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deer hunting

Footprints Tell Stories

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It’s more than just tracking down the deer whenever the hunter finds a set of prints on the ground, and though the answer is pretty much an open debate for most experienced hunters, it could tell a thing or two about the targeted buck.

For some, footprints bring about the awareness of the animal being nearby, or trailing them in the right direction. Of course this is merely factual information that footprints are like arrows pointing the way. Deer are habitual creatures that have similar needs and travel in nearly similar routes. One thing to watch out for is a possible high volume of deer traffic in a particular funnel. There are times that more than one set of footprints may be found, in varying sizes and shapes of the hoof, or toes by most hunters.

As for shape, they do tell an interesting fact about the buck. Of course the deep the impression on the footprint can be the older bucks as well as the toes being a little rounder at the tip. This tells a story about a mature buck with heavy antlers, possibly having to survive three ruts in its lifetime. It would be hard to contain the excitement, but there’s more to it at times.

Larger doe can also exhibit a similar set of tracks, and possibly even a deeper impression once they’ve stepped on that part of the ground. There are times when some young bucks about a year old may seem small compared to older doe. So depending on the permit to also hunt down antler less deer, they can be left alone or be used to an advantage, especially during a rut.

A more populated set of footprints can tell a great deal about their habitat. When a hunter looks around and finds the things a deer needs to survive, like a river nearby, ample grass and vegetation as well as rubbings on a tree and how deep the mark is. It’s clear that a buck may return here and the best place to set up a good firing position.

The best tactic when it comes to knowing about a deer’s tracks and determining if the area is a good spot is to leave things undisturbed. Any animal may be unnerved to find a set of human footprints and just scamper away. Preparation on the hunter’s part is also the key as he showers with a scentless soap and has some tools to aid in luring the animal, it won’t be long before claiming this part of the forest as your personal and rich hunting ground.

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Virtual Deer Hunting

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There are times when a hunter’s need to stay ahead of the game and practicing rifling or bow skills on a wooden animal may not be enough. Here are some arcade games for next generation consoles to keep those skills sharp and have fun in the process.

And wearing a camouflage suit isn’t required.

Big Buck Hunter is one of the arcade titles that can be found in the nearest arcade or mall and developed by Play Mechanix, Inc. The player can choose up to four zones in North America, which the sequel also includes Canada, and start hunting. Certain game objectives like shooting as many bucks as possible without including the doe. Bonuses are awarded for accuracy and certain double and triple kills for bucks. It may sound straightforward, but it’s all about the fun factor and can be played for a couple minutes with a handful of quarters.

And if going to the mall is too much of a chore, then a gaming console is just as good nowadays with next generation consoles. Some titles for the PC and PlayStation 2 offers a better experience thanks to their unique control system and it’s better than the days of Duck Hunt (remember that?).

Deer Hunt Challenge series has been around for nearly 10 years and created for the PC, and if you’re lucky enough to get it off eBay, you’ll enjoy the feel of being a hunter by using a mouse. Options like tournament mode and traditional hunting can be done with this game. And if the need to hold something that’s similar to a gun, you may want to bring out the old PlayStation 2 and find Cabela’s Deer Hunt 2005. It offers a smarter deer and hunting game and a wide variety of games. There are still ‘light guns’ on the market that will allow any hunter to connect to the PlayStation 2 or PC in a real hunting fashion.

So technology has given the hunter another chance to satisfy the need for the hunt, after all, it might be just as exciting as the real thing. Regardless, the developers, who are big deer hunters as well, really appreciate creating the games to the closest possible thing, and purchasing a permit isn’t required.

With the Big Buck Hunter series, Deer Hunt Challenge and Cabela’s Deer Hunt 2005, it’s deer hunting season all year round.

