27- Tips for Bow Hunting Deer |#10 will be your favorite!

Bow Hunting Deer is our absolute favorite thing to do on our free time! This is where we can relax and have time to ourselves. It is vitally important that we have an understanding of the sport, and that we set ourselves up for success. It is hard to enjoy the sport if you aren’t having any success.

Don’t worry there is hope! We used these 27 tips below to have a better understanding of the sport and essentially more success. FeatherNett Outdoors was able to have one of the most successful Hunting seasons EVER! We killed over 10 Doe, and our team member Ethan Featheroff killed a Perry County Record Buck- 220″. We had other opportunities at really nice bucks, one bad shot and one miss left us with nothing to show for. FeatherNett Outdoors got the most trail camera pictures that we have ever gotten, over 15 different shooters.

Here are 27- tips for Bow Hunting Deer, that will make you more successful hunter!

1. E-scouting For Whitetail Deer

E-scouting is a growing way to scout! This is a great way to go into a new area blind and find a lot of deer sign. From there you can make a game plan and hunt areas effectively. This is great for public land hunting or hunting a first year property. Utilizing Trail Cameras and using the E-scouting tips, we were able to find where the mature bucks were.

Like I said earlier, we captured trail camera photos of 15- Shooter Bucks. We got 3-months of summer pics of a 220″ that was harvestested on opening day!

  • Action Step 1: Download the Onx Hunting app
  • Step 2: Find your property of public land using the search tool
  • Step 3: Watch the Hunting Public Mapping Whitetails series.This is going to go into depth on mapping whitetails and give you some helpful tips.

2. Shoot In Low Lighting

Deer move early in the morning and late in the evening, at these times there can be very little light which makes it difficult to see. When you practice in low light situations you will be comfortable shooting in low light situations. It is tough to catch a buck in broad daylight, the majority of the time you will have to take the shot in a low light situation.

  • Action Step 1: Purchase Replica Deer Target. Practice shooting when the sun is rising or setting
  • Action Step 2: Practice shooting when the sun is rising or setting
  • Action Step 3: Position the Deer Target at the furthest distance possible and practice in low light

3. The Best way to Sight your Bow in

Sighting in your bow is the starting point for any success that you will have in your season. If, you can’t accurately shoot your bow then you shouldn’t be Bow Hunting Deer. Using the tips from the video below you will be able to sight your bow in the most accurate way possible.

4. Aim Better with Consistent Breathing

You will be more accurate when you can get a consistent breathing pattern down, when shooting your bow. This is crucial to improving your accuracy. You will be surprised on how big of a difference it can make, just by changing your breathing or for some people just breathing in the first place.

  • Classic Breath: Take a deep breath, Completely Exhale to half a breath, let out rest of breath as you shoot.
  • Breath and a Half: Take deep breath, Let half of your breath out, hold breath through shot.
  • Super Breath: Take deep breath before draw, take 2nd breath while drawing, take 3rd breath when settling pins on target.

5. Shooting Stance

A stable shooting stance is important for an accurate shot. Like we said earlier it is crucial to have an accurate shot when Bow Hunting Deer. These tips below will ensure a stable and accurate shot every time.

Tip 1: Feet should be a shoulders’ width apart.

Tip 2: Feet should be parallel to the target.

Tip 3: Shoulders should also be parallel.

6. Blind Bale Shooting

Blind Bale shooting will improve the form of your shot. This is a great way to start out practicing, it will help you get a good feel and create muscle memory when shooting.

Step 1: Purchase a Block Target, the deer target will work but I definitely prefer to use a block target that is bigger.

Step 2: Get an arrow length away from the target, and draw your bow back. Really focus on your form and anchor points.

Step 3: Slowly squeeze the trigger on your release, and focus on your follow through form.

Step 4: Take 10-15 Blind Bale shots a day and you will notice more accurate shots and better form.

