Sticky: First annual discouraged bowhunters thread!

Frustration has risen to levels of near implosion! I can't hunt half of my land because the stinkin' corn is still up. The other half sucks the way the winds have been blowing. Forcing me to places I really dont' want to be right now. The full moon is up and in full force to add to the enjoyment. And I haven't seen a dang deer in three days (aside from the ones I jumped this morning). I've seen ONE shooter buck from stand this season. I've only missed one hunt due to rain this year.

I've scouted, came up with a gameplan, made my goals, have not overhunted a single stand, have not hunted a stand in a less than perfect wind, shot the snot out of my bow until I was robin hooding arrows, wash my clothes every 2 days, worked my tail off, and havent' set foot on my main land (until the last 2 days) since the last day of late archery last year.

I'm already exhausted from the hikes and long hours on stand. Deer sightings in general are way down. I'm starting to second guess every move I make wondering if I'm doing something wrong. Someone flipped the switch alright, but the wrong dang way. One of the worst seasons so far this year and one of the best I've prepared for and paid attention to detail on. I need something to happen and happen soon. Was planning an all day today, but I had a mental breakdown lol, packed up my crap and went home to regroup.

I'm all for the stay possitive, can't kill them from the couch etc.... but this is getting stupid!!!
So I decided to start this thread for a discouraged bowhunter support group :p

Vent over (for now).

 

NY--even though I believe I am improving each year as a hunter, I already know in my mind that the place I hunt can be very challenging. I expect tough times. I keep on moving in and setting up in the best places I can, every hunt.

I know this sounds corny but when I feel like you do.....I don't hunt in the morning. I move in around 10am after drinking a big cup of coffee. I bring something exciting to read like a new hunting magazine or book. As I walk in during the daylight I let everything just kind of come to me and forget about the frustration. Scrutinize your maps and take into account everything and come up with a solid game plan. Other than that, you cannot do anything else to put the odds more in your favor. BEST of luck to you and I hope a big buck hits you like a ton of bricks soon, when you are least expecting it.

Brett

 

I have seen 2 deer from stand so far after nearly 150 hours on stand. I shot one with my longbow. Made a bad hit,(shoulder), never found a drop of blood or my arrow. The 2nd deer I saw was a good buck that never gave me a shot. Thats my season so far. Never saw a doe from stand and only have 3 more weeks of doe season. I have 2 months of general season starting this weekend and then 2 weeks of ML only in January. So, I have been frustrated but have hope after seeing the 8pt I saw sunday evening.

 

dido..same boat guys...


i have had one 6 pter come under may stand,,which i feel now i should of shot it..havnt seen that many deer, couple does early season, and a few others out of range..nothing to get excited about..

However, i still have this feeling that something is going to change...really soon..just keep playing your cards right and it will pay off..in due time i keep telling myself that..

 

Look for the rainbows...capture what you can on film. It's a great way to find everything beautiful around you. When your mind is not on one thing (deer), the days seem to slip past. It will happen! You just have to been there when it does! You cannot force it!

Hope that helps.

 

hey Doc Holiday...great words of wisdom....ha


Great movie by the way..

 

yup. just enjoy watching the woods. its always so entertaining. and you will be suprised when your relaxed state brings in deer

 

Well said Jeff. I am in the same boat that it has been frustrating this season. I had something bad (another close encounter) happen to me Sunday night that I just didn't feel like posting about. I am surprised however that I still am very optimistic yet with only 2 weekends before gun season.

I also KNOW that I have very solid new and exciting plans for next season that will dramatically increase my chances. It just took a year of sitting in the wrong spots first to figure it out.

I also feel with every close encounter I have learned something new that I can use the next time. If I was a better bow hunter with more experience I could of had at least 2 does and maybe a nice 8 pointer. Instead, I am still without my first bow kill.

 

I think the problem is that you burned yourself out too soon before things really got good! Unless you have the perfect conditions and a little luck on your side, it's HARD to get a good buck on the ground in October. That's just the way hunting is. A lot of things have to line up to make that happen, and some years it just doesn't work. Weather, crop rotation, wind direction, etc. And if for some reason a good buck isn't living on your hunting property that fall, that makes it even tougher! But once the rut kicks in, all bets are off and you never know what's going to happen.

