Successful Deer Hunting 101

The deer defends itself by using their sense of smell, hearing and their eyesight, to a lesser extent. Deer are naturally accustomed to hearing two kinds of sounds: natural and unnatural. The natural sounds are those of birds, the wind blowing through the trees, squirrels chattering or the grunts of a buck. The sounds that alert them to danger are a cough, leaves crunching or the clank of metal brushing or banging against something.

If the season has arrived, then understanding the rules of engagement is imperative to successfully hunting your game. Mimicking that will attract deer, such as a fawn in distress, a fawn bleat, doe or buck grunt, are great ways of getting their attention and drawing them to your location. Additionally, making a rattling noise mimics the sound of two bucks locked in combat. Be sure to rattle with a bit of enthusiasm, and a few grunts will help to make it sound authentic.

The sense of smell of a whitetail deer is far superior to that of the hunter. They have the ability to smell where you've walked. This means you have to control your natural body odor by "playing the wind." Your location won't be compromised if the wind is blowing your scent towards an unproductive area. Other precautions should include washing hunting clothes and apparel in non-scented laundry detergent, and allowing them to dry outside. Having engaged in deer hunting on several occasions, you should well know that the scent of your hair and body will be the biggest give-away. You should take care to wash with an earth scented or non-scented application.

It's commonly thought that deer have a poor sense of sight. While it's not their sharpest sense, many hunters give away their positions by allowing themselves to be seen. If you can fool their sense of sight, smell and hearing, then you're well on you way to becoming a successful deer hunter. The key is to remain unseen and keep whatever you need within easy reach when hunting game.

When you're moving within range of your prey, this means you've arrived at your destination undetected by the deer. Hunting is an art. Your close proximity means you've positioned yourself away from the wind and you've been quiet enough to approach without startling your prey. You may have even attracted the deer by using realistic grunts and calls. There may a moment in which the deer looks up and now the animal's fate is in your hands. Most importantly, deer hunting should be conducted with a degree of reverence for nature and its bounty.

Mark Gittelman is a big fan of hunting and fishing. Mark is also an ASE Certified Technician With more than 24 years experience in the car and truck repair business. For free automotive information and stories visit his car questions Website. Or if you would like to learn how to fix your own car or truck visit his
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