why do some folks over do it?

i got a buddy who wants to get all techie about his hunting hardware i mean right down to the spine specs and he can barely hit the broadside of a barn and hes always preaching wind direction and thermals and all that crap man i've walked up on more deer than you can shake a stick at.dont get me wrong i know its good to approach it wisely but sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to stop over thinking and just go hunting hell i thought hunting was supposed to be fun and relaxing and a time away from the world and worrys take my advice on this and you'll have some meat in ya freezer and a few less grey hairs lol.. good hunting!

 

I guess hunting is no different than any hobby. Certain people take it to every extreme possible and still can't succeed while other people just go out, enjoy their time and have no problems being successful. I think some people just like knowing that they took care of everything that they personally could to try and improve their chances. Or maybe they just have a lot more spare time than you or I.

 

Any way to cut down on the variables is an advantage to me.

 

I agree you can over think it easily. Look at all products there is to make it complicated. Thats why I say you can buy all the stuff you want but you can not buy a free roaming buck, you have to earn it.

 

I analyze pretty much every aspect of my hunt. I enjoy the process of it though.

 

For some people it is just more than walking around in the woods or sittin in a tree with your bow. I'm in no way targeting anyone on here.

Some people are totally involved in the sport. They enjoy learning the in's and out's. I can honestly say I live and breathe archery, I read and think about it everyday and learn from most of it. If I have a bad day I go out and work on my bow. I can't get enough of learning.

However, not everyone who "over thinks" it is a bad hunter and a slouch at shooting either. I pride my self in my shooting and will gladly put my skills against anyone who so desires. I'm not saying im the best there ever was, i'm far from, but I know my equipment and know what it can and can't do. Also, what I can and can't do.

To me it's kinda like a race car driver. If he isn't working with his crew on setups for every track he's not gonna know how the car will take specific turns, angles, materials, etc... He's has to know when to change tire pressure, or add/take out a wedge.

If your not intimate with your equipment you will never enjoy the sucess you could have. Just my $0.02

 

I just like the journey of doing it the best I can. When I done with my hunting season, I want to be able to say I did everything I could possibly of done to be successful and let the chips fall where they may.

I don't want to get into the "could of, should of " crap.

 

Why do some folks worry about how someone else enjoys the sport?

I am probably closer to your attitude towards hunting than most in that I am not into all the scent control products, or any particular camoflauge(about half the time I don't use any at all), nor do I update my equipment that often, etc.,etc..

During a 100+ day season I usually hunt at least 4-5 days a week but I am always rushed and sometimes maybe it is only for 1 to 1 1/2 hour at a time and I have to keep my regiment quick and simple or hunt less. I choose to hunt more.

But having said that, if someone else wants to go the extra mile for whatever reason, more power to them. It doesn't effect me one way or the other. Many of them have results to validate their regiments.

Cal Farly, a wealthy philanthropist and founder of many schools and programs for troubled children is known for the quote "Let children find happiness in their own way, for better way is there?" Seems like it might apply to bowhunting and 1000 other disciplines in life as well.

 

all you boys make good points and i enjoy my equipment and the sweat that goes into it all the whole process and i didnt mean for anybody to be offended.so i hope nobody was.i wouldnt putting folks down or thier abilities w/ a bow. i personally dont get all techie w/ it. i do what works for me and leave it alone. i guess i just try to keep things simple as possible if it works it works if it doesnt it doesnt and i've been sucessful that way but my enjoyment comes from the encounter more than any of the rest.you all maybe different but thats how it is w/ me.

 

You can over think things but I can honestly say my success rate has gone up drastically since I started REALLY hunting the wind about 5 yrs ago. I killed deer before that but if you put some thought behind the wind you can really see a difference. I am a scent free fanatic as well. Whether scent lok really works or not it gives a little added confidence.

 

What works best for me is try too learn to think like a deer. I use the stuff that gives me that extra edge. But, I don't go out an buy stuff hoping it will give me success. What I mean by thinking like a deer.

Last year on Oct. 9, we had cold front come through the temps went from the upper 70's to the lower 50's. The storm blew acorns out of the trees. I had been running my trail camera next too some mature oaks in the bottoms. I new there was a decent buck down there. I went down there an there were acorns all over the ground an tracks were all over. I had walked in with my stand an got in the tree at 12:30. At 4pm the buck in my Avatar came through an gave me an oppurtunity.

I think one of best things you can do is to learn an think like a deer.

 

That is exactly how my bow shop is. They look at the chart, select your arrows, set-up your bow by the book but never walk over to the range to see how those results affect arrow flight. Once in a great while I see them have some guys shoot through paper. But that is about it. They think that is being too fussy for hunting to do anymore. I don't even talk tuning there anymore because they just shake their heads and look at you like you are anal retentive. Maybe they are right. :p

 

Hunting

I used to think the same way, still do at times, and couldn't agree with you more. However, I find it more entertaining for me to dive deeper into the world of bowhunting, not to give me thed edge, but for simple fact that I love to get technical with this stuff! I enjoy it! But, in the end...just hunt and enjoy the day and see some deer!

 

i think most bow shops are like that not wanting to take the service the whole mile to ensure your bow is set-up properly.but there is a few that go beyond that you just got to find them. i love this sport and tradition and i am glad that we all have the options to do the things we love and discuss the things we may not agree on. good hunting fellas and thanx for all the comments!

 

I'm not sure I understand what you mean... is knowing the wind direction over-thinking?

I don't get into the tech side of bows... but I enjoy "thinking" about my hunting. I wouldn't call it over-thinking.. just passionate

 

what i mean is this he preaches wind direction so hard like its impossble to ease up on a deer or to hunt if the wind is not right and i've proven him wrong time and time again! dont tell me i cant do something and then when i do it several times try to act like it was a fluke. no the crap he was preaching was a fluke thats why he dont put backstraps on the grill and i do.

 

About the only relaxing time in my hunting is the time in my stand before the sun comes up. Over the last few years I have tried to take it to a new level. Getting a little more involved with the hunt, and trying to learn exactly what the deer are doing on that particular day. I am trying to apply wind direction and thermals, trying to read the land and figure how a mature buck would use it.

I don't believe I am overthinking things, just trying to hunt smarter, and taking a lesson from each hunt. Over the last 3 years, my sightings of mature bucks has skyrocketed compared to years before. I do beat myself up throughout the season when it comes to making decisions about stand sites and everything that goes into planning the days hunt, but that's why I do it. It works for me. I think about whitetail hunting pretty much all year. During the spring and the early part of summer I get a lot of fishing in, but as soon as the bucks have their antlers on, I'm back at it

Each hunter is going to have their own way of hunting. It in no way means they are more or less passionate about the sport than another, just a different way of doing it. I learned to hunt alongside my dad as a kid. He had a very simple approach to hunting, and each year he would fill the freezer with his recurve.

 

The best hunters pay attention to details and that includes wind, thermals, and yes even having the correct arrow spine