Whitetail Deer Hunting Tips for Your First Hunt

For many new hunters across North America, whitetail deer hunting is the classic big game prize. Widely distributed across the continent, whitetail deer can provide an approachable, yet quite challenging, hunting experience for those who take to the woods with a rifle, shotgun, bow, or even a large caliber handgun. 

If you’re ready to make this your first whitetail season, let’s take a look at the fundamental skills you’ll need to know to make your first hunts memorable and safe experiences. 

Why Should You Try Whitetail Deer Hunting?

Becoming a skilled hunter is all about spending time in woods, mountains, meadows, and farms observing the animals’ behaviors and routines.

Since whitetail deer hunting is available in a variety of habitats throughout the U.S., deer offer newer hunters more opportunities for encounters that help make the beginner’s learning curve more manageable. For most hunters, this means staying closer to home instead of traveling to remote spots, allowing more time in the field.

Additionally, for many hunters, harvesting a whitetail deer is often the first stepping stone to pursuing other big game. The skills developed while learning about whitetail deer hunting also provide a foundation for pursuing larger game, such as elk and moose, as well as more challenging animals like bighorn sheep and mountain goats.

Of course, we can’t forget to mention that whitetail deer are prized table fare and can often be field dressed, or quartered with the gutless method, and transported by one person.  

Understanding Whitetail Deer Behavior is Crucial for Success

The first step to knowing how to hunt whitetail deer is understanding the animal’s behavior. 

Whitetails are crepuscular, which means they will be most active around dawn and dusk. These “golden hour” and “twilight” times are when they typically move between their bedding areas and food sources. Deer will then alternate grazing and resting throughout the day. 

With this in mind, look for deer near:

• Food plots, crops, and trees with acorns
• Water sources like creeks, ponds, and rivers
• Protected cover where they can find shade when it’s warm, or a south-facing slope when it’s cold, during the day

Once you know where to look for deer, you’ll need to remember to stay undetected. Deer have a remarkable sense of smell, hearing, and sight. Always observe or stalk deer with the wind in your face, minimize your noise signature, and use camouflage, concealment, and slow movements.

How to Hunt Whitetail Deer: Tactics for First-Timers

Whitetail deer hunting tactics fall under the umbrella of five key fundamentals.

1. Pre-Season Scouting

Use pre-season scouting to look for deer sign and identify potential glassing spots and tree stand locations. If permissible on the land you want to hunt, set up trail cameras to get a better idea of movement patterns and timing. 

2. The Hunting Method

Pick a hunting method that works for your skills and the terrain.

Consider using a tree stand if you want to stay above the deer’s line of sight and minimize your scent signature. A ground blind is effective in areas where there are no large trees on the deer’s travel routes.

And if you want an extra challenge, choose still hunting and spot-and-stalk to get within range of that trophy buck. 

3. The Season

Understand the seasons when planning your hunts.

Early-season whitetails are in “normal” mode of eating, sleeping, and avoiding predators. Focus on their food sources to find them.

During the rut, bucks are concentrating on does and less attentive to their surroundings, making this time of the year a favorite time to hunt these otherwise wily animals.

Late season (post-rut) deer return to foraging and resting after mating season.

4. Shot Placement

Know the best shot placement to kill a deer humanely. This is often the broadside shot in the “boiler room,” just behind the front shoulder.

A bullet or arrow impacting here will hit the lungs and possibly heart, leading to a fast and ethical harvest.

5. The Right Gear

Select the best gear you can afford to increase your safety in the field and improve your chances of success.

Find a rifle, bow, or muzzleloader that you can frequently practice with and consistently have your point of aim match your point of impact. Depending on the distance you plan on hunting, use binoculars and a rangefinder as well as deer calls and scent control products.

And don’t forget that Mother Nature has a vote in your hunt. Always dress appropriately for the weather (expected and unexpected) and have a first aid kit and emergency communications plan. 

Hunting Safety Tips for New Deer Hunters

One of the joys of hunting is the ability to continue hunting season after season. Accomplishing that feat requires a strict adherence to safety standards and protocols.

These safety essentials include:

• Always be able to identify what lies in front of and behind your target.
• Wear blaze orange (or pink) to stay visible to other hunters. 
• Use a safety harness and fall arrest system when hunting from a treestand. 
• Keep your weapon unloaded until you’re in position to hunt and have identified the deer you want to shoot. Always keep your muzzle pointed in a safe direction until ready to fire.
• Share your plans with a trusted family member or friend on where you expect to be hunting and what time you expect to return home.
• Know your state and local regulations for seasons, shooting hours, weapon requirements, required tags, and bag limits.

Here's one more important tip: Be responsible and follow your state’s requirements for testing if you live in an area affected by Chronic Wasting Disease.

Final Tips for Success When Hunting Whitetail

In addition to the fundamental tactics mentioned earlier, there are a few broader considerations to ponder that should significantly improve your first whitetail deer hunting experience.

Learn to be patient because hunting whitetails is a long game. The odds of you walking into the woods, finding a deer that will stand still and present the perfect broadside shot, and then being easily transported back to the truck in minutes are slim to none. Plan on sitting for hours with no action and repeated musings on why you chose to get up so early to sit in the cold.

Manage your scent signature by using scent-free shampoo, body wash, and laundry detergents. Make sure to skip the scented dryer sheets. And always hunt with the wind in your face. 

Deer hunting, like any other type of hunting, requires you to learn several skills and have a fair amount of competency in each skill set. Shorten that learning curve by finding a mentor. 

And most important of all, respect the animal and the land. Most of us do not need to eat wild game to survive, so we should only take lethal shots that minimize the deer’s suffering and use as much of the animal as possible.

Always practice “leave no trace” when you’re in the field to reduce your impact on the habitat as well as to be a positive representative of the hunting community.

Hunter Education Helps You Stay Safe When Whitetail Deer Hunting

If you're starting to feel overwhelmed by the thought of preparing for your first whitetail hunt, you're not alone. The "secrets" to hunting success are found in setting realistic expectations, creating a solid practice routine, scouting, and having an optimistic mindset, along with a healthy dose of patience. 

Remember, consistently successful hunters are those who can combine proper preparation with patience and an openness to ongoing education. 

Before your first season kicks off, start your whitetail hunting journey by completing an online hunter safety course through ilearntohunt. Tailored to your state’s specific hunting laws, you’ll learn about critical regulations as well as firearms safety, shot placement, basic field skills, first aid, and even animal processing. 

Plus, most states require hunters to pass a hunter education course before getting a hunting license. So, get ready for whitetail season now by taking the ilearntohunt course for your state!