Rookie Ontario deer hunter

S

Stripes

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
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Location
Toronto Ontario
Gentlemen I'm coming to you all in my time of need. After finding success in my small game endeavors I'm looking to move up in the world and I'm in need of some guidance. I'm going to be attempting to get a whitetail in wmu55a this coming rifle season. I have a good general idea on what I should be doing but I need some advice on what technique I should focus on.

The area I'll be in is densely wooded broken up by swampy areas, young forest from cuts many years ago and a hydro line that cuts right through the unit. My first question is how would you hunt it, from a stand/blind or still hunting to cover ground? I was initially thinking of going the blind/stand route but after some scouting and mental gymnastics I'm second guessing that decision in favor of being able to cover as much ground as possible.

My second question is I'll only be able to take one week of the two week season off of work, which should I take? The first week has many obvious things going for it but if hunting pressure drops significantly in that second week that could be a big plus too, especially for someone wet behind the ears going it alone.

Sorry if these questions sound kinda stupid, my only hunting mentor has been myself. Trial and error is fairly forgiving chasing grouse, I'm imagining it will be less so here. Any other tips or guidance is really appreciated!
 
There are only stupid question , only stupid answers....
Why not head out on a Saturday or any day off and try scouting .
You might be surprised in what you find or wait for someone to offer up their experience.
Me, I would go out and scout and try what little I may know and apply what may be offered up.
Stupid answer ;)...tiss worth what it is free advice.
Good Hunting.
Rob
 
Stripes said:
My second question is I'll only be able to take one week of the two week season off of work, which should I take? The first week has many obvious things going for it but if hunting pressure drops significantly in that second week that could be a big plus too, especially for someone wet behind the ears going it alone.
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Colder is better for me, but that could occur at anytime during those two weeks and it's no guarantee that the rut is on and the deer are moving. Also, a good idea is to do some earlier morning scouting to look for signs, including tracks (snow= bonus). Hunt from a lane where you can best expect a deer to come by. Hydro line is a not so natural crossing point and works well for some.

If you are in unfamiliar area and enter the bush without tools and knowledge to use them, there's a good chance of getting lost, even with GPS and compass if the terrain is unforgiving. Ask me how I know.

PS: Bring toilet paper, you'll thank me later.
 
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FLHTCUI said:
There are only stupid question , only stupid answers....
Why not head out on a Saturday or any day off and try scouting .
You might be surprised in what you find or wait for someone to offer up their experience.
Me, I would go out and scout and try what little I may know and apply what may be offered up.
Stupid answer ;)...tiss worth what it is free advice.
Good Hunting.
Rob
Click to expand...
Now that my weekends have freed up I'll be certainly hitting it harder when I can. Thanks!

OneBarfly said:
Colder is better for me, but that could occur at anytime during those two weeks and it's no guarantee that the rut is on and the deer are moving. Also, a good idea is to do some earlier morning scouting to look for signs, including tracks (snow= bonus). Hunt from a lane where you can best expect a deer to come by. Hydro line is a not so natural crossing point and works well for some.

If you are in unfamiliar area and enter the bush without tools and knowledge to use them, there's a good chance of getting lost, even with GPS and compass if the terrain is unforgiving. Ask me how I know.

PS: Bring toilet paper, you'll thank me later.
Click to expand...
I never leave home without the TP! Learned that one the hard way.

I was leaning towards the hydro line as it's one of the few areas that offers decent visibility (at least this time of year). I'm going to try to get out to it early this weekend and see what I can see. There's a few other spots with potential I've seen, might strap the saw to my quad and see if I can clear a bit of a lane

Thanks for the tips!

Power Pill said:
If you're hunting solo your best bet will be to find a good spot and sit in blind or stand.
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Think it would be better to purchase a blind on make a basic one? I feel that a stand would be better but gravity and I have a turbulent relationship
 
Assuming this is public land?
I would make a small ground blind (or get a pop up) and sit still until at least 10 am daily
Maybe walk around a bit then sit from 3 to dark.

