Share a "simple" tip on hunting/woodsmanship-

[Nor'easter]

Compasses & map.  Always carried 1 compass with me and in my early years sometimes didn't listen to it because I knew better. Learned quickly to trust it.  Until the time...

... I knew better it was this way out but the compass said that way.  Walked into my hunting partner alittle after dark coming from where I was going.  Checked his compass and sure enough I was being led deeper and deeper into the Maine north woods.

Now it's ALWAYS 2 compasses.

Also...water and first aid with QuikClot kit.  Those broadheads/knives are sharp (or should be).

[Don Stokes]

When the woods are dry and noisy, break up your steps and try to sound like a squirrel in the leaves. You can walk right up on them sometimes, noise and all. Also, using a turkey call can fool deer into thinking the noise is from one of them.

After taking a rest break and sitting for a while, take three steps and look back. Eventually you'll see your binoculars, cushion, calls, gloves, or something else you've left behind.

If you spook deer that haven't smelled you, sit down immediately and wait. Some deer will come back to see what made the noise that spooked them.

[snag]

Move slow in the woods using your senses. Often you can pick up a slight ear twitch or smell that bull before you see them. Periodically check the wind. Also try and hunt with the sun at your back and don't skyline yourself.

[Bowwild]

Carry Pronghorn Antelope instead of dragging because the hair is brittle and will rub off to bare skin.

When field dressing, if you have much of a drag, especially through mud, dirt or dead leaves, make the hole to remove the entrails as small as possible to keep the cavity clean. You can make it bigger to get the esophagus and anus out later. Splitting the pelvis or sternum is more than you need at this point. From the front of the pelvis to the edge of the sternum is all you need.

[Shedrock]

It's better to have too much clothes on than not enough.

It's better to have too much water with you than not enough.

Just be prepared.

[USN_Sam1385]

@Shedrock: If it is early season sometimes I would rather have not enough clothes on and be cold, then too many clothes and start sweating. Avoiding sweating in September is my BIGGEST challenge. As soon as I start sweating it seems like I get busted by every deer that comes in.

[KHALVERSON]

dont forget a sharp knife

[JJB]

Pick a spot.

[krink]

Eat all of your breakfast becaus eyou never know when your next meal will be.

Aim small, miss small.

A stand that has not been hunted in a while or a freshly set stand has a better chance to produce sighting of deer.  

Do your business at the cabin before going out on a hunt or there will be embarrasing pictures of you with your butt hung over a log.

All were said by my dad and all were said after I made a mistake...and yes he has showed my wife the picture of the 12 year old me with my rear flung over a log.  Gotta love dads.

[RC]

Never climb a tree unless you know you will see a deer from it. If you are not that confident you should be scouting rather than sitting.


Aim Low.

Trust your compass and use a good one.

If your hunting deep woods as I do carry two flashlights.

Never get in a hurry.

If your hunting starts to feel like work stop and take the Wife out for dinner or catch up on some chores.Learn to enjoy every minute.


Last but most Important Thank the Good Lord for having the Freedom and means to go hunting.RC

[Shedrock]

Originally posted by USN_Sam1385:
@Shedrock: If it is early season sometimes I would rather have not enough clothes on and be cold, then too many clothes and start sweating. Avoiding sweating in September is my BIGGEST challenge. As soon as I start sweating it seems like I get busted by every deer that comes in.

Weather can change quick. Just today I killed a family group of coyotes, then went to hunt the den down, to remove the pups, and I was just in a t-shirt, and plenty warm. I was about a mile from the truck, when low and behold comes the clouds, wind, hail, and rain. The temp dropped about 20 degrees. I was wet, shivering cold, and my body was full of welts from the hail. I should know better. A light jacket carried along would have helped me a bunch. Hypothermia is a killer.

Like I said, too much clothes is better then not enough.

[Cambow]

Wrap duct tape around something cause you're gonna eventually need it    

And a tube of super glue for emergency first aid on cuts...

[overbo]

SQUAT!

[Hopewell Tom]

Three things that are law here in Nova Scotia for hunting - Compass(in working order), Waterproof matches and a knife(need I say sharp?) All things already mentioned, but know how to use that compass. I like aerial photos instead of maps, but either one is important.
When I went to Ranger School, we were taught the names of all the trees here in the Maritimes. The teacher said that the woods would look totally different when we had this info and man was he right. Every tree is different, so one that stands out for you may help later if you get "turned around". White Birch bark (the pieces that hang off the tree like paper) are an excellent fire starter. Burns with an oily black smoke.
Learn to pay attention to the sky and cloud formations. It's a lost art from ago, but works to portent all sorts of things.

[snag]

 What Shedrock said.

[Mojostick]

You can bring a huge pot of chili to deer camp OR you can bring a huge pot of sauerkraut and kielbasa.

You cannot bring both.

If you bring both, you'll find that a camp full of guys with both chili and sauerkraut and kielbasa, mixed with beer, makes for a volatile situation.

[skilonbw]

If stillhunting walk slow enough not to sweat so the deer or elk do not smell you. Also pay attention to the wind and small game they alert you to the presence of other animals around.

[7 Lakes]

Backstraps cooked over Oak coals make the difference between being lost and camping.  Things almost always look better in the morning when you're lost if your belly is full and you haven't paniced your way into a accident or completely out of the search area.

[Benoli]

Drink water often even if you think your'e not thirsty. I never drink all of my water before returning to camp, just in case.

[Bowwild]

8,000 meter mountain climbers advise, "Start cool, stay cool, and end cool.