Your best Archery hunting tip...

[Deitz Dittrich]

I thought this would be a fun post to start... Place you best archery hunting tip here.. if you have more than one.. please do share it!

I'll start.

Know your distances. Try and know the distances of all the major things around your tree stand. Trees, rocks, bushes.. whatever you can know the distance of, know it. That way when the time comes, you will not have to guess how far that deer is. Also, when doing distances, always remember to do the distance from the base of your tree not from the stand itsself. You actually shoot the distance for a tad shorter do to gravity.

[leechlake]

I always have something with me to test the wind direction. I usually have some yarn in my pocket and from time to time I pull little light strands off and watch them float in the wind currents. That way I know which direction a deer most likely won't come from and I'll also know if I may need to take a shot if the deer is moving the direction my scent is going. Elevations and other contours often make wind do things we don't expect so I like watching the yarn float to geta more "true" reading.

[BLACKJACK]

The wind, the wind, the wind!!! Always pay attention to the wind!! Nine times out of ten, deer will NOT approach your stand from downwind.

When you're first starting out, shoot any deer that doesn't have spots, don't hold out for a buck. That way you can practice and eliminate some of the problems that shooting a deer entails - before Mr. Big comes along. I'm talking about the arrow falling off the rest, being spotted by a deer as you draw back, misses, bad hits that drive you back to the practice butt, etc.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Leech- I love the yarn Tip... have you found any color yarn to work better as in.. see if float any better.. and is there a type yarn that works better?

[ASMOLEY]

I love sent lock. I don't care what anyone else says that stuff is great. Ever since i bought it i have seen more deer and busted fewer times. Another tip i have is a little thing called Lum-a-Nock when you shoot the pressure from the string causes the nock to light up. Weather it's daylight or dusk you wouldn't belive how much better you can see your arrow. It's excellent to see if you hit a branch, where you hit the deer so you can decide when to start tracking, and talk about easy arrow recovery. A must for every bowhunter and they only cost about $10!

[paceman]

One thing I try to do each time is approach the stand and climb up as quietly as possible. Don't walk in like a bulldozer. Be as quiet as possible and the nearby deer might hang around. Also if possible don't walk in on a deer trail where you would expect deer to come on. Try to find alternate routes.....

[bigbucks]

What Blackjack said, would be my main tips, but since I can't use those...

Get as many good stand sites setup as possible, rotate them based almost exclusively on the wind. Hunt as much as can when the conditions are right, but if it works out that you can only hunt when they aren't, take your best guess on the best place for those conditions & hunt anyway. You may stumble on to a go to bad weather spot. I'll hunt in any conditions except a steady rain, misting or spotty showers that will likely quit in an hour or less won't keep me at home. I've shot a lot of deer on nights when I expected to see nothing & seen nothing on a lot of nights I expected to shoot one. The deer are outside, not in a store or your livingroom, go get em.

[96trigger]

I've got two tips. One that has greatly helped me increase the number of deer that I see on the stand, the other has made me a much better archer.

#1, wind is important but also have a scent elimination plan. If I don't have time to shower completely with scent free soap, I will still take a washcloth and wash the pits, face, neck, hair, groin, behind the knees, then dry myself with an airdried towel. I believe that beyond all things, human scent is what drives away deer. I do this in addition to wearing a scent lok suit, (which by the way, I love also, I do think it works)

#2, and probably obvious but not often mentioned is learning to shoot with both eyes open. Many new archers still shoot with one eye closed, your FOV will be greater with both eyes open but it takes alot of practice to focus on the right pin to shoot at when your seeing double. It really comes in handy at dusk when there is low light.

[Guest]

1-For new archers or archers that have not shot a deer yet,every time a deer comes by that you dont want to shoot,practice drawing back,so you can learn when and how to do it so the deer dont catch you.While im in a stand and a deer comes by that I dont plan on harvesting,I will alot of times try to see what I can get away with without the deer catching me.The other thing I try to do is to put my stands up months ahead of time so if you have to clear shooting lanes,the deer will have plenty of time to get relaxed around it.And last but not least as mentioned above play the wind to your favor.When you pratice shooting before the season,shoot from the height that your stand is,and keep practice during the season as it is easy to forget.

[FL SNIPER]

When hanging stands...try and place in tree cover and/or in a bigger tree that perhaps takes up your body silhouette. Also a tree off the "path" might be a better bet than one right on top of the "path". As mentioned before, if possible hang them or build them well in advance of your hunt.

[Scoot]

My tip would be draw early or draw late. For me, trying to draw inbetween (except when I have a nice treefall or something that'll give me cover to draw without being seen). I usually try and draw early and when the deer is behind something or not looking at me. The majority of the time that I've been busted (visually), it's been trying to draw. Practice when to draw and practice holding your draw for a long period of time.

