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The Worst Hunting Advice We’ve Ever Heard

By Brodie SwisherDecember 6, 201914 Comments

LAST UPDATED: December 22nd, 2020

As hunters, we’re always on the prowl for ways to improve our game. We love advice and words of wisdom from those that have been down the road before us. But every once in awhile, the advice we receive is junk. It’s junk, and you know it the moment you hear it. Or maybe it took you some time in the woods to realize you had been fed a load of bull.

Either way, lame hunting advice is inevitable. Whether on social media, or from “that one guy” in hunting camp, bad hunting advice will come. In hopes of helping you dodge it when you hear it, here’s a list of some of the worst hunting advice we’ve ever heard.

You can't believe everything you hear about hunting whitetail deer. Here's some of the worst hunting advice we've ever heard.

Deer Don’t Look Up – This is likely one of the original myths from way back. I remember hearing it as a kid. I guess it came about back before hunters starting climbing trees. Don’t believe it.

Once a Spike, Always a Spike – Life tends to be tough for the spike buck. Especially when they encounter the hunter that believes the idea that they should be culled since they are an inferior animal. The once-a-spike-always-a-spike myth has been around a long time as well. Rest assured, it’s bull. Spike bucks can, and do, turn into trophy bucks. But only if they make it past those first 18 months.

 

Don’t Use a LifeLine Because Deer Will Smell It – Somebody oughta throat punch the guy that uttered these words. Deer can also smell your climbing sticks, ground scent and anything else you touch. Work it out. Don’t neglect the most important piece of life-saving gear you can own.

Anchoring-Lifeline
Don't ever trust a person that tells you not to use a LifeLine when hunting from a treestand.

Deer Only Walk Into the Wind – This could prove catastrophic for your local deer herd. They’d all end up in a neighboring state if a strong, consistent wind persisted for a week. Yes, deer use the wind as they travel. But they don’t limit themselves to this extent.

Pour a Beer at the Base of Your Tree Before Opening Day to Attract Deer – Stay thirsty, my friends – just not this thirsty. Sounds like a good excuse to keep cold ones around at hunting camp – but nothing more.

Forget the Wind, Just Hunt – Believe it or not, this was actually the slogan for a popular scent containment company a few years back. And regardless of how good their product was, it’s horrible hunting advice.

Gutting a Deer On Your Property Will Ruin the Area – I’ve seen this myth busted on more than one occasion as I’ve witnessed deer come across a gut pile later in the day, check it out, and lick the remains. It happens. Gut piles aren’t deal breakers for your property. They’ll cause you more problems with the landowner than they will the deer.

Use Your Car Exhaust as Cover Scent for Hunting Clothes – We won’t say where we heard this one. Just know, the guy that recommended this tactic also saw no problem with hanging clothes in the garage with the car running and garage door down. Enough said. Do NOT try this one at home.

If You Don’t Shoot It the Neighbors Will – We’ve all heard this one a time or two over the years. It sounds legit. But the fact is, there’s no guarantee that the neighbor will shoot it. If he’s not a shooter for you, don’t play the “what if” game and turn him into a shooter.

young hunter with buck
The neighbor may or may not shoot the buck you pass - but if you pull the trigger, it's definitely game over.

Keep Pushing a Wounded Deer to Make Him Bleed Out – This is an oldie but a goodie.  And you still hear it from time to time these days. Don’t buy into this theory. Let him lay. He’ll bleed out just fine right there in his bed.

A Doe Blew at Me, My Hunt is Over – Yes, they will drive you crazy. But just because you’ve been busted and have a wise, old doe blowing at you doesn’t mean the hunt is over. Good things can still happen. Just make sure she leaves. Shoot her, or bump her off, but she needs to go.

You Don’t Have to Use Scent Control if You Play the Wind – Winds can change in a hurry. They’ll swirl and switch at a moment’s notice. And when they do, you’ll regret the fact that you used your wife’s summer daisies body wash. Play the wind, but also play the scent control game as much as possible.

scent-away-spray-down
The wind can change at any time, so being prepared and scent-free can really help in those desperate situations.

You Don’t Need a Safety Harness When Hunting a Ladder Stand – Most guys probably don’t use a safety harness when hunting from a ladder stand. But it can be deadly, even in a ladder stand. I’ve got a buddy that climbed a ladder stand and got flogged by wasps that had built a nest under the seat of his ladder stand. In all the chaos of swatting and swinging, he fell from his stand. Wear the harness and LifeLine, even in a ladder stand.

