Questions about deer hunting

[Mossberg90MN]

Hey how’s it goin folks! I’m a very new hunter, never hunted a deer before, this will be my first year. I’ve been watching a lot of you tube videos on the subject and reading articles online, I actually just bought the Marsh Buck hunting video from the Hunting Beast store, considering I will be doing a lot of public land hunting in Minnesota, where there is a whole lot of cat tail marsh.

I have a few questions that I seem to be confused about...

1) Can I scout for bucks in the summer? Or is it completely irrelevant info?

From what I gather, you want to scout after the season or early spring. I did do some extensive scouting for turkey and tried to remember a lot of what I saw for deer while I was out there.

2) Will bucks use the same bedding area year round? Or does it change? Basically if I find a buck bedding area this summer, will it probably still be there by the start of bow season?

3) Do you hunt deer early in the AM? Later in the evening? Or do you sit all day?

4) What tree stand do you guys recommend for mobile public land hunts? In my state I can’t leave my stand up. Has to go up and down everyday. Looking for a middle of the road tree stand, nothing ultra expensive, but don’t want to buy junk either. Just a decent middle of the road tree stand.

Thanks guys!

[minnesotahunter]

Hey how’s it goin folks! I’m a very new hunter, never hunted a deer before, this will be my first year. I’ve been watching a lot of you tube videos on the subject and reading articles online, I actually just bought the Marsh Buck hunting video from the Hunting Beast store, considering I will be doing a lot of public land hunting in Minnesota, where there is a whole lot of cat tail marsh.

I have a few questions that I seem to be confused about...

1) Can I scout for bucks in the summer? Or is it completely irrelevant info? Absolutely, you can pattern them late summer via glassing/observation and get on them opener weekend. Bed scouting can be deceiving this time of year depending on high water/vegetation etc.

From what I gather, you want to scout after the season or early spring. I did do some extensive scouting for turkey and tried to remember a lot of what I saw for deer while I was out there.

2) Will bucks use the same bedding area year round? Or does it change? Basically if I find a buck bedding area this summer, will it probably still be there by the start of bow season? My personal observation, it changes quite a bit in MN. Extreme cold changes bedding along with extreme heat/water/vegetation. Look for rubs near bedding from last fall. If you get in a spot with some buck sign near bedding stop and think. A lot of times you will realize why you are seeing what you are seeing. Some spots are just bulletproof and will hold a deer all year for a reason. Unfortunately that reason is typically the same reason he has lived so long and it's very difficult to hunt....unless you're the BBSK.

3) Do you hunt deer early in the AM? Later in the evening? Or do you sit all day? Play the wind and hunt when the time is right. Lot's of opinions on this one. Setting up in the morning can be an extreme challenge unless you know the tree you are going to. Even then things look a lot different in the dark. I love mornings on at pre set locations, not as much being mobile.

4) What tree stand do you guys recommend for mobile public land hunts? In my state I can’t leave my stand up. Has to go up and down everyday. Looking for a middle of the road tree stand, nothing ultra expensive, but don’t want to buy junk either. Just a decent middle of the road tree stand. Buy a used or new Lone Wolf stand and try to save for Dan's sticks. If thats not possible get some used Lone wolf sticks from a guy that is buying Dan's sticks.


Hope this helps!

Thanks guys!

[minnesotahunter]

Also, check the all time best tactical thread on this site. Set aside some time and read carefully. Theres gold in that thar thread.

[BorealBushMN]

Hey how’s it goin folks! I’m a very new hunter, never hunted a deer before, this will be my first year. I’ve been watching a lot of you tube videos on the subject and reading articles online, I actually just bought the Marsh Buck hunting video from the Hunting Beast store, considering I will be doing a lot of public land hunting in Minnesota, where there is a whole lot of cat tail marsh.

I have a few questions that I seem to be confused about...

1) Can I scout for bucks in the summer? Or is it completely irrelevant info? Any info anytime is good info. Age the sign you see, try and picture the area in the fall, ask the question Why is he here? Do it make sense for him to be there in the fall?

From what I gather, you want to scout after the season or early spring. I did do some extensive scouting for turkey and tried to remember a lot of what I saw for deer while I was out there.

2) Will bucks use the same bedding area year round? sometimes Or does it change? Basically if I find a buck bedding area this summer, will it probably still be there by the start of bow season? quite possibly, however, you won't know until you try it.

3) Do you hunt deer early in the AM? Later in the evening? Or do you sit all day? Anytime you can get out. What you'll hear around here is early season all the way into Oct, evening sits are best. Save your morning sits until the rut, then sit all day. Late season your back to evening sits. Being you're new, just get out as much as you can and take your lumps and learn as much as you can.

4) What tree stand do you guys recommend for mobile public land hunts? Whatever you can afford! Lonewolf seems to be the best, until Dan gets his sticks and stand to the market. In my state I can’t leave my stand up. Yes you can, except for State Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). Any other state or federal lands are littered with stands.Has to go up and down everyday. Looking for a middle of the road tree stand, nothing ultra expensive, but don’t want to buy junk either. Just a decent middle of the road tree stand. See what's available used, or get the best you can afford. Also, sometimes is best to just go big right away. You get what you pay for. Eventually a few cheap set ups become more of an investment that a high priced, one time set up.

Thanks guys!

I'm the farthest thing from an expert, but I've been chasing these critters for a long time. What I've provided is essentially what I've read throughout this site and gleaned from THP and other videos. Welcome to the hunting community! Glad to have ya! You're in the right spot to learn a ton, too. Wish I would have had a place half as good as this back when I first stared. Good luck to ya and remember it's a marathon and not a sprint. You may get lucky this season, or it may take you a few before you get a deer down. Just stay patient and keep at it. I live up north in the big woods of MN and struggle every year. But I love it!