what he said and don't forget to chamber a round . i been hunting for 40 years and i still do this ever once in awhile .

In January (or whenever the rut is in your area), the amount of time spent on stand is more important than when you get to your stand.

Bucks can be tall, wide, or heavy - shooter's have 2 of the 3 qualities.

If you don't think he's a shooter (to you), he probably isn't. When you first see a 'shooter,' you know immediately, especially during the rut, and you better be ready. 3 of the 4 bucks I've killed, I've shot within 10 seconds of seeing them, the other was leisurely eating in a green field on opening day and I got lucky.

Well I have a small 750 ac lease and run 4-7 cameras for June to March.Deer stay on this track year round and have watched this 3.5 year old grow. Deer came out fast and just couldn't get on him and I am always hesitant to shoot.(until last week) I am still a 4 year beginner and have made every mistake on the forum. But thanks to many of you I'm learning.

THIS ^^ is why I shoot premium bullets out of calibers I KNOW will reach the vitals and likely get a pass thru at ANY angle. When the rut kicks in and its time to get serious the .243 stays in the safe.

Sqeeeeeeze the trigger, don't jerk it...Pick a hair...Practice,Practice,Practice on shooting skills...Nothing sux more than losing a deer because of not being familiar with your weapon.

nothing truer than aim small miss small .

This^^^. Many new hunters just grab a box of shells and prop on the tail gate. Shoot at 35 yards and its "close enough".

Learn your rifle and your load and what it does at different distances.

I've said this before, and caught flack for it, but i truly believe you need to use one rifle and it needs to be like an extension of yourself. You need to be very familar with it.I agree, use a quality ammo, and know what it will do at all ranges. It amazes me how many people, have no clue what their rifle will do at 300 yards.

I probably shoot different than most on this board. I used to use the "squeeeeze" the trigger technique but in the heat of the moment when you only have a split second to make the shot, you better know how to get on him and make a quick trigger pull while staying on the target. I practice this way so it is natural to me when the time comes. You can learn to pull the trigger quickly, stay on the target, and make very precise shots at the same time; they are not mutually exclusive. If you are going to have to make this kind of shot you better have practiced that way or it won't be a natural thing which may cause you make pull the shot...

Oh, and get that rifle out of the freakin lead sled and practice shooting in real hunting situations! Shoot out of your climber, lock on or whatever type stand you use wearing your hunting gear complete with harness. You might find the length of pull or scope alignment dont fit when you have on multiple layers or you pull the gun off target when wearing gloves. Just because you can shoot 200yds off the bench dont mean you can out of the stand. Only thing worse than not getting a shot is making a bad one and wounding a great deer.

I also suggest having your trigger adjusted down to around 3-4lbs. Makes you more accurate. I hate long trigger pulls.

I NEVER practice or sight in a rifle from a lead sled or anything else that keeps the gun still. I use sandbags at the most. Lot of times I practice just like I hunt, without a solid rest.

when i bought a gun vise years ago i sighted in a 7mag , missed the first deer . resighted it in , still on . missed the next deer but when i checked the gun i didn't use the vise . i was shooting 4" high and with the angle on the deer i was shooting over . i still used it at times but i never lock it down on the gun .

To add about using lead sleds and vices:

It is a good way to crack your stock at the recoil lug. This is a known problem with the lead sled. Weapons are designed to recoil. Not absorb all that energy at the recoil lug.

Be a man and shoot your weapon off sand bags when you are sighting in or go down to smaller caliber.

Well I just keep making them ... at least I learn each time and this time it didn't cost me anything.

Today I learned a very valuable lesson. I've field dressed 4 deer now so I know what tarsal gland secretion smells like. Well today sitting in my climber 10 ft off the ground I smelled that unmistakable tarsal smell over the span of 10 or so minutes. Surely I can't smell deer I thought.

Well as I was packing up to go to work I standing by a boulder sorting my gear and I see a nose come around the boulder. Yep, a group of 4 does but they were so small I didn't bother getting my gun. They fell over each other trying to get away from me, was a funny sight.

Lesson learned: Yes you can smell deer working upwind of you if the conditions are right. Stay put when you smell em ...

What does the tarsal gland secretion smell like?

Like a wet rank dawg

Rocket62, I have smelled a few bucks before while in a tree. I remember, very well, smelling a buck I killed in KS in 2011, before he gave me a shot. He was probably the foulest deer I have ever smelled. I could have tracked him on smell alone, without a blood trail.

Haha. yeah its pretty much a foul smell, at least those does were.

Matt let me ask you this; Was there any significant wind that day? I'm trying to learn what I can from this and I have noted that the wind when I smelled this was 0 to 1 MPH ... pretty much non existant

One of the most foul things I have ever had to smell was a dog's anal glands being expressed. That's what I am imagining with the way you guys are describing tarsal glands.