Be patient.
 
Bigbubba said:
Assuming this is public land?
I would make a small ground blind (or get a pop up) and sit still until at least 10 am daily
Maybe walk around a bit then sit from 3 to dark.

Be patient.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

Ive shot deer both sitting and walking. Ive bumped a hell of a lot of deer walking that didnt present shots either. Walking is good for seeing deer, not rally for shooting them.
 
Becoming familiar with the terrain is always a bonus.

Don't rely on GPS. Get some good cartography that has grids. MGRS. Make sure the maps water-proofed somehow.
Get a good compass. One that can adjust the magnetic declination. Also better if it has a built in Romer.

Get proficient with all your equipment. Use GPS to confirm locations only.

Use Google Earth to get familiar with your intended hunting location.

The less you focus on navigating, by being familiar and proficient, the more you can focus on the hunt.
 
I agree with those saying sit and wait. Picking the right spot will be the challenge. I've shot lots of deer mid-day, so be prepared to be out all day. I tend to have better luck second week, but it can be friggin cold. You also need a plan for getting your dead deer out of the woods. Dragging a deer by yourself is a lot harder than you might think.

For spots to sit, look for choke points, the outside corners of beaver ponds or cuts, and if there are any dried up beaver ponds in your area the deer like those too. They'll have certain points they like to cross, and these can be hard to figure out. If you can find where the does are hanging out, the bucks won't be far away during the rut. Don't get discouraged if you're not seeing lots ( or any ) deer. The numbers aren't that high up here.

I would also suggest investing in a couple of good trail cams and putting them in spots you think might be good. Get a cable lock and lock them to the tree, and lock the door down too.
 
Stripes said:
Think it would be better to purchase a blind on make a basic one? I feel that a stand would be better but gravity and I have a turbulent relationship
Click to expand...

Do you plan on packing it in and out every day?
I hate doing that.
On private land for me, it goes up for the season and doesn’t move.
On public land, or if I just have a day where I want to sit someplace new, I take my primos up’n’down.
 
Sounds like sitting and waiting is getting the popular vote so I'm going to plan around that.

I'll be hunting public land so a blind that I can pack in and out would be ideal. Or something I can make cheaply out there and leave for the season.

For dragging the deer out I'll have my quad and the quads god gave me. Been practicing dragging 150lbs of deadweight behind me but I can see being in the woods doing it will be harder than a flat driveway.

Good advice on where to look. I've secured some decent topo maps of the area and I'll brush up on my use of a compass. I've got a good GPS unit and the iHunter app that I've been using to tag points of interest. But I try to avoid relying to heavily on them.

Going to grab a few trail cameras before the weekend and set them up when I get back out there. Should I go for quantity over quality here? There's a lot of ground to cover

Really appreciate the advice so far guys!
 
I can't quite contribute, since I haven't tagged a deer yet (multiple moose tagged though)! Or can I...

I would say, as I have been hunting deer for 4 years: Above all, enjoy your time in the woods and give it your all. Prep work is everything ;-)

David
 
I think you can leave blinds/stands on public land during the season you just have to take them down at the end.
 
I have made small blinds out of branches and logs and some burlap - all you are generally trying to do is break up your outline - vs making a nice cozy place to stay warm - if I was making that kind of blind i would do it on private land.

having said that, the small pop up tents are pretty good and I would feel comfortable leaving one out for the week. Probably a good chance no one will take it.
And if there is that much hunting pressure that some one will come across it, its probably better to be somewhere else anyway.

You would be surprised and how well a wheelbarrow works and getting a deer out....of course it depends on the bush and how thick it is.
But if there is a bit of a trail to get to where you are sitting they work ok.

Practice shooting from a sitting position.

Good luck
 
Be an optimist and plan how you're field dressing your deer and getting it out of the bush and back to your vehicle.
Solo deer dragging is for the fit unless the deer is small and terrain is easy. Be patient and prepared for 3-4 hour sits.
Get good headlamps and lighting. Tracking is often in the dark. I like to hang a light where the deer was shot so I have a reference point.
 
