Vern Evans
Every year as the rut winds down, I stop thinking about my own deer season (mostly) and start thinking about helping a new hunter — a buddy, a coworker, a cousin — take their first deer. Thanks to the generosity of landowners in Missouri, who host up to 20 new deer hunters every December as as part of the National Deer Association’s national Field to Fork program, I’ve gotten to do this since 2019. I’ve talked a half-dozen new hunters through shooting their first deer (and in some cases, their second) and spoken with many more about what’s often a life-changing experience for them.
So for this episode of The Outdoor Life Podcast, I interviewed seven of those new adult hunters. It’s interesting to hear their experiences participating in a world that was, in many ways, totally new to them. I also noticed some things we traditional deer hunters do well when it comes to mentoring new folks— and what we could do better. While I generally mentor private-land whitetail hunters in the Midwest, you can apply these tips to just about any first hunt. Here’s what these new adult hunters said, and what lifelong deer hunters can learn from them.
Talk About Your New Hunter’s Priorities
The reasons veteran deer hunters chase deer are often quite different from the reasons new adult hunters from non-hunting backgrounds buy a tag. I started deer hunting because I’m from a hunting family and I liked hunting; learning to butcher my own deer and cook venison followed. The opposite is true for new adult hunters according to research and, well, almost every rookie I’ve ever met or mentored. Odds are, your hunter is probably imagining deboning hindquarters and wrapping steaks themselves. So instead of assuming you’ll swing by the processor after your hunt, ask your mentee if butchering is an important part of the process for them. If it is, plan accordingly.
“To see what it looks like to have an animal go from something that has just recently died to neatly wrapped packages of cuts going into your freezer really reminds you of the importance of what you’re doing when you eat meat in the first place,” says Laura Lancaster, our staff writer who participated in Field to Fork in 2022. “I don’t want to say that it was the best part of the whole experience, but it was maybe the most important part to me … It was impactful to see the whole thing through to its end.”
To understand any other big priorities they may have, just ask: Are they envisioning a solitary experience in the woods? Are they looking forward to a big deer camp? Are they dreaming of an intensive, all-in crash course in deer hunting or are they cool with a casual hunt? Establish everyone’s goals ahead of time so you can plan accordingly, and no one is disappointed.
… and Find Out Their Worries
In my experience, the top two concerns of new deer hunters are executing a quick, clean kill, and managing nerves around — or an outright fear of — handling firearms. Both of these issues can be addressed with safe, quality range time.
Many food-focused hunters have little to no experience with firearms and, in many cases, have never shot one before. Reviewing the rules of gun safety and proper shooting form are essential so you have confidence in your hunter during the hunt, but also so your hunter has confidence in themself.
“I actually didn’t feel that much nervousness about hunting and killing a deer as much as I felt nervous about handling a gun properly and safely,” says Ann, a 33-year-old who lives in Brooklyn, New York. “Once I felt confident in my shooting skills, I felt elation. I felt a huge lift off of my chest, my shoulders. When we got into the stand the first night, I felt way more comfortable. I felt very ready in all the facets that I was concerned about.”
Do as much shooting practice as you both have time for. Instead of visiting the range on a noisy, busy Saturday, go after work or to a private range. Check their eye dominance. Practice the appropriate shooting technique. Let them dry fire. If they can’t shoot their rifle well (often a hand-me-down or borrowed gun) loan them yours or help them find one that fits them better. Establish a maximum effective range and stick to it in the field.
And once your shooter is confident, end the range session. The noise and recoil is a lot for a new hunter and finishing on a positive note before fatigue or headaches set in will help them carry that success into the field.
Dry Fire and Review Shot Placement in the Stand
Pulling triggers on a roomy bench at the range is already awkward for a new hunter; trying to do that while juggling gear and bulky layers in a blind or tree stand compounds it. When I take a new hunter to the stand for the first time, we take five extra minutes to quietly practice their shooting position. I let them choose which side of the blind or stand they prefer, then try aiming and dry firing to their heart’s content. (I bring a shooting bag for additional support if they need it.) Often the new hunter spends several minutes adjusting their chair, finding the right eye relief, and remembering their shooting form before ever squeezing the trigger on that first dry fire. This might seem like overkill but trust me: You’ll be glad they got it out of their system while the stakes are low instead of when a spooky doe is staring you both down at 50 yards.
After that, they load their own rifle and we’ll review shot placement. I keep this article about where to shoot a deer queued up on my phone so they can visualize the crease behind the shoulder. Often they ask to see unmarked photos of deer, too, so they can quiz themselves while we wait.
Keep Your Cool During the Shot. Get Excited After
When you (hopefully) get an opportunity to take a deer together, resist the urge to seize it at all costs. It is far better to miss a chance to kill a deer than to rush an uncertain shooter into a shot they aren’t ready to take. At best, they won’t get the shot off and their confidence will take a hit. At worst, they’ll wound a deer.
“I didn’t want to be hasty,” says Ann. “I told you, ‘I want to be comfortable. I want to make a good shot more than anything else.’ So I was fine waiting. I didn’t feel pressure to shoot when I didn’t feel comfortable. And we did get that shot. That was very cool.”
Read Next: The Heart & the Skull: A First Deer Hunt Brings You Closer to the Wild
My priorities are usually to keep my hunter calm and well-situated so they can shoot well, and to keep from scaring the deer. Some folks have been as eager as any veteran hunter to touch off that first shot; others have needed several minutes to run through their breathing and shot process before they’re ready to pull the trigger. Patience is key. They have enough on their mind without worrying about someone whisper-shouting “Shoot it! Shoot it now! It’s gonna move!” in their ear.
But once that deer is down? Cut loose. Be happy for your hunter and give them plenty of kudos. New hunters often don’t know what to do after the shot, and while they may be working through a bunch of different emotions, they’re also leaning on you to set the tone — this is uncharted territory for them. The hunters I spoke to said that receiving hugs and congratulations, talking to other new hunters, telling and retelling the story of their hunt, and hanging out at deer camp were all an important part of their experience. This is often the best part of the whole weekend, and a natural way for new and veteran hunters to find more common ground.
More Tips for Taking New Deer Hunters
- Prep your hunter for ways a deer might react at the shot. Seeing a deer drop in its tracks is a huge relief for new hunters; blood trailing a deer that falls out of sight is a source of anxiety, no matter how confident their mentor is that it’s dead.
- Consider offering them ear pro on the hunt. I bring two pairs of electronic over-the-ear headphones to the blind with me and we both put them on when it’s time to shoot. They allow us to hear each other in the moments leading up to the shot while mitigating flinching from the shooter (and the spotter). All of my hunters have accepted ear pro when offered except one. He regretted that, saying the experience stunned him “like a flashbang, like I gave myself a concussion.”
- Don’t assume your hunter wants a traditional grip-and-grin, or any photos at all with a dead animal. This practice is second nature among veteran hunters, but can be jarring or even distasteful to some new hunters. The best way to avoid an awkward situation is simply to ask before you pull out your phone: “Do you want any pictures with your deer?”
- Remember that the longer you go without a shot opportunity, the more eager your hunter will be. I’ve had the luxury of hunting carefully managed deer properties with high deer densities and healthy herds. You and your mentee may face more challenging conditions with fewer hunting opportunities, and that’s okay. I’ve found that, most of the time, when a hunter has had a tough hunt there’s more certainty when it comes time to pull the trigger. They’ve waited a long time for the opportunity, and they’re ready to make the most of it.
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