7. Making the most of Trail Cameras

Trail Cameras are going to make a world of difference when hunting. It will either hurt you or help you, the only way it will hurt you is if you consistently leave your scent in the woods and you check your cameras way more than you should. Trail Cameras can be your best friend when patterning bucks if you use them right and stay discipline.

If you wait 3-4 weeks when checking them in the summer you won’t put pressure on the mature bucks. Make sure you spray down before going into check the cameras. You can also get more information on trail cameras by reading 7- Trail Camera Strategies for Summer.

  • Set Cameras up on Food sources, Travel Corridors, and Bedding areas.
  • Set the camera up 5-10 yards away from the target area.
  • Elevate trail camera about 5-6 ft off of the ground, so the deer can’t see it.
  • Face the cameras north so it will not be facing the sun
  • Make a clear path so the trail camera doesn‘t get triggered by leafs or weeds.
  • Set the date & time on the camera, this is critical to gathering information!
  • Use Wireless Cameras to be scent free and not pressure your deer herd.
  • Replace the batteries on the cameras every 2-3 months, and make sure to have a Trail camera lock on it
  • Get a SD card reader for easy collection of pictures from trail cameras, you don’t need one for Wireless Cameras
  • ONLY CHECK EVER 3-4 weeks in pre-season, and only check once you go hunt that spot. This limits pressure on the deer and increases daylight movement!

8. Tuning Broadheads

Having your broadheads properly tuned is very important to and accurate shot. If you have a properly tuned broadhead, then you will be able to shoot it like a field tip. I recommend practicing with the broadhead that you’re using before taking it out into the woods. Not all broadheads fly like your field points. When purchasing a pack of broadheads, check to see if there is a “Practice Tip” included in the pack.

This is a practice version of the actual broadhead. You will be able to adjust your sights so that you are 10-ringing the target every time. This will have your broadheads shooting the same! I like the Rage hypodermic  and swhacker broadheads, they are accurate and have a great cutting diameter, plus they have practice tips included in each pack!

9. Entrance and Exit Routes

Having a bullet proof entrance and exit strategy will increase your success in the hunting woods ALOT! The whole idea is to keep the deer from knowing that they are being hunted. If you are patterning them with Wireless cameras and using Scent control then the odds of the deer knowing that you’re hunting them is slim.

Now the only thing you need to work on is an entrance and exit strategy. This will help you to get in your stand without being seen or a deer smelling you, and leaving the same way. By knowing where the deer bed you will be able to make a route that is quiet, and up wind of the deer. Using cover like log piles or high weeds so the deer can’t see you will ensure that you got in and out without any deer knowing you were there.

Tip: Be quiet When getting into your treestand, you don’t want all of that hard work to be ruined by a noisy stand.

Tip: Don’t walk on or try to cross any major deer paths when walking to your stand. This could put you at risk of a deer busting you before it even gets close to you.

10. Tree-Stand Placement

We just talked about entrance and exit strategies, and how important it is for bow hunting deer, so now we will talk about tree-stand placement. A perfectly placed treestand will lead to seeing more deer and a bullet proof entrance and exit strategy. Really if you have the stand placed in a good spot you should see a lot of deer and not have to worry about your scent control, because you will be hunting the correct wind for that stand and no deer will be able to smell you.

Where to Place Tree-stands:

  • At the top of ridges
  • At the edge of ravines
  • The Hub- Where a bunch of ravines (funnels) meet into one area. Make sure to hunt the wind with a great entrance and exit strategy.

These two areas will allow the scent to blow off of the ridge or into the ravine (Areas that deer won’t be).

Tip: Hand tree-stands in the summer, this reduces the pressure on the deer.

Tip: Keep downwind and perpendicular to areas that the deer will be traveling. Stay out of sight of the deer (Don’t be in their direction of travel.)

