[ChrisZ96]

The season doesn't open for a few more months but I want to get my act together beforehand so I don't put it off until last minute. Any tips for hunting deer? I'm in NY, so it'll be a close range shot (probably less than 50 yards due to trees). Specifically:
•Shot placement? I'd prefer to drop it where I shoot it rather than chase after it all day long, so upper shoulder shot?
•Scent covers or attractants? Are these necessary, and if so does anyone have any recommendations?
•30-30 or .308? I have an old 336 in 30-30 and I'm picking up a new Ruger American in .308 soon
•Tips for taking down the animal after the kill?

Any info you guys can offer is much appreciated. Thanks in advance

 

[turbobug]

you need to get out and walk the area (a lot) and find where the deer are traveling eating bedding etc. set up your ambush point ,pay attention to the wind ,if its blowing your scent towards where they are coming from ,you need another ,ambush point . I agree with the high shoulder shot .

 

[10acres]

I’m a double lung guy myself. First shot is the only shot so make it count.

I use Scent Away products myself and have had good luck. A lot of different brands to choose from. Get stuff to wash your clothes, shower with and then a spray to put on your outer layer. Sounds like a lot but, I’ve been within 5 yards of a deer and he never knew I was there.

I would say the 30-30 because you are on a Marlin Owners site.

Watch a lot of YouTube videos on field dressing, but no better way to learn than to do it. Get a good knife.

Good luck. Remember it’s not all about killing a deer, enjoy the scenery especially at sunrise. Nothing like watching the woods come alive.

 

[rx7dryver]

Yep. Knowing the land is what deer hunting is about. Everything else is just minor details.

 

[navajo]

Go out and scout ahead of time.
If you can find acorns on the ground, you will likely
see deer there, so remember that spot.
Try to find game trails and remember where they are.
Look for a good elevated spot to sit along side a game trail.
Work the wind in your favor.
Get familiar with your gun and be sure its on.
Don't try to learn everything, you can't.
Guys that have been hunting deer 20 years didn't learn
it all in one season either.
If you stay with it, you'll learn.

 

[Bugsmasher]

Scope your rifles to take advantage of their light gathering capability. Get out very early. Stay late. .30-30 is good. .308 is better. Scout the area ahead of time as turbobug said. Get to the range and practice, practice, practice. A good tight behind the shoulder shot will put them down or at least they won't go far. Use a good expanding bullet. (I.E. Nosler ballistic tip. Remington Core-Lokt) Dress warm. Have patience and stay put... let others drive deer to you. Take a drag rope. Watch a YouTube video of how to dress a deer. That's enough from me. Other will chime in.

Just my $.02.

Have fun. Good luck!!

 

[MidBigWest]

Beer beer likker.
Tell story of the one that got away.
Bacon bacon bacon taters.
Go fall asleep in woods.
Chili cornbread beer likker.
Tell stories of how when bill missed his shot he scared your deer away.
Go home to everyone staring at you because how bad ya smell from no showers in camp.

 

[Moleman]

Good luck on your hunt. Either the 30-30 or 308 will do a decent job on a deer at 50 yards. That close I'd use whichever one doesn't have a scope. If they both have a scope set it on the lowest setting so you don't pull the gun up to find out the brown of the deer fills up the entire field of view. Some sort of blind will help conceal any movements you make and help diffuse your scent. Depending on where you're at an elevated treestand usually will let you see more of your surroundings and generally get you out of line of sight of the deer unless they have a reason to look up (noise, scent, movement). If hunting in an elevated stand wear a safety harness. We lost a member of our family because he fell asleep (I do it all the time) and fell out of the tree and broke his neck. The first year I hunted with my son I only had blinds on one of our treestands. I had patterned out a pair of 6pt bucks and a small 8pt and had him sit in my treestand early in the bow season before the leaves had begun to drop. I set in a treestand about 6' away to his left and slightly behind him. He kept swinging his legs and told him to stop several times. I noticed he was doing it again and was about to say something when he abruptly stopped. There was a big bush in front of me so I couldn't see them, but coming down the trail where I said they would the two little bucks had stopped in their tracks and were watching him. They spooked off and the next few days used a different trail behind us. From then on I've tried to only have him sit in a stand that has a blind of some sort even if it only covers his midsection on down.
I had hunted or tagged along every since I was little, but my first day of deer hunting no one had mentioned shot placement. The DNR officer who taught the hunter safety course my son took had a deer target with two sticks through it. One straight down top to bottom through where the heart would be and another broadside. It gave a quick easy visual to the new hunters that the spot they needed to aim at would change depending on the position of the animal. We ended up doing the same thing with a toy deer as a visual for him until his youngest sister got a hold of the toy and made it hers (minus the finishing nails). I've always gone for a heart shot. If you miss you'll hit the shoulder or the lungs. Ideally I like broadside heart shots that way you get the heart and both lungs.

Do you know how to field dress a deer?

 

[rx7dryver]

If it is cold out make sure that you do not sweat when you are walking. Take off your jacket. Wear shoes instead of boots if you have to. The worst thing is to break a sweat and then sit in the cold. It is easy to break a sweat if you dress really warm. I feel that good durable comfortable clothing is the most important gear that you buy.

 

[Judson]

Hey Chris - lots of good advice so far. I'm just curious - living in Brooklyn, what is your travel time to where you'll be hunting?

