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Are you interested in hunting red deer? Would you like to learn how to hunt red deer? Red deer, also called the Monarch of the Mountain, is considered the most beautiful antlered animal on the earth.
Hunting red deer is challenging as it is very elusive, lives in thick forested cover, and has a good sense of smell, eyesight, and hearing. In this article, we share and discuss information and strategies to help you improve your chances of a successful red deer hunt.
Red Deer History
Red deer are native to Europe, Asia, and parts of northern Africa. The red deer has been in existence for 12 million years according to fossil records. It is now found in the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and South America.
How To Hunt Red Deer
1. Scouting Red Deer
Before you go hunting for red deer, scout the area for signs of deer activities, possible bedding and feeding areas as well as water sources. Look for tracks and if you find some, search for any heavy tracks as there will often be heavy stags with the herds. Also, keep your eyes open for scat.
2. Predator Calls
You can lure red deer by calling them in. The Red deer caller can be used to call in red deer. It lures both stags and hinds and will bring out vocal responses from the stags and hinds. Start by calling in short frequencies.
When calling, remember that the deer can approach the area of the calls from any direction. You don’t want to be caught off guard as red deer can sneak up on you. We did a review of the best predator calls that you can read from this link.
3. Bait
Bait can be used to hunt red deer but it is not one of the most effective ways. You can use corn, soybeans, or other foods to create a bait pile. They set up some distance from the bait pile, preferably with cover with a line of sight. You can also use salt or mineral licks to attract red deer to your bait pile. Additionally, you can read a review of the best salt licks for deer.
A blind or treestand can be used to wait for the deer. If you are interested in ground blinds and treestands, we reviewed the best hunting ground blinds and the best climbing treestands that you can read from these links.
4. Stop & Stalk
The stop-and-stalk hunting method is one of the popular ways to hunt red deer. After glassing and spotting a red deer, you will have to do quietly and slowly stalk the deer. You have to move cautiously avoiding detection until you are in a position to take a good shot. As you stalk a deer, you want to avoid major body movements as red deer have very good eyesight and a sense of hearing.
5. Glassing
Look for a high elevation and position yourself there using cover-to-glass for red deer. Use binoculars or a spotting scope to search for red deer. Red deer are often found in thick forested cover, therefore glassing from a high point with quality optics will help you locate the deer. If you are interested in high-quality optics, we reviewed the best hunting binoculars and the best spotting scopes that you can read.
6. Hire An Outfitter
One option for hunting red deer is to hire an outfitter. A good outfitter comes with a lot of knowledge and experience hunting red deer. They monitor the deer and know where they are located, the best weapons to hunt red deer, their patterns, movements, behaviors, etc.
An outfitter is a valuable and trusted resource that you can call upon at any time before and during the hunt. They know the hunting laws and can advise you regarding following them. Additionally, they have experience with hunting safety and can help with injuries and animal attacks.
7. Wind Direction
When hunting red deer, always hunt into the wind. This means that the wind will be in your face and it will not take your scent to the red deer. If red deer picks up your scent, they will leave and the hunt will be all but over for the day.
8. Trail Cameras
You can set up trail cameras to collect information on the movements of red deer. From the information gathered, you can learn where there might be bedding areas, travel routes, and food and water sources. You can also learn when they leave their bedding areas to go feed and when they return.
You could identify stags that may be of interest to you from the cameras and try to pattern them. You could also learn about how many of them travel in a herd as well. With this information, you can plan where you want to set up a treestand or hunting blind.
It will also help you determine if stop and stalk is the hunting method you want to use or if still hunting is the best option. We did a review of the best trail cameras on the market today that you can read from this link.
Red Deer Hunting Tips
1. Red deer are most active during the early morning and late afternoon.
2. Red deer have a good sense of smell, eyesight, and hearing.
3. During the roar, the males are more concerned about finding hinds and become less cautious. This presents an opportunity to hunt them.
4. Red deer will remain in thick forest cover during the day.
5. Always hunt into the wind so the wind is in your face to avoid your scent reaching the deer.
6. Carry your weapon in your hand as opposed to it being slung over your shoulder when stalking a deer in the bush. You want to minimize movement when you line up a shot.
7. Carefully stalk along mid-valley terraces where there is a lot of feed.
8. Use calls to lure red deer out from thick cover. The red deer caller is an effective caller to lure both stags and hinds.
9. When scouting for red deer, look for tracks, droppings, and heavy tracks made by big stags that are always in a herd.
10. When field judging a red deer antler, look for long beams with widespread and many ends.
11. The best time to hunt for red deer is during the rut which runs from mid-September to mid-October.
12. You can hire an outfitter to hunt red deer.
13. The stop & stalk hunting method is one of the popular methods to hunt red deer.
14. Red stags are very elusive.
The Bottom Line
The red deer is one of the prized big game animals in Europe and most of the world. They are elusive and have a good sense of smell, eyesight, and hearing. Hunting the red stag is challenging for all of those reasons and more. They are found in a very thick cover which helps keep out predators.
In this article, we shared information and knowledge to help you have a successful red stag hunt. If you are interested in hunting other exotic animals, then how to hunt sika deer is a good read. You can also read how to hunt blacktail deer, how to hunt axis deer, how to hunt fallow deer, and how to hunt red deer.
