Reviewing Deer Hunting Rules
Apr 30 2009Deer hunting is America’s favorite pastime on the hunter’s trail. To be a successful deer hunter, it’s necessary to know that deer manage to stay alive by avoiding predators. They do this by using their sense of smell, hearing and their eyesight, to a lesser extent. Deer are naturally accustomed to hearing two kinds of sounds: natural and unnatural. The natural sounds are those of birds, the wind blowing through the trees, squirrels chattering or the grunts of a buck. The sounds that alert them to danger are a cough, leaves crunching or the clank of metal brushing or banging against something.
If the season has arrived, then understanding the rules of engagement is imperative to successfully hunting your game. Mimicking that will attract deer, such as a fawn in distress, a fawn bleat, doe or buck grunt, are great ways of getting their attention and drawing them to your location. Additionally, making a rattling noise mimics the sound of two bucks locked in combat. Be sure to rattle with a bit of enthusiasm, and a few grunts will help to make it sound authentic.
The sense of smell of a whitetail deer is far superior to that of the hunter. They have the ability to smell where you’ve walked. This means you have to control your natural body odor by “playing the wind.” Your location won’t be compromised if the wind is blowing your scent towards an unproductive area. Other precautions should include washing hunting clothes and apparel in non-scented laundry detergent, and allowing them to dry outside. Having engaged in deer hunting on several occasions, you should well know that the scent of your hair and body will be the biggest give-away. You should take care to wash with an earth scented or non-scented application.
It’s commonly thought that deer have a poor sense of sight. While it’s not their sharpest sense, many hunters give away their positions by allowing themselves to be seen. If you can fool their sense of sight, smell and hearing, then you’re well on you way to becoming a successful deer hunter. The key is to remain unseen and keep whatever you need within easy reach when hunting game.
When you find yourself in close proximity to your prey, it means you’ve done several things correctly to remain undetected by the deer. Hunting is a learned art and the skill requires practice before you can become a successful and seasoned hunter. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to perfect grunting and other realistic sounds that deer make. However, no matter how experienced or inexperienced you may be, there should always be a healthy reverence for wildlife and nature when you’re out and about on a deer hunting adventure.
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