I’m hoping to get real here for a moment and seek to see if anyone has every felt as if the cards are stacked against them when it comes to Hunting, in other words it’s not meant to be lol I quick over view, growing up I always hunted as much as a young boy can with his Step Father... with school, and recreational activities but then after high school real life begun and attention and desires shifted away from Hunting... to be honest not until I picked Hunting back up 7yrs ago had I even went Hunting in nearly 20yrs. To be honest it was my Son who at the time was 6 that got me back into it... sharing stories of how I hunted as a kid and all had him desiring the same thing... and for that I’m very very thankful... (my Step Father who passed away 8yrs ago wasn’t really the best role model in the world to say the least when it came to Fatherhood or even life itself, but the 1 thing he and I shared and enjoyed together that he passed on to me was Hunting & Fishing) so sharing those stories with my Son in a round about way was me missing my Step Dad and wishing that he and I would have been closer in other matters and ways other then the Outdoors but I’ve made peace with that. So, other then my 1st Season when I harvested 2 Does I haven’t gotten another Deer since a small Buck as a kid, 3 yrs ago in Md on Public Land I did shoot a Buck but wasnt able to retrieve him as I hit him far back and rushed the shot and after searching that night and even going back with a friend in the morning wasn’t able to find him. 2 yrs ago I shot a Doe on the Eastern Shore of Md and once again the Doe ran into a neighboring property and when asking for permission they said no... honestly that was a train wreck as they weren’t very polite about it either Fast forward to last season, I was finally able to get a lease in Pa which was only 20mins away from my house, and leading up to the season it was so promising but once the season started it was a nightmare, had a property owner who called me and was basically saying he had hunted that property since he was a kid and even before the current owner purchased it and all kinds of bluh bluh... to which as the season went on after him knowing I paid for the lease and that he wasn’t welcome he (and I know it was) stole my ground blind, which try to explain that to a 12yr Old when you get up at the crack of dawn and head out and into the woods only to come up on where you were just there with him the night before to find your blind is gone... and again without getting into it much he saw my son and I leave the night before in the dark....also trash left under a stand of mine... a can of buck bomb... and the list can go on lol.... fast forward to this season, went with the same leasing agent but only on a smaller piece of property and roughly the same distance from my house and again promising leading up to the season, now there isn’t any promising Bucks on the property just a lot of Does and that’s awesome cause my Son passed his Hunter Safety class this past spring and he now has his Hunting License so to be honest this season and this lease is pretty much for Him... but just within the last few weeks the telephone company came through and totally wiped through the middle of the property (even within 1ft of my Double Ladder Stand) which I’ve since moved..to replace the poles... since all this and I went Monday morning after working midnight shift Sunday till 10:30 and I haven’t seen any deer accept a small buck early Monday morning and he was the first deer to be seen on the last 3 sits, kinda think they have been scared away (still have hope though on this lease, even more so for my Son) Now today... I finished up Midnight Shift today and came home and slept till 11:00... got up and went to the Public Land spot up here in Pa 35mins away that I went to last week... once I got there the place was pretty packed... up here today Started Fall Turkey For 3 days) but I wasn’t expecting that many ppl lol. I parked the truck and looked straight out on the field and there were 2 guys just walking around in the CRP and what not.. so I went to a different location I had seen on the Map and parked as there was only 1 car there (now vehicles in the parking lot doesn’t bother me) but I got everything ready and packed up and walked to what looked nice on the Map and aerial shots but walked around and there wasn’t a tree to be had that I could set up in... walked around sweating my butt off for over a hour and decided what the heck I’m just leaving and I did. Now I’m normally not a woe is me type of guy... trust me bad things Happen to all of us and we just have to find the strength to keep going... but honestly I’m kinda getting defeated here ... and even to the point of questioning why keep going..I’ve actually said to my Wife if it wasn’t for my Son I definitely would be hunting less if at all. And I’m questioning is that the right motive too lol (so many emotions go through you when it comes to hunting, some good some bad some depressing etc..) but I really do love being out in the woods and absolutely love the the time my Son and I share... the conversations the laughs all of it lol so for that, that is what drives me...now it’s not that I don’t see deer except on my lease lol cause I do.. have even passed over the years on many a deer... button Bucks... small bucks... Does with their Fawns in early season etc.... but it’s just some of the other things that have me wondering and feeling this way. Sorry for the long long rant but I have been needing to get this off my chest for some time... Thanks Everyone !!!
Ash, when I get to feeling like that I take a step back. A lot of the time when we are exhausted physically we start having wild thoughts of defeat in the deer woods, when in reality it is all a big win. Here is my suggestion. Get some good sleep. Eat some good food. Slow down for a couple days and realize the best hunting of the year will start within a week. Next time you hunt, get some strong coffee and watch the sunrise.
Thanks Brett it’s funny you said wild thought cause when I’m out there by myself the last several times I’ve had some wild strange thoughts lol... and I know it’s mostly that I’m pressing now and not taking in the big picture... thank you for your suggestion.... well noted
If it was easy, it wouldn't be fun. Think of how you are going to feel when you do successfully harvest one. Nothing feels better than victory earned. Let your failures drive you.
Failure is the drive to succeed. I’ve had enough seasons that were exactly as u described. I’ve had to just realize that my thought process was wrong and I’m stepping back and relooking at the whole process of hunting. It sucks at times, but it’s getting to be fun again. Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I think Steven Rinella put it really well in an episode of Meat Eater. He said that hunting and the pursuit of an animal is a very high grade of fun in that it takes great physical work, sacrifice of time, and dedication to achieve the goal. Things like amusement parks, where you are guaranteed an enjoyable experience, are a low grade of fun because there’s no chance it could suck. Basically, if you think about the anticipation you feel, and the joy you will get when things come together, your hard work pays off, and you put your tag on a buck sometime in the future, all that past pain and suffering will be rolled in to that joy and excitement you feel and make it all worth while. And it will probably feel even better if you get to witness your son getting his first deer also.
Ash, I feel your pain, Ive been there, and unfortunately still get to that same place a lot. With Age I have became very busy. It becomes a struggle and a job sometimes to find a way to make it out. It can and will create a lot of self inflicted pressure and anxiety in the deer hunting woods. A single deer or the Fact of killing a big deer completely consumes me at times and makes me loose sight of the big picture. Everyone above has made great points. Sleep , staying healthy, and not sweating the small things is all very important. We cant make it happen. Theres only one person who can and Im sure he doesnt like the fact that we are stressing out over the wonderful things that he created and gave us. I will give you one more piece of Advice. When frank and I are filming and we are getting spun out he just goes and hunts something else. Take your boy squirrel hunting or something less stressful on yourself. Make it fun again. I have tried to be more like Frank in this aspect the last couple of years and it has helped me out to relax and just enjoy nature. Good luck and have a Great season.
Just remember that it’s the tough times that make you cherish the good times!! Bow hunting can be a stressful and frustrating thing but when it all comes together it makes it that much more special!! Things will work out for you and your son and when it does you both will have a memory for a life time!!
Ash, Ash, Ash anybody that has read your post most likely has been in your boots, we do it because we enjoy it, like hitting a perfect drive, scoring in hockey, hard but when you do it’s uplifting! The hard makes it great.... perseverance, and thus the great reward. Recently my son and I had our annual three arrow bow contest, he beat me for the first time in years. He said Dad, I read the zen of archery book, you will never will again. My job is done. Sent from my iPad using Bowhunting.com Forums
