You can get quite excited after establishing the presence of blacktail deer in a particular zone. Of course, you’ll make all the preparations and keep yourself at a suitable distance away from the deer. However, you might make one or many of the mistakes that one must avoid while hunting the blacktail deer.
Some of the blacktail deer hunting failures happen either due to bad timing or bad luck. On the other hand, there are failures that happen owing to mistakes that could’ve been avoided. So, here are some of these mistakes that you need to avoid while hunting blacktail deer:
1. Ignoring the wind
The wind can be your best friend or a bitter enemy when you’re stalking or hunting blacktail deer. It is, therefore, absolutely necessary to learn the direction of wind in the area where you’re hunting. This will give you a better understanding of where your right spot would be. Some believe that the wind acts as warnings for these animals. It tells them that they’re being followed.
This can be true to a great extent. So, going by this fact, you wouldn’t want the wind to be at your back when the deer is approaching. Make sure that you’re wearing hunting clothes that are free from any fragrance. The wind can carry the scents to the deer, warning it of your presence.
2. Not scouting around for the deer
Today, you have some excellent gadgets such as modern mapping and trail cameras. Such gadgets make scouting much more efficient and effective. This gives you enough reason to make some serious efforts. You can look for the deer in low-lying areas as they’re the preferred haunts of resident deer. During winter, the deer arrive in these low-lying areas, making it easier for you to track them.
While blacktails in some areas might migrate to safer places, most of them are homebodies. They don’t readily leave the spots that are abundant in nutritious food. You can learn more about the exact spots of the deer from the local wildlife experts. Most of them are biologists who have a good study of the migration patterns of the region’s animals.
3. Making an approach instead of waiting
You might believe that you can hunt the blacktail deer only by slowly walking up to its spot. There’s one thing about this deer you must not forget. It’s the fact that a blacktail deer is extremely good at sensing your presence. Sometimes, you’ll be tempted to make the first move, but waiting is the key. You must let the deer offer you the perfect shot.
It’s always a good strategy to keep a watch on the deer from a suitable distance. The blacktail deer move slowly, scanning a certain area with its sharp senses. When it is assured that there’s no one around, it will start feeding. This is when you make your careful approach and go for the kill.
4. Losing patience and quitting
Blacktail deer don’t leave their key spots that easily. This must be some sort of an inspiration for you to keep trying. These animals test your patience beyond limits at times. This is why there are many unsuccessful blacktail deer hunters around. Patience and persistence is the key here.
Not repeating the mistakes you’ve made earlier also helps to a great extent. You’ll have much confidence once you’ve carefully scouted the deer and you know about its exact spot.