Man I have no idea what to even say. I feel like I just lost my best pet cow or something after reading your post. 30 years? The defition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. You may want to change your program. Find a new stand or maybe get a new bow or something. Maybe you should put some orange on or not were clothes or maybe put to many clothes on.The Rabbit foot is a good idea.
The first 9 years I hunted (shotgun and rifle) I never killed a deer. I had everything imaginable go wrong. From my first hunt (160+ class non-typical at 130 yards, uphill, on the last day of the season and I'm shooting a hand-me-down 16 gauge bolt action Mossberg that shoots a foot high and 6" left at 50 yards), to having a misfire on a basket 8 point at 20 yards on opening morning using my brother's Remington bolt-action 20-gauge, to my dad telling me to sit with him and me, in my teenage years, shrugging him off and going my own way, only to hear him shoot and kill a nice 10 pointer an hour later, etc. But after I got the first one (a scraggly 100# three pointer with one spike antler curved down in front of his face) the flood gates opened. After that I was confident it could happen and stuff stopped going wrong. 30 years is a long time...I thought 9 was bad. I'd have to say what most others have said - get your son to get you on a deer!
For me and most of the hardcore hunters here, bowhunting is more than just shooting as season approaches and scouting in late September. I look for new parcels in the winter I start scouting when I'm looking for sheds in March and April. I scout the parcels I have permission to hunt from a distance during the summer, and hang stands in June/July/August. September, I look on aerials for anything I might have missed while scouting. I try to stay out of the woods though. Going with your son sounds like it will get you a deer this year, but it's like the saying goes, give a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he never goes hungry. Gotta learn your quarry!
find a new area to hunt. my dad would be the same way if it wasnt for me doing all the scouting and putting him in good areas. you cant just plop your self down and expect to shoot deer. there is a lot of prescouting that needs to be done. how many properties are you hunting? you should have a few. overhunting the same area will cause no deer activity. do you smoke or stink really bad, do you where your hunting clothes in your car? how is the deer population in your area if its bad go elsewhere. you can get on deer but you may have to do a little more work than usual
Things will change for you! Just look at what you have been doing and try to see if there is a better way. good Luck
Man, you have me scared... Last year was my first year, and - nada. Starting out that way this year also. No way I would go 30 years, I figure I don't get one this year, I start looking for a new way to waste my money and time.
One thing you should ponder when looking at hunting a certain stand site is why? If you can't find minimum 3 but more like 4 to 5 good reasons of why you should hunt that particular stand then maybe you shouldn't be there that day. Maybe you should hunt another spot. I say this because if you are not seeing deer from stand or very few you are in the wrong spot(s). I hope your moving around on each hunt and not hunting the same couple of stands for the past 30 years. The element of surprise is your best weapon against deer, fish anything that you pursue.
Holy Cripes...So far I am 0-4 yrs and am getting alittle frustrated...I give you an A+++ for keepin at it...I guess I could close with "Good Luck" but ou kinda need more than luck at this point...Keep your chin up and keep trying...
