Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

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dan
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Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby dan » Sun Oct 10, 2010 2:30 am

When I was young I was really into hunting, fishing, trapping, and the outdoors. I would always be hunting, gathering nuts, shrooms, etc.
We lived off the land. We ate wild game, fish, and made our own wine from the berries we picked etc... I was born into this life.
We were poor, and I took a lot of game, and took pride in supplying my family with food...
Like most young hunters I shot small bucks and does but dreamed of big bucks. After a while young bucks got boring and easy, and it was not as much a necessity as it was when I was younger. Although we still looked forward to a years worth of venison in the freezer.
I started trying to get some of the bigger bucks in the area. My Dad would get mad at me when I would come home meatless... He would always say "we eating antler soup again?" meaning that by holding out I was starving the family.
I started shooting some pretty good bucks and learning some decent methods, not by reading about how to do it, not by having a good mentor, but by sheer stubborn determination.
I took a nice deer each year by hunting almost every day of the season and scouting hard.... I learned some from my mistakes too. That was probably very important because others would just keep doing the same thing over and over and about the results not changing....
I was not the smartest guy out there, but an open mind and an unwilling to give up attitude coupled with an unhealthy addiction to getting the best buck got me that buck every year.
I would think about deer hunting all the time. I would dream about it. I can remember waking up in the middle of the night after dreaming a plan to hunt a certain buck and getting up out of bed to write down the plan so I would not forget.
  As I aged I started getting better and better at killing the biggest bucks around my area. I would be mad if there was a reason that forced me to miss one evenings hunt during the season.
I took jobs based on the ability to come in late and leave early for hunting rather than based on pay and benefits...
As I got even older, I started getting burnt out a month into the season from over working myself. I noticed missed opportunities cause I hunted the wrong wind or the wrong time...
At some point there was a backwards progression. I had gone from hunting hard every day, to hunting smart... Using the right days to hunt, rather than every day. Watching the deer from a distance rather than running right in and screwing it up.
Recently, I have become happy with the success I have had over the decades of hunting I have done. I really don't need to prove anything to anyone. I am just as happy when the big buck gets away, as when he don't, sometimes I even seem to root for the buck instead of myself...
And putting a friend on a great buck is just as fun as getting one myself...
Its kind of funny, but I brought this up with Andrae on the phone the other night and he said he sees exactly the same progression in himself.
He is having more fun putting his kids onto big bucks than himself and is talking about retiring where no one knows his name.


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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby Hill Hunter » Sun Oct 10, 2010 3:51 am

Kinda funny, this post reminds me of last hunting season and how my personnel goals seemed to have changed. I've been able to put a couple decent bucks on the wall, but in no way think I'm even close to as good a hunter as Andrae, Dan or many others. The aspect I've failed - has been killing a particular deer that roams where I hunt. Sometimes I kill a buck by hunting funnels and transition areas during the rut, but still scouting, putting time in and being in the right place.

So, last year, since the DNR started the mentored hunting program, I convinced my then fiance' (now wife) to gun hunt. We had a couple great sits, seen a bunch of deer (even though she wouldn't shoot a doe, said she didn't want to break up a family). A 1 1/2 or 2 1/2 eight pointer presented a shot, but she was unable to shoot as she was shaking so much and was trying to make a perfect shot. I was laughing at her, not making fun of the situation, but more so because it was so cool to see someone else get so excited over hunting. Anyway, she ended up not taking a shot, but an awesome first experience. She is going to give it another shot this year. Being that she was so worked up, I know that besides telling me she enjoyed it, that she actually did and is hunting for the right reason....excitement and adrenalin. As I was trying to "coach" her through taking that buck, I was as excited as taking a big deer myself. Now I just need to get her a bow...
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Stuart
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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby Stuart » Sun Oct 10, 2010 4:06 am

Dan, that is one of the best posts I have heard on the beast forum! I always like it when I hear about your early hunting days and how you became so good at what you do.

I am only 16, and as you said in the post it would frustrate you if you couldn't go out hunting for some reason. I am finding the same thing, my Dad will only take me out on weekends and not during the weekdays. As you know, you can't shoot a big buck if you are not out there.

