 3 deer + why for most of em. What I'm trying to get at is you gotta shoot to kill a buck. If you don't want to shoot offhand while hunting wt or BT in the thick stuff you prolly ain't gonna eat venison. Such shots are quite often inside 50 yds, hardly unethical IMO. Don't wanna shoot at moving game at those ranges, you'll starve ime. I don't need a lecture on ethics bro, I'm just saying don't be afraid to get the lead out. It's how you learn, shoot all the targets you want and it still isn't the same as hair/horns in the crosshairs.

[.264winmag]

Thanks everyone. We're going to get there before the sun this Saturday and hope for the best. Going to still hunt into our spot then I'm going to post up and buddy is going to attempt a push. Hopefully this is the day! Whitetails are like ghosts lol.

Mid you're gonna push bush you gotta shoot em on the move. Put the crosshairs on the front edge of shoulder and squeeze while following him. It works, bullets are fast and get there in a hurry. It's never been my strong point but I'm getting better, my partner shoots a pile of waterfowl and several times he's plugged bucks as we're still hunting and I haven't even got the safety off yet.
Good luck