Hunting tips

[3Setters]

Only tip I have, cant kill anything sitting on the sofa watching a football game Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

 

[Appalachian Harry]

Yeah I am new to all of this too but places in the southeast in early season (especially Southern Appalachians) can be wet and rain will come out of nowhere

 

[SDSmlf]

A lot of my hunting is done on what were farms in the 1960's but the forest has reclaimed a lot of the once open areas.

So in addition to the movement precautions and knowing the wind direction, here's a few since you will be so close.

I hunt from a ground blind area. I don't do tree stands. So I use a large tree or two moderate trees to break up my outline, and I scrape down to bare ground where I will stand. This puts a fresh "loam" scent up to help cover mine up, and gives me nice quiet ground to shift my feet upon. The tree trunk becomes part of my steadying position when I go to take a shot.

Work on keeping your lock dry, and so hunt when it's a very light drizzle as well as dry. A little moisture from the sky knocks down your scent, and get the deer cold. They have only one way to heat, that's eating and moving. So a little dampness is colder to them. Very cold and without wind is good too. Too much wind with cold makes them harbor-up in super thick brush.

IF near to public areas, or farms with a lot of hunters, hunt all day. Especially if you go out when guys with modern guns are about, and if it's a weekday. Go out before light and stay put, and around 11:00 the half-day hunters will move to leave. So will the ones that think that deer don't move during midday..., they will leave to get a hot lunch and tell each other lies at the local diner. The deer will hear all the hunters arrive before light and the deer will freeze in place. At around midday the deer will hear a bunch of people leave, but they can't count so they won't know that you are still in place. The human scent dies down, and they are getting hungry and are cold so they will wait about an hour and then try to creep around. I've gotten a lot of deer between noon and 3 pm.


LD

Don’t agree 100% with everything, but worth a like.

 

[Art Caputo]

A useful tip I picked up from a book written by bow hunter, G. Fred Asbel decades ago has proven to be quite effective for both my still, and stand/blind hunting for whitetails. Even with my best efforts to be quiet, walking through the woods to my blind in the dark I would frequently hear deer snort or run off before reaching my blind. Fred’s method of walking converts the sound of a two legged human to that of another a four legged whitetail.. The technique is to walk with the forward leg lifted while bending at the knee to about a right angle with the body erect and weight balanced fully on the opposite, flat footed leg. The lifted legs toe is brought straight down to the ground with the heel high. Once the toe hits the ground, a fraction of a second later the heel is dropped down to the ground. Then follow up using the same sequence with the opposite leg. This method of walking, once mastered sounds like the movements of another(four-legged) deer…..And less likely to spook a deer in the dark that’s within hearing range on the way to your stand. It is also an excellent technique to use when still hunting, particularly in noisy, dry leaves.

 

[waarp8nt]

As said before, practice, practice and more practice. Practice good loading techniques and practice at various distances. Be especially particular with your shot, your flintlock follow up shots will not be as quick or easy as your modern unmentionables. I have practiced reloading my flintlock and my time is pathetic at best, hopefully with time and more practice it will improve.

Keep the weather in mind. I typically hunt from a stand, sometimes from the ground. Really poor weather there is an option of hunting inside a blind. Last year I started hunting with a .54 caliber flintlock, first year hunting exclusively with a flintlock. In damp or misty weather I carried the lock under my arm pit to protect it. I set with the gun in my lap and my arms crossed to protect the lock from the weather. Once the weather breaks, change the priming powder. Last day of each season I fired the shot and all fired, so it appeared to work, at least for me. I may invest in a cows knee this year, seems like a good idea for added poor weather protection.

Previously I carried so much ammo it was like I was going to war. Reality is only once was a 2nd shot needed, so I stopped carrying pounds and pounds of equipment. I carry a small hunting bag with enough for 10 shots, a couple extra flints, flint leather and rag for wiping the pan or flint. The rest of my equipment has not changed, only the amount of ammo / reloads carried.

Know your distances, your location and your weaknesses. In my case do not see distance very well and my depth perception is poor, glasses help, but they can act like signal mirrors if the sun is in your face. The farthest shot I've ever taken was 135 yards, I thought it was more like 85 yards so the 1st shot was a little low, it was the only animal that needed a follow up shot. The rest of the deer were taken from 15 to 65 yards, most being under 35 yards and none of them required a follow up shot. I walk the area I hunt a couple weeks in advance so I can get some distances set in the back of my mind.

Make every attempt to use a local cover up scent, this can get and keep the deer closer to you. We have goats to keep the brush down around the old cattle barn and lot area. I walk through the goat feces, sometimes dance a jig in it. The goat feces is the best cover up scent I have found. The deer are used to it and it doesn't appear out of place to them, a nice advantage to have when using a smoke pole for hunting.

Like others here, I'm a firm believer in "big lead kills dead". I've taken deer with .58 caliber and large gauge unmentionables none went far with a well placed shot. My belief is two holes, entry and exit, allow the animal to bleed out faster.

