First real hunt
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October 15, 2009 03:32 PM
[#1]
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cleetus
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So this year I am doing my first real Deer hunt. Been going out to a friend's family's ranch out in East TX(around 3000 acres), watched the guys bring in a couple deer each year. I always just stayed back, slept in, drank a lot, and went shooting after rabbits. Sat with some of the guys in the fields last year, took along an AR just in case.
This year I went ahead and got the hunter's ed, been reading up on info and advice all over the internet, esp as business has been slow(as a tech it gets slower with the better prepared I keep everything). Got to practice a little more with my friend's very accurate .270(been shooting since before I could crawl, just don't have a larger caliber rifle, pretty much just a bunch of handguns and .22's, and with a wedding coming up this spring, I will be shot for spending on a new rifle), but otherwise I think I am pretty much prepared for some fun hunting. Pulled off some arials off Google maps, and think I have found what should be a great field surrounded by woods that no one has hunted, also extremely close to a natural spring.
Mostly hoping for a deer, but a hog will do. Any extra side tips I might not have seen will be appreciated, but esp with this site I have learned quite a bit reading up on aging the deer and shot placement. We don't have any good reliable stands so it will most likely be getting to a good spot early, or maybe some quiet hiking.
Also, last year we saw far fewer deer then ever out there, but also had more cattle out there then ever before. Will the cattle keep the deer away?
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RE: First real hunt
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October 15, 2009 05:43 PM
[#2]
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wohalliburton
Points:
Y (43)
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M (8)
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The short answer to your question about cattle keeping deer away is that sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. Really it depends on the deer. I've seen bucks get very leery of any kind of 'bovine' presence, others tread carefully but don't really pay them any attention after a little bit.
As far as tips go, if you are walking or still hunting a couple of things to keep in mind (and I apologize ahead of time if you already know what I'm talking about). First, be extremely careful about your boots because they can easily leave a scent trail and deer will not cross it. We're very careful about ours and will not wear them in the camphouse or even around the camp - we wear other shoes in camp. In fact, the first thing we do when we're around a place that has cattle, before venturing very far from camp, is find a not-firm cow patty and step in it enough to cover the bottom of our boots.
Also, depending on where you're hunting in ETX, this time of year might not be the best for sitting along a field, unless maybe you're over a food plot. You can always sit in a tree the first hunt to see what comes out, but again more than likely you'll have to be elevated to see the whole field. Acorns of all sorts will be dropping in most parts of ETX, and with (what I assume to be) a great acorn crop deer will be mainly feeding by the oak stands. And, if you've got a lot of them they may be in one stand one day and another the next. You'll need to look for fresh sign to have any idea.
If you don't have any stands I would encourage you to find a tree to (safely) climb up in to, or get elevated enough on a banl so you can see a big bottom if its open enough. Most of the places I've hunted in ETX have a fair amount of hunting pressure so the deer will be skittish, especially after the first weekend. Until you've had a little more experience I'd try to stay still at first. But, if you want to walk I'd caution you to do it very slowly and be camo'd up, especially with the hands and face. If you find a trail with fresh sign try to get a place where you can clearly see the trail at least 40-50 yards away, then sit down (or quietly climb a tree) and wait.
One other thing - the rut can be in full swing first weekend of the season in some parts of ETX so keep your eyes pealed. You never know what will come out!
Hope you get a dandy...either way, tell us how you did.
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