[Stratosman]

Besides from the ones above- Mine would be to hunt fringes, what I mean is edges of feeding areas or areas just inside between there and bedding areas, stay away from bedding areas all together, me aware of paths to and from your stand to your vehicle that are less likely to spook deer. I can't preach enough about trying your hardest not to spook deer, especially does! Hunt edges or travel corridors so that when the chase phase begins, you still have the does that will bring the bucks. If you go in and bust all the does out of your woods right away, there will be no reason for the bucks to be there. Along the same lines-Don't overhunt a stand location, no matter how tempting, my rule is two consecutive days max. Don't educate deer of your presence. It only takes once on a mature buck to totally alter his pattern. Save your best stands for the best times. Remember, the best time to hunt a particular location is the very first time, odds decrease each and every time.

Others posted great advice, sucess requires a combonation of many aspects to be consistantly sucessfull.

[irvingdog]

Sharpen your broadheads. Properly.

[leechlake]

Dietz, white works best until Snow, orange seems good otherwise, black is the worst. I know orange works cause while I like to use yarn sometimes I can't find it or forget it and then I pluck orange fibers off of my stocking cap if I have one. When you have gloves on it can be a challenge getting it airborn but usually we all have a little spare time in the stand, it makes a fun little time killer.

[BLACKJACK]

I'd like to second what bigbucks said about many stand sites. Having many stands allows you to play the wind properly and it keeps the deer from getting wary of a stand site. I also like to try and get permission on land a few miles away so I'm not alwasy hunting the same deer. I also scout out wildlife areas, before pheasant hunting kicks in, and early morning, they can be productive. By having multiple stands and areas, and spending some time duck and pheasant hunting, I probably won't be back to the stand I hunted on Monday for two - three weeks. I know guys that only have one or two stands up - and they never shoot a deer!

[woody1975]

Wine Bottle Cork!

I burn the end of a cork and after it cools off, it turns into a dull ash that works great for face camo and isn't greasy like some of the paints. It will really take the shine off of your face and is easily removed with soap and water. We also use it for early goose season in the field or boat. I also agree with the hunt the fringes. Early season, I like to hunt the corner of a corn field.

My 2 Cents!!!!

[bigbucks]

woody1975,

That's really interesting you say early season you hunt cornfield corners. My experience has been that cornfields get better about the first of October, when the corn's dented & drying. I'm planning to hunt one for the first time tomorrow night. In fact I've shot 4 deer out of that stand (& missed a few others) one was the first week of the season, one was the Friday night before duck opener. The bucks have both been the Friday night before gun season. It seems like the closer you get to gun season the more deer move from alfalfa to corn to me.

[ASMOLEY]

I love it when farmers chop some corn for silage and leave the rest for the combine. If you ever incounter this situation it has always increased the # of deer i see. I opens up the corn field a little but leaves enough to feel safe while dumping plenty on the groud for them to feed on. Alphala i have never had luck eary season i usually wait until the first frost then they go nuts over the last greens of the year.

[fishin magician]

STAY CALM

PICK A SPOT

[Cooter]

Relocation during the season - take a day off from sitting in your stand(s) and do some scouting. Deer movements/patterns change during the season. Sign or sightings from 3 weeks ago may be worthless at the present.

[Iceman77]

When possible I will hunt trees that have a large top and trunk to break up my outline from the sky. Remember deer are looking up so the sky is the background and will make you very visible if there is movement. Also, it is very tempting to cut every branch around you so you can shoot in all directions. I resist this temptation and make sure that I have a shooting path to each trail around me but I must wait for the deer to walk to that spot. I also like to set the tree stand above a large branch so I have something breaking up my outline above and below me. This makes it much easier to draw on a deer without being seen. Oak trees make this much easier as they have branches all over the place to break up your outline.

The visual aspect is one piece of the puzzle and the scent elimination is another factor. I make sure I wash all of my clothes in scent away in the clothes washer and I hang my clothes outside to dry. After they are dry I will take some plastic bags and place some leaves and branches in their along with my clothes to get a more natural smell to the them. After I hunt each time I will place my clothes back into these bags until I hunt the next time. I have many deer that will come from downwind of me and not even know I am there. My wife laughs about it and thinks that is going a little extreme but she understands me now after a couple of years.

[Studer]

A couple quick tips, (they may have been mentioned) Leave a little bit earlier to go to your stand. Take your time moving through the woods and even shed a layer. Nothing worse than sweating bullets and then getting chilled later. Also when scouting, don't walk to close to deer trails and for sure not ON them. Keep your distance to ensure they keep using them. And as already posted numerous times....WIND, WIND, WIND.....Hunt it

[bmc]

NEVER, EVER look a deer straight in the eyes. I swear it activates their "6th sense" and they get jumpy. Also NEVER, EVER trust those screw in steps. When climbing up and down ALWAYS make sure one foot and at least one hand are on a solid step.

Brian

[Chomper]

Carry a couple rocks and a small sling shot with you to your stand. If it is time to get down and you still have deer around you, shoot a rock beyond the deer and they will all go running without giving away your stand location.