Spirit of '76 Hunting Tips

Here are some hunting tips that I've learned and would like to pass along. If you have any of your own that you'd like to share, please e-mail them to Spirit of '76 Greg .

HUNTING TIPS:

1. Become as SCENT FREE as possible -- most human scent comes from hairy areas (head, armpits, pelvis), your mouth, and your feet:
   • Use scent-free laundry soap. My wife uses scent-free soap all the time anyway. I still use special 'hunting detergent', but don't have to worry about residue from regular laundry. If you use scented detergent, rinse the washer with scent-free soap before you wash your hunting clothes, and DO NOT use your clothes dryer -- hang you clothes on a line outside -- AWAY from anything that gives off odors ( like a kitchen vent, dryer vent, gasoline-powered machinery, etc...)
   • Use scent-free soap when you shower THAT MORNING and use a scent-free towel (!!)
   • Brush your teeth AND TONGUE with baking soda the night before and the morning of your hunt. FLOSS your teeth regularly.
   • Use a scent eliminator spray. Spray everywhere you have body hair, and your feet before you get dressed. Use it on your gear as well, especially anything that will pick up your scent -- like bow and rifle slings, bow releases, etc ... overlook NOTHING.
   • Go EASY on 'cover scents' and attractants. SUBTLE is the key -- and make sure it matches what would NORMALLY be found in the area !!
   • Wear RUBBER boots when hunting -- and don't wear them for anything else. Keep them as scent-free as possible.
   • DO NOT wear any of your hunting clothes in your truck or car on your way to your hunt!! DO NOT stop for gas!! These odors will ruin all of your scent-free preparation.
   • When hunting, DO NOT eat any foods that give off an unusual odor. Do not eat meat. Apples (if you can keep them quiet) and 'grain bars' are probably fine. In fact, they may attract deer. A roast beef sandwich WILL NOT.
   • I don't know how important this is ... but I prefer to take no chances. I avoid spicy food a day or two before going hunting. I'm thinking that flatulence, though MAYBE not harmful to your chances, can't HELP you, either.
2. This may be controversial -- but it seems to work for me. I regularly walk my land all year 'round. I believe it gets the critters used to my odor, so if they happen to catch a SLIGHT whiff of me when I'm hunting, it's no big deal to them.
3. Consider a tree stand. This helps keep scent from getting to the deer. Some say 'the higher the better' ... up to about 30 feet, with 20-25 feet up being ideal. Be careful about extreme shot angles. I prefer my stands to be about 14-25 feet up. It works fine for me. WEAR A SAFETY HARNESS. Belts are better than nothing, but can leave you hanging upside-down. I wear a FULL harness with leg and arm loops.
4. Consider using a 'UV-light Killer' spray on your clothing and gear. A lot of clothing manufacturers use UV enhancers to make clothing brighter and more appealing to people. I have read and heard that deer see most colors we can see as a yellow-green, but they see blue and UV quite well !! This means those brighteners would make you stand out like a beacon in the woods. Deer vision is still being debated, but for about $10, I don't take the chance.
5. If using calls, GO EASY. Like their sense of smell, deer have marvelous hearing. They can pinpoint your location quickly. Just because they don't rush in, doesn't mean they're not carefully checking the source of the sound. They are very cautious by nature, but also very curious. Pique their curiosity, and they'll investigate.
6. Keep movement to a MINIMUM. I believe that a deer's eyesight isn't all that great --- but man, can they spot MOTION !! If/when you move, do it s-l-o-w-l-y and preferably when they're looking away.
7. DO NOT silhouette yourself. If still hunting, pause in a shadow near brush or a tree. When in a tree stand, stay near the tree trunk, preferably by branches and leaves. Consider wearing a light-colored shirt or jacket with a few dark lines to simulate branches to keep you from appearing as a blob against the sky.
8. Make sure that your shooting lanes are clear. Use a tree saw or loppers to remove what you MUST. Don't cut more than you need to cut.
9. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE with your weapon of choice. If you hunt from a stand, KNOW where your bullet or arrow will impact due to your elevation. Horizontal distance is what matters, though with broadheads, additional flight time and distance may well affect flight characteristics. KNOW ahead of time. I have tips for both rifle and archery shooting.
10. Before going out, practice with the AMMO that you will be using as a final sight-in. This includes not only firearms, but also for archers and their broadheads. Make sure you know EXACTLY what to expect regarding projectile flight when you pull the trigger or release that hunting arrow. When bow hunting, I use mechanical broadheads to minimize (actually, it turns out, eliminate) any practical differences in flight. I "twist tie" them shut so I don't have to concern myself with dull blades. I have confirmed from the ground and from the tree that they fly THE SAME as my practice arrows. Fixed-blade broadhead arrows are notorious for having a quite different point of impact. The same goes for hunting bullets. A 150 grain 'practice bullet' may not fly the same as a 150 grain premium hunting bullet -- even given other IDENTICAL handloading components. Bearing surface, shape, and internal construction of the bullet could very well lead to a different point of impact -- and the longer the range, the more pronounced it will become.