You can sit there and blame your poor kill rate on bad luck all day, but the truth is you’re probably missing shots and scaring off deer because of silly mistakes.

It’s these little errors that are costing you that amazing set of antlers on your wall, so I’m going to share a few deer hunting tips to help you eliminate those mistakes!

1. Poor Scouting

I’ve seen too many people leave their scouting missions until the last minute.

But the truth is that you should never stop scouting if you want to keep one step ahead of those bucks.

If you start scouting a few weeks after the season ends you’ll slowly be able to piece together trails, food sources and rubs. This gives you plenty of time to build your strategies for the open season.

And don’t forget, the scouting doesn’t stop when the season starts. You need to adjust your strategies due to seasonal factors such as food scarcity and changes in vegetation.

2. Too Much Movement

Deer have amazing eyesight. In fact, they have a 300 degree field of view compared to human’s 120 degree field of view.

But not enough hunters take this into account, so you really need to pay attention here.

You can wear all the camouflage you want, but if you don’t keep still in your stand the deer will stay well away.

Get yourself in a comfortable position and stay there.

3. Not Checking Your Equipment

You’ve probably got yourself a damn good set of hunting equipment, but without proper maintenance it will become less reliable.

And this can cost you.

Say, for example, you’re lining up the perfect shot on a buck when, suddenly, part of your tree stand falls off and hits the floor with a huge thud.

That buck will be hightailing it out of there in an instant.

Remember: you’re only going to be as good as your equipment!

 

4.  Overuse of Scents and Calls

Scents and calls are certainly useful for helping you lead that huge buck to your stand, but you have to be careful.

Deer aren’t stupid, so if you douse an area in scent then it’s going to know something’s up. It’s just not natural! Instead, try and use it sparingly so that it arouses their curiosity, but doesn’t send them packing.

And the same goes for calls. Don’t sit there grunting all day long and rattling antlers until your wrists ache. Keep things natural and you’ll find you get that buck much closer to your stand.

5. Hunting Right over Scrapes

You might think it’s a great idea to hunt directly next to a scrape as it’s where they’re all heading, right?

Well, in theory, you’re right. The bucks probably are heading to the scrape, but the biggest bucks are usually the wariest.

That’s why they hang back until night time.

And you’re not going to get a good shot at night!

Instead, I think you’ll have much more success by setting up around 100 yards from the scrape. That way you can still catch sight of the buck in daylight.

I hope you find these deer hunting tips and tricks really helpful, so let us know what you thought in the comments!