Some people also look at me funny when I tell them that I hunt will a hang-on tree stand and being mobile.

Next year I will be hunting hard but try to be smart at the same time.

Thanks Dan,
Stuart

P.S.,
Did you hear about Lee's big 7 x 5 that scored in the 160's and dressed out at 230?
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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby magicman54494 » Sun Oct 10, 2010 11:33 am

Great post.
I was self taught as well. I too wasted a lot of energy hunting wrong thinking that if I just put in more hours that success would come. When I decided to hunt for trophy deer I realized I needed to hunt smarter not harder. That was the turning point for me. I have reached a point where I'm still driven to shoot a big one but it's different now. I'm much more relaxed and truely enjoy my hunts more. I think instead of trying to make it happen I just allow it to happen.
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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby Schultzy » Sun Oct 10, 2010 11:53 am

Great post Dan!! You've done very well and helped so many people. You've opened my eye's allot In the whitetail world. I'm slowly starting to try some new things that you've been doing for years with great success. Too often though I'm stubborn and don't try new tactics.

Ever thought about trying to hunt a different animal?
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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby dan » Sun Oct 10, 2010 1:24 pm

Ever thought about trying to hunt a different animal?

Im certainly into bears, as you well know... But as far as other big game animals, the hunting would be more for fun, as I think it takes many years to be experienced at any particular animal... Im just to old and worn down to start over. Whitetails and bears are my love anyway.
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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby Indianahunter » Sun Oct 10, 2010 4:47 pm

What a great post Dan. Though I continue to grow especially since learning from you and some others in more recent years. I evolved as a hunter very similarly except I didn't learn as much on my own at first. I grew up hunting with my father and occasionally my uncles. Basically they would let me sit in one spot on the farm and that was it, I was limited to whatever deer came by. I grew up in town so the woods were never close enough for me to just wonder about learning. It wasn't until I was older that I had the opportunity to learn on my own and wandering away from the crowd. I honestly thought until that point that all deer hunters had their own tree and that is where they sat for the entirety of the season. The more I was able to break away from the crowd the more successful I was becoming even more so than my elders. After that first nice buck is when it became an obsession. When I got old enough to drive to the woods myself I spent every minute I could out at the woods probably doing more harm then good. I noticed one season though that I was no longer enjoying myself and failure became a bitter and angry thing for me. It went from something I loved, to being something that I loved the attention from, to being a competition with myself and work that I was never satisfied with unless I had big antlers to show for it. Thank God He had and continues to destroy that stupid,selfish pride, and now I am back to and have an even deeper love than ever for the hunt and the Lord has granted me some success along the way. Learning from you has helped even more and revived my desire to pursue mature deer on a bigger scale. Not for pride but for love of the sport. I think that one of the dangers of commercialized and popular deer hunting shows is that the focus is on the rack. The great thing about the beast is that the focus is on the hunt as a whole. What you have done here with the Beast is appreciated and a genuine contribution to the industry and the sport. It is my desire to see future generations of Beasts out there coming back to the hunt and leaving the commercialized outdoorsman behind. Thank you sir.
I now find myself being much more patient when hunting expecting some results from the work, but not basing success upon the kill alone. Now that I have learned more about my prey I have learned that I need to back off and hunt opportune times and enjoy each hunt. If conditions aren't favorable then I enjoy different aspects such as scouting, or sharing my passion with my nephew, or my brother or my father. The Big Bucks will come with the opportunity, but the opportunity to share my passion is my responsibility to take advantage of.
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby Liberty-Hunt » Sun Oct 10, 2010 5:42 pm

Many thanks Dan for sheering you experiences!

As you know I live very far away from the US, but I did learn already so much with this site (and Just-Hunt where I'm pro staff)...Even if it's without real living one, I think I didn't loose my time reading all the forum post I'm interested on.
Some time I don't understand all (because of my limitation on your language knowledge)...

You know as you, I did specialize me. Roe Deer are my favorite for many reasons.
But first, I'm born and living in a big city, no one from my family or friends were hunter.
That was not a piece of cake for learning about hunt and less for get experiences.
I'm an hunter buy instinct. I always wanted to catch wild animals.
My first time was taking some bus to get alone in the country and observing wild live. And the first time I sow a big animal it was a Roe Deer. What a fantastic experience...
But never be able to do as I wanted like you can imagine.