 

[Butchman205]

#1. Be safe. #2. You can’t take back a sent bullet.
Study the land until you find deer poop. Lots of deer sign mean they have been through the area, but lots of fresh deer poop near a good food source means they are spending a good part of their day nearby. You’ll make mistakes, but just go with it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Youper]

The season doesn't open for a few more months but I want to get my act together beforehand so I don't put it off until last minute. Any tips for hunting deer? I'm in NY, so it'll be a close range shot (probably less than 50 yards due to trees). Specifically:
•Shot placement? I'd prefer to drop it where I shoot it rather than chase after it all day long, so upper shoulder shot?
•Scent covers or attractants? Are these necessary, and if so does anyone have any recommendations?
•30-30 or .308? I have an old 336 in 30-30 and I'm picking up a new Ruger American in .308 soon
•Tips for taking down the animal after the kill?

Any info you guys can offer is much appreciated. Thanks in advance

Know where your deer will show up. This is the hard part. Be down wind of that spot with good visibility. Your shot placement choice is fine, but not the only good choice. All things being equal the .308 is better than the .30-30, but either will work. Knowing ahead of time where the buck will show up is the hardest and most valuable part. Work on it ahead of time.

I didn't see the last question until after I posted. I'm not sure what your last question is asking. Do you mean how to field dress the deer? Start a new thread for that.

 

[shawlerbrook]

Great advice here ! I have hunted Central and Northern NY for almost 50 years. Patience is the #1 lesson I learned from my youth. Find a good lookout point in a good travel corridor and spend as much time as possible there. During the rifle season the first hour, the time around lunchtime and the last couple hours when other hunters are moving are the best times to sit and watch. Use elevation( a hill, tree, rock or elevated blind) to aid in vision. Let the wind be your friend and try to keep it in your face. A center chest shot is my choice. As far as gun goes, use the one you shoot the best as at 50 yards there’s not much difference between a 308 & 30 30. After the shot make sure to note landmarks for where the deer was standing at the shot and where it ran and you last saw it. Unless you have a lot of others hunters close, give the deer 15-30 minutes after the shot. Before the season spend as much time as possible learning your hunting area. Good luck and show us some pictures of your trophy.

 

[rapidroy]

Shot placement? Depends on the angle, movement and how close the critter is. I often shoot them in the neck if conditions are perfect - down they go, and you don't mess up a lot of meat. High shoulder will drop them, as long as it isn't too high (there's a sort of dead zone above the shoulder and below the spine - not a big deal with a rifle). Double lung better - they seldom go more than 50 yards. Scent covers and attractants - I used to use them all the time when bowhunting - never really noticed any effectiveness. Personally, I just make sure I hunt with the wind right because if they wind is wrong, they are going to smell you, period - nothing you can do about it. Rifle? While either will work fine, on a 50 yard shot I would most likely use the .30-30 (after all, this IS the Marlin forum). "Taking down" I take as meaning field dressing. If you haven't done it before, watch some videos on You Tube - it isn't hard. You WILL make mistakes until you learn it though so do not fret - just be careful to not cut into gut - that is not pleasant.

All the best and welcome to the club of deer hunters!! You will love it.

 

[alawrence]

WEAR YOUR BLAZE ORANGE!!!!!!!
When you hear the whistle of a 12Ga. Slug go over your head, you'll know how important it is.
Andrew

 

[Vooch]

The Marlin 336 - perhaps the best eastern deer rifle ever created!

Know your rifle inside and out out before the season.

Safety first always!

Remember to keep the fun in hunting.





Vooch

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[GITU1]

If you go for a double lung shot, keep in mind the deer will probably run (20-60 yards). Field dress the deer immediately for the best tasting meat being careful not to cut the stomach or bladder open.

 

[ChrisZ96]

Hey Chris - lots of good advice so far. I'm just curious - living in Brooklyn, what is your travel time to where you'll be hunting?

I know a guy with property in Gardiner, about an hour and a half upstate. If he has too many people on his land I have a friend who goes up a little further, and if he bails on me a friend from scouts wants to start hunting and we know plenty of good spots up in Narrowsburg, about two and a half hours away.

 

[truckjohn]

99% of deer hunting is being specifically where deer are. 1% is everything else including the shooting. You are going to push up your odds if you can spend a little time studying satellite photos of the area and scouting to figure out where deer are likely going to be... Unfortunaltely that’s the hardest part when you are going out on a voyage to some place that’s a ways away.....

If you can - go out with an experienced hunter who knows the area. Have him pick your spot for you. Also identify a backup ground blind spot or two where you can set up quick just in case something dumb happens - like the tree you planned to climb fell down or you get there and the stand is broken. It happens ....

I think the first problem I see is people not understanding that open, mature, tall timber is a poor place to find deer. There’s basically no food and no cover.... All you generally see there is squirrels and song birds... You may run into the occasional deer traveling through it to get from one place to another. Yet it’s beautiful, shady, and easy to set up a stand - so people associate that with hunting.

Same for a grass field. Deer don’t eat grass or woody leaves. They mostly eat soft leafy weeds and stuff we would consider crops. If you do see deer in a grass field - it’s often because they are already there at dawn when you arrive or show up right after sunset... They tend to stay on the edges where weeds are growing.

On the other hand - the edges of 1-3 year old clear cuts look horrible and ugly with chest high weeds and brushy mess everywhere... There may be no good shady place to hide out and visibility may be limited.. You naturally don’t associate that ugly scrub with deer hunting - yet it provides ample food and cover... The edges provide fine areas for scraping and rubbing... etc.

 

[JMAG54]

Hey Chris, good for you. Getting some tips from experience as before I see. .................I'll just expound on the 'safety' issue. Killed my share of mule deer and elk, self taught for the most part. Made mistakes, ...and you will. Good tips from the boys here. Some real experience to learn from at MO. From what I have gathered hearing from you so far, you got a good head on. Think you'll figure it all out real quick. Have fun with the 'hunt', that's the lure of it all. Just think good common sense safety. My one 'must' young man, put 'blaze orange' on your head. From state to state the rules are different, but on the 'head' is my own requirement. Got a dozen old watch caps I use. Have fun, good luck.

John