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Do you slowly fade away?

Discussion in 'Bowhunting Talk' started by NY Bowhunter, Nov 15, 2009.

  1. NY Bowhunter

    NY Bowhunter Grizzled Veteran

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    I'm talking about those of you that haven't tagged out yet. If you haven't scored on a buck or still have some doe tags left why arent' you in the woods with the enthusiasm and motivation like opening day? It seems like a lot of people run out of ambition. They feel the rut slipping away and the orange army getting close? Start sleeping in on morning hunts that you were planning on hunting. Head to afternoon stands a lot later than early in the season. Don't want to sit there more than you have to and see no deer? I dont' get it. Not really talking about anyone in particular here. Just something I've noticed with a few of my buddies that hunt around here. Almost like it gets to this point in the season and they lose interest. I'm beat to all hell. I'm tired, cut, scratched, bad tendon in ankle (weak and I roll it about every other hunt), back is killing me, legs..... i gave up on them existing about 2 weeks ago, they are actually numb, mentally exhausted figuring this dude out, pissed, frustrated, etc..... and I love every minute of it :p. Bring it on I say! See how much my body and brain can stand. 6 days left for me and I'm not going down without a fight. Take a seat fat lady it aint over yet!
     
  2. virginiashadow

    virginiashadow Legendary Woodsman

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    NY--a lot of the time I think people come out swinging during the hunting season ( I used to) and burn themselves out by the first week of November. I used to as well. These days however, I just try to keep an even keel approach. I really enjoy hunting in December and beyond. I love it when I see everyone else not hunting, and I am still going strong. I also think a lot of air gets sucked out of people if they do not have a buck down by mid-November. You have to think of the hunting season as a journey, not as a high speed race or you will burn yourself out.
     
  3. Edcyclopedia

    Edcyclopedia Weekend Warrior

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    For me the 1st week and into the second week I am feverishly hunting and my wife supports me tremendously. Then the guilt creeps in a bit, as by Oct 1st I head to camp, 2 hours away to bird hunt, for 3 or 4 weekends leaving her with my 3 1/2 year old son, Jake. So the weekdays I spend playing catch-up to help her out and only get in the woods maybe 1-2 times per week during this period. By the end of Oct. I am ramped up to deer hunt. I try and take a week off for some stalking during muzzle loader or gun season and again I'm gone 2 hours away. This has helped me pace my 3-month season out as not to burn myself out to quickly. In the past that's exactly what I would do, burn myself out, and by mid-Nov. I was ready to put my equipment away.

    Now I just take the few hours here and there, hoping I will have the same amount of success, which appears to be better the last few years. Mostly due to the "less hunter" syndrome, so I have employed a better patience level knowing I have a FULL 3 months of enjoyment, instead of putting the pressure on myself to nail something in a shorter period of time. I guess I'm getting older and fatherhood is something I don't want to miss either...
     
  4. ISiman/OH

    ISiman/OH Die Hard Bowhunter

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    Well here in ohio we have two weeks until the orange army hits the woods, I being a proud member kinda hate to see it come. But one great thing about ohio we have like almost two months after that that you can chase them with a bow.
     
  5. atlasman

    atlasman Die Hard Bowhunter

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    Pretty much exactly what I was talking about when I said I am tired of "swimming up stream" in NY.

    I can't even count how many years I have spent killing myself just as you describe just trying to see some deer...............ANY deer.

    NY offers NOTHING in the way of rewards that could possibly be considered "worth it".......it is an incredible waste of time to be honest.

    I am just finishing up 3 weeks of straight hunting............5 days of which were in Illinois. In those 5 days I saw numerous bucks over 130"........was at full draw on a buck that was tickling 160" and passed bucks that were in the 130-140" range. The other 16 days were spent in NY where I have seen a grand total of 3 bucks (2 spikes and a 6 pt) and about 10 does (6 of which were fawns).

    Put in the kind of effort you do in a better location and you would have a wall full of slammers............then come back to NY and fill the freezer.
     
  6. Germ

    Germ Legendary Woodsman

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    I tailed of the last day, it has to do with family and my kids for me. If I score early I try and spend more time with them. There are the years I don't and I hunt hard to the end.

    Weather and wind is a factor also, the last week I has SE, NE winds every day, my best spots are W and SW for wind. I had a great SE spot, but with the corn still in the a SE blew my sent where they were bedding.
     
  7. rybo

    rybo Grizzled Veteran

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    I'll hunt at a pace that suits me for as long as I feel like it. Once it feels too much like work, its time to ease up.
    I've still got a lot of hunting left with gun seasons & a doe only season that stays in for a long time. Most of the hunts from here on out will only be a few hours max.
     
  8. TJF

    TJF Grizzled Veteran

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    I don't slow down too much plus I love hunting in sub zero weather at the end. Not...but I do it anyways. LOL The rifle hunters have everything shut down. I saw two does this morning and they weren't wasting time and ran for cover once it got light. The rifle boys are having a hard time. I heard 5 shots the two hours I hunted with 2 of the shots going off way before legal shooting time ( 20 minutes and still pretty dark ). Some roadhunter proably got himself a deer or wounded it or scared it really bad. Geeze we have some slobs over here. One more week and rifle season is over !!! YEA !!!

