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When does it happen?

G

gricky

New Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2019
Messages
20
Tomorrow will officially end my 3rd season of hunting whitetails. I’m 27... a lot of family members are into it but I got a late start. It’s been three years, hunted hard, learned a lot, and have definitely had opportunities. Just couldn’t close. This year I missed my target buck. Shot high and watched a nice 4.5+ 10 pointer stop and trot off.

Am I the outlier here? I hunt NY so it’s definitely high pressure, but a lot of days in the woods spent without anything to show for it. It’s tough. Just trying to harvest my first deer...
 
You'll get there. I rifle hunted for 12 years, always got a doe or two. Switched to bow, and I had to relearn everything I knew. Also, unless you are hunting private land with other folks where you need a hit list, just start killing legal deer. Dont wait for mr giant, put some meat in the freezer.

Also, I would hunt sheds heavy, you get to see what lived, where they lived, and you get great scouting. Being accurate and hidden(still) are only half the battle, focus on wind, and how scent travels up in the am and down in the pm. Learn where they
eat, drink, sleep. Plan your sets accordingly.

Good luck

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I don’t think you should be overly selective as a new hunter. That’s great you had an opportunity at a mature buck, but those opportunities don’t happen often. You need to simply kill some deer and get used to draw timing, deer shot reactions, tracking deer, etc... there will be time later to focus on mature deer only in the future, if that’s a driving force for you.




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shwacker said:
I don’t think you should be overly selective as a new hunter. That’s great you had an opportunity at a mature buck, but those opportunities don’t happen often. You need to simply kill some deer and get used to draw timing, deer shot reactions, tracking deer, etc... there will be time later to focus on mature deer only in the future, if that’s a driving force for you.


Remember: the Trophy is in the eyes of the deer-holder!

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I'll tell you like I tell everyone that asks me for tips on starting out. The number 1 way to get good at killing deer is by doing a lot of it. I'd kill every legal deer I could, even travel to other zones or places if need be. Once you get good at setting up and killing deer, then you can fine tune your abilities and worry about older deer. Stick with it though, when it happens itll all be worth it!
 
gricky said:
Tomorrow will officially end my 3rd season of hunting whitetails. I’m 27... a lot of family members are into it but I got a late start. It’s been three years, hunted hard, learned a lot, and have definitely had opportunities. Just couldn’t close. This year I missed my target buck. Shot high and watched a nice 4.5+ 10 pointer stop and trot off.

Am I the outlier here? I hunt NY so it’s definitely high pressure, but a lot of days in the woods spent without anything to show for it. It’s tough. Just trying to harvest my first deer...
Click to expand...
In any hunt situation, I try to teach newbies to be extremely proficient with their weapons above all else first. Newbies typically don't get as many opportunities, so when that one or two comes along, I want them shooting like marine snipers with any weapon and instill confidence that they will make the shot and bring it home. Everything from there is about woodsmanship and leaning the details about topography, edges, and how animals related to those. Everything else then comes from using those lessons in the woods and building your own database to draw upon. It will happen, just more slowly for some than others, depending on the quality of land you have.
 
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Totally agree with the others. Just start shooting deer. Don't get too caught up on mature deer until you have a few under your belt. If papa smurf walks by and you can smoke him then awesome but nothing wrong with killing a spike or a fat doe especially when starting out.

Biggest tip I can give is to practice from a stand or saddle in your hunting clothes in the off season. Challenge yourself to shoot even 5 arrows every other day at a 3D if you've got it. My second year hunting I missed 3 deer. I shot 500 arrows or better the next summer from a stand in the yard and it all became muscle memory from there. Smoked 4 the next year all double lung or heart. It gave me the confidence I needed. Practice makes perfect and learn from your mistakes. It'll happen.
 
Shoot what you want bud, but I would tend to agree with the other in saying break the ice with a smaller buck.That being said......You "missed" your target buck. To me that says you had 90% success because you fooled him and got within his comfort zone but just missed the shot. Believe it or not I find that more of the part of success than actually killing the animal. I also live in NY where about do you live ?
 
I've got multiple pieces of advice here. First, the time to learn how to shoot a mature animal isn't when one is standing in front of you. As others have said, don't be so picky. I shoot multiple deer a year, and I am constantly learning deer behavior. Next thing, and not alot of guys will tell you this, but off season hunting will help tremendously. I bowhunt woodchucks ALOT during the summer, one summer killed 80+. This will help you significantly with (A) learning how to get close to an animal to seal the deal & (B) how to control the physiological response your body WILL have when you are about to seal the deal.
 
gricky said:
Tomorrow will officially end my 3rd season of hunting whitetails. I’m 27... a lot of family members are into it but I got a late start. It’s been three years, hunted hard, learned a lot, and have definitely had opportunities. Just couldn’t close. This year I missed my target buck. Shot high and watched a nice 4.5+ 10 pointer stop and trot off.

Am I the outlier here? I hunt NY so it’s definitely high pressure, but a lot of days in the woods spent without anything to show for it. It’s tough. Just trying to harvest my first deer...
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Your not the outlier. I've seen it on here too often. New hunters targeting mature deer. Talk about lowering your odds for success, but if that 's what you want hunting to be for you then go forward knowing that your success rate will be much lower. As was posted already, you got a shot at your "target deer", Just because you didn't get to drag him out of the woods doesn't mean you shouldn't chalk that experience up in the win column. If you don't mind me asking, how far was your shot? My motto has always been get em in tight. That's what bow hunting is for me. If I wanted to shoot deer at long range I would have stuck with the gun. If I can get any deer within 20 yds it becomes my "target deer" for that day. As you learn to hunt your kill rate will increase. But make no mistake, if your after only mature bucks your rate will be much lower than mine.
 
