TheReMonstor

Hey all, I was wondering if anyone out there knows the specifics of hunting a deer. My character will be hunting a deer at one point with a spear (I know, not very believable, but that's not the part I'm asking about). I was curious as to the process of deer hunting.

1. Do you first track it, or find out where they will be? If so, how do you do that?

2. Do deer move from place to place or do they travel within a familiar vicinity? Would learning where a deer comes to feed and then sitting there be a good way to kill one? Does it happen like that?

3. Any facts about deer hunting that you think would help to provide the right atmosphere for the hunt would be appreciated.

Thanks doods and doodettes

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journyman161

There are different breeds of deer, so some things will be specific.

Deer are FAR more sensitive to a lateral movement than a move towards or away from them

Often their tail twitches just befor they look up, and mostly their ears will indicate it as well

If hunting with a spear, it is very likely the throw will not be fatal & the deer will need to be followed

Most deer I know of have a limited territory they roam through on fairly fixed patterns

You find deer by either knowing where they like to graze or where they drink; both involve knowing their habits & being able to ID scat (droppings)

Deer like to drink around dawn & dusk, so waiting by a likely waterhole/creek etc will probably be the most successful tactic

Hope that helps... It's been quite a few years

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valeca

It's late here, but in the morning Selorian says he will get online and share some of the things he has learned. Hopefully he'll be able to help you some.

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"...make your own nature, not the advice of others, your guide in life." --Pythia, Oracle of Apollo at Delphi

I'm here.

Ted T.

If I may...

Setting has a lot to do with it.

I lived in parkland, that narrow strip on the edge between the priarie and the forest. Lots of bushy acres and also open fields. The deer we hunted there were whitetails and we just roamed around where we knew there were some and looked for them. We used rifles...

But then we moved to BC and it was not only a forest but a rain forest. No deer in the deep forest but in the clear cuts there were lots. The only way to get close to them in such thick vegitation was to wait on their trail to and from water. They come down to drink every morning and go back to high ground every afternoon. They may wander around at night given the characteristics of the terrain. But a blind, near the trail, built and left for them to get used to, may be your best bet.

I have heard of people useing a knife to take a deer by jumping out of a tree...a spear could take one this way too, but have him drive the spear in, not throw it!

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Ted Truscott


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river-wind

Has the character ever done this before? What I mean is, is the character a peolithic nomad whose life demands that he be an expert in the tracking and hunting of game with just a stone tipped spear? Or is he an office executive who survives a plane crash only to find himself lost in the woods?

That will make a huge difference in how the hunt progresses, and how successfull it may be.

The first type may have very advanced tools, spear hafts with removable points (carry 20 points each attached to 3" of wood that inserts into the 2 shafts that you re-use (the impact recoil when hitting the animal will eject the shaft off the embeded point), 20 throws for the carrying bulk of ~5); combined with an atatl, you have a very effective and easy to maintain tool for hunting game form a distance. He will most likely know trails, droppings, bedding patters, and be able to tell by the tracks of the animal how tense it is, if it is sick or pregnant. Everypart of the animal effects the tracks, and knowing the subtleties can mean life or death for someone like this.
http://www.beringia.com/03/03maina1a.html

The second type may know how to sharpen a stick, may bumble around and approach the animal from downwind. Will most likely fail *a lot*, simple because he's not used to hunting animals, let alone with a pointy stick.

Robinjazz

Rifles for the deer . . . sneakers for the hunters.