    Tim
     
  9. MGH_PA

    MGH_PA Moderator

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    Hard to explain. This year, I hunted just as hard as last, but finally being a homeowner, there was always a million things in the back of my mind that I kept thinking needed done. Once I tagged a buck, I still wanted to be in the woods, and try to get a doe, but I found I finally could let myself get some more things done around the house, and not feel like I ABSOLUTELY had to be in the woods.
     
  10. NY Bowhunter

    NY Bowhunter Grizzled Veteran

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    There are no big bucks in NY?
     
  11. LAEqualizer

    LAEqualizer Die Hard Bowhunter

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    I hunt because season is open and I love it. Does the alarm clock bother me about mid season? Maybe a little. Do I still get up and go? Yep, all the way to Jan 31. I may not hunt as hard as some because of time/property restraints. I will however be in the woods until the bell rings.:D
     
  12. hoytuser

    hoytuser Weekend Warrior

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    I just got done hunting 12 days straight, granted 9 of those was gun season, so I had my ML out. It is suppose to be the middle of our rut here in Minnesota, and I didnt see a single deer in those 12 days! So yes, I am burned out. I can hunt with my bow for the next 2 weeks, and then our ML season starts. (even tho our archery season runs thru the end of the year.) I am planning on giving my hunting spot a rest for the next 2 weeks, and then be back out there wth the ML for 3 weeks straight. If I dont fill my ML tag, I will hit the woods with my bow until the end of the year.
     
  13. Scott/IL

    Scott/IL Die Hard Bowhunter

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    In years past I have lost motivation as the season wore on. This was in part due to early season let downs, and working as much as possible to make up for lost time.

    I have sat 26 times this year, more than any other previous year. My reward was the largest buck I have ever taken. I still plan on hitting some afternoons hard after our shotgun season opens next weekend, as there are still 3 empty bow tags in my pocket.
     
  14. davidmil

    davidmil Grizzled Veteran

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    Sure I fade away. I slowed down a lot in the past couple years. I've passed deer this year thinking, "I don't want to mess with the dragging and butchering tonight". Seriously, I've done it several times this year. I was proven right last week. My buddy said, come on, let's go hunting. I told him I had that morning. I was going to chill. He went. At 4 my phone rang. Caller ID revealed my buddy. I really said a silent prayer something like, "If I were a smart man I wouldn't answer this call". Yea... I know.... I'm not that smart. You guessed it. He shot a nice 8 point. Problem is it ran out into the middle of this God awful bog/swamp that I was trying to get enough people together to surround so I could push it with my waders on. My buddy said bring your 4 wheeler and you can get to the west side off such and such road. I said, "NO WAY in hell can you get in ther with a 4 wheeler". Long story short.... an hour to unstick the 4 wheeler and get it back to dry land. A several hundred yard drag through the muck where we were falling on our face, loosing our boots, getting all mired etc. Dark had long since arrived when we reached the road. I was going hunting in the morning in a swamp. My thought as I turned off the alarm that night. I don't want to do that again this week. LOL I slept in until 7. LOL Sure we fade.... but it's our choice.
     
  15. brucelanthier

    brucelanthier Grizzled Veteran

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    That says it all as far as I'm concerned. I agree and tend to do the same.
     
  16. Deerslayer7

    Deerslayer7 Weekend Warrior

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    I think it takes a toll on anyone...If you put that much time and effort into something, knowing that a great percentage of the time, you know your going to come up empty handed....

    But i usually just take a few days off, and go back at it, first time im going to late season if i dont fill this buck tag...but not seeing a ton of deer this year, has been kinda discouraging...

    This has been the first year however that I have committed myself so much to going out and being in the woods scouting....countless early mornings..my bed sometimes calls my name...i give in once in awhile....but im still convince there still rutting, ....therefore, ill be in the woods and still excited
     
  17. RattleSnake

    RattleSnake Weekend Warrior

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    I guess I get to the point where I'm exhausted, and I don't want to deal with trying to figure out which stand to sit, but I still go because I love it all. This year I'm more mentally drained than any other year I've faced, and it's not just the fact that I feel like I'm beating my head against the wall trying to figure out the deer, but it also has a lot to do with trying to put someone else in front of deer. It can be plenty hard enough to get a shot at a good buck, but when you're trying to figure it out for someone else too......it can get ugly. The funny thing is is that Kimberley is far more frustrated than I am because she has had her chances and been in front of 4 shooter bucks. She only shot at one, and it was a clean miss low, but last night when she got caught reaching for her bow she felt like giving up entirely. She feels like she's let me down because she wasn't able to close the deal, but I told her it's part of learning and I too missed a good buck this year. She has tomorrow off and is once again heading out...lol:D We won't go quietly into the night to let the orange army have the woods!
     
  18. indiana boy

    indiana boy Weekend Warrior

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    I usually dont fade until I kill my buck. Then it is always hard to get out for some much needed doe management
     
  19. Live2Draw

    Live2Draw Die Hard Bowhunter

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    i hunt hard through everything. just cause i love to do it.
     
  20. atlasman

    atlasman Die Hard Bowhunter

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    Is that what I said??

    NY offering NOTHING even close to being "worth it" was directed at this.

    Exercise in futility..........I've been there and done that right by your side for the last couple decades.

    If someone asked me the best way to get rich I certainly wouldn't recommend the lottery.........even though a few people win every year. Just not a worthwhile venture.
     

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