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Invisible Hunter

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When choosing the proper attire, it’s nothing like foxhunting in that fashion along with the coat tails and all that bright-colored junk. Today’s deer hunter may go as far as looking almost invisible to the deer’s eyes. Back in the day, hunters would rely on thick bushes or hide behind trees with a good clearing to tag the buck. It can be an arduous task to begin with as it involves having to survey the surroundings before finding the right spot, only to realize that the hunter has left his scent to drive the buck away.

Some companies have taken great lengths to developing the best hunting gear that allows hunters to blend in naturally with their surroundings. Nothing close to being invisible like James Bond’s car, but at least it creates an optical illusion to deceive a buck’s vision before being tagged. Though it may cost a pretty penny, it would be the best investment to have the best outer protection and camouflaging to date.

One of the best-known camouflage outfits is the one made by Gore-Tex. Its parka has been designed to naturally blend with the surroundings without the need to actually be behind shrubbery or trees. You can practically be in front of the tree as you take aim and fire. It’s breathable, with small pockets to insulate the body heat while allowing moisture molecules to escape. It’s been a favored outfit for hunters all over for a couple years.

One of the most important parts of camouflaging with just your usual hunting clothes is to make sure that they’re comfortable enough. Practicality is good for hunters on a budget and it doesn’t need to make some sort of fashion statement. It’s hard to hunt in a rainy or snowy climate where the hunter would compromise his health before he actually finishes. So it’s more than just wearing a camouflage shirt lying around the, but it’s more the matter of functionality as the clothes would allow the hunter to blend in as naturally as possible.

And as always, any outfit will still smell of humans. It’s good to carry a bottle of scent remover before entering into the woods.

Whether for those who can afford a good camouflage outfit or have to settle with the ones in the closet, it’s important to know what sort of outfit is needed in order to keep the hunter safe, warm and nearly invisible to the buck’s eye.

deer hunting

Footprints Tell Stories

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It’s more than just tracking down the deer whenever the hunter finds a set of prints on the ground, and though the answer is pretty much an open debate for most experienced hunters, it could tell a thing or two about the targeted buck.

For some, footprints bring about the awareness of the animal being nearby, or trailing them in the right direction. Of course this is merely factual information that footprints are like arrows pointing the way. Deer are habitual creatures that have similar needs and travel in nearly similar routes. One thing to watch out for is a possible high volume of deer traffic in a particular funnel. There are times that more than one set of footprints may be found, in varying sizes and shapes of the hoof, or toes by most hunters.

As for shape, they do tell an interesting fact about the buck. Of course the deep the impression on the footprint can be the older bucks as well as the toes being a little rounder at the tip. This tells a story about a mature buck with heavy antlers, possibly having to survive three ruts in its lifetime. It would be hard to contain the excitement, but there’s more to it at times.

Larger doe can also exhibit a similar set of tracks, and possibly even a deeper impression once they’ve stepped on that part of the ground. There are times when some young bucks about a year old may seem small compared to older doe. So depending on the permit to also hunt down antler less deer, they can be left alone or be used to an advantage, especially during a rut.

A more populated set of footprints can tell a great deal about their habitat. When a hunter looks around and finds the things a deer needs to survive, like a river nearby, ample grass and vegetation as well as rubbings on a tree and how deep the mark is. It’s clear that a buck may return here and the best place to set up a good firing position.

The best tactic when it comes to knowing about a deer’s tracks and determining if the area is a good spot is to leave things undisturbed. Any animal may be unnerved to find a set of human footprints and just scamper away. Preparation on the hunter’s part is also the key as he showers with a scentless soap and has some tools to aid in luring the animal, it won’t be long before claiming this part of the forest as your personal and rich hunting ground.

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Deer Hunting: Texas Style

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If you go to Texas, you will find out that there are a large number of deer hunter fanatics out there, who just love to hunt deer. It is a very routine kind of a thing there. Also, do you know that Texas is the second largest place in the nation to comprise of deer hunters? In Texas, there are a large number of deer available and all of different sizes and breeds. Even though, deer are in large numbers, many are discontented as they are allowed to hunt only a small number of deer.

