Just got on a deer lease for this coming season

[WvuDieHard]

Bow Hunting here in Virginia on farm land and then its onto Muzzle loading( my favorite). By the time rifle season comes in, I am ready to Duck and Goose hunt. Hunting is so fucking awesome. Just you, the elements, and your keen sense of where you are gonna see something worth killing. Killed 10 Geese, 4 ducks, and 2 bucks last season. It was a blast.

 

[LucklessPadresFan]

Funny story: A couple of years ago I had a student in my class who was very excited about the upcoming deer hunting season. I had him in my homeroom class and he and a few of his friends got to class early and were talking about when they were going out, etc. Then I heard him mention a deer stand. I proceeded to tell him that using a deer stand is not hunting, and he didn't understand what I meant. I said to him that to me, hunting means tracking and following an animal, not lying in wait in a tree above the animal and waiting for it to pass by. That in my book is an ambush. The next morning he shows up with his dad who was a bit ticked about what I had said. He offered to take me out, but I politely declined. In my book, if you're going to use a deer stand, you might as well get a heat seaking missile and stay in your truck until you hear impact, then go and pick up the remains.

 

[jonvi]

Funny story: A couple of years ago I had a student in my class who was very excited about the upcoming deer hunting season. I had him in my homeroom class and he and a few of his friends got to class early and were talking about when they were going out, etc. Then I heard him mention a deer stand. I proceeded to tell him that using a deer stand is not hunting, and he didn't understand what I meant. I said to him that to me, hunting means tracking and following an animal, not lying in wait in a tree above the animal and waiting for it to pass by. That in my book is an ambush. The next morning he shows up with his dad who was a bit ticked about what I had said. He offered to take me out, but I politely declined. In my book, if you're going to use a deer stand, you might as well get a heat seaking missile and stay in your truck until you hear impact, then go and pick up the remains.

There's a lot there man....but I'll say this to you.....anyone that wants to take an animal to feed his family is a-ok to take it anyway he can....imo.

I agree...hunting from a stand isn't hunting. But too many get wrapped up in the honorable kill. I've killed a bunch in my day...some legal, some not. All the legal kills....not a one of those animals acted like I did the right thing. The illegal kills...not a one of those animals acted any different.

 

[LucklessPadresFan]

Personally, I don't have an issue with deer stands as long as it's done within season. It seems to me--and I'm not a hunter--that hanging out in a deer stand kind of takes the excitement out of hunting. Last season, we had a hunter who slipped on the ice in his stand, fell, hanging upside down for hours. Doctors said had he not been found in another three of four hours, he would have died.

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

Personally, I don't have an issue with deer stands as long as it's done within season. It seems to me--and I'm not a hunter--that hanging out in a deer stand kind of takes the excitement out of hunting. Last season, we had a hunter who slipped on the ice in his stand, fell, hanging upside down for hours. Doctors said had he not been found in another three of four hours, he would have died.

You should try it. It's no ambush. Deer are as skittish an animal as there is. They can smell you a half mile away. If you so much as fart within that distance you can forget it. If you flinch, he will break and run and never look back. If you make any noise, you won't be seeing a deer that day. On top of that, you just don't pop-up a stand and sit and wait. You have to find the trails, signs, and know their frequently traveled paths. And even if you do all that, there is never a guarantee you'll see one much less get a shot off. Then if you want to make it a little more challenging you can go with your bow. The deer literally has to be right under you. I mean you can hear him breathing and if he hears you breathing, you can wrap it up because he'll be gone.

 

[LucklessPadresFan]

No thanks, I'll eat it but won't kill it. I know, what a hypocrite.

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

I don't know what kind of deer y'all have, but deer just don't wander under you stand any ol time. The deer around here are on full alert 100% of the time. You can not make a mistake and get the kill. I see them on tv talking and pointing and shit and the deer just stay put and keep walking towards the hunter. NOT HERE, JACK!! It ain't happening. Been hunting my whole life and have never had one sit still after fucking up.

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

No thanks, I'll eat it but won't kill it. I know, what a hypocrite.

Nah, not at all bro. I can respect that.

 

[BF4L]

I have been hunting since I was 12. At age 17 I shot my first deer with a shotgun.

