It seems every year I learn something new. I wonder if you've learned anything you want to share? It's my opinion that wind is overstated. I go as scent free as possible and haven't had that much bad luck with the wind. I realize I'm in the minority but I've taken 3 P&Y bucks so I must be doing something right. Maybe if I paid more attention to the wind I'd have taken more book animals. Share any lessons you've learned.
After checking my trail cameras every week last year... I've learned to stay out of the property as much as possible. I will be waiting 3-4 weeks to check cams this year. Scout during the spring... Do not wait until late summer.
Never just walk by a blowdown... look closely into it. I have had deer bust out of blowdowns after passing them like a rabbit from a hole. I also shot a buck once in a blowdown - he just wouldn't move with me standing there.
Aim at the heart,especially out of 16 foot tree stand.If the animal reacts you ll still be in kill zone.(And don t date hillbilly girls from Texas)!
The most important thing I've learned about deer hunting is that nothing is set in stone. No matter what you read in a magazine or on the Internet or see in a video that's not always the truth (at least not the truth for your scenario). What I mean is that every deer is different and every piece of property is different. In order to be consistently successful you must be willing to learn and adapt to your situation. This can be something as big as moving your stand to the other side of the farm, or something as small as moving your stand 10 yards. In that same vein, I've learned that every detail matters. From not checking cameras too often to trimming that extra branch, bowhunting is a game of finesse. Be careful and be methodical in everything you do.
Follow your instincts. I tried to over analyze stand location based on trail cam info which can be good but my best hunt this year went against everything I had seen camera wise. I planned on hunting a stand but changed my mind to go to a different property on the way, then when walking in felt like I should go hunt the stand I had hunted without success this morning even though I'd planned on going elsewhere. Turns out I had a shooter in range that night and came really close to sealing the deal. This year I plan to look at the info I have then trust my gut a lot more and to just relax and have fun without stressing over decisions made. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
now that is useful info! for me, it's that if you travel at all to hunt, re-check your zero. It's very easy for a sight to get bumped. You should probably check it at least 2x per week during the season even if you don't travel.
Some very good comments and suggestions. Let's keep it going. I'm off to Missouri to my farm. Doing some food plots, put up some trail cameras and many, many other things. Going to do a little turkey hunting as well.
Man i've learned quite a few things this season! First, sit in the stand longer than you want to! I found this out the hard way as i was getting down from my stand I heard a noise behind me, turned around and saw my number 1 hitlist buck turn and run off! Second, When raccoon hunting, bring a bat with you. We had a coon that hadn't been shot yet on the ground and my buddies gun was empty. Now me seeing the coon start to run off, I run over and step on it, well instead of stepping on it's neck I stepped on it's stomach letting it turn and bite me in the foot. Now the bite didn't really hurt but it was the rabies shots that really really hurt!! Just some words of wisdom after I learned it the hard way!!! I've learned way to many things to share in this one spot, mainly because this was my first year going hard for a buck and I was successful!!
I learned when hunting out of state and a nice buck comes in within the first hour of hunting on a 3 day trip to go ahead and take him as you might not have another within bow range the rest of the season.
I prefer in season and post season scouting over spring/summer scouting. Other than glassing right before season or maybe running cams for a few weeks right before season for inventory purposes I find spring summer scouting to be hot, bug ridden, and not very useful overall. I mainly feel that way because food sources & deer patterns change greatly from March to October. Also pieces that I've hunted for years I rarely scout hard, I watch the food sources and hunt known areas. Granted that is easier for me because much of the land I hunt is broken up in blocks that aren't terribly big, it doesn't take too many seasons to become familiar with a couple hundred acres at a time. These methods have helped me put less pressure on the blocks I hunt.
I've learned to listen to great advice from people that "get it" and congratulate them for just being frickin spot on awesome! I also learned this morning that walking into a backwoods mushroom hunting spot with thunder and clouds rolling in from the southwest is a bad idea if you want to stay dry,
Put out as many trail cams as you can afford. The more trailcams, the more you can learn about the deer in your area. Be smart about how often you go in to check them.
