First Time Deer Hunter Here

[Stout33]

Hey guys,

This will be my first season deer hunting. I am very nervous for a lot of reasons. I will be hunting by myself seein as I have no one else to go with and I am in need of some tips/suggestions. I will be hunting public land in Frederick during firearms season; I am planning on wearing an orange bib and jacket. However, I don't have the money for a treestand so I will be hunting from the ground. Will this hurt my chances of getting a deer? Also, I am questioning going out on opening day because I am afraid either I will make a mistake and piss someone off or it will be very crowded and dangerous for a first time hunter. Any tips or advice will be greatly appreciated; thanks!

 

[wilcam47]

Public land is dangerous so wear orange the more the better!!...people may laugh at you but at least they wont shoot you...hopefully
scout an area first in the off season...wear your orange...

use scent off for your hunting clothes...
use scent killer to spray on before you go out...
Use Permamone on your hunting clothes for tick repellant...spray on clothes only the night before...its good for approximately 6 washes....
pick a good spot close to deer trails...set down and be still...if you have deer coming in close dont move untill they go behind a tree or arent looking at you...if they spot you DO NOT move...wait for a clean shot and shoot in the vitals...

 

[Stout33]

Thanks for the advice! I am going to try and stay as scent free as possible because I'll be on the ground

 

[wilcam47]

also get some cold weather boots and "hot feet" and Hot hand packets...they are life savers..during cold weather...

 

[CrabbyMcNab]

Remember, humans have been hunting for thousands of years.

Couple tips you can give or take:
Start learning the area now. The sooner you become familiar, the sooner you'll find a couple spots. Find "the spot" you want to hunt, but look for a few more. It will be inevitable that someone will booger up your plans.

Try to stay put until at least lunch time. A lot of the other people will get antsy early and when they walk around, they'll move the deer. The deer know what opening day is, it's called run for your life.

I pack my lunch in plastic wrap or ziplock baggies. No tater chip bags to make noises in the woods. I keep my backpack next to me with the zipper opened, less time I have to zip/unzip.

I like a big tree to my back, or rock outcropping, bank...wear the orange at all times.

Be calm and have fun. Don't get discouraged,things can happen in flash or it can take a few trips or years.

 

[lx1x]

been there.. done that.. i only last couple of days in public land.. lots of unsafe hunter out there. but most of it are people walking all over the place and more likely around your spot.

 

[Stout33]

Hahah yeah my biggest concern is running into other people and getting them all upset. The last thing I want to do is mess up another persons hunt and like wise. I will most likely be Hunting Cunningham Falls State Park. Thanks for all the tips Crabby, I have been getting into the woods every chance I get. Being new to the sport, ironically scouting is the toughest thing for me right now, but I hope to get better and find a trail of some sort. I am young and in good shape so my plan as of now is to hike deep into the forest and hopefully have other people push deer to me

 

[Copper]

I've found that if you find a trail that runs to a small stream, try to find a spot to set up about 25-40yds from where the trail hits the stream. Everything needs to drink, especially if your in the woods kinda deep.

 

[tosainu1]

Good hunting equipment is expensive, I understand that, but I think you are underestimating the kind of danger you are exposing yourself to...Hunting from the ground is going to hurt your chances of finding a deer, however and more importantly, ground hunting greatly increases your chances of getting shot...I would at least not go on opening day, there are plenty of deer in Md, you need to make some hunting buddies and learn how to use a climbing stand(I like Summit Goliath). If you do decide to go through with your plan, i recommend you go in super early, and stay SUPER late..good luck...

 

[bigjohn]

look on md white tail hunters. there is alot of members from that area that may be of some help to you

 

[Jim Sr]

Hey guys,

This will be my first season deer hunting. I am very nervous for a lot of reasons. I will be hunting by myself seein as I have no one else to go with and I am in need of some tips/suggestions. I will be hunting public land in Frederick during firearms season; I am planning on wearing an orange bib and jacket. However, I don't have the money for a treestand so I will be hunting from the ground. Will this hurt my chances of getting a deer? Also, I am questioning going out on opening day because I am afraid either I will make a mistake and piss someone off or it will be very crowded and dangerous for a first time hunter. Any tips or advice will be greatly appreciated; thanks!

Opening day is not a good day... (even for the veteran hunter)

Start this weekend.
No guns, just your camera.
Do what you may do while hunting. (capture the moment!)
Make your learning mistakes with the (camera - gun)
If the deer spot you, find out why, and correct it.
Enjoy

 

[wilcam47]

during the week is less busy as well...make sure you spray for ticks...you dont want to get lymes disease...trust me!