With the full moon yesterday I purposely took it easy this past weekend, slept in on Saturday, spent some time with the wife and family to recharge the batteries a bit because I was starting to feel the same way. Now I'm ready to go for the real prime-time which should kick in hopefully around this weekend and into next week.

My best advice for when you get frustrated is to take a few days off - EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T WANT TO. Relax a bit, get some extra sleep, and then get back at it when things are perfect. In the long run I think it pays dividends.

 

Here is what you do.

Next time you plan on going to sit... randomly pick a stand. Don't worry about the wind, don't worry about the corn, don't worry about over-hunting a stand. Just pick one and sit in it.

I agree that you are burning yourself out with the deck stacked against you, sometimes you have to draw blind.

I do this with fishing all the time. I know where the fish are supposed to be with the wind and temperature and moon phase and tide... and sometimes it just doesn't work out. If I get a few of those trips in a row I will put on the brakes and randomly pick a spot. I figure it can't hurt.

 

I couldnt' agree more Justin and thanks for the advice. I actually thought long and hard about that last week. I was going to take a bunch of hunts off and save up my energy for this weekend and the next two weeks like you said. The problem is, I just can' t keep myself out of the woods lol. The saving grace here is I haven't touched my honey holes yet (been hunting completely different land) and the rut should be really kicking this weekend and next week. Doesn't take much to turn a dismal season into the best. Going to recharge, maybe take a day or two off and give em hell.

 

I was feeling fairly discouraged until this past weekend. I had been seeing deer every sit, but I still had not seen a single buck from stand. However, this past Saturday morning I saw two 8-pointers, one being a very nice buck that will be a beast if he survives a couple more years. Sometimes all you need is one little twist of excitement to get you going and ready for the next several sits.

 

total agree to everything said here...

I was getting burned out not seeing deer on 2 or 3 sits in a row....kind of not expecting anything good to happen....

But....all the sudden two nights ago..i saw alot of deer moving, and just couldnt get a shot, its how Justin stated it, a RECHARGE...im ready to go and excited to get out of work here in a half hour....hittin the woods...

 

NY I hunted18 staright days, Nov 1st I had my first buck in range(little 8). This morning it was one hot doe that turned my season around. I agree at times I want to pull what hair I have left out. Bow Hunting Mature bucks is one thing even if you work hard does not gurantee success.

It's about putting yourself in a situation to get lucky, no matter one anyone tells me, that's what it's about. There are too many varibles for this to be all skill, this morning I just got lucky. If that deer at 4:30 AM would have not come out of the corn and pushed me to a different stand, who knows if I would just had another frustrating day.

 

I find it always comes together for me in the final hour when I'm at my most discouraged. You never know when it's going to happen but you have to be there when it does.

 

Frustrated? Really?

I always thought that was the best part of bowhunting.. all that frustration.. that mind-numbing frustration.

It's what keeps me going back.. like a child who hasn't learned his lesson yet. Damn cookie-jar.

 

Hang in there NY.
I know how it is to get dicouraged. Some on here remember what I posted the other day. Up until last Wednesday, I had not drawn on a deer since Jan. 2003. Heck, I'm still excited about that hunt and I didn't even shoot. Just to have a deer within range was a huge milestone for me.

Just keep at it and when it happens, it'll be awesome. If this "lifestyle" was always easy we (bowhunters) wouldn't enjoy it anymore. Like duke said, the challenge is why we do what we do.

 

Stop *****ing.

I haven't stuck (or even killed) a deer, much less a buck in 2 years.

I've hunted hard this year, put in the hours, and I've seen 1 doe at 50 yards so far this year.

 

I hate standing corn.

 

lol ... I hear ya duke! That's why I insist on driving myself nuts and hitting the woods every single day of hunting season. I like the torture of this crazy game sometimes. So I *****ed and moaned a little... I'm almost over it.