Whitetail Hunting Books

[cured_ham]

Hello!

I am newer and largely unsuccessful public land whitetail hunter. I have killed some deer on private but have only had a single public land shot opportunity. I find myself routinely getting frustrated hunting public here in KY where I have had more squirrel dogs come by my stand than I have deer.

The only time I have had a shot was when I hiked 5 miles out into Big South Fork NRRA, spent 7 miles hiking and scouting the day before season opened, and whiffed a 50 yard shot with a rifle on a small buck (bow was getting restrung and I don't practice enough with a gun) that next morning. I do not mind doing this but for a one day hunt it is not feasible. Most of the public land here is small tracts where you cannot get more than a half mile from a road and they are hunted to death. The more remote and rugged hunting opportunities have not awesome deer densities (my buck was in a 1 deer per 15 acres area). By the time I find deer my day hunt is usually over.

Does anyone have any book recommendations for how to put myself in front of more deer, despite all the people in the woods? I can find sign and find trails but no deer. I spent this past weekend in 3 different trees where the ground was covered in acorns but never saw a deer. I am assuming the pressure from gun season, the opening of late muzzleloader, and the squirrel hunters with dogs did not help my chances. Not at all ruling out my own shortcomings of scent control and stand placement, I just have a hard time getting all the puzzle pieces to work.

Thanks!

 

[SneakyThunderCat]

No books to recommend, but the Hunting Beast forum has a wealth of knowledge from a lot of seasoned whitetail hunters.

 

[dallas.kc]

I second the hunting beast forum, but I’m learning that no matter how many posts I read, or YouTube videos of there’s I watch, you’re still going to suck at it for probably a few years. I’m in the same boat as you. Getting frustrated with all the sign and trails I find, but not getting deer (any deer, not just bucks) to go by me. Hang in there, and really try to think about the spots you are hunting and decipher why they wouldn’t be there at that time. It’s getting to be later season, food is a big deal they say. But personally for me, figuring out WHAT food they are after is the roadblock for me.

Lee after it


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[aaronmn]

Check out Hunting Pressured Whitetails.

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[Brendan]

I've been hunting whitetails for 25 years myself, and there are still plenty of days I don't even see a hair... The only books I've found myself enjoying on whitetail hunting are the 3 Benoit Books and Hal Blood's Hunting Big Woods Bucks. Not because it's necessarily applicable to most locations, but most enjoyable and talks about strategies for hunting big woods / low deer density areas.

I think one thing to keep in mind, is certain places are a lot harder to hunt than others. If you're hunting publicly accessible ground in a higher pressured area, you're going to have to expect to have a harder time. Don't benchmark yourself based on all the pictures and success you see from private land, or different areas of the country with a lot less pressure. The areas hardest to hunt and the most inconvenient usually are where you'll have the best chances of success in those area.

Personally, I think it comes down to scouting your ass off, and I think running lots of trail cameras can be really helpful if you're not checking them every two days. Helps you understand where the deer are at different times of the year, and different times of the day, and how they react to pressure. Then, it's just put in the time...

 

[cured_ham]

I will grab that book. I had looked at some of Eberhart's stuff but had not pulled the trigger.

I will look into those recommendations. I definitely enjoy hunting the more remote and rugged terrain. I love not running into people. I have trail cams, but have not used them on public. Is it too late to put some out or should I get out ASAP and try to pattern a late season deer?

Thanks everyone and keep it coming!

 

[Brendan]

I will grab that book. I had looked at some of Eberhart's stuff but had not pulled the trigger.

I will look into those recommendations. I definitely enjoy hunting the more remote and rugged terrain. I love not running into people. I have trail cams, but have not used them on public. Is it too late to put some out or should I get out ASAP and try to pattern a late season deer?

Thanks everyone and keep it coming!

If you're in it for the long term, having cameras out year round can be helpful. You learn where they are summer, early/mid/late season, and then wintering and moving into spring. You can even begin to see patterns based on weather if you track that data too. Data you get from deer movement right now might not help you this year, but it could if you're hunting this time next year.

