At the very start, deer felt really scarce, but that was when I was clomp-clomp-clomping through the woods. Prioritize getting a bow, wooden arrows are more than sufficient for hunting, then build up that sneak skill. Sneak until depleted, walk until recharged, sneak again. You'll be surprized just how many dang deer there are around the meadow wooded areas. Often they are 2 or 3 in a group so don't just run up if you snipe one. Sprint and jump through the grassy open areas. Having a high sneak skill is definitely helpful in other biomes. (Take some time to swim as well.)