But, to increase the popularity of deer hunting among out of the state people, hunting on land owned by private owners is permitted. A price is quoted for those who want to hunt on a private land by the owners themselves.

But, in order to do so, a license is needed for the land owner too to give access to others to hunt in their land

Also, to Texas residents, if they want to hunt in some wildlife parks or some national parks, though it is permitted, a license is required for hunting. You are bound to go behind the bars if you are not having a license. As Texas is such a large state, laws are strictly put into effect and also are quite stringent.

People who are interested in hunting can walk their dream in many ways. Often, they accompany their friends along to the hunting place and have a ball out there. Also, there are guides available for new people to Texas. If you are lucky enough, you can come back home with a deer trophy in your hand. But, not anybody can participate in hunting. It is quite necessary to pass a safety hunting course, which is put into effect by the authorities, if you want to participate in the competitions.

There is another way also to enter this adventurous competition. It is a lottery system implemented to bring more and more people into deer hunting, which are mostly applicable for a span of ten days. So, if your fate is walking with you, you can be chosen for the competition. During the season of the competition, many people come to see it. The whole competition area is flooded with audiences desperate to catch a glimpse. Texas Department of Wildlife says that more than 1.3 million is produced at the time of the season and that too in a year. It is advisable that you plan and book your hotel as soon as possible, if you are planning to go to Texas for a deer hunting journey. It is likely that no hotels will be available, if the schedule is delayed.

The money generated from the competition goes into conservation of the wildlife. Thus, it will be indeed a great experience to see the deer hunting programs in Texas.

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Successful Deer Hunting: Tracking Down Your Prey

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When hunting, there are two kinds of hunters: One, a hunter that waits; and two, the hunter that tracks. The difference of two is the complexity of their hunting techniques though both aim for the same thing; bagging their prized bucks.

Tracking down your prey involves a more detailed approach in deer hunting. It involves knowing the specific differences between a buck and a doe, their patterns and behaviors. Unlike hunters who track their prey, hunters who prefer to wait for the buck on top of a tree or in a well-concealed shrub, they utilize deer calls or rattles to lure their prey into range. While the tracker will go to the prey, no matter where it goes; this proves to be more challenging than the latter.

Knowing the habits of bucks and does

Before you track your prey, you need to know the difference between the two. Since bucks are the normal target during hunting, does can only be a target when you have a special license for it, or during a specific season.

Tracking involves being aware of what’s on the ground rather than what’s in front of you. You first need to find a decent trail to determine if the deer is a buck or a doe. Buck trails have a much wider stance than that of a doe, and he has a swaggering gait that no doe can imitate.

The buck also has a tendency to drag his feet and leave a very good impression of his trail. The female deer, or does, on the other hand tend to pick up their feet, thus leaving a more ordered trail. Hunting a buck in the snow is much easier than hunting them in summer. Since snow leaves a very discernable trail, you can easily distinguish a buck from a doe.

If a buck and a doe are traveling together, one perfect place to determine the sexes of the trail is on a low lying tree. A doe tends duck under low branches and continues on its desired trail, while a buck needs to walk around the tree since his antlers might get tangled in the branch.

Urine trails can also help you in discerning your prey. Bucks tends to urinate while they walk, while does squat. When you see 3-feet long urine trail in the snow, then it is a buck you are trailing.

Preparation before tracking your prey

Before tracking down you prey, you need to first pay attention to your smell. As part of their defense mechanism, bucks tend to have a keener sense of smell and can detect you from a distance. Your smell can alert the buck of your presence and you might end up chasing it.

If you have a natural stink that can’t be removed by any non-smelling solvent, then you better pay attention to the direction of the wind. Make sure that you are on the downwind side so that your smell won’t reach your prey. Knowing the direction of wind will allow you to position yourself so the buck will be unsuspecting of your presence.

