Shoot better than you did at doves!

I'm just messin' with ya!...go get 'em!

I swear those darn things had a tracking device on me. They knew where I was and avoided me

I'm really looking forward to deer hunting. If you would have asked me 3 years if thought I would ever be hunting or owning a deer rifle I would have said no. Wasn't opposed to it just thought not for me.

Bingo!

Think SAFETY first! Get a safety harness & at least one article of orange (ie hat).
Secondly, stay legal! Remember your license, harvest card, pen. Don't trespass to hunt.
Dress WARM. Layers. Being cold will make your experience miserable. Best to over-dress when in doubt.
Bring/get a pair of binos. Trust me. Safer & easier than scanning with your rifle scope.
Thank your host! Insist on paying the guest fee! Buy them a meal after the hunt!

My 3rd season and I came here to learn also. I'm no expert but I've managed to take 3 deer during each of the last 2 seasons. I'll expand on what 2dogs said here from my own perspective :

• Throughout this season, watch this forum intently and make notes of the hunters that are the most successful
• If you have a friend that has been on this forum for a while, ask him/her who the most successful hunters are
• Stalk these guys on this forum ... that is watch all of their posts in the Bow and Serious forums, again take notes on what they say works for them
• Ask these guys questions, keep asking them questions until they get sick of you
• Post your questions and listen intently to what these guys tell you to do
• Experiment, experiment, experiment ... Try the techniques they talk about and refine them as needed. Ask more questions if they do not work

Make sure you practice firearms safety. Make sure your gun is completely unloaded at any time you are not in the stand. If using a bolt action, leave it open. Barrel always straight up or down. Treat every gun as if it were loaded. All information above is good practice and you could be the most courtious, helpful guest to ever walk the property to never receive an invite back, due to reckless handling of a gun.

get off the internet and get yer ass in the woods....

for staying warm,its best to layer,and remove as it warms. i use toasty toes, that helps a bunch. Instead of hand warmers i get the big one for the body and put it in my right pocket, i take my right glove off once I get in the stand.

About processing, it would help if you could at least get the deer quartered and into a cooler. I rinse with water hose, then fill with ice and a box of salt. When most of the ice has melted(usually the next evening) I pour the water of and put another big bag of ice, next day, pour off water re-ice. The next day I carry it to the processor. This will remove a lot of the blood from the meat.

as far as the self control part.......take a pair of binoculars if possible...

Those deer seem to look a lot bigger in a rifle scope, and then you've already got the gun on him, makes it all the more tempting to pop one that you might consider "questionable".

HAHAHA that is exactly my thinking. The spike might go from actually being a spike to a 8X8 bull elk

to add
if you can't hunt read read and read some more .

do not rut up the roads or around the fields . if you have to walk or drag a deer then do .

you go thru a gate , close that gate .

do your work , THEN HAVE FUN WITH IT .

Stalker alert!

1. If you plan to become a serious hunter, purchase some quality clothing made of wool or down. A down vest will go a long way. It's worth it and you will hunt a lot more if you are comfortable.

2. Don't waste money on outdoor channel gimmicks. You don't need the latest scent free products, camo design, deer attractants, etc.

3. Hunt the wind, be still, constantly look and listen, and stay off your cell phone.

4. If you want to kill a decent buck, let the smaller ones walk. Every good buck I have seen or killed has come just after smaller bucks or does went by my stand. Bucks use younger deer to test an area for danger before they enter.

5. During the rut, no advice matters other than to hunt all day and be in a spot where you can cover a lot of ground. A rutting buck could care less about you or his regular routine.