Bow hunting is the hardest hunting as far as a success rate there is. Edisto is spot on. Any noise and any deer in a 1/2 mile is gone. Had a nice spike walk in on me last year I was already standing so I very slowly grabbed my bow and he got to about 40 yds and I was drawn back and waiting for him to get closer. I moved my left foot about a half a inch and it made just this little noise and he was on full alert and looking right at me..I am in full scent lock camo and I did not move a inch. He stood there blowing out his nostrils trying to wind me for what seemed like a hour (with me still on full draw) then he just took a left and booked..I did have a open shot at 40 but declined it cause it was head on.

 

[BF4L]

I don't know what kind of deer y'all have, but deer just don't wander under you stand any ol time. The deer around here are on full alert 100% of the time. You can not make a mistake and get the kill. I see them on tv talking and pointing and shit and the deer just stay put and keep walking towards the hunter. NOT HERE, JACK!! It ain't happening. Been hunting my whole life and have never had one sit still after fucking up.

Ya man all those TV shows are bullshit. They are fenced in deer who never see any pressure. In fact they are used to humans cause they go out to feed em every day.

I had 1 deer in my life in 30 yrs of hunting that actually resembled something like those shows. In my climber during muzzle loader I had one walk in to about 50 yds and I grunted while I had the scope on him. He stopped and looked and I dropped him where he was.

 

[BF4L]

Funny story: A couple of years ago I had a student in my class who was very excited about the upcoming deer hunting season. I had him in my homeroom class and he and a few of his friends got to class early and were talking about when they were going out, etc. Then I heard him mention a deer stand. I proceeded to tell him that using a deer stand is not hunting, and he didn't understand what I meant. I said to him that to me, hunting means tracking and following an animal, not lying in wait in a tree above the animal and waiting for it to pass by. That in my book is an ambush. The next morning he shows up with his dad who was a bit ticked about what I had said. He offered to take me out, but I politely declined. In my book, if you're going to use a deer stand, you might as well get a heat seaking missile and stay in your truck until you hear impact, then go and pick up the remains.

I have stalked many many times and in general you are just moving deer. They hear, smell and see better. The success rate of a stalk hunt is not great.

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

Ya man all those TV shows are bullshit. They are fenced in deer who never see any pressure. In fact they are used to humans cause they go out to feed em every day.

I had 1 deer in my life in 30 yrs of hunting that actually resembled something like those shows. In my climber during muzzle loader I had one walk in to about 50 yds and I grunted while I had the scope on him. He stopped and looked and I dropped him where he was.

I tried one of those grunt calls ONCE. I hit the grunt to try and get him to stop and instead he left like a gazelle with a lion on it's ass. I was left thinking "WTF just happened? I thought this grunt was suppose to make him hesitate." He was gone in the blink of an eye after I hit the call.


Haven't used one since.

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

I have stalked many many times and in general you are just moving deer. They hear, smell and see better. The success rate of a stalk hunt is not great.

Yea if you want ambush style hunting, you run dogs. A popular style of hunting around here. These hunt clubs lease hundreds or thousands of acres and will place hunters at intervals around the perimeter of three sides of the property. Then on the fourth side they will turn loose several packs of dogs. The dogs will then run through the woods spooking and chasing the deer out to the perimeter where the shotguns are waiting. They kill a lot of deer like this. Which is cool for putting meat in the freezer, but certainly nothing sporting about it.

 

[NickVT10]

Yea if you want ambush style hunting, you run dogs. A popular style of hunting around here. These hunt clubs lease hundreds or thousands of acres and will place hunters at intervals around the perimeter of three sides of the property. Then on the fourth side they will turn loose several packs of dogs. The dogs will then run through the woods spooking and chasing the deer out to the perimeter where the shotguns are waiting. They kill a lot of deer like this. Which is cool for putting meat in the freezer, but certainly nothing sporting about it.

There are clubs all over here in VA that do that. I have never done it but plan to go with a buddy this year. It is just a different method of hunting. Usually this is done in places that are very very thick with cover that you can't hunt on foot. The gun lines are usually on roads and you have a very brief window to hit the deer when they come crossing. It is its own challenge.

I agree with those that said stand hunting isnt just throwing a stand out and waiting. You still have to do your homework and find the trails, pattern the deer and locate the ones you want to harvest before you place a stand. The only deer I killed last year was actually from the ground with a shotgun (Can't hunt with rifles in my county except muzzleloaders). I found a trail that wasn't near my stand and picked a nice tree and sat at the base and sure enough the deer came walking down the trail and dropped her.

 

[tech_iceman]

we have a coonass on the lease

now it feels legitimate

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

lulz