As others have said, do both. You’ll not only have higher success, but you’ll also enjoy the experience more.

Nothing quite like sitting in the pitch dark, watching shapes and features slowly appear in front of you as await shooting light. Every tangle of undergrowth or stump becomes a temporary deer until the twilight finally betrays it. Red squirrels out of sight become elephants stomping through the leaves. And when that grouse slips in behind you silently, then takes off like a winged drum-set... (that’s where the toilet paper comes in)

By about 930-1000, you’ll hear things quiet down. Now it’s time to have a bite to eat, then start still hunting. Have a plan in mind. Make that 6 plans, or as many days as you’re hunting. Look at google earth and topi maps and consider where all you want to cover. Be flexible, consider which plan works best with the current conditions. Where’s the wind coming from? Is it snowing? Is it raining? If it’s dead calm, stick to trails and existing paths as much as possible. Crunching leave and twigs will be heard a mile away. Save the bushwhacking for when it’s raining or there’s a decent wind blowing covering up the sound of your movement. (And if it’s very windy, forget it. Just find an open meadow to overlook and hope for the best. No deer is worth a falling limb cracking your skull open.) During these still hunts, you’ll likely find new places you want to use as stands, so don’t forget to mark them in your gps and consider how you’ll get in or out in the dark.

Go overkill on the hunter orange if you’re on public land. At least while you’re still hunting. On your stand? Feel free to strip to the minimum, but when you’re out creeping, make sure you’re impossible to miss. Keep your eyes not only looking for game, but also other hunters. Try to think with each new valley, or meadow or whatever “where would a hunter be sitting to best survey this area?” I’ve only been scoped by another hunter once, but it’s an unnerving feeling and once too many. The moment you see orange, stop, wave your hat, and try to establish visual recognition of each other. Proceed in a direction that’s respectful to their hunt. If you’re slow and quiet, don’t assume they’re frustrated that you’re “busting up their hunt”. There’s a higher chance you’ll bump a deer right back to them, and they know it.

A couple hours before sunset, take up a stand again and wait till the end of shooting light. Make sure you’ve got a gun sock and good head lamp with you for the hike out.

Uh, what else?

I like a backpack full of all my crap instead of of loading up my pockets. If I want to scale a steep hill to get a better look at an area before moving on, I can hang it on a beach and not have it weighing me down. On the stand, it just sits between my legs with easy access to calls, binos, energy bars, etc.

Are you ready and prepared to gut the deer? It’ll be tough not doing it with a mentor the first time, no matter how many YouTube videos you watch (watch a lot). Try to drag the deer to a shallow slope where the guts will roll away. Keep in mind with every step you take when hunting: “If I shoot a deer here, how am I going to get it out”. Otherwise successful hunts have been made miserable by failing to consider that question. If it’s too big to drag, or the terrain won’t allow it, you’ll have to quarter it (don’t forget to youtube that too) and make multiple trips back to your vehicle (or to a place you can get you’re vehicle to)

Have fun out there! Keep in mind, the first time we do anything, the goal is to educate yourself first. As long as you’re learning, you’re succeeding. Any fun you have, any pics you take, any meat you put in your freezer is all just a bonus. :)



Edit

Forgot to add: the first week is ALWAYS the week with the most deer movement. I forget all the numbers from the studies, but every DAY into the season success rates drop something like 30-50 percent from the previous day.
Day one will be you’re most like today to get a deer, but also the busiest and most chaotic with other hunters. If you’ve never hinted public land during deer season before, prepare yourself to see “the pumpkin patch”. More hunters out there than you knew existed.
 
