The need to address the factors to consider as a beginner in deer hunting is now more pronounced, as this is the season to invade the woods with rifles and bring home sizable meats. Now may be the right time for you to try out hunting.
Deer hunting is more than bragging about your kill. Okay, maybe that’s its culmination, but there are a lot of stages involved to reach this stage. Hunting deer or any animal is about the meat, the tracking, the scouting & the marksmanship.
These are all greatly beneficial skills to the average prepper or survivalist, as they will come in handy in several scenarios. You can throw in butchering & preserving too if the after-kill phase is included too.
As you will learn now, finding a spot in the wild and waiting quietly yet alert takes a lot of practice. Continue reading.
Important Factors to Consider As a Beginner in Deer Hunting
Hunting Land
A big challenge faced by most beginners is the land to hunt in. More often, many take permission from others so they can hunt in their lands, and while this is very popular, I’d suggest that you just go for public lands instead. They belong to you — literally & figuratively. You can do all hunting on these lands, as long as you operate within the ambits of the law. Asides from the fact that you don’t have to seek constant permission to hunt, using the land continuously will get you familiar with it, thus helping to mature into a pro ASAP.
Rifle
Your firearm is crucial to a successful hunting trip. Not everyone can become ninja assassins and get within 2 yards of a deer without getting detected. In fact, I wish you luck getting within 10. With a good rifle, though, the distance doesn’t have to be beaten.
I suggest buying a Savage hunting rifle with a scope. I currently use the Savage 30-06, which cost $200 and worth its price. In nearly every case, this firearm puts the animal down.
Try to hit the heart & lungs whenever you pull the trigger.
Shooting
As you know, your rifle does not shoot itself. So, having one is not enough. You have to be pulling the trigger with the assurance and ability to hit and get the game handicapped.
Shooting takes time and practice. You can undergo shooting lessons and practice more in public lands as well. There are several places to test the accuracy of your skill.
Just one hour at a shooting range is enough to figure out how fast and exact you can be.
Scouting & Tracking
Scouting is a vital part of deer hunting. It is what you do to find a deer to shoot at. To scout, you have to canvass the woods to figure out important locations and routines of the animals. You should know where they drink and sleep and the times they go about.
When trailing a game, you have to take note of prints, fur, scrapes, scat, and scratches on tree trunks around you. Read more on deer to know their patterns and features, so you know the exact place to look.
Concluding The Factors to Consider As a Beginner in Deer Hunting
As you can see, the factors to consider as a beginner in deer hunting are far from difficult. They take very less of you. You can now understand why so many people are getting into it year in, year out. Deer hunting is easy, but there’s no denying that you’ll take time to be great at it.