How to Prepare for Deer Hunting
Allan Olson
This website contains information to help prepare those with very little experience in preparing for Whitetail deer season in Minnesota. It also contains information about what is needed to build deer stands, sighting in rifles, clothing requirements and a few different rifle options.
Pre-Hunt Preparation
- Check and Repair all existing stands.
- Look for new areas of deer activity.
- Build new stands in areas of heavy activity.
- Noticing signs of deer activity like deer trails, beds, or buck scrapes.
Material's Needed
- 2x4 or 2x6 boards (scrap material is fine)
- Sapling (found in the area of the stand being built)
- Screws
- Nails
Tools
Some tools needed are a chain or hand saw, hammer, nails, and a post-hole digger. Some other man power to help with the labor is always a plus.
Optional items include at least an 18 volt power drill with several screws two inches or longer would work also pole barn or 16d common nails work great. Make sure you bring the hammer and nails because the drill might not always work.
Instead of building a deer stand another option is to buy one from Cabelas, Gander Mountain or other places that sell them. Some assembly is required with store bought stands.
Now that the deer stand is built to code (meaning that it will hold up to that fat relative from out of town who decides to hunt at the last minute). It's time to prepare the hunting weapon.
Weapon:
My rifle is a 6.5x55 Swedish Military Mauser. There are many different rifles that are suitable for rifle season. The problem is just finding the right one for you. A few factors to consider when selecting a rifle are the weight, length and recoil.
- Weight:
if a rifle is too heavy it will be a burden for the hunter to carry around the woods. - Length:
If the rifle is too long the individual might not be able to hold the rifle tight against their shoulder and still access the trigger effectively. - Recoil:
If the rifle has too much recoil for the hunter they will be scared to shoot for fear of hurting their shoulder.
Target Shooting:
There are many ways to prepare for your rifle for this event. Some hunters go to their local rifle range and sight in their rifle(s) at a set number of yards. Others find a gravel pit, while some have a backyard that serves as their rifle range.
Set the target up at 100 yards or so making sure there is a clean line of fire beyond the target. Take a shot (remember to turn the safety on) and then walk down to the target and see where your shots placed. Sighting the rifle takes time and patience but the process can go a little faster if there is someone telling the shooter where their last shot placed on the target.
It ís best to have the shots grouped consistently in at least the middle ring of the target (preferably the bulls eye) if you are not that great of shot keep it at least a little to the left or right of the bulls eye. (Remember it takes only a fraction of an inch between a tracking shot and a kill shot).
Scope Adjustment
If your shooting is not consistent your scope might need a little adjusting. Adjust the scope up or down by unscrewing the top cover off the scope and use a coin or knife or a small screw driver will work as well.
The adjustment of the scope is determined by how many inches your shots are from the bulls eye. Some scopes adjustments are 1/4 inch per click some are 1/2 inch per click every scope is different so make sure you pay attention to what it says on the scope and how many clicks you turn the scopes settings. Adjusting the left and right settings is done the same way. Then put the cap back on and give it a little tap with the knife or something a little hard. This is done to hold the adjustment otherwise when the rifle fires again it may lose it's adustment.
Be prepared to fire again and again and sometimes again. Before the shots will be right where you want it. Before quitting make sure that at least 3-4 shots are clustered close together.
Clothing
Now that the stands are built and the rifle(s) are sighted in it ís time to make sure the clothing is in good shape and all the pieces made it back into the storage container where you left it after the last hunting season.
It is required to have at least one article of orange clothing above the waist. Jackets are best for visibilty in the woods and having an orange hat helps also. (Sorry for all those who don't like orange it's required by law.)
Clothing Accessories
Other articles of clothing include long joh
n top and bottoms (thermals are nice) wool socks, and wool pants. Some people wear a different combination of sweat pants and shirt rather then wool pants.
However you dress, make sure you dress in layers. Just remember you can always take clothes off in the woods but it ís pretty hard to put clothes on when they are folded in your dresser at home. The main thing to remember is to dress for the weather and it doesn't hurt to listen to the weather forecast before you head out to your hunting post.
Gloves
Gloves don't need to be any certain color as long as they are warm, comfortable, and you can easily access the trigger.
Boots
Probably one of the most important pieces of clothing for hunting is your boots.
The boots need to be warm and most importantly dry. It is a very important to check your boots for cuts or holes of any kind. Wet feet really make a miserable hunt. Check boot liners for holes and make sure that the liner is dry and not rotting. If the boots look questionable buy new ones and use those for back up only.
Hey one more thing don't forget your knife!
Tools Needed
- Chain Saw
- Hammer
- Nails
- Lumber
Terms to Know
Noun. Buck Scrape
scraping of horns on trees
Noun. Deer trail
a trail worn by the passage of deer
Noun. Deer Bed
A flat area of padded down grass
Noun. Recoil
the backward jerk of a gun when it is fired
Safety Items
- Compass
- Waterproof matches
- Small amount of dry kinder
- Flashlight
- Toilet Paper
Snack Items
- Hard Candies
- Apple
Store bought deer stand
Price $60 - $300 or more
More Links
Weapons
Newly built deer stand
price up to $10.00
Informative hunting links
www.tracker-outdoors.com/whitetail-scouting.htm
www.thejump.net/hunting/Tips.htm
Questions Comments Allan Olson