More so nerves. I do practice and am pretty accurate. I just can't help but shake when one walks up on me.
When you lose that you might as well quit hunting.
Pay attention, I'm going to try and help you out.
This is just what I do, I'm not saying it's right or the only way, just what I have learned works for me.
First I'll tell you about me, I'm 52 years old and have only missed 1 year going to deer camp since I was 6 and the year I missed was the 1st year I went in the military. Some years I only had weekends and holidays, maybe a week or 2, but now I'm in a position in life where I take all 4 weeks off and go to camp. I hunt ALL DAY every day until I get a buck. I live in southern Maine but hunt in the Western Maine mountains. I know there's more deer where I live, but the sheer number of hunters turns me off at home, plus I like to go to camp. I shot my 1st deer when I was 16. I haven't gone 9 years in total since then without getting a deer. The years I didn't I had chances and passed waiting for a bigger one. I don't feel bad if I don't get a deer as long as I did everything I could to make it happen, spent every minute I possibly could in the woods. I don't shoot a trophy buck every year, they just aren't always around my area, but if I see the sign of a big deer I'll pass on smaller ones until I get a chance at the big boy. I'll take a decent buck towards the end of the season, depending on what I have seen.
Hunting is 95% luck, it's what you do with that other 5% the makes you a good, successful hunter.
Make sure you can shoot. Hitting a paper plate a 50 yards isn't "good nuff" Take your gun somewhere you can shoot it 100 yards OFF A REST and make sure your gun will shoot a group 2" or so. We're concerned about testing the gun here, not you. Do it every year, even if it was fine last year. This will give you confidence in the gun and when you miss there's no room to blame the gun. The more you shoot it the better.
Have a gun that you are comfortable and confident with, doesn't matter what type it is, what ever you like as long as it's adequate to kill a deer. I shoot a Remington pump carbine 30-06 synthetic stock with a Leupold 1.5x5 that I've removed the open sights from. Weighs under 7lbs, it's comfortable to carry and shoots good. I have multiple bolt guns, semi autos, single shots, this is the gun I always go back to. I've shot plenty of deers and bears with it.
If you have a sling DON'T carry your gun around on it while you're hunting. Keep the gun in your hands where it can do it's job.
I take the sling off and carry it in my pocket and only use it when dragging a deer or climbing a tree (I know, not safe, I'm all set).
I can sit in a tree all day if I'm confident in my spot, but I prefer to still hunt. More difficult to do with more hunters in the woods, but not impossible. Where I hunt I might only see 3 or 4 people in the woods that I don't know all season.
Sight, sound, smell, three things you need to think about. You can beat their ears by being quiet, you can beat their eyes by not moving, but you can't beat their noses if the wind is wrong, I don't care how much "Scent Away" or what ever you spray on yourself. If they are down wind of you, they WILL smell you. That said, it's best to minimize your smell whenever you can, don't go in the woods smelling like stale beer, cigarettes and gasoline.
ALWAYS pay attention to the wind. It will tell you what direction a deer might come from, it will tell you what direction it might run away from you when it smells you. Lots of times does will run away into the wind, where a buck might run cross wind, and circle down wind of you out of sight to check you out. I've seen it multiple times.
Deer won't see you if you're not moving. Orange, camo, pink, whatever, if you're not moving chances are they won't see you. I don't know how many times I've had deer walk onto me because I heard them 1st and didn't move. Sometimes within feet. That said, it's best not to wear big patches of solid bright colors. I wear an orange or camo orange fleece (quiet) vest over a plaid green (old school camo) or solid green wool jacket (quiet) and wool pants (quiet) if it's cold enough or old (quiet) military fatigue pants if it's warm. I grow a hunting beard to break up my face outline and ALWAYS wear gloves. Thin brown jersey gloves you can buy 5 pair at walmart for $5. Change them often, your hands stink and so will your gloves. Your hands are what move around the most you want to keep them covered. Slow deliberate movements with everything, head, hands etc. This is also another reason I take my sling off. Every time you move your gun, the sling is moving too and it flops around and dangles every time it touches something.
