Deer Park Hunting Basics

Deer are among one of the most popular big game animals to hunt. They require skill to track, stealth to sneak up on and you'll need to act quickly to get a big whitetail deer for your trophy wall. If you want a new place to hunt deer, consider trying a deer park. They are state run and managed lands that allow limited deer hunting in order to keep the populations of the herds at healthy levels.

Hunting in a deer park is no different than hunting in any other area. You will need to observe the same safety regulations that normally apply and you will need to use stealth and skill when hunting. As well, there will be limits on the number of deer you can bag as in any other hunting situation.

For hunts in a park, you will normally need to register with the park ranger's office and you may or may not have to pay an additional fee to hunt. It is wise to wear a bright orange vest so you may be clearly seen by other hunters. Also, ask if the park rangers have maps available, not only so you can see the lay of the land and the best places deer may be hiding, but also so you can see the permissible places to hunt whitetail or mule deer.

Whether or not you're allowed to bring your dog when hunting will vary from park to park. The way to know without a shadow of a doubt is to ask the Ranger's office what the criteria for using a dog when hunting is. Also, get the full name of whoever gives you the go-ahead to bring your hunting dog so that way, in case you are in the wrong, you can go back to the person that gave you the erroneous information and avoid a ticket.

Many hunters haven't tried hunting deer in their local deer park. The reason is that they usually consider it too easy and think that the deer are so acclimated to being around humans they have no fear. When in fact, the opposite is true. The deer in a park will be even craftier at hiding signs of their presence from hunters and in fact, you'll find that you need to pull out all of your hunting tricks - from scent masking sprays to using the old turkey call to keep the deer at ease, so you can get close enough to get a prize trophy deer for your wall.