How to Hunt Whitetail Deer With a Bow

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

Rate: (19 Ratings)

The whitetail deer is an herbivore that lives mostly in wooded areas in Canada and United States, including Hawaii. Hunting the whitetail deer is crucial in some areas to control overpopulation. The only predators for an adult whitetail deer are humans and large dogs.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Camouflage clothing
Hunter orange clothing
Bow
Arrows
Hunting knife

Step 1

Pick the right area and time to hunt. Each state has a deer hunting season. The dates vary from state to state due to climate and population. The area needs to have plenty of deer tracks and a vital population of whitetail deer.
Step 2

Dress for the weather and surroundings. Camouflage clothing works well to hide from the deer when you are in close range. Check with state regulations about having to wear hunter orange clothing when in the woods.
Step 3

Buy the correct enticing materials for the deer, such as deer calls, scents and racking antlers. These items help attract the whitetail deer to your area.
Step 4

Set up for the hunt. This area depends on your hunting style some people sit in a stand and use enticers to get the deer to come out. Other people send someone around behind the deer to scare them out into the hunting area.
Step 5

Pick your shot. When bow hunting it is easier to maim the animal than to try for a kill shot. Aim for the whitetail deer's hind quarters or upper leg to stop it from running or to slow it down.
Step 6

Slit the deer's throat once it has fallen to the ground. A quick slice to the throat kills the deer in seconds.

Comments

TNDeerGuy said

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on 10/9/2008 Obviously a NON-HUNTER wrote this!!! The first clue was they had it listed as "moderately easy" (LOL...geez I wish). The 2nd was the whole "racking antler" thing, what are those? Something you smash into your crotch so bad you need to go to the hospital?? Thirdly... aim for the hindquarters on a running deer with a bow to maim animal and walk up and slit its throat??? Are you out of your ever loving mind there Robin Hood-Master of the Bow?? I'll let someone else do that as I stand back in an elevated position and film that, because watching some idiot getting is rear-end handed to him by a angry, powerful, maimed animal is a sure fire winner on Americas Funniest Videos or the show You've got to see This!

Seriously...this was written by a non-hunter with the sole purpose of trying to make those of us who respect and love these animals enough to harvest them quickly and humanely look v

nimrod777 said

on 10/8/2008 Unbelievable. Article is written as inflammatory and thinly-veiled propaganda by an anti-hunter; I cannot see how any earnest writer could so so wildly misrepresent the requirements to pursue any game animal with any weapon.

The first two steps are simplistic enough to have been pulled from a Disney film. The remaining four steps then plummet in value and legitimacy, rapidly breaking the barriers of truth and plunging into the realm of fiction.

cz284 said

on 10/8/2008 I agree with Deepwoods. As a member of Tndeer and a 25 year bowhunter, this is obviously written by someone with zero practical knowledge on this challenging way of hunting anything. As a group, an informed person will find bowhunters to be one of the most practiced, ethical group of hunters afield. They are students of the deer and to harvest a deer with archery equipment, you must know their feeding habits, behavior patterns, anatomy, then position yourself within very close proxility (usually under 20 yards) from the deer. Bowhunters are excellent ambassadorsfor the hunting world. I'd strongly suggest anyone wanting an introduction to the real hunting world get a bowhunter as a mentor- you may be surprised that it's much different than what the animal rights/ PETA folks advertise.