Tracking the Elusive Whitetail Deer

Hunting whitetail deer requires patience, persistence and a fair amount of skill. Most whitetail are skittish creatures especially around hunting season because of the large numbers of hunters looking for them. Still, you can learn how to understand the basics behind hunting them.

Keeping a log is one of the best things you can do to understand how to hunt whitetail. By knowing where the deer are, you can determine where you need to be when hunting season comes around.

Step 1

Look for game trails and other signs of whitetail movement and habitation. Whitetails are creatures of habit and use the same trails and areas over time. Note where these trails are. They are worn areas in the forest that may have scat and tracks.

Step 2

Look for whitetail during dawn, dusk and during the day and evening. Note their location, activity, wind direction and weather conditions.

Step 3

Look for evidence of whitetail beds and find their paths to their beds. The beds are often mashed down areas with two paths or more to the beds. Sometimes, you can find the deer in their beds.

Step 4

Look for water sources where the whitetail drink. Note when the deer show up to drink and what time they are moving around.

Step 5

Find the deer's grazing areas. They'll be marked by tracks and scat. Look for where they enter and exit the grazing areas. Look for when they feed.

Tips

Use your binoculars to search for deer on hillsides and in forests.

Warnings

Never hunt on private land without permission.

Never hunt without a license or outside of hunting season.

Reference

Francis E. Sell, "Art of Successful Deer Hunting," 1971.