November in Upstate New York is whitetail deer hunting season! Big game hunting is a healthy outdoor activity that can be both exciting and bountiful! Whitetail deer hunting is a great way to get outside and observe wildlife and put meat in your freezer.
Deer hunting can mean different things to different people. What every deer hunter wants is a big buck. Each moment in the woods, in the blind, or in the tree stand, every deer hunter anticipates a mature buck with big antlers will appear. Sometimes they do. Whitetail deer hunting requires patience and skill, but it is a game of luck. And I woud rather be lucky than good any day of the week.
To build the odds in the hunters favor, he or she can follow a simple recipe. Find a good location, with obvious deer sign and good cover, set up a tree stand or ground blind that blends in with the surroundings, and then put hours of time in… Waiting for the deer to show.
Understanding the habits and habitat of whitetail deer comes with time spent afield in their pursuit. The more you come to understand the deer and where they live, the higher your rate of success at harvesting the species. Simple equation is: The more time you invest hunting deer — the more you understand the deer.
Whitetail deer hunting can become more than a simple way to be outdoors engaging nature. For many, whitetail deer hunting becomes an obsession. Killing the biggest buck is the only goal. Size of the antlers is a perceived measure of your prowess as a deer hunter. I dont live in that world.
The harvest of a mature trophy whitetail deer is what the game is about, but, by my measure, it is not proof of anyones dominance in the game. The techniques, tactics, and equipment employed to harvest a trophy buck is the choice of the hunter. And it is all good. If it is legal.
Skill in understanding deer — how they react to weather, food, the landscape — and their instincts — this develops in hunters over time. High-tech cameras aid in this understanding of deer. Hunters who put their time in, sitting and watching and learning, will gain a better understanding.
The modern game camera, employed by most of todays hunters, is integral in their successful assasination of big bucks. Smart phone technology has changed whitetail hunting.
Hunting deer for 35 years, I have come to believe that successful whitetaill hunting is a game of chance. As Woody Allen said “Ninety percent of life is just showing up”. Luck is always a factor.
As technology brings us ever closer to success in life — as well as the harvest of whitetail deer…I still enjoy the game of chance.
More imoportant than the size of the antlers is the time spent afield learning about the deer and the places they live. To share this philosophy of whitetail deer hunting with novice and beginner hunters is important to myself and my guide service.
Stay safe.