Opening Day Deer Hunting Tips

Here are some opening day deer hunting tips that a hunter can use to improve their chances of success. Opening day of deer season is an exciting time for hunters who have waited all year to get back into the woods and with a little preparation and planning the odds of success can be improved.

Have Your Equipment Ready

Deer hunting gear must be checked out and ready to go when opening day arrives. Guns must be shot to assure that they are sighted in and working properly. Hunting clothes and accessories should be located and checked out well before opening day. This is done to assure that everything is found and missing or damaged items can be replaced. Lay everything out the night before opening day so that you can get ready and get to the woods as quickly as possible. The alarm clock is an important piece of hunting equipment not to be overlooked! Check batteries and set more than one.

Use Cover Scents

The influx of hunters and their scents can cause a lot of disturbance in the deer woods. Deer aren't used to human being all through the woods this time of year and will likely be quite wary of human scent. Use common sense to keep your hunting clothes as scent free as possible and use natural or commercial cover scents and scent eliminators.

Hunt Escape Routes

As the hunters come pouring into the woods the deer will take to the deeper areas. A hunter who in the early morning hours slips in to a remote stand along a deer escape route (or preferable where multiple trails meet) will be in a good location to see a nice buck escaping the other hunters who wait until daylight to start into the woods.

Hunt All Day

Especially on opening day, hunters need to stay in the woods the entire day. Bring along plenty of drinks and food and hunt daylight to dark. The presence of hunters in the woods may disrupt normal deer patterns and bucks may move at unexpected times. If opening day coincides with the rut this will further add to the unpredictability of buck movements and being on stand all day will improve a hunters chance of success.