I haven't been running as many cameras lately and my scouting has dropped off as I've gotten more interested in going west, and it's definitely hurt me from a whitetail perspective close to home.

 

[Se7en39]

Check out The Hunting Public. They use a ton of beast strategies and are successful!


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[johnw91]

I second hunting pressured whitetails!

 

[cured_ham]

Hunting pressured whitetails is ordered

 

[Appalachian Mtnman]

Check out Wired to Hunt podcast and focus when they talk about basic strategies. Also, keep your head high and try to find an old hunter to be friends with. Old hunters are the best teachers and mentors but experience (trial and error) can be a good teacher as well. Learn from every hunt and analyze why something happened or didn't happen and try to connect dots.

 

[*Mountainhunter]

Mapping Trophy Whitetails by Brad Herndon is a very good book. It provides insight as it relates to terrain and how deer use different terrain features.

 

[Megastink]

I’m in the same boat as you. I’m 34, and have been hunting since I was 10. I recently realized that I’ve only ever hunted in areas where my uncle or father showed me, and never really found spots of my own. This season, I’ve been scouting a local state park here in PA trying to find a spot of my own. There's a lot of pressure not just from hunters, but from hikers as well.

I recommend The Hunting Public on YouTube. They only hunt public land and give great info on how to approach it.

 

[Glendon Mullins]

By the time I find deer my day hunt is usually over.

Condensed your post into the sentence that stood out to me the most

Have you tried pre-season or post season scouting? trail cameras? etc.

Your public land sounds alot like mine in VA as far as deer densities goes. Knowing u are in a good spot BEFORE you go is huge for me and my motivation.

I imagine your deer season in kentucky is over or winding down at this moment??? why not go out and do some scouting right now? find areas where sign is concentrated right now, most likely they will be there next year or close by

 

[cured_ham]

Finding deer is my main issue. I just do not see much game. I went hunting in the western part of the state this past weekend and saw 3 bucks and about 20 does. They were super spooky and I kept getting busted due to hardwoods, no leaves, and being too fidgety. I did not do much preseason scouting (i plan to do better next year, I spent all summer prepping for elk)

I did get two different Eberhard whitetail books for Christmas. They have been good reads so far.

 

[1stGenOutdoorsman]

Your experaince is similar to my own in Michigan.

Do you find the Eberhart books to be different enough it’s worth getting a second or third? I’m currently reading Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails and had thought about picking up another of their books but have heard they are all pretty much the same. I suppose I could also use my library rather than buy a copy.

Mapping Trophy Bucks is on my list as well. I read one of the Benoit books and learned some stuff but it wasn’t as applicable for where I’m at mostly.

 

[cured_ham]

I have only read one (also Hunting Pressured Whitetails)

The other one is The Eberhart Way

 

[540-Virginian]

My two favorite books and 1 favorite DVD that have been most helpful:

Bowhunting Public Land Whitetails by Tony Peterson

Whitetail Savvy by Leonard Lee Rue (this is a loong read and more about deer biology, but I believe in understand a lot about the animal to learn better ways to hunt it).

Any DVD by Dan Infalt (sold on Stealth Outdoors dot com). The hill country bucks was good for me because of where I hunt specifically.

 

[DComer_55]

Another vote for THP, both their YouTube Channel & the podcast, as well as Wired To Hunt

 

[MuddyBoots]

If you hunting high pressure ground safe bedding is paramount priority for bucks. I second 540-Virginian recommendation to pick up a copy of Dan Infalt/Hunting Beast's Hill Country Bedding DVD. Once you know what good areas look like on the map you can concentrate on slowing down and actually hunting through the high percentage locations with the wind in you favor. It's difficult to get the drop on a buck in hardwood hills. It's nearly impossible to do if your are hiking/scouting with a gun not hunting with intent.

Once you have an understanding of the property you are hunting and how deer use it you should be able to identify consistent rut stand sites. Steve Bartylla's Advanced Stand-Hunting Strategies does a good job of explaining which spots should be hunted during which phase of the rut.