11. Scouting Buck Locations

Here we will go over some areas to focus in on to scout. These areas are where you will find the most Buck activity. When you find the areas that have the Most recent Information (MRI), you will be able to focus your early season hunting to those spots, which will increase your chances of getting a mature Buck!

Areas to scout:

  • Food Sources (Corn, Beans, Mineral sites, and Foodplots)
  • Bedding areas- Areas with thick cover that the deer will spend the majority of their day hiding and resting in.
  • Travel corridors- areas that lead from Food to bedding, or bedding to food.

Definitely hang your trail cameras in these locations and see what spots have the best deer movement. You will them be able to pattern bucks, and make a game plan to hunt it. Hanging your treestand between bedding and food sources is the best spots for maximum success. I also like hunting directly on the food source especially early season, and high pressure systems that force them to eat.

12. Using Mock Scrapes

When Mock Scrapes are used correctly, they can turn a whole season around. During the pre-rut bucks will mark their territory using scrapes and rubs. The purpose for a mock scrape is like a social check, deer can find out what other bucks are in the area.

So when you utilize a Mock scrape, you can attract bucks from all over. I like to put my trail camera on a mock scrape so I can see what bucks are using it and if any use in daylight. There are a lot of mockscrapes on field edges, but those are mainly used at night. When you find one deep in the woods, that means you might have found a great scrape to target as these get used more in the daylight.

Where should I make a Mock Scrape?

–Look for funnels that connect, and pinch points that a lot of deer have to move through. This is the perfect place to start, as you are likely to attract a high amount of deer to this scrape.

Tip: I like to use a scent dripper that drips scent into the scrape only in daylight hours, this will bring the deer to the scrape at earlier hours in the day as it get freshened by the scent dripper.

How do I make A mock scrape?

Get a rake or an object that can scrape dirt up. You aren’t digging a whole, but just exposing the dirt. You will want to do this under a low hanging branch like in the image above. I like to freshen my scrape every 3-4 weeks from Mid-October–Early December.

13. Get a Decoy for Bow Hunting Deer

Decoys are another tool that can really enhance your success when Bow Hunting Deer. This is another tool that you need to make sure that you’re using it right. So the first thing you need to do is purchase a Dee Decoy. I highly suggest using decoys, especially during the Pre-Rut, Rut, and Post Rut. This is about the same time span as the Mock scrapes.

Action step 1: Purchase Deer Decoy, I recommend getting a Buck and Doe decoy for the maximum success. You’re trying to mock a Buck tending a doe.

Where Should I put my decoy?

Field edges are perfect spots for Decoys, you want an open spot that deer can see from a distance. We have had deer come from almost 200 yards right into our decoys. You want them in a high visibility area.

Tip: Place your decoy 20-30 yards up wind of your treestand. We like to have the Decoys quartering away from us, because bucks will circle downwind of them to scent check them. This will give you a perfect broadside shot 20-25 yards away.

  • Make sure you handle your decoys with gloves, so you don’t leave any scent on them. Spray them down with scent elimination spray.
  • Put some attractant scents on your decoys so it will sell the scenario that you are trying to present in the field.

14. Scent Control

Scent control is one of the top topics when it comes to hunting. This topic has caused a large increase in scent control products. There are all kinds of products on the market that you can get to reduce scent. I highly suggest making or finding a scent control process.

Having a consistent scent control program will limit your odors in the woods and help increase the daylight movement of mature deer on your property. All deer will move in the daylight, but they maybe waiting 1-4 hours after dark to come onto your property. This is known as nocturnal movement. This has a lot to do with the pressure in your property. The more pressure the less daylight movement, and the less pressure = More daylight movement.

Enter Your Email Below to Get our Free Scent Control Program!

 

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15. Using Deer Calls to Enhance Success

Alot of people belive that you only can use Deer Calls during a certain time of the year, while during the Rut you will have your most success using calls, you can have some success at all times in the year. I love using my Extinguisher grunt call when Bow Hunting Deer.