Around me there are a small number of people understanding my "addiction". A lot of ignorance about hunting world you know.
But I already show the truth to some against hunt and they change them mind...

And one big reality goes up to my face! I'm just in the very beginning of my learning even about Roe Deer.

Thanks for sharing everyone experiences!!!
"Huntingly",
L-H

GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!
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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby virginiashadow » Mon Oct 11, 2010 2:21 am

I used to hunt hard. I did not have anyone to show me how to hunt when I started hunting my senior year of highschool at age 17. My dad bought me a used .3030 lever action Winchester rifle and I went hunting. I think I saw 1 deer in three years of hunting public land. I would walk out as far as I could go to get away from anyone and just hunted for a long time. That is until I met a buddy in college who invited me up to hunt a fantastic piece of property. I cannot tell you how happy I was the very first day I hunted that property at age 20. I shot 2 bucks that day, a 3 point and a 5 point. I drove home through the mountains the happiest man on earth. I hung those two deer up in my parent's garage and just learned how to skin/process the deer on my own. I had no clue as to what I was doing. The end result was my dad and I eating some steaks mixed in with some beer/onions. I was in heaven. I killed a few deer here and there throughout my college days with various weapons.

Right around 2000 I started hunting some public/federal land. I was still a beginning hunter as even though I had killed about 10 deer or so, I really had no clue how to hunt. I just used my lessons as a bash fisherman to guide me in the woods. I looked for edges, terrain changes, and of course the primetime hours to hunt and fish which are the first and last hours of the day. I hunted HARD. I hunted all day in terrible weather. I was addicted to finding and killing deer on land that I had never set foot on.

Then I got married and started having children, three of them to be exact. My hunting time took a hit. THEN I started to learn how to hunt smart. I started to read about topographic maps/thermals, scouting....I am a MUCH better hunter now than I was even 3-4 years ago. So even though my hunting time is lower now than ever, I am still killing and seeing deer at a much higher rate than when I hunted hard. I am much more efficient. I owe many people thanks. I owe DAN thanks. I have thanked him many times for taking time out of his busy day to help a little guy like me.

These days I feel at ease in the woods. I make a plan and stick with it unless I stumble upon something major. So now I HUNT SMART, but SCOUT HARD>...therein is the reason why I have been much more succesful over the past few years on public land.

THANKS guys!
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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby Swampthing » Mon Oct 11, 2010 4:32 pm

Great post Dan
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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby Zap » Mon Oct 11, 2010 11:22 pm

I will take a glass of that berry wine........ :mrgreen:

Great post Dan.

marty
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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby NatureBoy » Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:02 am

Very interesting read! Thanks for sharing.
Scout, scout, scout, hunt
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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby Black Squirrel » Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:52 am

I've always wondered how you got to be where you are today, Dan. Now I know, thanks.
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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby DevinJD2007 » Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:22 am

Great post Dan. Nothing like learning from your own mistakes. 8-)
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Re: Hunt hard? or hunt smart? The progression of a hunter.

Unread postby Autumn Ninja » Wed Oct 13, 2010 2:07 am

Awesome post Dan, I to grew up living off the land. We lived in a cabin way back in the woods, hunting, fishing, trapping, ect. was a way of life. My dad was a deer and turkey guide for many years. He figured out where and how bucks bed in hill country back in the 70's by hunting the leeward side of the hills and letting the thermals push his scent up and away, scent control LOL!!! Thats when he realized the bucks were doing the same thing...for that reason and many more.

I was taught to hunt in the early 80's the same way you hunt hill country now, but with a lot more detail in topography (saddles, convex hubs, concave hubs, micro staging, crows feet, staging off the bed and again off the food source or doe bedding)and how all this relates to the wind and the raising/falling thermals.

I use to hunt hard (and smart), not because I had to but because I loved to hunt. Now I don't have much time to hunt so just hunt smart. :(

P.S. That Lone Wolf guy could move here, no one knows him or ever heard of him around here.


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