I'm not sure I'll have the same lease again next year and if I do the farm may go to a one buck rule. I'm doing what I can to try and pickup another, and if possible I'd like to have two leases going into next year. In addition I'm committed to scouting a couple of the better looking public pieces I've found. My first goal moving to IL was to kill a 140"+ buck. I got that done so now my ultimate goals for next year are a 150" buck and a 130"+ buck from public land before I leave IL.
Looking to increase my shooting range as well. Never felt to comfortable doing so because im not good at guessing distances. So gonna pick up a rangefinder to help me. This year will be the first real time i attempt shed hunting so i hope it works out now that i actualy know where to look. And my wife will most likly be going with me next year so i bought a blind so my goal is to learn the blind and get really good with it. Also have a spot i havent tried at the woods i hunt where in gonna try next year. I have a good feeling about next year weve hunted this woods going on 4-5 years and were just now figuring out where they are so pretty excited for next year!!
Rangefinder advice....save and buy a above average one with a good sized price tag on it. I've went through 2 now and recently picked up a higher grade Leupold. The other two never worked well in cold situations if at all....definitely not a tool you want to be without if you become dependant on range checking all your shots at set ups like I do. Vortex makes the one I was gonna get but a good friend never used his Leupold and practically gave it to me.
Yeah im nervous on which one i buy. I know whatever one i buy i want it to last a long time. When i hang my stands ive made it to where my closest shot is under 20 yards ive shot 5 deer in my life and all was 10 yard shot or less. But the new spot im wantin to try out i think it may be different distances and i dont want to get no junk and then the big boy comes by and my rangefinder fail me. Any brands i should stay away from or any brands would be good for me without paying to crazy of a price? Just one thats dead on at 50 yards and less and wont freeze up or die fast.
Get back to the basics of scouting hard. Last year I simply did not have time to scout. I want to scout several new areas of the military base so I know them inside and out. Scout, locate, kill. I basically want to improve the efficiency of my hunting to maximize my time in the woods. I am done hunting ghost bucks. I will scout til my darn feet bleed this year, trust me.
Replacing the 12 year old bow with something new. I've even kicked around the idea of going the traditional route for next season. My main plan for next season is planting some more food plots and hunt my home place very little until November.
I like this idea a lot! For me, I'll hunt until the end of Jan and that's it until next Sept. During the interim, I'll be looking for new wild trout streams to fish come Spring. Wild trout are my "other" passion.
Don't overlook some of the golf rangefinders....sure they may not have the angle compensation but honestly within 35/30 yards the difference is minimal enough I don't think it matters like some claim.
I am very, very lucky in that I have some very nice bucks walk in front of me. I am fortunate to be located in an area with little to no pressure and I have the best buck bait ever, live does. I spent 10 years constructing the perfect funnel clearing brush, and putting in food plots, planting trees, and other habitat enhancement. Having a 1000 acre sanctuary down wind to draw the bucks is an added bonus. It only takes hard work and $.
I'm still waiting for my first couple sits of the year... Late season December hunts in Kentucky then catch the rut in January/February down in South Bama. My goals after that are preparing for turkey season and getting back into shape.
You have not hunted yet? Has to be hard to watch all the pics of bucks posted up and not want to cancel a wedding to get out and hunt. Good luck when you get out there.
Look for more places to hunt, make the ones I have better via food plots, adjust stands, practice and scout as much as possible
Scout and move some stands, kill some turkeys, and catch as many fish as I can. I also have a honey do list starting to accumulate...
Get the cameras out this spring and get an inventory on the new hunting property. Set up the stands accordingly. Always feel like i could practice more this year so my brother and i are going to build a 20' platform to shoot throughout the spring & summer.
Slowing down. I overshot my deer this year trying to rush. I also want to be able to range without the range finder. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Tweaking my stands (better stand placement), hoping to put up another 4 or 5 stands, running the trail cameras more and really pinpoint these big bucks, food plots, and a lot of shooting. The wife also gave me the nod for a new bow!
10-4 on that... Apparently I'm going to have to make time to do it right or it just don't happen. Due to work I'm sad to say I haven't archery hunted in a couple years... miss it. That's goal.... carve out time to do it and do it right again.
More places closer to home. Right now my best place place is a 45 minute drive. Don't mind the the drive but two. Trips and it's time to fill the tank again. Better stands. The menards specials get you through but they get noisy after a season or two. New base layers, new boots, mine are too small all the sudden. New strings on the bow, new release, among some other tweaks to the setup. And last and probably most important getting in better shape.
