If you’re a novice hunter, you don’t need to learn how to hunt through trial and error. You can avoid many hunting mishaps by learning from mistakes made by other hunters in the past.
For instance, most hunters will spend lots of money choosing a decent rifle but fail to do the same when choosing a scope. A high-quality scope gives you better focus and aim and improves your rifle’s precision. So prior to buying your new scope, check out the reviews like this one https://scopesreviews.com/best-223-scopes/, and you will thank us later.
Want to learn more mistakes that you should avoid this hunting season? We have five more rookie hunting mistakes that you can learn from to avoid messing up your hunts.
1. Not Practicing Enough
Don’t wait until the deer hunting season starts to use your rifle. We advise that you practice with your hunting gear on and off-season.
Getting enough practice with your gear before a hunt builds your hunting confidence. You also get a chance to check if your hunting apparel is okay, and in case of a problem, you’ll have enough time to fix it before the hunting season.
2. Putting All Your Trust on the Trail Cameras
We know that a trail camera is an excellent tool for hunting success.
However, your cameras can’t cover every spot surrounding your stand. Bucks could be cruising 70 yards from your stand, and you might be missing them due to trusting your cameras too much.
Besides, most hunters keep on checking their trail cameras. This is not only intrusive, but it also spreads your scent all over the area, making it harder for you to catch anything.
3. Hunting Only During Dawn and Dusk Hours
Many deer hunters will tell you to hunt in the dawn and dusk hours since this is when most deer are looking for food.
However, during cold weather or the rutting season, bucks often break their cycle and search for food at midday. Besides, older deer have learned out of experience that there is less hunting pressure at noon.
So, if you usually take a middle-of-the-day break when hunting deer, consider carrying some packed lunch with you.
Other tips that can help you catch bucks during the midday hours include:
· Come prepared to stay out all day, especially during the rutting season
· Set your stands near funnels connecting to does bedding areas
· During the midday hours, deer may bed in their feeding areas. So, place your cameras on popular deer feeding areas
4. Getting Distracted During a Watch
Sometimes, action is slow during a hunt.
Unfortunately, in such instances, many hunters get bored and ignore their surroundings. Some hunters will even get tempted and play games on their smartphones or start watching videos on TikTok.
Unfortunately, it takes just a few minutes for a buck to catch you off guard and for you to miss the opportunity to hunt it down.
Even if you need to take a few glances on your phone during a hunt, be careful not to get carried away and forget why you’re on a hunt in the first place.
5. You Don’t Call
Calling is an excellent haunting tactic that many hunters often ignore. Using a grunt call or antler rattles can help bring deer closer to you.
To ensure your call works, make sure it’s loud enough to attract attention. Also, avoid calling too soon. For instance, if you have already spotted a buck coming towards you, don’t call unless he changes course.
In addition, if you want to call a deer that is out of your shooting range, use a soft grunt call. You should also avoid calling an alert deer as this may tip them off. Don’t forget to be ready when you call, as a deer may respond in an instant after a call.
Conclusion
Many factors may have been keeping you from catching some game in the past hunting seasons. While some may be beyond your control, others, like those addressed above, can be avoided.
Before the hunting season begins, take time to educate yourself on common hunting mistakes and how to avoid them, and you might just improve your hunting game this year.