Do you guys get the same rush from sitting in an old stand on a worn out deer trail that will produce deer year after year after year if you (or anyone else) sits there long enough vs running on instincts and putting up stands on the fly every year because of ever changing info you get from scouting and what you see as the season unfolds? Don't get me wrong........I have stands that I put up years ago that still produce and I will not ignore them........but I just get a MAJOR rush from throwing a stand on my back and thinking on the fly as I try to pick a spot I think THAT deer will go by THAT day for whatever reason be it tangible or a silly hunch. To me the difference is night and day. I can pull anyone off the street that can shoot straight and put them in one of my golden stands and it's just a matter of time...........but throw that same person a climber and leave them at the road and chances are they come home empty handed. I don't know if it's the thrill of feeling like I outsmarted him on that day vs feeling like I just waited him out or if it's the dynamic nature of EVERY hunt being different for dozens of reasons some of which are happening as I am walking in but the thrill for me is exponentially higher.
I'm equally excited to be in a good spot whether its one I've hunted out of 100x or that's my first sit.
I love going with my instincts and thinking "outside of the box". Easy to get complacent with land we've hunted for years and certain stands that have a history of producing. I'll hunt them obviously, but I'm always thinking. Always utilizing what I am seeing and learning everyday. Some of my greatest hunts have been on "educated hunches" where it pays off. That is a great rush and very rewarding IMO. One buck in particular I remember was driving me nuts hunting him for a week. I had a couple "honey hole" sets in his area. Saw him almost everytime I sat. Just couldn't get close enough. Or he would show himself late and right around shooting light, if not just after. I'd have to slip away undetected. Playing ping pong with him. A handful of days left in bow season I decided to take a more aggressive approach and plopped right in his bedroom where I was pretty certain he was coming from. Did a quick scout in the middle of a rainy day, made a little natural ground blind, snipped a shooting lane (not much) in the thickets along a creek bottom, setup for what the wind was going to do the next couple days. Second to last day I drilled him at 20 yards. What a rush and rewarding for me to pull that off.
I love hunting stands ive never hunted before. Just the thought of the deer coming out in any place is what really gets me going. makes me think if ive put my stand in the right place or not. And thats what i use to better my stand selection for the next time
I have a few stand sites that will never change. But, I couldn't agree more with the feeling of being mobile and hunting on the fly. Sitting in a "fresh" spot just puts you on a different high.
I still think its hunting. Your not guaranteed to see a deer you would like to take nor are you guaranteed to get a shot at that deer. Hunting in an old wooden stand sometimes brings a little something extra to the hunt.
For me I think changing things up helps me from a mental aspect more than anything. If I sit in a spot without any action for a few days I start to get frustrated and lazy as a hunter. Changing locations helps me refocus. It's almost like opening day all over again.
Atlas I get the same Rush from on the fly hunting as well! I have tons of old reliable stand sights but love being mobile and when you get that spot for the first time and it all comes together, it is a rush and feels more like you won the battle from out whitting your Prey!
i have 1 stand i redo year after year with new straps and all.. basically up on a few finger ridges that all meet in the middle right where my stand is... every year for the last 8 years its always been a hot spot come mid Oct to mid Nov... around these ridges are good chestnuts and other types of nut trees... even a great water source. on the opposite side of the ridges is a big farm field mainly for cows but come now the cows are being moved to the opposite side of the road way just past the field... and the fields fill up with deer. i think the ridges i hunt is a great spot just out of a bedding area for those mature bucks to follow and scent check the field before entering. always have great success hunting this spot and see tons of deer. so yeah id say its a great rush feeling each time i hunt it as you just don't know what is gonna come walking by!
The run and gun, hunting on the fly, or whatever you want to call it has become a new favorite for me. I have some tried and true stands that I will always hunt during the rut though.
Fresh stands when I'm trying to kill a buck. When I started moving and getting mobile I started seeing a lot more mature deer. I won't claim to have a ton of experience but nearly every encounter I've had with a mature buck has been the first time I hunted a spot that season. I do usually have a couple of doe hunting stands that I'll hunt over and over. They are in low impact areas and I use them when the wind isn't right anywhere else.
I definitely feel more like a hunter when I do the run and gun method. The thought of the unknown puts me on a different level compared to sitting my "bulletproof" spots.
I have a few tried and true stand sites that I use on public land that have sentimental value, example: The first tree I ever hunted out of, the tree that my dad took his biggest buck from. But I feel like you said, if i put the time in it will eventually pay off. I prefer to stay mobile, because it brings a whole new level of excitement.
I agree Atlas.. We have many tried and true killing tree stands. Last year I took what I consider a smaller that average buck for me, but it was done out of my climber on the first time I made a set in the spot. I am as proud of it as any, because I found the spot on the spot and was able to convert that opportunity into success.
EXACTLY what I'm talking about!! I love old stands and will gladly pop a deer from one but man, what you did on that buck is all you.........not the stand. I'm sure you and everyone else here has a bunch of spots where if you just sit long enough you will smack something decent. I just love the sensation I get from hunts like you described vs feeling like the only thing I did was sit and wait them out. Grinding your *** flat for countless hours is not a skill..........it's willpower. Admirable for sure but what you describe above is on a whole other level in my opinion. Everyone can sit, not everyone can hunt. Awesome story dude...........good luck this year. Hopefully I will get out your way with my bow this year and hunt with my brother. I've hunted across the road from your golf course a bunch of times I believe.
Sitting in a good stand is always exciting.........I just love the dynamic aspect of trying to be in the right place at the right time on THAT day vs grinding away the hours in an old wooden platform on a worn out deer trail. Not that the latter is bad.......I just love the rush I get from the former. I have some AMAZING memories from trees that suck as stand locations..........would never advise someone to sit there on a regular basis and expect any success..........BUT on the day I picked that tree it was perfect and everything about my instincts told me to be there. You could sit in that spot for another 10 years and not kill a decent deer.........knowing you were the one smart enough to be there on THAT day vs being the guy who grinds out the 10 years hoping to wait them out is pretty cool to me.
I agree.........I think hunting on the fly makes you better at picking stand sites. Lord knows we strike out way more then we nail it so you either learn and get better at picking your spots or you better have a lot of vacation time. I've often told my brother (who is HORRIBLE at picking spots) that he needs to stop analyzing the woods for spots HE likes vs spots the DEER like. He likes to be comfortable and have wide open shooting lanes and long sight lines...........so do I but outside the rut where a telephone pole could be a great spot those kinds of areas rarely produce for bow. We have put him in some spots that he texted us from at daylight complaining about how terrible they are...............then 2 years ago he got busted by a 140's 10pt while reading his Kindle because he was so sure he wasn't going to see squat. Now suddenly he is interested in trying to pick better spots to his credit he has gotten much better and killed his best buck last year.
Absolutely.........now sometimes when I get too smart for my own good and blow the whole deal or sit there all day and count chipmunks I end up at a different low Even more reason why it feels so good when it all comes together IMO.
