Deer are a lot more in tune with the outdoors than we could ever wish to be. They seem to be able to slip by you just out of range, or walk by the stand you sat in yesterday as you watch it pass from the ridge above.

For bow hunters especially; most find it near impossible to get a deer into range their first few years afield. The plethora of possible mistakes compounded by a deer’s heightened scenes can make it hard at best. The only way to excel as a hunter is continuing to ask questions and learn. Years of experience can easily be side stepped by a single question sometimes.

Learning from deer has its ups and downs, but cagy old hunters tend to be straight shooters and tell you like it is. I learn so much yearly about deer that I can’t believe there is anything left sometimes. Then, I get schooled by a buck again, or meet another old school hunter that passes on his bag of tricks.

If you are lucky enough to have a friend or mentor take you afield, consider yourself blessed. Without the assistance of an experienced hunter, it will likely take you ten years to learn what they can teach you in a single season. For those not so lucky, I recommend reading a lot about deer and deer hunting, and asking questions of other hunters along the way. I have to be honest and say some hunters enjoy pulling the chains of a greenhorn. You may find the advice given has exactly the opposite result. I feel this has a bit to do with people wanting to be looked at as a great hunter. If they give out all of their secrets, then anyone can do what they can. I also have to admit it crossed my mind before agreeing to take on the role as an outdoor writer.

I take pride in the hard work and years of struggling that it took me to get to where I am now. I had no teacher and had to learn the hard way how to get the job done. It also seems unfair to just give away a secret and allow someone a free ride. They may never respect the road to success if it’s too short. I then thought of how great it would have been to have had access to such secrets on my path. I felt it selfish to withhold what I have learned and not give someone a better chance at becoming an accomplished hunter.