Make sure that your clothes aren’t washed with fragrant solutions like perfumes, colognes or branded detergents since the buck will instantly pick up these scents thus alerting him of your presence. You can purchase solutions that are perfect for deer hunters that can eliminate the smell from their clothes. These are quite expensive but a very useful tool if you plan on tracking.

Knowing the difference between a buck and a doe, as well as paying attention to the wind pattern and smell is a very complicated way in bagging your prey; the complexity level of tracking is definitely high but this is how experts do it.

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Hunting Strategies and Myths

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While experienced hunters will offer lots of information and know-how for those who wish to start deer hunting, there are varied and a million of them. It’s hard to tell whether the tactic is classified as proven, but given time and patience the beginner hunter will learn the necessary skills as well as a few tricks of their own.

To start of, deer can be cautions creatures, and there’s nothing more frightening for them than the smell of humans. Though it may sound like deer are a different alien life form that hate humans, it can’t be helped. But just because they can be smart creatures doesn’t mean they can’t be fooled.

The rut is the best time for any hunter to collect all the necessary equipment to attract or arouse the trophy buck he wishes to mount on his wall. Given the number of bucks available in a particular State, playing with their natural instinct can fool them to the closest trap. Grunt calls for a doe can stir them into a breeding frenzy, thus getting them close enough for a clean kill and applying some synthetic buck or doe urine will make it even more effective. Though decoying can be risky at times, it’s suggested that having a dummy buck in place for the real bucks to search would deviate them from the hunter. Being gouged isn’t a pleasant thing.

As for preparation, they will likely think that showering with mild fruity scented soap would allow blending with the woods. This is entirely wrong. Animals have a keen sense of smell that may detect chemicals that aren’t natural to them. It would be best to use some scent free soap like Neutrogena, though it doesn’t eliminate the smell, the hunter won’t give his position either due to the fragrance.

Perfumes, colognes and deodorants are an absolute no-no. Some scent eliminators work pretty well to hide that human smell most deer would run away from. It may cost a bit more for the top brands, but the payoff is more than enough for the money well spent.

There are thousands more stories, tips and even legends to go through but it would be too much. If the hunter happens to live in a hunting State, joining a local hunting club will give them the necessary tips to ensure a successful hunting drive and the next trophy buck.

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Wood Fever

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There comes a time when a hunter might get carried away once he’s in the midst of the hunt. Lacking any sense of self-control, the hunter might find himself in a situation that is more than he’s bargained for.

Any self and nature respecting hunter might lose his head in the thrill of excitement, but that’s no excuse and may cause accidents that could injure himself, as well as others.

In many stories about hunters and their exploits in the forest, a lot have admitted about the fever involved, and have provided some tips in order to combat this phase of frenzy.

Preparation is the key part for any hunter that requires bringing the bare essentials. Although it’s mostly equipment, the hunter must have the mental fortitude to not lose their heads in thinking about tagging their prize. There’s no shame in the thrill of the hunt, but to act irrationally while shooting a deer in a brutal manner is a violation that has been established in the noble sport of hunting.

Avoid the coffee, and if the hunter does feel tired, it’s best to take an entire day resting in a lodge in order to be prepared mentally as well as physically. A ready state of mind will invoke tactics that may have been in the books, but time-tested and proven to be successful. Who knows, a tactic revealed may be born in this day.

Alcohol and drugs is strictly prohibited as well as lighting up fires in wooded areas. In the past, smoking a deer out of its bedding area may have been an effective way, but not anymore considering the dangers of fires.

And if a hunter must act now, then he must do it. A split second decision may very well mean getting a clean kill from injuring the animal. Indecisiveness in the hunter’s part would only allow the animal to suffer more because he’s having second thoughts.

Considering the kinds of problems that people face on a daily basis, hunting is a sport and a state of mind that acts upon the basic instinct of people: the desire to kill something other than a human. Of course it may be inhumane to think that it’s all about fun and games for the immature, but to know and understand that these skills have been around since the dawn of time, hunting is to help you become aware of the way we think about things, and not just the pleasure.

