Making it count with limited time in the woods...

If you have any vacation time that you can use for hunting, use it wisely. Pick days where you get the most bang for your buck.

Good luck.

 

That is one of the problems about this upcoming deer season. If I am where I want to be job wise come summer, I will be unable to take leave for six months as I will be in intensive training. That training will run from July to December.

 

The Academy?

 

Yes Sliv, the police academy. I am knocking down each part of the application process and will be complete with everything by mid-March. At that point (sometime after mid-March) I will either be asked to join or will be dismissed from the process. I did not enter the process to fail, so all I am thinking about is being successful. It will be 0655-1530 everyday with much study time involved after normal work hours. I plan on being prepared so if my hunting time dwindles this year, then so be it.

 

Best of luck to you Brett, I'm sure you will do great.

 

Brett,

Don't built fences in front of yourself. It's obvious you understand the "got to give to get" aspects of life. However, I sense alittle negitivity slipping its way into your life. Stay postive! Take the time you are given and use it wisely-period. Expect great things! Confidence makes the hunter! Let the non-hunters feel sorry for themselves.

Get-r-done!

 

Will, good post. I am a pretty stubborn person who does not make excuses for failure. I will strive to get it done no matter the situation. I will value my time in the woods and make sure I am as prepared as possible each time I enter the woods.

 

VS, I know your pain man. If you want to hunt down a big boy on very limited time, i would use the winter months like you said you do to find the big bucks beds. Use a map to mark them, and the rub and scrape lines that connect them. Once you have marked up the map you will be amazed at how all the lines and beds connect. Then you can pick good points for different winds to connect on them early. I would also keep good track of doe bedding areas, this to me is the most important info for hunting the rut. Hunt the downwind side of theses areas, and trails that connect them to other doe groups areas during the rut. If I only had that little bit of time I would get a little more aggresive then other years also. I have had these kind of years where its very hard to find time with all the kids sports, and working crazy hours. I like to winter scout and just go in to hunt during the fall, but if I was on limited time I may make my walks out scouting trips also, you have to make each time count so staying on top of what is going on with your deer is most important. If you walk thru a spot on Saturday, and cant hunt til the next Friday, your not going to hurt your spots bad, but what you learn could be the thing that helps you adjust the next weekend to let the air out of one of the Virginia slammers.

 

If this is what you want in your life, than best of luck to you. Think big, receive big !!

A missed hunting season in exchange for a better/smoother future, in the grand scheme of things, is diminutive..

 

Droptine, when I focus on things I really go for it. I really might only get in 4-6 hours a week of hunting this fall. LOL. I am seriously considering making mock scrapes like Shed and Duke have talked about in some of their past threads. I need to be proactive and aggressive.