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Thanks for starting this thread. Tons of helpful info. I’m a first time ON deer hunter this year as well. Let’s hope for some beginners luck!
 
verminaard said:
Specifically, from whatever you will sit on during the season.
Shooting from a nice solid, flat, elevated picnic table doesn’t help much when you sit 2” off the ground in a bucket seat turkey chair.
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Never even considered this. I've been practicing standing, kneeling and sitting but never from a small seat. Great tip!


halhunt said:
Be an optimist and plan how you're field dressing your deer and getting it out of the bush and back to your vehicle.
Solo deer dragging is for the fit unless the deer is small and terrain is easy. Be patient and prepared for 3-4 hour sits.
Get good headlamps and lighting. Tracking is often in the dark. I like to hang a light where the deer was shot so I have a reference point.
Click to expand...
Fortunately the place I'll be staying in is right in the thick of where I'll be hunting. I was planning on dressing the deer and dragging it out to a point that I can access with my quad.

I'm not sure on what the social etiquette is about using a quad during deer season though. When I was up there during moose season (picked a bad week the hunt grouse) the trails were alive with the sounds of quads.

kodiakjack said:
Go overkill on the hunter orange if you’re on public land. At least while you’re still hunting. On your stand? Feel free to strip to the minimum, but when you’re out creeping, make sure you’re impossible to miss. Keep your eyes not only looking for game, but also other hunters. Try to think with each new valley, or meadow or whatever “where would a hunter be sitting to best survey this area?” I’ve only been scoped by another hunter once, but it’s an unnerving feeling and once too many. The moment you see orange, stop, wave your hat, and try to establish visual recognition of each other. Proceed in a direction that’s respectful to their hunt. If you’re slow and quiet, don’t assume they’re frustrated that you’re “busting up their hunt”. There’s a higher chance you’ll bump a deer right back to them, and they know it.

A couple hours before sunset, take up a stand again and wait till the end of shooting light. Make sure you’ve got a gun sock and good head lamp with you for the hike out.


Are you ready and prepared to gut the deer? It’ll be tough not doing it with a mentor the first time, no matter how many YouTube videos you watch (watch a lot). Try to drag the deer to a shallow slope where the guts will roll away. Keep in mind with every step you take when hunting: “If I shoot a deer here, how am I going to get it out”. Otherwise successful hunts have been made miserable by failing to consider that question. If it’s too big to drag, or the terrain won’t allow it, you’ll have to quarter it (don’t forget to youtube that too) and make multiple trips back to your vehicle (or to a place you can get you’re vehicle to)

Have fun out there! Keep in mind, the first time we do anything, the goal is to educate yourself first. As long as you’re learning, you’re succeeding. Any fun you have, any pics you take, any meat you put in your freezer is all just a bonus. :)



Edit

Forgot to add: the first week is ALWAYS the week with the most deer movement. I forget all the numbers from the studies, but every DAY into the season success rates drop something like 30-50 percent from the previous day.
Day one will be you’re most like today to get a deer, but also the busiest and most chaotic with other hunters. If you’ve never hinted public land during deer season before, prepare yourself to see “the pumpkin patch”. More hunters out there than you knew existed.
Click to expand...

Good points on going overkill on the orange. You've also helped ease my worrying about bumping into others and ruining their experience!

Field dressing is the area I'm most uneasy about. Fish and small game and birds are all I've done so far. I've probably watched every video out there on it. But nothing can replace hands on experience. I'm trying to get my buddy that's a butcher to give me some lessons for quartering.

I'm treating this whole thing as a learning experience. I'm excited just to get to spend a week in the woods learning something new. If I even see a deer I'm going to be excited, if I get a deer even better!

I've heard similar things. I've also been told that this wmu has a pretty low success rate period. Do you think going week two would be better for learning even though the odds of success are lower?

Thanks for the pile of info! I wanted to address every point but then this post would be a mile long. I really appreciate it!


Tompullings said:
Thanks for starting this thread. Tons of helpful info. I’m a first time ON deer hunter this year as well. Let’s hope for some beginners luck!
Click to expand...

No problem man! I knew I couldn't be the only one!


Thanks for all the info and advice guys!
 
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