During the early and late season you will want to use social grunts, these grunts aren’t aggressive in any way. During the Rut you will want to use more aggressive grunts, as the Deer are more territorial. This will cause a better reaction to your call as certain bucks are going to try to fight off any bucks in his breeding territory.

Get your extinguisher grunt call here, there is no other call that I would take into the woods before this one. It has 3 calling settings Fawn, Doe, and Buck. You can change the sounds of the call from yearling fawns– Old Mature Buck! Click Here to get yours! 

16. Practice Never Stops

We would say that 50%+ Hunters stop shooting their bow for practice after there first 2-3 Hunts. The problem with this, as the season progresses you will lose your form, and accuracy. The Rut is when Hunters see the highest amount of Mature Bucks and that is almost half way through the season. If you don’t continue to practice you won’t be in the best form, and have the best accuracy as you would if you had never stopped.

If you continue to shoot at least 5-10 shots a day or couple of days, you will be shooting the best you ever have when the Rut comes around. When you have to make that tough shot on the mature buck walking by you, it will be a more comfortable shot as you will have more shooting confidence.

Action step 1: Shoot 5-10 shots each day until you get your BIG BUCK! Try shooting at further distances as it will improve your short-range shots.

17. Hunt The Wind!- Always

Again this is just another practice that you can do to see more deer and have a more successful hunt. After you have picked an area from scouting and using trail camera data, you need to find the best possible entrance and exit strategy like we discussed above. Once you have your entrance and exit strategy, you can then determine the ideal wind directing to hunt that stand from.

If you stay discipline and hunt on the best days possible in the best stands possible you will be able to get a great shot at a Mature Buck. Just make sure that you take action and commit to being more successful!

18. Getting a Hunting Partner

Obviously as a Hunting Company we have partners and friends that we hunt and film with. Honestly, there is no better feeling than achieving your goals and sometimes dreams and having one of your closest friends there to witness it. FeatherNett Outdoors has a close group of hunters, and we make so many memories each and every year.

These memories don’t just die off after the season is over, we talk about them after years. Some of my favorite family and friend memories is hunting or being outdoors, doing something adventurous. Having a great Hunting partner will forever change your experience when Bow Hunting Deer!

Action Step 1: Get a family member, friend or even a co-worker to go out on a Hunt with you. It is our job as hunters to take others out and share the outdoors experience with our loved ones, and maybe someday they will do that with one of there loved ones.

19. BE DISCIPLINE!

Sometimes Less is more! In this sport that definitely applies, as putting less pressure on your deer herd will result in more success. Yes we are all anxious to get out into the woods, but if we are doing it on days that aren’t ideal for deer movement all we are doing is putting unnecessary pressure on the deer and we are educating them.

Like stated earlier in this article, it is vitally important to have an entrance and exit strategy, and hunting the right wind direction. We here at FeatherNett Outdoors can promise you that if you are discipline and you minimize the hunting pressure on your deer herd, you will have ALOT MORE SUCCESS!

20. The Importance Of Saftey

At the end of the day we want to have fun and be safe doing what we love. It is very important to use basic Hunting Safety principles when out in the woods. One of the biggest dangers hunters face is falling out of the treestand. If you hunt out of a treestand its not if you fall out, its when will you fall out.

FeatherNett Outdoors is asking you from the bottom of our hearts to wear a safety Harness when in the treestand. If you have been in this sport for any period of time, then you have probably herd of people falling out of there treestand. This could result in broken bones if you’re luck. I have herd of people dying, and getting paralyzed from there fall.

It is crucial to check your treestands and the straps. Make sure you are wearing your safety harness. Protect yourself by investing into a safety harness and a safety line for when you are climbing up your stand. Click here to get a safety Harness! Click Here For a safety Line!

21. Pay Attention

There are a lot of distracted hunter now a days, and even the hunters here at FeahterNett Outdoors are guilty for that. For instance one of our Hunters had their phone out, getting footage of 4 Doe under his stand and then he didn’t notice the BIG Buck walking right into his stand. Needless to say by the time the hunter got his phone put away and drawn back the buck was already walking through the small shooting window.

