You’ve spent the offseason getting your eye in at the range but now its deer season and you want to make all that practice count. Here are 5 tips from the Glowshot Targets Team to get you on your way to an excellent Deer season. Safe hunting!
1. Mask your scent
Did you know that deer have 20 times more powerful sense of smell than humans? They will
often smell you before they see you, even if you are upwind. The best way to mask your scent is
to keep your hunting clothes in a sealed container or bag along with leaves, mud and other
natural scents up until you begin your session. Try not to contaminate your clothing on the way
to your hunt.
2. Scout out your location
You don’t need fancy tech to scout out and plan your hunt. With google maps you can scope out
the terrain and tree cover to get a good idea of what you are up against and plan where you may
want to start out.
3. Practice makes perfect.
Practice setting up and taking down your equipment before your day out. You want to minimise the noise you make and be ready for that perfect shot when the timing is right. You don’t want to miss that perfect opportunity when it comes up by fumbling with your gear.
Offhand shooting practice with a .22 is a great way to make sure your muscle memory works in your favour when you get out in the field. It is an easy and inexpensive way to keep your shooting skills fresh.
A great way to practice with a .22 is with a GlowShot Targets AR500 Gong. Steel targets give great instant confirmation of your hits.
4. Stay warm and dry.
Nothing ruins your day and a clear shot like being wet and cold. Your extremities are particularly sensitive to the cold and any stiffness or shivering in your hands can really effect how you line up the cross hairs. Keep spare dry clothes with you to change into and layer up if needed. Don’t forget to mask the scent of your clothing to ensure if doesn’t give you away.
5. Arm yourself appropriately
Make sure your rifle and projectile will humanely dispatch the deer. This generally means .243 or larger. As deer are relatively thin-skinned animals, most projectiles will do the job well. If you stay away from varmint projectiles that may expand before they reach anything vital or solid rounds that won’t expand at all you can’t go too far wrong. So long as they are well constructed most popular brands will prove lethal.
Importantly you should practice well with your chosen rifle and be able to fire it with reasonable consistency, whether leaning on a tree/rock or off the shoulder, as sometimes this will be what is needed to be able to get that deer that breaks cover unexpectedly.
Got any good tips we may have missed? Let us know in the comments.
Happy hunting from the Glowshot Team!