Pennsylvania Game News - November 2024 - 53

the only way to learn these skills is by
being close to deer.
4. HOW TO SHOOT DEER
Arguably the most important lesson
deer taught me is how to shoot deer.
Paper and 3-D targets are great for
practice, but they just don't compare to
what you learn by shooting real deer.
While proper shot placement is
something that's taught to hunters from
the very beginning, a hunter must learn
when to take a shot. You learn to read
body language - a relaxed deer makes
a better target than an alert deer; a static
deer makes a better target than a moving
deer. That's critical information as you
evaluate a situation to determine if you
have a good shot opportunity or a bad
one.
In 2020, I passed up a shot with my
bow at the biggest Pennsylvania buck
of my life, based on the lessons learned
over 30-plus years shooting deer. The
buck was perfectly broadside in a fi eld
at 50 yards. That's a makeable shot for
me with my compound bow, but it's not
a gimme. Everything has to be perfect.
I could tell this buck was on edge, and
was not relaxed at all. It was unusually
quiet this evening, and I just had a feeling
- based on experience - that when I
released my bowstring, this buck would
react to the sound in some fashion. He
might duck, or jump, or wheel around.
He'd make some movement that would
cause my arrow to possibly hit him in
a bad spot. I didn't want to take that
chance, so I didn't shoot.
5. DEER BEHAVIOR
What does a buck grunt sound like?
What does a doe bleat sound like?
What do deer hoofbeats sound like
NOVEMBER 2024
compared to the sound of other woodland
creatures?
To be an eff ective deer hunter, it helps
to know how deer behave in their natural
surroundings. The only way to learn
the sounds they make and how they
interact with one another and with their
environment is to spend time watching
them.
Just one example of an important
lesson I learned about deer behavior
came from seeing a doe react to the
presence of a buck I couldn't see. The
doe appeared from some brush in front
of my stand in a very relaxed state. All of
a sudden, she turned her head toward her
backtrail, locked her ears forward and
stared. Within seconds, a buck with its
nose to the ground appeared. I've used
the knowledge of how a doe behaves
when being trailed by a buck countless
times through the years to know to
get ready when I see the doe behave a
certain way.
Because I've heard buck grunts in
the woods, I can pick them out from all
the other woodland sounds when a buck
grunts near me. It's important to know
when a buck is close. And if you can hear
him grunting, he's close. Same goes for
doe bleats.
There are a thousand lessons you will
learn from deer about their behavior if
you simply spend time around them.
Those lessons are valuable in becoming
a successful hunter.
Reading about deer, watching videos
about deer and talking to veteran hunters
about deer are all great ways to build
a foundation of knowledge about deer.
None of those are substitutes for the
knowledge gained from whitetails themselves.
So when you encounter them, pay
attention.
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Pennsylvania Game News - November 2024

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