 

[Sportstud4891]

Good luck, get there early, if you're there early and you stumble on someone, it's not a big deal. I always make a ton of noise just so people know it's a human and nobody takes a brush shot. The farther you walk the less people you'll run into. Start your scouting now to be successful. Bring food, water, and something to take a piss in (32 oz gatorade bottles always worked best for me, if you fill that up in one piss there's probably something wrong). Be prepared to sit all day. A lot of guys don't stay all day and when they start walking out in the morning it'll stir up the deer. Blind hunting is more challenging than stand hunting for sure. Try to keep the inside of the blind as dark as possible and still be able to take shots. Always be ready when you're in a blind. That's part of what it means to hunt hard. Anybody can sit there all day but try sitting there all day with your gun in hand ready to shoulder. Your body will start to complain. When it's dark, use lights! Bright lights so other hunters know it's a person and have a backup or two. Good luck on opening day, it will be packed.

A lot of hunters are @$$holes. I mean big time. They think they know it all and think that they are god's gift of hunters. They can be very unfriendly if they perceive you've messed them up. Screw them. There's only one way to learn the ropes and be as respectful as you can while that's happening. Beyond that, good luck and happy hunting!

 

[tommy gunn]

I also agree some hunters can be a-holes. Make sure no one else is around you could run into some one else trying to claim your deer you shot. It's not uncommon with public lands. I would also recommend some sort of wheeled cart to get the deer out with. Dragging one thru the woods without one sucks. Also if you plan on hunting till dark I would get some tacks with reflectors on them so you can mark your trail out. It is very helpful trust me.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Congradulations and welcome to the sport.

Scout early , scout often , and scout lots of teratory. Have several different spots in mind.

I would presume that you will be going old school using natural features , and not a prepared blind. In rolling to hilly terrian hunting from the ground you cn still get decent sight line with proper position. Have somthing behind you ( tree , rock, etc) , and hopefully somthing in front of you to break up your outline ( fallen tree , brush , rocks, etc ). You will want somthing to sit on , ether foam pad , or one of the "fluffy" ones.

Once you are in a position , keep still , and keep quiet. When you do move move slow, stop every few steps and look and listen.

As far as getting a deer stratgeys can favorable or unfavorable. But I personally finds the crowds to an unpleasant experience.

And just to stir things up , a lot more people get killed/ injured falling out of trees than from being shot.

 

[CrabbyMcNab]

Thought about muzzleloader or bow?

Usually less pressure and less people in the woods. After many years, I find the challenge of black powder and the bow welcoming. Only you, the deer, and the forests.

 

[Stout33]

Thanks for all the advice! It's all very helpful. I have thought about both now and muzzload hunting but again I am rather strapped for cash. I know a guy who only bow hunts so I was thinking of asking him to borrow or rent one from him. The problem is I have never shot a now or used a muzzleloader so that would open up more problems. One more question I have; if I see another hunter do I say something to him? In the safety class they recommend say "Hello!" but do hunters really do that?

 

[lx1x]

That's for all the advice! It's all very helpful. I have thought about both now and muzzload hunting but again I am rather strapped for cash. I know a guy who only bow hunts so I was thinking of asking him to borrow or rent one from him. The problem is I have never shot a now or used a muzzleloader so that would open up more problems. One more question I have; if I see another hunter do I say something to him? In the safety class they recommend say "Hello!" but do hunters really do that?

muzzleloader.. nothing special besides how you load the firearm and the puff of smoke after the shot..

bow is a little challenging. the deer have to be closer to you. you need time and practice for that.

you got couple of months before season starts.

 

[inkd]

Have a back up place to go in case you get to the area you want to hunt and someone is already there.

Cant say enough about the premetherin. Use it.

A roll of burlap or camo netting can make a good cheap blind with some 550 cord. I like blind hunting and dicks has some decent cheap pop up blinds. For public land though where you may have to move alot, the netting/cord may be good.

I use a folding camp chain or a padded 5 gallon bucket to sit on. My bones don't take well to sitting tucked up for very long anymore.

Dont underestimate hunting later in the afternoon. I hate getting up early and have good success starting to hunt later in thte morning/early afternoon when all the other hunters are going back for lunch. You would be surprised by the amount of deer activity then.

 

[WSM]

The Frederick Water Shed was miserable hunting for me. Public lands in MD are VERY pressured and after the first few days you won't see many deer. I would suggest finding a spot that you can get into from an "out of the way" parking area and, use the guys walking into the woods from the more popular parking areas, to push deer to you. The Water Shed is pretty big and is speckled with private property without posted signs. Make sure you get a good map of the area and do some scouting.