I also hunt NY and have only seen a mature buck like that once in my ten years of hunting. Everyones advice on shooting does and or smaller bucks is spot on. You need to get used to killing deer with the bow and everything that comes with that. I feel like i am learning stuff every year.
 
@gricky if you can find hunting spots near/around standing ag it's fairly easy to find travel routes to/from those food sources. Especially pre-rut before the woods get crowded with other hunters. Don't sit on field edges, find the routes between food and bedding. And don't access those spots in such a way as to blow them out.
 
I agree with others that you should get some deer under your belt before becoming so picky. Confidence goes a long way in hunting and the only way to get it is to do it. Also you are hunting NY. It isn't Iowa, so mature bucks are not that plentiful.

Also hunting especially for deer you will spend alot of days in the woods with nothing to show for it. It make success seem so much better though when it does happen.
 
You’re definitely not alone. I bow hunted for probably 6 years without killing my first deer, in part because I was holding out for a big, mature buck (I’d already killed one with my rifle as a kid). Then after years of misses and futility, I spined a little 3-pointer, and the next year I smoked another little 3-pointer. After that, I’ve taken 4 trophy bucks in the last 2 years. Find a way to break the ice, and worry about wall decorations later. Good luck!
 
I agree with what others said. Hunting in the real world isn't what you see on TV (or youtube nowadays). I would definitely not be hunting target bucks right now. If you know a big one is there and he walks out, great! But I think you'll be just as happy when you manage to kill a doe or a spike that first time. I would start by setting some short term goals. For next year I would try to kill every deer you're legally allowed. The only way to get good at killing deer is by killing deer. Shooting at a living, breathing moving target is not even close to shooting foam in the backyard. You're gonna miss deer, you're gonna make bad shots on deer. It's part of the game. All you can do is practice and prepare yourself and make the best decisions you can in the moment, but you can't get good in the moment if you don't get that experience. I've been allowed to carry a weapon for 26 years now. I've shot over 75 deer and I still get nervous, I still rush shots and I still blow it. But I get less nervous, less rushed and blow it less times than I used to.
 
I agree with everyone else so far. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been hunting consistently since about 2008 and it took me until 2016 to actually get my first deer. I really had no mentors to show me the ropes. Majority of it was also that I simply wasn’t hunting in the right places at the right times too.

People make it look easy but whitetail hunting in general is hard IMO. Then bow hunting white tails is even harder.

I encourage you to check out good quality hunting media out there if you haven’t already. Hit YouTube hard and really watch and listen to what the guys say. Check out guys like Dan Infalt, Jeff Sturgis, Deer and Deer hunting, the hunting public, and others. Take the tactics to heart. Then go out and just walk the woods and find the stuff they’re showing you and teach yourself what to look for, what it looks like, when and where to look for X sign, etc. apply what they say to your area and situation. Not all of it will be applicable to where you hunt.

This is basically what I’ve been working on for a couple years now and this year has been a MAJOR turning point for me. For the first time this year I’ve had more encounters with bucks than I ever have in the last 10+ years combined. I’ve seen more sign, been able to put puzzle pieces together and tell a story of what I’m seeing and why when ordinarily I would have walked right by and never would have noticed before.

This is also the first year I got my first buck and was also my first ever bow kill. He was no giant by any means but for me he was a respectable deer. Just before this I had a ground encounter with an absolute giant at about 8 yards. He walked up on me and I wasn’t ready for it what so ever. I bet he was easily pushing 160+. Before this I had no idea we had deer of this caliber in my area.

Anyway, all of this happened for me this year because I made myself become a serious student of the white tail and it has been incredible. And I know it’s only going to get better from here. I can’t tell you how rewarding it feels to make a quantum leap forward in the skill like this.

I say take apart the skills you know you have now and examine everything. You might discover what’s happening that’s preventing you from sealing the deal. Just hang in there and keep pushing forward and you’ll make it happen.


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Going to add something some may disagree with with...stay away from YouTube videos like Midwest Whitetail, anything owned or sponsored by Realtree or Mossy Oak, anything with Michael Waddell, Lee and Tiffany, Buckmasters, or Buck Commanders, etc. All these type shows happen on unrealistic properties that you likely do not or will not have and you will only learn bad habits and tactics. It has already been said. Focus on guys like The Hunting Public, Jeff Sturgis, Dr. Grant Woods, Ranch Fairy, @catman529 and others on here, and Dan Infault and @John Eberhart (although I think some of their stuff should be reserved for more experienced hunters who understand when, where, and how the tactics work).
 
Part of hunting like others have said is not what you see on TV or YouTube.

Hunting is 99% waiting, scouting, prepping etc. It is that 1% of time when you get up close to animal that make it all worth it. All you can do is give yourself a chance by doing the little things right. Such as scouting, stand placement, scent control, camouflage etc. All these things add up to giving you a chance. I told my son that years ago. I was told by my father that a lot of hunters go a life time without harvesting a deer. Now this was when deer #’s were still down and deer populations were making a come back.

Good luck.


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It will happen, keep at it and don’t be too picky. I admire people who let them go and let them grow, but you’ve gotta start somewhere. I think once you get the first whitetail or musky, etc... they start rolling in. Keep on keepin on and keep a positive mind set. Oh and don’t be afraid to step outside the box!! Too many people get caught up in the same tactics and techniques.
 
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