Whitetail Tips, Books, Etc.

What are some good resources to read/watch in regards to whitetail hunting? I'm not very experienced and would like to expand my knowledge.

Welcome to the forum. I would highly recommend Steven Rinella’s “Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering and Cooking Wild Game”. Another recommendation, don’t watch the whitetail hunts that show guys killing monster bucks every episode. Those shows don’t reflect reality and are 99.99% BS. The best thing you can watch what you see in the stand. If time permits, spend as much time in the woods as possible. I can’t tell you how valuable every second spent up a tree was when I started out chasing whitetail. Even when I wasn’t seeing deer I was learning. If you can, keep a journal, write down what you saw and learned from each experience. Most importantly, have fun. You will see some cool stuff when are chasing deer, enjoy it!

Since you’re in the northeast a good staring point is anything from Hal Blood, Richard Bernier and the Benoit’s. Ditto what CodyCass said. Most of the stuff on TV is a joke. Get out in the woods as much as you can. Don’t get frustrated. You will learn way more from your mistakes than your successes.

I'm a public land hunter so tree stands don't really work/aren't practical because I don't want to risk leaving one up to be stolen. I hunt on the ground, still hunt, sit on ridges. Yesterday I sat on a ridge overlooking a creek and hardwoods backed by pines. The wind changed from my face to my back so I got down and started hunting the ground and found a bunch of trails through the creek along the ridges and possibly a high travel area connecting the pines to the hardwoods. There is a ridge that runs along this trail where I could set a blind up about 50-75 yards from the trail with good sight lines. I'm going to hike out to the spot early next time, shooting for making it an hour before sunrise to get set up. Thinking of buying a blind or making one and doing that next time out.

Is that the type of stuff I should be doing?

CodyCass said:

Another recommendation, don’t watch the whitetail hunts that show guys killing monster bucks every episode. Those shows don’t reflect reality and are 99.99% BS.

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I've always wondered how they manage to score nice bucks every time out. I imagine there is a lot more that goes into those hunts. What exactly are they doing to find those deer?

WoodsQuest said:

I've always wondered how they manage to score nice bucks every time out. I imagine there is a lot more that goes into those hunts. What exactly are they doing to find those deer?

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Most take place on highly managed properties in prime whitetail country. It’s not a dig on the hunters some have spent a lifetime in then woods studying deer, for example the guys from Midwest Whitetails. However they have the luxury of being located in Southern Iowa and hunt large pieces of private ground. That being said they had added some public land hunts to their show...

It sounds like you are already gaining valuable experience and hitting the woods frequently. You are definitely doing the right things. You might want to look into a nice, packable, climbing stand. Light, decent climbers aren’t cheap, but it allows you to get up a tree without the fear of someone stealing your stand. I’d recommend Lone Wolf and definitely invest in a good harness if you go that route.

Good luck!