Any Hunters here? Need Advice-

I know it sounds obvious, but if you don't have your own land, find a good spot and a good land owner.
You'd be amazed at how important that is.
We have 26 acres and see deer and deer signs (droppings, scrapes, rubs, hoof prints) regularly all year, sometimes less than 50' from our back door.
But....several people hunt near us and during season the deer head across the creek into the 100+ acres of woods the neighbor owns.

In Indiana there are urban zones that allow for a longer hunting season.
Check online to see if you're in one.

Good luck!

First thing is go shoot a bunch of rounds to get completely comfortable with where your rounds are going to go. 

If possible, practice at or near the distace you think you'll be shooting, and sight it in around that range. Will you be shooting any distance? If you sight it in at 0 at 100 yards, your .06 is going to be low at 300. Study bullet drop charts for your bullet.

Geez, I could go on and on....

Try to scout the area as much as you can, look for trails, food sources, and water for spots to hunt.

Scent cover is a good plan. Just pick something native to your area. Don't have foxes? Don't use fox urine.

Main thing probably is to try to make sure you have a good shot, you don't want to wound him. And you won't be able to, but try to relax if you see him.

Hunting is so area specific that you really need advice for where you are hunting. Out west here we have a bunch of public land, your area may not and you will be tasked asked permission to hunt private land, I did spot an stalk with my recurve bow where i used to hunt, others do tree stand where they are.

One of the biggest things to think about is, what if I do kill a deer? You gotta field dress it...get it hauled back to your truck...process it into eatable chunks before it gets bad....and have a freezer to store the meat. This is just as important as the kill. 

The one thing I will tell you is hunters are VERY secretive of where they hunt. You can ask techniques but as soon as you start asking where to hunt...fellas get really pissed off.

Good luck and have fun.

I love hunting but unfortunately life has gotten in the way the last couple of years. I absolutely love waterfowl hunting but I have done my fair share of whitetail, hogs, predators, varmints, dove - Texas game.

My best suggestion would be to take SEEMEFIRST's advice and get very comfortable with your rifle. I don't know anything about Indiana or the distances you'll be shooting, but you should be very comfortable shooting past where you think you will be shooting. I would suggest for your first season to look into taking a guided hunt, just to get your feet wet and learn some techniques that work in your area. They will also assist with processing your game, which is a huge hurdle for someone that hasn't done it before. 

As far as expectations, just have fun! Don't get caught up in all the gadgets and accessories. Our grandparents hunted whitetail with a 12 gauge slug, open sights, wearing a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. The whitetail I was allowed to take growing up were spikes and does. I value healthy herds a lot more than I value taking trophy deer. They all taste the same anyway lol. Have fun with it! Feel free to DM me with any questions you have and I'd be happy to help you out the best I can.

Sounds like you and I could talk ballistics for hours. I'm an absolute nerd, maybe even more than I'm a moto nerd.

Buckle into your tree stand. I see a few people every year who fall asleep and fall out and injure themselves pretty good. Header into frozen ground from that high up might not end well. 

Keep track of your pal when driving / walking the woods.  If you don’t know where he is & you see a deer & hv to shoot in your pal’s direction but you lost his position . Don’t shoot there will be more deer. Look

Past the deer to make sure another hunter is Not in line of your shot.   Late 70,s we drove the woods & barked like dogs . Herds of deer running everyone is unloading there shot guns . We shot alot of deer & butchered them nothing taste better than a farm buck. 

Practice practice practice. Get a quality backpack. Make knowing exactly where everything in that bag is a habit. 
Keep a spare pair of socks in a ziplock bag. 
Carry a magnesium fire starter  just in case. 
Pack snacks that won’t scare the animals away if they smell it. Apple’s. Baby carrots etc. 
 

Hahahaha! Yep, it can get quite nerdy around here.

I have no idea what his ground looks like. Could be thick as hell, and 50 yards would be the long shot.

Where I hunt it could be anything from 25 to 400, so we had to learn what every caliber we are shooting is capable of, and where it's going to be. 

All my hunting rounds are handloaded, so I know exactly what to expect from them. It's a very painstaking endeavor, but it pays off.

All you need is a loin cloth and a Bowie knife. 

I don't know anything about hunting, but I can tell this guy is legit. 

Shot this earlier this morning:

Have you ever eaten deer???? It ain't for everybody... there's a reason deer meat isn't on the menu at your local pub....

Best thing about hunting is you get to add some sweet costumes to your wardrobe, some knives to your warfare cabinet and finally the excuse you can give your wife why its ok to hang a dead animal in the living room.