The Hunter Didnt hit the Buck with a lethal shot. The opportunity had passed in a mater of seconds. The point of this is to be focused and fully alert when you are in the stand. Don’t miss an opportunity at a Mature Deer, because you were on your phone looking at Instagram. Pay attention and stay focused on your goal!

22. Hoist

Hoisting your Bow up to your is a great way to stay safe when climbing up the tree, and it is very convenient. You can Purchase a great bow Hoist Here! We know that this item will make your hunting experience easier and safer! I have one attached to each of my stands. This makes it so easy to got up the stand hands free and I am able to get everything set up and then the last thing I do is pull my Bow up.

23. THE RUT ADVANTAGE

The Rut is a magical time in the Deer woods. Its a great time to be a hunter and in the woods, as the most memorable hunts you ever have will be around this time. The Bucks are moving in Daylight and expanding there homerange. This is the perfect time to get aggressive with your Hunting strategies.

One awesome strategy that has worked year after year for us is a Drag rag. A Drag rag is a great way to redirect a buck that might be walking away from you. This is also great for a cover scent. The purpose of a drag rag is to have a buck searching for a doe in estrus walk. past your trail and follow the scent on the drag rag into your stand.

I will Dip or spray doe estrus onto my drag rag. This will increase the chances of a mature Buck walking into your stand. This will also help sell and calling or decoy scenario. Definitely utilize drag rags this next season.

TIP: Refresh the rag after every 10-30 yards, so the odor gets stronger when getting close to your stand. Deer will follow the trail backwards sometimes if you don’t refresh it.

24. Limitless Muzzleloader

I know this article is for Bow Hunting Deer, but this is a bonus tip that can make a world of difference for you if you hunt with a muzzleloader. Sometimes it is hard to hunt in wet conditions, because the gun powder won’t ignite therefore the gun doesn’t go off.

By simply placing electrical tape at the end of the barrel, which makes it hard for moister to get into the barrel. This will allow the gun powder to ignite and the gun will fire in any weather condition, and don’t worry about taking the tape off before shooting. The tape will not effect the shot so you can shoot right through it.

25. Trimming

We all have the problem of shooting lanes when we are Bow Hunting Deer. By getting a nice Pole saw, you will be able to clear better shooting lanes. This will give you a better opportunity to shoot a mature deer as it walks through your wide shooting lane.

Make sure to cut your shooting lanes in the summer to minimize the pressure on the deer herd. This will allow you to be prepared when season rolls around. If you want a nice Pole Saw CLICK HERE!

26. Bug Repellant

Make sure to pack some scent free Bug repellant when heading into the woods, at least until the first frost when most of the bugs die. This will help prevent swatting at bugs when in the stand. If you are up in your stand swatting at bugs, it will be easy for a Deer to pick you out.

This also allows you to concentrate on your shot. If you are drawn back and you have 2-3 bugs crawling on you or flying around you, then it will be hard to concentrate on the shot. There is an awesome Thermacell that is scent free and it repels all of the bugs from being around you. I would definitely invest into one of these awesome Thermacell devices.

27. Learn Deer Body Language

It is important to study the behavior and body language of the animal you are hunting. This will allow you to make quick adjustments to your hunting strategies as you see the body language of the deer. This will definitely give you a great advantage walking into the woods. Make sure to understand the animal that you’re hunting.

TAKING ACTION

Now you have 27- Tips for Bow Hunting Deer. The information that you gained in this article won’t matter if you don’t take action. Knowledge without action is worthless. We can promise you will have a significant increase of success if you take the 27 tips learned and apply them to your hunting! You don’t have to do all of them at once, but just taking one or two tips at a time you can master them.

Please add any of your own tips in the comments or ask any questions!

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