Things you always say you want to improve on but never do.

For me, I have talked for years about learning about food sources and tree identification. I have failed to learn. I know it is very important, but once I get out into the woods I just love walking/scouting and dreaming of future hunts, and the tree/food source identification bit gets put on the back burner.

So at what things have you talked about getting better, but have just failed to follow through on each year?

This is my ability at recognizing trees...

 

I am with you VA, I know what an oak is, but not the difference within.

 

Hunting less - hunting smarter.

I say it, EVERY YEAR....."I'm gonna hunt less in the early season.....and not bugger-up my woods with a lot of scent".

I hunt WAY too early (early-season AM's)....and way too often.

The past two seasons, I've had a LOT of time to hunt. I could have easily tested this.....and I didn't. In our early-season (you learned this, Brett), AM's are bearable (temp-wise). PM's are miserable....but your best chance to score.

I'm looking forward (believe it or not) to the time when my desire to be out there doesn't over-ride my common sense. You can't kill 'em, if you're not out there. But you can sure as heck send 'em into the next property - by being out there too much.

 

I want to improve on the access I have....every year I threaten to find new land and haphazardly try to do so....but I always end up on the same mediocre grounds as always. Lost a farm to leasing last week, leaving me with only one farm left that I never even stepped foot on during season last year (last resort type hunting place)...I'll have to work a bit harder to get within range of a shooter this year unless I find a new spot.

Other than that I am happy with where I am at, I enjoy deer hunting but never see myself being the guy who logs 200 hrs a year and goes day in and day out. I love it, but I love other things as well. I get burned out by seasons end if I'm not careful. Traveling to hunt and turkey hunting I could do 24/7, but I admittedly have to work at deer treestand hunting at times. I strongly believe if I hunted land I was more confident in I would put forth a lot more effort. Who knows.

 

Going from a kid with a bow in the woods,

To a man who confident enough to kill what he wants too.

Im somewhere in the middle and WANT to make that transition. cfdjay has helped alot, and alot i need to do on my own.

 

I hear you Jeff...but you have gained a lot of knowledge from those hunts. You have patterned your grounds. Now is the year to put your thoughts of less hunts to the test. I agree with you on lessening the number of hunts on certain grounds until the right time.

Trevor...I always threaten to get new land as well, but I am a terrible salesman. Plus, I really do love the big block of public land I hunt. It is alluring and challenging.

Caleb...you are so far ahead mentally/ability wise of where most hunters were at your age it is phenomenal. At your age I aimlessly wondered the woods, setting up in the craziest spots with no plan of attack.

Ben...you should have seen the tree I grabbed today. I saw a nice rub on it, then grabbed the tree to inspect the rub. The dang tree hard thorns growing out of it. I had never in all my years seen a tree like the one today. I for the life of me could not identify it. lol.

 

Jeff,

I remember you saying last year during the season that were not going to hunt your best spots till later in the year. From what you were writing you sounded like this was your intent and were following through with it. Did you cave?

 

I tell myself every year i am going to get a new 4x4 atv with some super quite exhaust. something just seems to come up, so as usal i hunt with my 4x4 truck and come back home to get the old atv that sounds like a old army truck on a gravel road to haul one out.

 

Man, I could write a book.......

 

Teammates think alike. :D

I wish I could be better at not buying everything I see on TV or that I want or that I think I need.

I also wish I put more time in scouting and hanging stands and setting up food sources. (THAT WILL HAPPEN THIS YEAR!)

 

Stop worrying.

I hunt the wind, and am weird about scent control doing things "right".

My grandpa does not see the same as I do. He'll hunt when and where he wants. No matter the wind. It is very aggravating to me, and I need to realize that I'm LUCKY AS HELL to be able to spend time in the woods with him, regardless of his ways.


Always a work in progress, I supposed...

 

Spanish drives me crazy! :D

 

Josh, you need to get right on that sir.

 

VS- here is a good link to help with tree identification. http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/factsheets.cfm

I used to be like you as well, but I took Dendrology this past fall just to learn more species of trees and help with tree identification. On our final exam I correctly identified like 75 species of trees, but at the beginning of the course I knew my oaks and pines, and that was basically it.

I enjoy tree identification because I enjoy trees But if you ever need any help please let me know and I'll try to help you. It really does make you a better hunter.

 

Thanks Rockin, I really appreciate the link and offer for help. I am going to take a look at the link now.

Awesome link man! That is really going to help me a bunch, thanks.

 

Ok guys take your left hand and hold your bottom jaw from falling in your lap....
I've need to learn how to use a topo/compass. My knowledge with the topo/compass combo is extremely limited. I read about y'all using and relying on a topo map as much as a compass. Before I hunt an area, I do look at maps and imagery. I know approx where I'll be parking the truck and approx where I want to hunt, I take a bearing when I leave the truck to be sure I know which way to return. That is the extent of my nav skills. I want to know what y'all are talking about when I read it.
I just need to get off my butt...

 

TX, I bet 95% of all hunters could improve their topo/compass skills, myself included bigtime. You will get it man. There a few guys on this site that could really help you learn topo maps/compasses.

 

Are you just looking for info on how to correlate a compass to a topo map or do you have trouble picturing and understand the topo map as well?

Not sure how much you understand topography maps but I work with them everyday in my profession. I know the in's and outs pretty well.

Edit: I also have a surveying background so that helps as well.

 

I have almost no experience with them. I do have a little understanding of the maps but not much. It wouldn't hurt me to start at the beginning...

 

Anytime buddy. If you ever have a question regarding a tree or what it does or why it's there, send me a pic via PM. I'll try to help you out, or I'll just ask my dad, as he knows a lot too