What is the SINGLE best advice that you can give, for whitetail bowhunting?

Positive attitude!

 

Use C'mere Deer for every sit....it works for the Parkers!

Seriously, just get out to the woods/field. So many people I know complain about not seeing any deer even though they came in at 8 AM and then got back out an hour before dark...if they did not get caught-up in a football game. Put the time in to be rewarded with learning about YOUR deer and the property you are hunting.

 

You can't kill deer unless you are out in the woods. GET OUT IN THE WOODS!!!!

 

Find the highest concentration of tracks on the property you can access, sit 20 yards downwind at dawn & dusk.

 

I live in FL...Thermacell

 

Don't waste your time/money on gear. You just need the basics.

If you're serious about hunting big deer, then make the sacrifices that you need to make and dial in on big deer. That means hanging up the fishing rods, letting the dust collect on those golf shoes, and quit wasting your time pointlessly shooting your bow.

If you strive to be a competitive archer, pinpoint accuracy is a must.

If you strive to be a deer slayer, pie-plate accuracy is all you need.

The biggest pitfall for unsuccessful bowhunters is ill-spent time and misplaced effort. They'll spend 8 hours/week shooting their bows or B.S.'ing to their homies about how they're planning their 2011 season, but 1 hour per week in the field. Reverse those numbers. Putting a treestand over a big buck is the hard part. Making the shot is easy.

Don't waste your time. Finding big deer in huntable quantities is a full-time job. Unless you're single, independently wealthy, and living with your mommy, you just don't have time to waste by pissing around in your yard pounding on a styrofoam target, fretting about why your arrows are hitting 1" to the right, or wondering if switching to Predator camo will help you fill your moldy deer tags.

Companies blow millions of dollars trying to convince the Average Joes that their gear will unlock the key to consistently slaughtering big bucks. Newsflash: It won't. I can almost fit my entire stockpile of archery gear (not counting treestands) into one rubbermaid tote.

Bry is right: Get in the woods. Once you've memorized and inventoried your usual deer woods, go out and find more. My motto for hunting is "Manifest Destiny." I will never be pacified until I've walked and studied every inch of every acre of deer habitat in my target areas. Expand, Expand, Expand. The more irons that you have in the fire, the more likely one of them will be to produce.

Set a target goal: i.e. 250 scouting hours, and work toward it.

 

Don't be afraid to try something different.

I enjoy experimenting with different call sequences and have seen positive results from this.

 

Get out there and get yer time in.

 

Don't forget your Nose Jammer

 

Relax, and enjoy the moment.

 

Read. See. Do.

 

Hunt quality ground, if you are not hunting quality ground go find some.

Does not matter how good of hunter you think you are, most hunters are as good as the ground they hunt.

There are exceptions to the above, but those guys live bowhunting.

 

Aim small miss small

 

First, become a woodsman, then a bowhunter. Spend your time and efforts not only learning the deer you're hunting, but the area they use. Learn how the deer use this area, when they use it, the food sources during all parts of the year, bedding areas, trails, staging areas, etc. You will be much further ahead and have many shot opportunities once you start figuring the deer in your area out.

 

I don't think I read this one but, I believe it should be here. NEVER GIVE UP!!![/U]

It took my brother six seasons to harvest his first deer ever. It was a small buck with his bow. I harvested my first with a gun and it was a doe my first season. I believ he was much happier than I was. If you do not give up, you will learn as you continue to try to figure it out. In turn you will understand it and all the other things talked about will be things that you do anyways.

 

Reacting to MRI is way more effective than plans laid in advance.

 

Spend as much time around deer as you can to really watch and learn what they're doing so you can appreciate how awesome they are. Then appreciate how awesome they taste!

 

Your greatest post....ever?

 

Be patient

 

Attitude, Effort, Game Plan, Execution