If you're moving through the woods, move slow enough so that you will hear something moving before it hears you. I assume you're young and have good ears. Mine aren't. I have to move really slow. Couple steps, stop, repeat. I wear Lacrosse rubber boots or Bean boots so I can feel the ground when I step and not break branches. I don't like boots with sharp cornered hard soles like hiking boots as they break more branches and are louder in general or harder to be quiet in.
If you think you hear something wait until you're sure what it is. I've heard plenty of squirrels that turned out to be deer and saw them 1st because I waited.
My favorite day to hunt is on a fresh snow that ended during the night with a wind to blow it off the trees. I'll walk until I cut a track I want to follow, that's when the learning and fun begins.
Don't let rain or bad weather stop you from hunting. Deer are out there, it's just another day for them and it will keep a lot of other people out of the woods or make them leave early.
Try and think like a deer. What would you do if it was raining? What if it's sunny and hot and you can't take off your winter coat?
Every deer you see should be a learning experience. Ask yourself, why was it here, what could I have done different? Why did it see me 1st or did it smell me and not see me? Use that information to make your next encounter better. SLOW DOWN.
I like to keeps odds on my side. If you're in the right place long enough doing the right things, eventually it will be the right time. Stay in the woods ALL DAY. The only deer you see at the store drinking a coffee are already dead. If you hunt where there's a lot of other people, use them in your favor. You know they are going to get up and move around by 8, probably head to the truck by 9 to go to the store, might be back to the woods by 2. Use that. Don't do what they do. Deer know. Be ready.
Don't bring a bunch of crap with you that you don't need. You see people walking around with backpacks on. What the hell do they NEED that much stuff for? Staying over night? Take what you NEED. Knife, compass, maybe a GPS, spare shells, spare gloves, 8' piece of rope for dragging, flagging tape, fire starter of some sort, (I've never had to start a fire in the woods, hope I never do) small lunch and a bottle of water. I use a small fleece (quiet) fanny pack, it all fits. Dress for the conditions.
Time, time, time, put in the time, pay your dues. Don't give up. Hunt. Don't worry about the stuff you should be doing at home, it can wait. Or make sure you get it done before the season. Don't worry about what your wife or girlfriend will say, they'll get over it, if they don't it's time for a different one anyway. It's 11 months until the next November. It only comes once a year. Don't waste it. Don't say next time or next year. Do it now, make it happen. You are smarter than a deer. Don't depend on 100% luck like a lot of people. How many times have you seen someone with a nice deer, doing everything wrong. It happens. Those are the lucky ones. Do everything you can right AND hope for the luck. But it all comes down to time. You can't get them if you don't put in the time.
You can probably tell I really like to deer hunt. I like big woods away from other people. I have 1 guy that goes to camp with me, sometimes other guys will come up for the day, but if no one is there with me I'm fine with that too. I don't ride around on my 4 wheeler. It goes to camp with me but I only use it to go get a dead deer.
It's tough going every day, all day, by the end of the month you're fighting you're mind as much as the conditions, but I go out. All day every day. You never know what will happen if you're in the woods. I'll rest at work.
Good Luck
Forgot to add, bring a grunt call. I have a small one that I keep in my pocket tied by a string. Doesn't need to have a big long tube on it. Keep it so you can quick draw it if you need to. If you see a deer and it hasn't seen or smelled you but you can't get a shot, whip out your call and give it a low grunt and get ready. Things can happen fast. They are looking for you now. Don't put it where you can't get to it quick, it might be to late. In the last 10 years I've killed 3 or 4 bucks by grunting at them after I saw or heard them. Sometimes they come to you like you're reeling them in, a nice 8 point came running to me after I saw him slip over a ridge, wasn't even sure it was a buck at 1st, another big 6 was about 10 feet away before I could get a shot because of the brush and I had just seen a flash of him. I had another 8 point come in so fast I couldn't shoot because he was so close I couldn't move, he turned and left and I grunted again and he came back so fast I still wasn't ready, the next time I had my gun up safety off when I grunted and he came back a 3rd time. Didn't work out well for him that time. Don't play it like a kazoo, a couple soft grunts will do.
