How To Track and Kill a Trophy Deer

How To Track and Kill a Trophey Deer

Step 1

The first step to tracking and killing a trophy deer, is one of the most essential steps to deer hunting. Step 1 is scouting the deer. This is one of the most important parts of hunting because knowing deer are there makes for a better hunt, and usually a better kill. The first step to scouting is to put on your hunter orange. You always want to wear hunter orange when in the woods. When you are scouting, there are several signs to look for to see if there are any deer in the area. These signs are:
  • Tree Scrapes
  • Ground Scrapes
  • Deer Droppings
  • Deer Beds
  • Deer Trails
    Once you have found one or more of these signs, you are in good shape to hunt in that area. Now it is time to decide where you want to hunt. If you find one sign, you want to find a spot that is about fifty yards from the sign that has a nice clear shot to the target. If there are no clear shots, clear a shooting lane for any area that you might have a shot. If you find more than one sign, choose the one that looks the best to you and sit about fifty yards from the sign and clear a spot. If signs are close together, find a spot where both signs are visible and you have a shot at the deer. Once you have found signs, picked a spot to sit, and cleared the shooting lanes, you have completed step one.

    Step 2

    The second step of deer hunting is packing. When preparing to go hunting, hunters need to make sure they have enough ammunition, their gun is clean and well oiled, and they have other supplies they might need. The two most important objects to take hunting are obviously a weapon and ammunition for the weapon of choice. Depending on the time of the season, one might use a bow or a gun. Weapon of use depends on time of season and hunters choice. Most hunters hunt during gun season more often than bow season, and most hunters use rifles rather than other guns. Other things that hunters usually use are cover scents. Many hunters use cover scent detergent to wash their clothes in, cover scent shampoo and soap, cover scent deoderant, and cover scent spray. Since deer smell things better than humans, humans need to cover their own scent to be sure not to scare away the deer. One big thing in hunting is the camo. One of the most used camoflauge patterns is Mossy Oak Break-Up camo.
  • Mossy Oak Break-Up
    Hunters usually carry more things into the woods than just a gun, ammunition, and themselves. One thing used on the way into the woods and that may be used to help track wounded deer after dark, is a flashlight. It is always good to have one for emergencie purposes, and it is smart to make sure the batteries are good each time before you head into the woods. Hunters usually also carry binoculars so they can see farther distances better. Binoculars help spot deer farther away so which helps not to spook the deer off. To attract deer, hunters use urines and deer calls. The two most used scents are fox urine and doe urine. There are many different deer calls that can be used, but the most used is the deer grunt. Deer hunters also can use old deer antlers by banging them together to lure other deer in. Deer think two bucks are fighting and they want to go check things out. If you are going to sit in a treestand, you will need to prepare your treestand and some rope to pull the gun up to the stand. Once you have accessories ready, you need to think about how long you are going to hunt. If you are going to hunt all day, it is a good thing to pack a lunch so you will not have to come out of the woods. Once you have everything you are going to need for hunting, then you are ready to set out for the woods.

    Step 3

    This step is the hardest because a lot of patience is involved, and because there are some hard things involved. Although it may be the hardest step, the third step is obviously the best step because it is when you get to do what you've been preparing to do: you get to HUNT! All your planning and preparing has finally paid off and you get to sit in the woods and wait for a deer to come up. Now is when you wake up and get into the woods before the sun comes up. You wake up, shower, and get dressed and head out. You get to the hunting site before dark and use your flashlight to get to the spot you picked to hunt. You sit there and wait for the sun to come up and the deer to start moving about. You want to get to your spot, sit down, spray your urine somewhere, and be as still as possible. Once the sun comes up, you can use your call or antlers every now and then. But you do not want to use them too often or you will likely scare the deer off. When you see a deer, you sit there and wait until they are not looking at you and you gradually raise your gun, or bow depending on time of year or choice of weapon, making sure not to be seen by the deer or make a noise to scare them off. Once you get your gun up and ready, you wait for the deer to walk in a lane where you have a shot. When you have a shot, you want to to make sure it is a killable deer. Some days are either sex, buck or doe, and some days are both, but most days are antlered buck only. There are several types of deer:
  • Buck
  • Doe
  • Spike
  • Fawn
    It is agaisnt the law to kill a fawn at ANY time. So once you see that it is a killable deer, you want to aim just behind the front leg. When you are ready to take the shot, you want to slightly press the trigger rather than squeezing the trigger so that you do not yank the shot off target. Once you take the shot, wait to see what the deer does. Many times the deer falls dead instantly, but usually they run off a little ways. If the deer runs off, do not chase after it immediately. If you do, and the deer is not dead yet, it may hear you and get up and run further. Just sit still for about fifteen minutes and then follow the blood trail. Once you find the deer, you need to field dress it, otherwise known as gutting it. Once you have field dressed the deer, you can drag it out of the woods and skin the deer seperating the meat from the rest of the contents. If you would like to, you could have the head mounted as well as the hooves. Many people do this with the biggest deer they have killed to remember the size and to show it off to other people.

    Records

    The record for a whitetail buck in the US was in Missouri. It had a non-typical rack measurement of 333 7/8 , while Alabama's record stands at a score of 259 7/8.

    Last Thing

    One more thing to look at before you finish Last Thing

    Links

    For clothing and other informetion, check out these sites:
  • AlDeer
  • Mossy Oak
  • Winchester
    Cory Mitchell 4/19/07