11.14.2023 | By Remington Contributor
Are you new to deer hunting and ready for your first season? Or maybe you’re an old pro gearing up to take down your biggest buck yet. Here’s a refresher on hunting America’s most popular big game animal, whitetail deer.
Read on to learn deer hunting basics, plus buck hunting tips and tricks for before, during and after the harvest.
You can’t make that 160”+ buck appear in front of your tree stand, but you can prep pre-season to help make your hunt as successful as possible.
You might not need that matching high-dollar camo outfit with the latest technology to stay warm deer hunting, but getting cold or being unprepared with the wrong gear can cost you.
A Maine late season hunt requires a much different equipment check list than a Mississippi muzzleloader opener, just like a South Dakota spot and stalk means you’ll be humping around a different set of gear than a Wisconsin sit in a tree stand. Know your hunting grounds. If you’re hunting a new state or deer unit, phone a friend who’s hunted the area.
Below is a list of deer hunting gear basics:
Which cartridge is best for deer hunting? Save the debate for the campfire (or this article if you’ve got time). The newest, fastest and flattest precision shooting cartridge can’t do much if you’re not sighted in, if you haven’t built your DOPE (Data On Previous Engagements), if you haven’t practiced and if you don’t trust your rifle and ammo.
Spend time pre-season zeroing your rifle or reconfirming your zero. Practice shooting with the ammo you plan on using in-season and at the distances you’ll be taking your shot.
Shot placement is king! That said, bring the right cartridge for your hunting style and habitat. A Minnesota buck shot at 50 yards in a timber clearing means you should bring a brush-buster cartridge like 360 Buckhammer or 35 Remington. A western Kansas 500-yard prairie poke means cartridges like 7mm Rem Mag or 6.5 Creedmoor with high BC bullets such as Core-Lokt Tipped will better set you up to knock bucks down.
Check out this post for How to Zero your Rifle Scope.
Congratulations! Take those pictures, then let’s get to work. Don’t forget to notch your tag, or electronically record your win before you do anything else.
Once you’ve downed your deer, have a plan for field dressing or quartering your harvest. You might start cutting where he fell to pack him out, or you might call your buddy to bring in the sled, ATV, or pickup. If you don’t have your field dressing gear, knives, gloves, etc. with you, keep them on your ATV or in the truck for easy access.
The faster you can get your deer cooled down and keep him cold, the better that backstrap is going to taste. For a deep dive on venison cooking tips and a few easy recipes, check out Remington’s how-to deer cooking videos.
Check out this article for How to Field Dress a Deer.
Buckhammer
Core-Lokt Tipped
Premier Long Range