share your rookie mistakes
- phishy
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share your rookie mistakes
I'm notorious at stealing threads so i'm trying to turn a new leaf,
I think it would be beneficial to share some of the blunders we have made of the years, particularly those early days
i'll start:
I found a great spot to hunt, new oak shelter cut with tons of forbs and grasses, plus it was raining acorns. There was also another younger stand of oaks raining acorns.
My setup was on the back side of the recent cut, lots of sign, rubs scrapes popped up all over as the season progressed, I was determined to shoot a deer in this spot, problem was every time I sat here, the deer played cat and mouse with me, I sit on the south side, I see them on the north side vice versa The other problem was when I did have deer in front of me, it was after shooting hours expired, so I was stuck in the tree or had to climb down and spook them out.
Now this spot took me past a nice oak stand next to a bedding area, every time I walked out I kicked deer out of that oak stand.
It obvious I was making a ton of mistakes; I was in deer and spooking the crap out of them, but then again they never vacated the spot, so they had me pegged.
1st mistake …that first set of oaks with deer always in it that I always walked by walked past with a bedding area right next to it, I never hunted in that oak stand
2nd mistake I never scouted to see where those deer where coming from on the cut I was sitting on. Deer always came from the west, behind me. I later discovered there was another cut behind me and the deer were walking up a draw, my scent was going right to them and they just adjusted to avid me.
3rd mistake, I was afraid to sit in a different place because I was seeing deer, but seeing deer after shooting hrs is not seeing deer when you can hunt them, it’s like driving down a road and claiming you saw deer while hunting
What I should have done was set up closer to the bedding areas and intercepted the deer, rather I was setting up in the food and the deer were hitting that right about dark just after shooting hrs.
And oh yeah, there was a back door entrance, another road to the west of my stand locations, it was a shorter walk and I would have had another option for the wind to access the site (not that I was playing the wind, not even trying)
I had two great setups all to myself and didn't know how to hunt it
i did finally figure out how to hunt this area, couple years later....
I think it would be beneficial to share some of the blunders we have made of the years, particularly those early days
i'll start:
I found a great spot to hunt, new oak shelter cut with tons of forbs and grasses, plus it was raining acorns. There was also another younger stand of oaks raining acorns.
My setup was on the back side of the recent cut, lots of sign, rubs scrapes popped up all over as the season progressed, I was determined to shoot a deer in this spot, problem was every time I sat here, the deer played cat and mouse with me, I sit on the south side, I see them on the north side vice versa The other problem was when I did have deer in front of me, it was after shooting hours expired, so I was stuck in the tree or had to climb down and spook them out.
Now this spot took me past a nice oak stand next to a bedding area, every time I walked out I kicked deer out of that oak stand.
It obvious I was making a ton of mistakes; I was in deer and spooking the crap out of them, but then again they never vacated the spot, so they had me pegged.
1st mistake …that first set of oaks with deer always in it that I always walked by walked past with a bedding area right next to it, I never hunted in that oak stand
2nd mistake I never scouted to see where those deer where coming from on the cut I was sitting on. Deer always came from the west, behind me. I later discovered there was another cut behind me and the deer were walking up a draw, my scent was going right to them and they just adjusted to avid me.
3rd mistake, I was afraid to sit in a different place because I was seeing deer, but seeing deer after shooting hrs is not seeing deer when you can hunt them, it’s like driving down a road and claiming you saw deer while hunting
What I should have done was set up closer to the bedding areas and intercepted the deer, rather I was setting up in the food and the deer were hitting that right about dark just after shooting hrs.
And oh yeah, there was a back door entrance, another road to the west of my stand locations, it was a shorter walk and I would have had another option for the wind to access the site (not that I was playing the wind, not even trying)
I had two great setups all to myself and didn't know how to hunt it
i did finally figure out how to hunt this area, couple years later....
Happiness is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it, so with that happiness is a choice one can consciously make, although often challenged by what happens to us, it is a choice nonetheless.
