Well as the first archery season comes to a close we get plenty of time to rethink the 2-3 months spent hunting. Some of us have been hunting for years, for some it's the very first. What we can all agree on is we never stop learning when it comes to hunting whitetail or any other big game. Having said that, what have you learned this season? Here are a couple of learned.. --Cold weather clothing is just as important as your bow. --Always play the wind, especially in small food plots. --When ground hunting, have a ton of cover in front of you and avoid direct sunlight. --My backpack is too small for all my gear. --Expect the unexpected. (Learn this every year but somehow I forget it every year)
I've learned that I have learned a lot in the past two seasons. I've also learned that I've forgotten how to rifle hunt. Long story short I put my cousin in a stand with a rifle and he shot a doe with an 18yd shot. Why? That's the only mind set I have now. I've learned that strategically placed hot hands with layers will keep me much warmer than cold weather clothes. I learned that my plan of hunting travel corridors between food and bedding is much more effective than hunting over bait sites. Putting a new hunter on their first harvest is as rewarding as harvesting a deer yourself. Being mobile is more effective and much more enjoyable than having set stands.
I could literally break the internet typing all the stuff I learned this year. The few that really jump out at me are as follows; 1. Deer probably pattern us better than we pattern them. 2. You might think old does are dumb, but they're not. 3. The higher the tree stand the better. 4. Hunting from a ground blind can be difficult. 5. If a deer picks you up with only one of it's senses (other than smell) you have a decent chance of it hanging around for a minute or two. 6. Young deer are dumb……. and tender when cooked properly
This year seemed to show me things that were true about the properties I hunt have changed and I have to adapt. I agree with the cold weather clothing comment, I purchased Cabelas MT050 Whitetail Extreme Insulated pants and parka and was blown away. It was pricey, but being entirely comfortable in stands when the wind chill was in the low teens was nice. The biggest thing I learned was hunt less, make sure you are timing your hunts properly. I hunted probably 1/3 as much as I did last year, but that forced me to make better choices on when and how to approach my set-ups which caused me to see more deer activity than I have over the last several years combined!
Quality seat time is waayyy better than quantity of seat time. I learned this last year but reaffirmed the lesson this year. I spent the least amount of time in the stand as I ever have and it led to my best year ever. Mobility is key but knowing when to go and when to stay put is even more important. react to the conditions at hand and not old notions of what the deer SHOULD be doing!
Work sucks and gets in the way of hunting. I think I learned to relax and just have fun. Hunting is fun.
Orange marking tape is almost worthless in the dark. Reflective marking tacks are awesome. GPS coordinates are not enough to find a specific tree in the dark. That tree needs to be marked with reflective tacks. Otherwise, you can walk in circles trying to remember exactly which tree it was that you cleared shooting lanes for.
I learned that running a couple of trail cameras is very enjoyable. Should have bought some years ago.
My first year so the list of what I don't know is still massively longer that what I do know. The things I've figured out. Public Land - Scout early, Scout often, be prepared to have to move your stand when others think you picked a good spot. Have multiple stand locations in pocket to move to so you don't have to scout in season or abandon the area. Private Land - Food Plots - Not something to decide to do on the spur of the moment. Plan it, prep it, get it in at the right time. Stands - Shooting lanes kinda important and not something to figure out mid season. Shooting lanes should be made as far as you CAN shoot, not as far as you THINK you'll have to. Deer are Stupid - I know where deer are supposed to walk. I know what they are supposed to eat. Why don't they? They need to read Bowhunting.com forums and all the deer hunting magazines. Sheesh.
I realized that as far as hunting goes.... there's only one thing that is more exciting/satisfying/rewarding than sending razor tipped, carbon fiber flying @ roughly 300 fps, through the vitals of a nice whitetail. Watching your son do it for the first time. ^priceless.
Know the winds for the property that you hunt. I hunt along the Mississippi River and just because the wind is forecasted for N, it doesn't mean it will blow from that direction. Terrain can change the wind dramatically, so know how each wind direction actually reacts with the land. Don't hunt a place over and over because you think a good buck should be there. If your goal is a 4.5 year old buck and all that you have pics of and see constantly are 3.5's, then it's time to find a target buck elsewhere. Don't waste your time on something that isn't there. Don't overthink every situation. Deer don't sit around and try to figure out a way to trick us, even though it seems like it at times. Follow the sign laid out in front of you. If it changes, don't be afraid to change along with it. Deer don't think like we do. They have one goal: survival. Don't forget to have fun. Don't get so wrapped up in the pursuit of a certain buck that anything less than killing that buck is a failure. There is enough stress and frustration outside of hunting, don't ruin it with the things you try to get away from.
