Your first unsupervised deer hunts - lessons learned?

[Uncle Duke]

I got 1 supervised hunt. it went like this, sit here, shut the f up, see that? that is a deer, shoot it, bang, how the hell did you miss that? ok, tomorrow your by yourself , don't shoot the goats, pigs, cows, horse or any other thing you aint supposed to shoot.

then I was officially a deer hunter, lol.

Now I don't care who you are, that's some funny shit right there!

 

[cww]

On my 1st supervised hunts I was w/ 2 coworkers. They put me in between them far enough that we couldn't see each other. They always saw deer skirting around them and I saw nothing.

lesson1 : do not sit in between people who don't care about scent or the winds.

After I figured that out I went off on my own spot. Got up the tree and damned if I didn't have to drop a deuce. Came down and barely made it 10 feet from the tree. No TP! Ended up having to use my hat/facemask. 4 point came in to work the scrape I was targeting and immediately got a nose full.

lesson 2 : have some TP/Kleenex/napkins on hand at all times & don't shi! down wind of where you think they are coming from.

first solo hunt was on private property that was kind of crowded during firearms. Had to call the night before to pick spots for safety. Well it was a full moon and an hour+ before sun up so I figured why use the flashlight and potentially spook anything. I see there is a guy with his flashlight in an island in the middle of the field. So I pull out my light and flash to him a few times so he knows I'm there and where I'm heading. He flashes back/looks in my direction - or so I thought. Next thing is the rapport of a rifle and the sound of a bullet going by me within a few yards. WTF. Light went on my head the rest of the way. No way I was approaching him in the dark. He bugged out an hour after light and never sat still. I shot my first deer 30 minutes later.

lesson 3 : do not walk around in the dark or rely on moonlight as there is a potential idiot out there that is willing to skirt the rules and shoot at a shadow

gutting and dragging: buy a jet sled or cart - soooo much easier. Buy a butt-out-tool - works great on all but the smallest of deer (fawns & sika)

gear - have extras on hand of anything considered essential.

 

[Uncle Duke]

You also learn, after a few times of descending said tree like a scalded cat, to keep TP in your pants or coat pocket.

Yes, this will most assuredly prove to be a good idea. Much better than keeping it in the pack that you're now looking at, hanging there pretty as can be on that hook some 20 feet up in your tree stand.

 

[cww]

You also learn, after a few times of descending said tree like a scalded cat, to keep TP in your pants or coat pocket.

Yes, this will most assuredly prove to be a good idea. Much better than keeping it in the pack that you're now looking at, hanging there pretty as can be on that hook some 20 feet up in your tree stand.

yup, always got something in my pocket now.

 

[outrider58]

You also learn, after a few times of descending said tree like a scalded cat, to keep TP in your pants or coat pocket.

Yes, this will most assuredly prove to be a good idea. Much better than keeping it in the pack that you're now looking at, hanging there pretty as can be on that hook some 20 feet up in your tree stand.

Yes. Boolitz and shnit paper always go in the pockets.

 

[Doco Overboard]

Never go for squirrel when you should be deer hunting when that's the reason your there in the first place.