- Crazinamatese
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
When I started hunting with a bow in 2008, I never payed any attention to the wind. That cost me many hunts without any action and tag soup. I pray to the wind gods now. Im a stellar gun hunter though. At that time in 08, I thought I was a hot shot hunter until I began bowhunting and soon realized I didn't know squat about hunting deer at all. Bow hunting and gun hunting are two different arenas IMO. Since then I have learned alot of hard lessons, and I continue to learn tough lessons every season, but getting better at it. I have put a few nice does and a buck down so far with a bow, but have yet to connect on a mature buck. The conflict I have now is time available to hunt. Maybe 1 day a week right now and thats it. Im happy I have been able to kill some deer on pressured public land. Its a matter of time that I will get that elusive mature buck.
The cave you fear hides the treasure you seek!!!
- Zap
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
Mistakes?
"Forged in fire lit long ago. Stand next to me and you will never stand alone".
- crankn101
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
Too embarrassed, my 1st season I messed up on a 160+ muley and a 320ish elk, makes me sick to think about it.
- Edcyclopedia
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
Will take too long to compose...
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- Beartown18
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
Wind by far is my biggest mistake. I have killed some nice deer but looking back it was on really good property unpressured on pure luck.
- Sam Ubl
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
Two big ones:
1) Fidgeting in the stand before looking around
2) Climbing down too early
1) Fidgeting in the stand before looking around
2) Climbing down too early
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- kenn1320
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
I used to race to my stand so I could have that much more quiet time on stand. I now sneak to my stand since I believe I was letting every deer in the area know what tree I was in. I cant say Im seeing more deer now, but it makes sense I was ruining my hunts before they started.
"Its about taking the right shot at the right time with good equipment." Dan Infalt
- Terry
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
I have a huge list of mistakes that will grow every year that I am a hunter. The one I made the most for years was over hunting spots.
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
Sam Ubl wrote:Two big ones:
1) Fidgeting in the stand before looking around
2) Climbing down too early
This
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- obrion
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
lets see... Here are some of my mistakes over the years.
I have others but I have to leave work!
- Thinking that the reason my feet where so freaking cold was due to needing more installation when in fact they were just sweating walking to the stand.
- Hanging pre-hung stands and hunting them to death.
- Ignoring the wind
- Rattling like a baby that drank 5 gallons of coffee.
- Burning myself out too early in the season (hunting all season like it's the rut)
- Buying stupid stuff
- Moving around too much in stand
- Poor diet selection the day before on all day sit. (nobody like the poops when it's time to sit still)
- Carrying way too much crap every time i went out.
- Watching too many hunting TV shows.
- Always in a rush.
I have others but I have to leave work!
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
I was taught to hunt and knew what I needed to know, but I let magazines and books cloud my mind with bs.
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
over hunting in Oct
"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
- Lockdown
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
Bump
Trying to sneak into tough access (noisy) bedding on calm days - you NEED cover noise
Hunting doe bedding with buck sign in it - takes time to figure that out
Not waiting for the PERFECT time to hunt my best bedding and best sets
Waiting too long to hunt my best bedding and best sets
Not allowing enough time to sneak in
Thinking buck bedding needed to have LOTS of buck sign to be good.
Trying to sneak into tough access (noisy) bedding on calm days - you NEED cover noise
Hunting doe bedding with buck sign in it - takes time to figure that out
Not waiting for the PERFECT time to hunt my best bedding and best sets
Waiting too long to hunt my best bedding and best sets
Not allowing enough time to sneak in
Thinking buck bedding needed to have LOTS of buck sign to be good.
- tgreeno
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Re: share your rookie mistakes
For me there's been many. These are all pre-beast. After this year, I'll probably have another list!
Over hunting stands
Hurrying to walk in & set-up, being very noisy
Not hunting the wind all the time.
Hunting the same permanent stands year after year
Over hunting stands
Hurrying to walk in & set-up, being very noisy
Not hunting the wind all the time.
Hunting the same permanent stands year after year
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It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it an remove all doubt
It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it an remove all doubt
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