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Deer Hunting: Whitetail Deer

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Are you too worried about how to get whitetail deer into your trap like everyone else? If yes, then you have a reason to be relieved of your worries, because you are going to be equipped with some amazing tips, which will help you to be successful in hunting whitetail deer. It may be really irritating and frustrating; when you see the deer escape from you in a jiffy, whereas you cannot do anything about it. Is that not true? Another fact is that the escape of the deer in front of your eyes is the most sudden disappearing acts in the natural world till now.

Have you ever given a little thought as to how to tackle this problem or what is the factor that is causing the problem? If given a thought, then you will find that the answer is your odor or smell.

You will be surprised to know that the slightest odor of you can make the deer alert. The reason behind this is that the deer are actually gifted with the senses which help them to identify or recognize the human odor. They can not only identify the smell but also the noises of the slightest movements. So, while on the verge of hunting a deer, one should move forward without making an inch of noise. Else, you are bound to play hide and seek with the deer, thus making it very difficult to capture it.

If you are hunting with any kind of weapon, then smell reduction is always wanted and quite longing. But, if you are hunting with any kind of hand gun or bow, then smell reduction is of supreme importance. Also, you would like to go closer and closer to the deer, when you are equipped with such weapons. But then, it is important to keep yourself from smell. Now the question is how is it possible? What you can do is that you can buy some very good smell reduction products available in market and apply those on your body before going to fight the battle. But, if proper planning is done systematically with the product, you can get the better of the dilemma. Also, you should be self confident about yourself as it is very important.

Wind factor is another essential factor in combating the problem. The region where you are expecting the deer should be upwind from your location. The best way is to make the animal get placed in such a way that it is upwind or crosswind from our location. Try having many stand locations, so that wind direction would not be a matter of concern. You will always be in a downwind position to attack the deer. Also, be calm, patient and wait for the most favorable wind to come across your way. Then, only take the plunge.

Thus, if you plan in a constructive way, there is no reason why you could not struck a boat out of the blue.

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A Phony Deer

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Just like duck hunters who use lifelike decoys to lure ducks to a secluded pond, deer can also be attracted in that fashion. Be it the visual type or by taking advantage of the deer’s sense of smell, there are a few tricks to lure the deer that will soon be mounted on the hunter’s wall.

Decoying can be a dangerous tactic if you don’t follow some safety precautions. Even if deer scamper away by the scent of humans, an aggressive buck is something to look forward to, especially if it starts charging in the hunter’s general direction.

There are a few products in the recreational market to emulate certain smells and resemblances of a deer intruding on another’s territory. As hunters know deer are territorial in nature and a standoff with another buck would be a sight worth seeing, as long as it’s not aimed at the hunter himself.

Realistic decoys can be time consuming, depending on your artistic level. Unless decoy deer are sold at Wal-Mart then it would be easy, but for now it’s all about toying with a deer’s sense to protect its territory.

Once you’ve created a life-sized buck in the garage, it’s time to eliminate the scent. A decoy deer that smells of paint is something that any creature would be wary about, so it’s best to sit the decoy out to air dry before letting it ‘loose’ in another buck’s territory. Spraying some scent removers all over the deer is the perfect way to mask any human smells. The trick here isn’t just to lure, but to trigger the buck’s aggressive nature as it begins trailing the intruder. The effect can also be achieved by scraping the tree in a similar fashion and spraying it with some synthetic deer urine. That way, it will cause the buck to go crazy and once it’s sighted, just get ready to see what Animal Planet would have shown when it comes to deer. Just let the buck vent out a little on the poor, defenseless fake buck before shooting.

Though there are a few stories of failed decoy attempts that may have caused some injury to a hunter, this tactic is an effective way to bring that aggressive buck that will soon be mounted on the wall. Safety precautions and a good, clear position to shoot is also important for the hunter as it may very well mean his life if an angry buck spots him.