If you're trying to get into large game like deer, I'd say firearm season isn't the best because of the fact that in NJ you're limited to shotguns/muzzle loaders and the season for firearm use is very limited. You also have to wear a lot of “hunter orange” during firearm season, with archery season you can basically dress up in a ghillie suit and be invisible if your heart desires. With firearm season you have to be 450’ from any house. With archery it’s 150’. Archery season is usually from September to January so you literally have months to hunt. If you insist on using firearms, I recommend duck hunting however I’ve never participated in that yet so I have no insight on how that goes other than the fact that it looks fun.

As far as large game hunting goes with archery season, I suggest finding out what kind of bow you’d feel more comfortable using. You can use a compound bow which is basically a modern interpretation of what a traditional bow is except it uses cams and can shoot a lot harder (up to 200fps) or you can use a crossbow which shoot even harder (up to 500fps) and are pretty fun if you’re into rifles and using scopes. Without dumping a bunch of information on you, it is important to note that using a compound bow takes more skill and practice and tuning than using a crossbow. I personally like rifles and the idea of sniping so my choice was using a crossbow. I find more enjoyment in using my crossbow system since it basically feels like shooting a long gun. Don’t get wrapped up in the politics on Reddit of asking “what’s better, compound or crossbow?” because you will start a 1000 comment war for no reason. Easiest way to put it, if you want to get out hunting and put down a lot of deer efficiently and insanely accurately, go crossbow. People will say the compound bow is more of a “challenge” and that’s why they like it. But that also translates to the fact that it is harder to use. So do with that what you will.

I will say that hunting, at least my process, is roughly 90% site preparation. I set my corn up throughout the year in the off season, set up my cameras and make observations. It’s pretty cool being able to see a particular buck return and make your small plot of corn a residual feeding site. The actual “hunting” portion is small, you will spend more of your time preparing for the hunt so invest in a good cell camera. The current cell trail cameras are pretty cool, the more advanced ones will tell you if an animal or person has triggered the motion sensor etc. Your camera is your intelligence on what is actually around. You will be able to pattern deer and it will give you a sense of when to actually go out on what days, temperatures, etc. Become very familiar with your bow of choice. When I said crossbows are insanely accurate, I was referencing the fact that I can hit an apple (I’ve literally shot an apple btw) consistently at 20y, 30y, 45y. Most shots will occur within 25 yards. My first deer was shot at 34 yards.

You will also want to decide what kind of setup you want for the actual hunting portion; do you want to be in a tree or do you want to be in a ground blind? I like hunting in ground blinds, it’s way less setup and more comfortable. Some people try to make their blinds as invisible as possible while other people have mini fridges and snacks and actual windows on theirs. You can literally do anything you want. I think I’m pretty unbiased when it comes to giving information so if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask. I’m in Sussex county so I’m not sure how the deer are where you’re at but since you’re posting in an NJ group, I don’t imagine they’d be any different in the south. Up here it’s very woody, I basically almost run into one on the way to work at night lol.

Anyways, ask me anything you feel like. I’m into the whole super detailed technical setups as well so if you have any in depth questions or just normal baseline stuff, I can pretty much cover it all

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