Get to your spot at dark thirty like 30 minutes before legal shooting time. If on land with other hunters wear or carry a light. Any first deer is a trophy, get on the board before you go after the big deer. Keep quiet and try to not make jerky movements, that's what they see before your camo fails. Stay down wind as best you can. Observe the wild life and learn from your mistakes.

Huge deer in our neighborhood  

Make sure you take your time. Don't just blow through a box, and be done.

Assuming your rifle is sighted in at a known distance, relax between shots, don't hold your breath too long, and slowly squeeze the trigger. It should surprise you until you really know the rifle.

Oh, another thing to know.

Know exactly how to fill out your tags, and how they want them attached. It won't do you any good for me to tell you how we have to handle harvests in Texas, your rules could be different. Know the rules, and follow them.

Not doing so can be expensive.

There's alot to learn but the easiest rules to start are hunt food in the evening and bedding in the morning . You will 100 percent without a doubt never trick their nose . You'll never sneak up on a whitetail deer from up wind . Having a 30-06 will allow you to keep some distance . I'm not sure what area you're hunting so I can't help with specific techniques.  This October will be my 35th opening day of archery season,never missed an opener since I was 14. That 30-06 is gonna beat the shit out of the front shoulder also. I took a few with a 3006 ,it will drop them but at a cost . I switched to a 30 30 about 15 years ago and haven't used anything else for gun season.

That is an insane statement . Ive heard venison taste can change from region to region based on their diet . Ive never had a beef steak I would take over venison. They cant offer it on menus because it's not regulated  if you do see it on a menu it's stag meat from new Zealand. 

I've been hunting all my life, first squirrel at 5 with a .22, first deer hunting by myself at 8, first bow deer at 10 with a 35lb draw.  I haven't missed a year of hunting but I don't care if I get a thing or not.  I usually do if we want meat but the hunting is the experience as a whole.  Its pretty much a holiday in WV.   Deer camp with all your buddies, your Dad, your cousins, uncles ect., buddies coming to your farm, you going to buddies farms.  Its awesome.  

For my Dad to trust me hunting by myself from a young age is because I earned it by learning and being safe.  Safety is the most important thing and it is the little things you are taught that many do not learn that will keep you and others safe.  Off the top of my head I can think of a few.  Legal or not, everybody wants to travel with a gun quickly available be it on the way to the farm or riding on a SxS on the farm.  Never have the gun loaded while riding.  If it is a bolt action have the bolt open.  Never lean your gun on the side of a barn, the car, the SXS or a tree.  Get you a nice back pack and lay the gun pointing away on the backpack if you must lay it down.  I you feel you must, be unloaded and open the bolt.  

Many times I've hunted very rough country.  If you walk through brush check your safety to make sure it didn't get flipped by the brush.  It can happen easily.  Actually anytime you make a move check the safety.  Its good practice.  If you fall try to fall with your gun or on your gun, not away from it.  If you think you stubbed the barrel, unload and make sure it is clear of any dirt. 

You can practice at the range or at targets all you want but it won't all translate into the woods.  You have to practice having a loaded gun, on safety, sitting on your lap, you need to draw it up and and take it off safety then proceed to shoot.  Some guns can be complicated or not totally clear if they are on safety or not.  I have a big back yard, but for me I'd practice at home in a chair or in the grass like I was hunting and raise your gun, take it off safety and practice.  It sounds stupid but some guns won't go on safety unless they are cocked and ready to fire. Get familiar with it because you will not be doing this target practicing.  You will find yourself in the woods sitting for 3 hours and wonder, which is safety which is not.  It happens.  And don't squeeze the trigger to see if it is or not.  Stupid I know, but it happens.  Some guns are not safe and clear about their safety.  If it is a bolt action, see if it will fire with the bolt not all the way down.  Some guns will, some won't.  Some guns if you squeeze the trigger it will close the bolt some won't.  You need to know.  

Know where anyone you are hunting with are and if they move, where they are going and make sure they know the same of you.  

Don't pick up your gun and aim at something until you see it.  If the brush is moving and you hear something walking, you can get ready, but don't pick up and aim at it until you see it.  

If you see another hunter, make yourself visible to them.  Let them know you are there.  

Those are some off the top of my head.  I could lay some thought and come up with many mores such as wear your orange.  Know if you have a backpack your orange is covered.  Never wear anything white, no writing on a hat, no handkerchief, don't even wear white sox or white undershirt.  

The whole point is to have fun, relax and enjoy, eat beef jerky, chew tobacco, eat the lunch your wife made.  Its all one big picture that makes the experience.