 

[azmntman]

After reading all these posts I suggest you reread Stumpkillers post n go hunting!!

IMHO becoming a rock is the most important (NO movement). Have called in turkeys in a red plaid shirt by being a rock

 

[sheriff john]

With some exceptions, unless something in the deer's neighborhood changes - like harvesting crops, people bopping around where you hunt, or free-ranging dogs, does and fawns are predictable down to the same time of day, same place most every day before the rut. They're browsers, taking advantage of whatever's in season at the time. Acorns, paw-paws, soybeans, corn, watermelons, - whatever.

Missouri's firearms season is set each year to optimize the rut - predicted not by weather but by the amount of sunlight (length of daylight). Prior to the rut, does will run off their button buck offspring but allow female fawns to stick around. That's why we see button bucks wandering around mostly alone during the firearms season. Later on in the winter, I have herds as large as 40-60 white tails within a few hundred yards of my house. Every year - for the last 60 + years. I know my deer.

Creatures of habit, locate trails between bedding and feeding areas, set up cameras to see WHEN they're WHERE and unless something changes in the area, you'll see deer. My white tails are large, well-fed animals. Same deer come out at the same time every morning, bed down same place, start moving again near dusk. Feed all night long for the most part. Personally, I prefer either a .45 or .50 patched roundball, heart shots only. They're not hard to kill if you wait for a clean shot. My situation is optimum. Unlike many forced to hunt public land, little competition (none on my farm), no free-running dogs, 200 acres managed for critters.

Worst clothing for deer hunting is blue denim, studies have shown. Blaze orange is not a real "stunner" for deer. Motion of any kind is a problem. I've sprayed doe-in-heat on my boot soles and lower pant legs for years, watched bucks track me to my stand. When I urinate, spray the spot. Otherwise, I smoke Kools, drink coffee, eat slim jims, and twinkies all day long. You know if you can smell hoppe's, black powder, etc. darn sure deer can, too. It's all fun and they taste good, too.

 

[appalichian hunter]

I see where some mentions of weather have been made, some of the biggest deer I have killed were in the nastiest weather one could imagine, especially right after a big rain storm. Stick it out you will be rewarded.

 

[OldSmoky1967]

Watch the weather, if wet I change the prime often too include wiping the pan and frizzen, also a well greased cows knee is a big help. Know your distances you are going too shoot and learn how too judge that distance ( a bit different than shooting on the range especially with a nice buck in your sights) follow through on the shot, re-load, shooting round ball check the last place the deer was when the shot was made, check for sign if not DRT, if the deer drops watch the deer and re-load (practice the re-load without taking your eyes off the deer) watch the direction the deer went sit down for half hour or so then follow the sign too the deer. also practice,practice,practice those shooting distances (know you distance limit and stick too it) just a few of the things I do. Pretty much the same as using a un-mentionable rifle. Good luck.

Exactly right! Good advice.

 

[stank]

Place a bead of beeswax or chapstick where your barrel and stock meet in front of the lock. When you raise the bore on your wet rifle the water wants to run down the outside of the barrel and in to your pan. The wax will stop that.

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

Practice reloading quickly from your bag or your pockets. Many times you will need a speedy follow-up shot. Practice loading quickly but carefully so as to load it correctly and safely. I use vials to hold pre-measured powder, patch and ball. Things are much different in cold weather with winter clothes on than in summer so practice.

 

[Sparkitoff]

Shoot a lot from sitting and kneeling position. You will use the skills if you are sitting and waiting or need to shoot under the branches, etc. Learn to load from that same position.

 

[Mad Professor]

I don't know if anybody else does but after loading I cut a round patch of duck tape the diameter of the barrel, and tape off the muzzle. I keep a few wraps around my powder flask.

Keeps water out of the barrel and blows right off long before the bullet gets to it.

I use a caplock so can't help out on the other end. I do grease the nipple threads with a light dab of anti-seize, and carry a couple candles with. Besides being useful to start a fire I also seal the nipple around the edges of the cap with hot wax.

Have hunted in hard rain and snowstorms and no misfires yet (~35 years)

 

[.36Rooster]

Hello all. I have a hunting trip in a few months that will be my first flintlock hunt. I have hunted tons of small game with the flintlock so far, but have hunted all my big game with a modern rifle. What are some tips to carry into the field when you are flintlock hunting? Any tips, tricks, or "do nots" would be extremely helpful, especially tips on how to have your gun reliably ready in the woods when sitting hours in the deer stand. For reference all of my hunting is done in New England woods with dense vegetation that limits seeing distance. Thanks!

Biggest tip is slow down, take a lunch, and dont bring a watch. Walk little and watch lots. Dont break twigs, look at an area "through" cover, use your ears, and unfocus your eyes and see the whole picture until you see movement and focus in on it. Eyeball the shadows, and examine the color hues. Dont stay in one place too long if you're not seeing sign, and when you spot something, formulate a plan and execute it rather than rushing in and getting excited.