How To See More Deer While Hunting | Deer Signs & Hunting Strategies
6.6 هزار بار بازدید -
5 سال پیش
-
In this video we talk
In this video we talk about how to see more deer while hunting, which includes how to identify good deer habitat, how to identify deer signs, and some key hunting strategies.
How do you see more deer while hunting?
There is two sides to this question:
1. The first way to see more deer while hunting, or just spotting, or wildlife viewing is to go where the deer are. And that is not always where you think they should be.
2. The second side to the question how to see more deer, is actually how do you have the deer see less of you. Because if you are walking in an area where there are deer, it is more likely than not that they are seeing, smelling, hearing or even feeling you in the ground well before you see them.
So the simple answer is how to see more deer is to look in areas where there is a high population of deer and once there, go in stealth.
How do you find an area that has lot of deer?
The very first thing to think about is the general habitat. Deer need cover, which is usually a mixed or deciduous forest, respite from human activity, and food. Deer feed on a large variety of plants, shrubs, forbs, grasses, leaves etc. Often mature forests that do not planned burns to generate new growth will not have a lot of deer. In the foothills around where I live there are mature pine and spruce forests where the forest floor is mainly needs and has very little green undergrowth. There isn’t any development in these beautiful provincial parks, but in those forests there is nothing for deer to eat, so there is no deer.
Deer will also feed on grain crops, barley, peas, corn, alfalfa etc. So you are likely to see deer in farmers fields at dawn and dusk feeding and you are even more likely to see them if there is tree cover nearby.
Deer are more likely to feed near the edges of forests and cover, so that they can quickly retreat to safety in the event of a threat. Further they spend the majority of their time in cover during the night and day.
So you really need to think about what is good deer habitat if you want to see deer. Once you have narrowed down good deer habitat and you start hunting it, you should be looking for deer signs.
Deer defecate 10- 15 times a day, so you should be seeing deer droppings fairly frequently. You should also be seeing game trails through the forest. Deer will take a trail if it is easier for them to travel through. You may also see things like shed antlers and in the fall you should be looking for rubs, where a buck has rubbed his antlers against a tree as he prepares for the rut. If you don’t see any deer signs at all, it is unlikely that you will see a lot of deer.
So if you have found good habitat and you see deer signs then you’re in good shape. The question then becomes how do you see the deer that you are confident are in the area.
First you can never underestimate a deer’s senses. It can smell you 500 meters away so you really should never be walking with the wind at your back. Deer will smell you far before you see them and a deer that may have been feeding or resting on the otherside of a ridge will be long gone before you ever crest it.
A deer will also hear you walking, so you should avoid walking through a dense forest. Your line of vision will be limited to 100 meters or so, and deer will hear you coming well before that and be gone before you ever see them.
I even think that deer can feel you walking towards them by sensing the vibrations in the ground through their feet.
One thing is for sure if you spent an afternoon walking in good deer habitat, many more deer would see, hear, feel or smell you than you ever see. We have guns, deer have superior senses. That’s the game.
So as I said before, you are more likely to see deer around the edges of cover or at least cover, so I tend to walk in the open and look for deer in those areas.
But all of your efforts should be directed to educating yourself as to where the deer are likely to be feeding, not running into one while you are on foot and they’re travelling or resting (although that does happen from time to time). The goal is to get a sense of where they will be feeding during dawn and dusk and then planting yourself hidden in an area where you will be able to get a shot at one.
If you are hidden, have little scent, don’t move and a favourable wind, a deer will walk right in front of you and not know you’re there. The trick is to do your research by scouting in advance and planning on where they will walk. That involves finding good habitat, deer signs and doing your scouting to see where they are feeding in advance of your hunt.
How do you see more deer while hunting?
There is two sides to this question:
1. The first way to see more deer while hunting, or just spotting, or wildlife viewing is to go where the deer are. And that is not always where you think they should be.
2. The second side to the question how to see more deer, is actually how do you have the deer see less of you. Because if you are walking in an area where there are deer, it is more likely than not that they are seeing, smelling, hearing or even feeling you in the ground well before you see them.
So the simple answer is how to see more deer is to look in areas where there is a high population of deer and once there, go in stealth.
How do you find an area that has lot of deer?
The very first thing to think about is the general habitat. Deer need cover, which is usually a mixed or deciduous forest, respite from human activity, and food. Deer feed on a large variety of plants, shrubs, forbs, grasses, leaves etc. Often mature forests that do not planned burns to generate new growth will not have a lot of deer. In the foothills around where I live there are mature pine and spruce forests where the forest floor is mainly needs and has very little green undergrowth. There isn’t any development in these beautiful provincial parks, but in those forests there is nothing for deer to eat, so there is no deer.
Deer will also feed on grain crops, barley, peas, corn, alfalfa etc. So you are likely to see deer in farmers fields at dawn and dusk feeding and you are even more likely to see them if there is tree cover nearby.
Deer are more likely to feed near the edges of forests and cover, so that they can quickly retreat to safety in the event of a threat. Further they spend the majority of their time in cover during the night and day.
So you really need to think about what is good deer habitat if you want to see deer. Once you have narrowed down good deer habitat and you start hunting it, you should be looking for deer signs.
Deer defecate 10- 15 times a day, so you should be seeing deer droppings fairly frequently. You should also be seeing game trails through the forest. Deer will take a trail if it is easier for them to travel through. You may also see things like shed antlers and in the fall you should be looking for rubs, where a buck has rubbed his antlers against a tree as he prepares for the rut. If you don’t see any deer signs at all, it is unlikely that you will see a lot of deer.
So if you have found good habitat and you see deer signs then you’re in good shape. The question then becomes how do you see the deer that you are confident are in the area.
First you can never underestimate a deer’s senses. It can smell you 500 meters away so you really should never be walking with the wind at your back. Deer will smell you far before you see them and a deer that may have been feeding or resting on the otherside of a ridge will be long gone before you ever crest it.
A deer will also hear you walking, so you should avoid walking through a dense forest. Your line of vision will be limited to 100 meters or so, and deer will hear you coming well before that and be gone before you ever see them.
I even think that deer can feel you walking towards them by sensing the vibrations in the ground through their feet.
One thing is for sure if you spent an afternoon walking in good deer habitat, many more deer would see, hear, feel or smell you than you ever see. We have guns, deer have superior senses. That’s the game.
So as I said before, you are more likely to see deer around the edges of cover or at least cover, so I tend to walk in the open and look for deer in those areas.
But all of your efforts should be directed to educating yourself as to where the deer are likely to be feeding, not running into one while you are on foot and they’re travelling or resting (although that does happen from time to time). The goal is to get a sense of where they will be feeding during dawn and dusk and then planting yourself hidden in an area where you will be able to get a shot at one.
If you are hidden, have little scent, don’t move and a favourable wind, a deer will walk right in front of you and not know you’re there. The trick is to do your research by scouting in advance and planning on where they will walk. That involves finding good habitat, deer signs and doing your scouting to see where they are feeding in advance of your hunt.
5 سال پیش
در تاریخ 1398/01/21 منتشر شده
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