A Beginners Guide to Deer Hunting

A Beginners Guide to Deer Hunting

By Jason Smith

Whether you’re fortunate enough to be invited to join someone on your first deer hunt, or you’ve decided to give it a go all on your own, everybody has to start somewhere.

I was fortunate enough to join my father’s shotgun hunting party when I was 14, many moons ago. In just a few short seasons, I picked up a wealth of invaluable knowledge from that wise ol’ group of veteran deer hunters; knowledge that would have taken me a lifetime to accumulate on my own, if ever.

Archery and muzzle loader hunting are methods that have been more or less self-taught for me over more recent years. They all have their advantages and disadvantages over one another, but I love them all, and consider myself fortunate to live in a state that has a healthy deer population and provides a wide range of hunting seasons.

“My biggest fear is that when I die, my wife will sell my hunting gear for what I said I paid for it.” I laugh every time I read this saying; partially because it’s just plain funny, but mostly because it’s true. With close to three decades of deer hunting experience, I’ve bought, sold, broken, and given or thrown away more gear than I’d like to admit. Who ever said parents have to pay for their kid’s college tuition anyway?

This article is for the beginner deer hunters though, not the seasoned ones. With that said, again, everybody has to start somewhere.

In the beginning…

Choosing a Deer Hunting Method

In Iowa, I suggest you wet your feet with one of these three hunting methods: shotgun, archery, or muzzle loader.

I suggest shotgun hunting mainly because it can be participated in as a group. If, for whatever reason, you don’t feel comfortable carrying a weapon initially, you can simply shadow another hunter. I suggest you shadow a more seasoned hunter versus another novice, for obvious reasons. Walking and posting, you’re right there with them step-for-step. It’s a great way to learn the physical terrain of the areas you hunt, witness deer activity, and observe the other hunter(s) react and respond. Happy hunters tend to be a chatty group when they’re hunting together. You can also pick up pearls of wisdom from just participating in friendly conversations within the group.

If you’re lucky, a friend or family member will ask you to join them. If that’s not the case, don’t hesitate to ask if you can tag along with an established group, or start one of your own.

I suggest archery hunting mainly because the season is extremely long, and the rut falls within it. The abundance of time is always a plus, and the rut dramatically increases daytime deer activity. Archery equipment has vastly improved over the past twenty-some years too. Fast, smooth, strait shooting compound bows, with high percentage let-off’s, have opened up archery hunting for youth, women, and men alike.

Archery hunting is a more of a solo and quiet practice, with lots of sitting / standing still for long periods of time. Unless you’re covering ground, archery hunting can be one of the least physical demanding deer hunting methods.

I suggest muzzle loader hunting mainly because the seasons are longer than the shotgun seasons, and because the combined range and accuracy of a muzzle loader are advantages over both shotgun and archery hunting.

Like archery hunting, muzzle loader hunting is more of a solo and quiet practice. (Shotgun hunting too, if not party hunting.) The increased range of a muzzy can make the difference between not being able to seal the deal with a shotgun or bow, and putting venison in the freezer.

Keep it Simple and Budget Friendly
Just because so-and-so on TV gives credit for their success to all of that fancy new expensive equipment they promote for their sponsors, doesn’t mean that it’s necessary for harvesting deer.

For the beginner: high-end optics / scopes, cantilevered rifled barrels, $10 per round precious metal ammunition, $30 carbon arrows, $20 broad heads, laser rangefinders, all-terrain vehicles, etc. are not necessary to harvest deer. Expensive scent control clothing also isn’t necessary, when playing the wind is always free. A valid hunting license and tag, a borrowed or second hand firearm / bow and ammo, plus a blaze orange vest (if required), is all it takes to get started.

Not sure you’re all that serious about deer hunting just yet? Ask somebody if you can tag along and/or borrow equipment. Ever hear the saying, “The only thing better than owning a boat is having a friend who owns one.”? Well, there’s a lot of truth to that for many things in life. If you like it, chances are, you’ll buy your own. If it doesn’t blow your hair back, or you don’t care to go often, borrowing, or even renting, is much less expensive than buying and maintaining.

Seasoned hunters often have more than one firearm and/or bow. Again, don’t be afraid to ask if you can borrow. I’ve lent out one of my shotguns on several occasions, and a borrowed late model bow ignited my desire to get into archery hunting.

Late model, good condition, used gear can be picked up for a fraction of the cost of new. Don’t be afraid to buy used. A 2014 Elite, PSE, Prime, etc. bow may not match the FPS of a 2018 model, but it was (and still is) a darn good late model bow. There’s a good chance you can pick it up all dialed in and with a few extra goodies to boot.
Craigslist and eBay are my dear friends when it comes to buying gear. They aren’t friendly toward firearm sales, so I research and shop all around for them when I’m in the market. I could go on for days about the high quality but economical makes / brands and models of equipment I suggest buying, (e.g. ammunition, arrows, broad heads, boots, etc.), however, I realize everybody’s preferences are different, so I’ll save that for another article.

When it comes to clothing, nothing special or super expensive is necessary. Warm outdoor work cloths, that you may already have, can be used. A cheap blaze orange vest (if required). Most any type of cheap camouflage outerwear works well, as long as it breaks up your silhouette. Hardware store gloves. Work boots. I will admit that the proper footwear can make your hunt more enjoyable. Make sure your footwear is appropriate for your hunting conditions and methods. Sweaty, frozen and/or blistered feet can ruin a hunt; so can slipping and sliding / loose footing and lugging around boots as heavy as cinder blocks.

Set Realistic Expectations
Or, maybe I should say, Don’t Set Unrealistic Expectations. Setting unrealistic expectations can, and often does, end in disappointment, and turns many off from hunting early on. When I started hunting, I just wanted to see a deer. See. One. Single. Deer. That’s it. I saw a truck load of deer and actually harvested a button buck my first season. I was hooked!

Last season, I wanted to see at least one 170-plus inch buck on the hoof. Not even in range. Just to see one… I don’t think I did. Maybe a few that came close, but probably not one that broke 170. And I’ve done this for nearly 30 years now, AND, according to my wife, I hunted WAY too much last season.

Some realistic expectations are: I want to enjoy nature today. I want to learn something new today, (e.g. the lay of the land, where deer are traveling, how and where to better setup in the future, etc.). I want to see a deer today. I want to have a deer within range today. I want to harvest a deer this season. I want to harvest an antlered deer this season. I want to see or have a ‘BIG’ buck come within range this season, (whatever ‘BIG’ means to you). Etc.

Rules to Live By
You’re not invincible. Stay safe! When blaze orange is required, wear it and stay visible. Know what’s in the backdrop before you shoot. If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, hit the ground, duck behind a tree, or back out. Safety harnesses save lives in tree stand falls. Let people know where you are and what time to expect you back.

Practice. Practice! PRACTICE!!! Dial in your equipment and become extremely comfortable using it. Your odds of making a successful harvest increase greatly if/when you’re proficient at using your equipment. A 20 year old, second hand bow can easily harvest a deer in trained hands. A brand new, expensive bow can easily miss a deer in untrained hands.

Take ethical shots. Proper shot placement can often make the difference between recovering your deer and feeding the coyotes.

Don’t set your expectations to anyone else’s standards. If you’re a meat hunter, or if it excites you to harvest a doe or a young button buck, don’t hesitate to take the first ethical shot opportunity. It’s your tag and your hunt.

Go out and have FUN! You don’t live to work. You work to live. Enjoy your hunt!