Good Camo is the Key to Going Undetected – Tell that to the guy that is still killin’ critters in plaid. Good camo looks cool, but it’s not bullet proof from the eyes of the game you pursue. I don’t care how much science is built into a camo pattern, or how great a graphic designer a camo company has, if critters see you moving, the camo won’t cover you. Movement is what catches the eye of the game we pursue.

Don’t Use a Light, You’ll Scare Deer – I think what actually scares deer is a guy stumbling and fumbling around in the dark on his way to the treestand, because he’s too hard headed to use a light. Use a light in the dark – scare less deer.

Shoot ’em in the Ham – When I was first getting started in my bowhunting career, I was constantly reading a book my mentor gave to me, Bowhunter’s Digest, by Chuck Adams. In the book’s chapter on Shot Placement, Adams shares the ham shot as an opportune place to put your arrow. Yes, there are some vital arteries running through the hams. But please, don’t purposefully shoot a deer in the hams.

Ham-Shot
It was back in 1981 that Chuck Adams' book, Bowhunter's Digest, included a priceless piece on shot placement.

If He’s Walking Away, Texas Heart Shot – Another piece of advice I received prior to my first deer hunt was the Texas Heart Shot. Shoot them right up the tail pipe, I was told. “It’s as deadly as any shot you can possibly make.” I cringed at the idea way back then – and I still cringe when I think about it today. Just be patient. Let him turn.

The Hood of Your Truck is the Perfect Place to Haul Meat – My friend and I both killed our first bucks on the youth hunt back in 1988. His dad threw both deer up on the hood of the old Blazer, and we rode around town all morning to show off our 18-month-old bucks. The blood rolling down the truck on every side was a poor image to share with the non-hunting community, and the heat from the truck’s engine didn’t help much with cooling down the meat. Fortunately, times have changed.

ATV’s Won’t Scare Deer, Ride Right in There to Your Stand – Sure, you’ll get away with it from time to time, but mature deer will figure out your game. They don’t like. Use the quads God gave you. Walk in to minimize noise in your hunting area.

Don’t Walk into Your Stand at Daylight – The unwritten rule of getting into your treestand 30 minutes before daybreak has been around forever. But there’s also something to be said about waiting until things lighten up a little to slip in to your stand, especially if you’re accessing in and around fields. Wait until daylight, see if  the deer are still in the fields before you bump them, and watch where they’re headed. You can do a lot of damage control by waiting until daylight to slip in to your stand.

Sleep In, There’s Plenty of Season Left – This one will come back to bite you. Don’t get caught napping. Countless hunters find themselves with an unpunched tag in their pocket at the season, wishing they hadn’t slept in so many days.

If You Buy the Right Gun or Bow You’ll Never Have to Worry About Sighting it In – This sage advice no doubt came from a slick willy behind the sales counter at the local big box store. It just might be the biggest load of bull featured on our list.

Spray Down With Artificial Christmas Tree Spray, Deer Won’t Smell You – It may have sounded good at the time. But it’s just not true. You’ll just smell like a cheap pine-scented air freshner for your truck. Don’t do it!

He Stopped Bleeding, I’m Sure He’ll Make It – Don’t quit on a deer just because he stopped bleeding. Mortally wounded deer can and do stop bleeding. Stay in the search.

Bucks Only Grunt in November – Some would lead you to believe that a deer’s grunt is limited just to the month of November, or the rut. The truth is, deer grunt all year long. And bucks aren’t the only ones that grunt. Does will grunt as well. Yes, you’ll hear more grunting during the rut, but it’s not a rut-exclusive sound.

Only Does Blow – You ever notice how a lot of hunters assume every deer that blows is a doe? And some would even swear that only does produce the blowing alarm sound. Bucks blow too. Unfortunately I’ve heard it far too often.

Bring a Pepsi Can to Pee In – More horrible hunting advice prior to my first deer hunt. Even as a young lad, I learned that a 12 ounce aluminum can was not sufficient for any man or boy to use as a urinal in the treestand. (See next point.)

Never Pee From Your Treestand – Fortunately we’re getting passed this long-time myth. Hunters everywhere are realizing that it is okay to pee from your treestand. It’s freedom at its finest.

Leaves Work Fine for Toilet Paper – Not all leaves were created equal. You mess up here and it’ll be a long walk back to the truck. Don’t ever leave home without toilet paper.

We want to hear from you! Comment below with the worst hunting advice you’ve ever been given over the years.

Brodie Swisher
Brodie Swisher is a world champion game caller, outdoor writer, seminar speaker and Editor for Bowhunting.com. Brodie and his family live in the Kentucky Lake area of west Tennessee.
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