Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

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hunter10
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Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby hunter10 » Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:43 am

Always hear the stories of the guy smoking a huge buck on his first sit. No pre planned anything just dumb luck. Anyone understand why? With any friend I've introduced to hunting it seems to be their first big deer came from sitting in the "stupid spot" or calling on the grunt call 25x a hunt.. What have you noticed

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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby dan » Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:47 am

I believe the new guy either gets placed in the area no one in his group wants or hunts, and therefore he gets a fresh sit in an over looked spot, or he has not learned all the magazine tactics yet and just finds a spot where no one else is and its a fresh spot thats over looked...

I truly believe the majority of hunters would kill more big bucks if they simply tossed a dart at a map each day and sat where it landed.
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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby JoeRE » Mon Jul 13, 2015 11:36 am

dan wrote:I believe the new guy either gets placed in the area no one in his group wants or hunts, and therefore he gets a fresh sit in an over looked spot, or he has not learned all the magazine tactics yet and just finds a spot where no one else is and its a fresh spot thats over looked...

I truly believe the majority of hunters would kill more big bucks if they simply tossed a dart at a map each day and sat where it landed.


I agree 100% with Dan.
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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby Dewey » Mon Jul 13, 2015 12:36 pm

I agree with the overlooked spot theory. Thinking back to my younger days I still laugh at some of the spots I sat that produced a huge buck sighting. Nobody in their right mind would even consider the spot and at the time I didn't know better so it was just dumb luck. Some of those same spots are still paying off now many years later with sightings and even a few kills in the last decade.

I remember one time very early on I was sitting on stand during the rut even though my buck tag was already filled on a smaller buck. Mid-day I was messing around with my grunt call and blew really and I mean really hard into it making it sound more like a sick duck call. :lol: It was kinda funny actually until this huge buck came charging out of the cattails looking for a fight. All I could do is look in disbelief that crazy call actually brought in a buck. Had I still held a tag I would have had a chip shot at the buck. Still laugh and cry about that one today. :doh:
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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby Stanley » Mon Jul 13, 2015 12:38 pm

A good friend of mine killed a nice non typical buck in 1984 (his first buck). He has not killed a good buck since. I think it ruined him thinking it was easy. Another friend of mine was invited to hunt with a co worker of mine. The co worker put him in a thought to be junk spot. My friend Tom killed a P&Y buck. The guy wouldn't let Tom hunt with him ever again. That was 1988.

I'm not sure why things happen like they do. That first good buck can make or break some hunters.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby oldrank » Mon Jul 13, 2015 12:46 pm

I like the idea of throwing a dart at the map.. I may have to try a few " random spot" hunts this yr just to mix it up.

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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby goldtip5575 » Mon Jul 13, 2015 1:19 pm

hunter10 wrote:Always hear the stories of the guy smoking a huge buck on his first sit. No pre planned anything just dumb luck. Anyone understand why? With any friend I've introduced to hunting it seems to be their first big deer came from sitting in the "stupid spot" or calling on the grunt call 25x a hunt.. What have you noticed

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I have noticed that hunting is a game of % and if you take all the guys who hunt stupid spots the success rates are probably very low because you only hear the success stories. Or alot of times the stupid spots aren't so stupid.
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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby Stanley » Mon Jul 13, 2015 3:44 pm

goldtip5575 wrote:
hunter10 wrote:Always hear the stories of the guy smoking a huge buck on his first sit. No pre planned anything just dumb luck. Anyone understand why? With any friend I've introduced to hunting it seems to be their first big deer came from sitting in the "stupid spot" or calling on the grunt call 25x a hunt.. What have you noticed

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I have noticed that hunting is a game of % and if you take all the guys who hunt stupid spots the success rates are probably very low because you only hear the success stories. Or alot of times the stupid spots aren't so stupid.

Yep there are a ton of first time hunters that have never killed a good buck for their first buck. I sure didn't.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby Lockdown » Mon Jul 13, 2015 4:00 pm

I definitely agree with the overlooked spot theory. It only makes sense.

Not to sound stupid but I also believe in beginner's luck. It's always the kid who's never been fishing before who catches the biggest walleye of the day. ;)

Seriously though, I took my wife (then girlfriend) slug hunting and she killed a 2.5 year old 7 point on the evening sit on her first day ever slug hunting in 2010. Then this past fall I took her out bowhunting her first time of the year, (I believe 4th bowhunt EVER) and she killed a yearling 7 pointer. So she has 6 hunts and 2 kills. I'm an honest to God true believer in beginner's luck.

Here's another example, my Dad's friend Kelly went elk hunting with my Dad and uncles. It was his first time elk hunting and the only time he ever went with them to Colorado. He shot a big 6x6 that he mounted. Its hands down the biggest bull they've killed, and they've been hunting out there every other year for close to 20 years.
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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby oldrank » Mon Jul 13, 2015 11:14 pm

This "luck" could also be thefrom the work and experience of the new hunters mentor who is sitting him in a good spot. I have guided numerous young hunters to their first deer.. without my knowledge would they have killed anything? I would lean towards no. Also if someone dors accompany me I am usaully putting them in a hot spot in hopes that they will kill a good buck n have a great time.

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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby Hawthorne » Tue Jul 14, 2015 12:07 am

I remember my first year of bowhunting I just picked a random spot in the woods and sat next to a big oak tree. I was only there maybe half hour when I decided to start doing some snort weez calls that I saw gene wensal do at a seminar. A huge buck came out of the swamp and was only about 15 yds from me face on. We had a stare down for a minute then he took off. That encounter is probably what got me addicted to bowhunting.

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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby JoeRE » Tue Jul 14, 2015 12:44 am

I had an idea a little while ago to look at the world class bucks featured on the website of North American Whitetail called "Deer of the Day" and tabulate how many of them appeared to be killed by rookie or young hunters or seemingly by "luck". I haven't done it yet but remember thinking reading through them a lot of those bucks seemed to be killed like that.

There is such a thing as luck but more often than not there are other factors at play that help cause that inexperienced hunter to be in that spot....and not a veteran hunter.

I also agree too much success too early is a good way to ruin a hunter.
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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby Twenty Up » Tue Jul 14, 2015 4:58 am

In my opinion, all the good spots have been over looked and the new guys not wanting to hunt too close to their buddies stumble onto these areas. Either that, or the bucks begin to pattern the hunter and by bringing in someone else they hunt those spots the other guys passed off.

I'm pretty sure it was a Bowhunt Or Die episode where they actually shined a field one night to find a massive 12-14pt buck that was never seen or captured on trail camera bedding off the field where they enter the woods to hunt. This buck had patterned the hunters for years, and they never knew he existed until they accidentally saw him one night. One of the hunters managed to put an arrow in said buck because they found his bed & staging area, but it was one of the wariest deer I've ever seen. I think he ended up being 6.5-7.5 YO
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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby Florida » Tue Jul 14, 2015 8:48 am

Lockdown wrote:I definitely agree with the overlooked spot theory. It only makes sense.

Not to sound stupid but I also believe in beginner's luck. It's always the kid who's never been fishing before who catches the biggest walleye of the day. ;)

Seriously though, I took my wife (then girlfriend) slug hunting and she killed a 2.5 year old 7 point on the evening sit on her first day ever slug hunting in 2010. Then this past fall I took her out bowhunting her first time of the year, (I believe 4th bowhunt EVER) and she killed a yearling 7 pointer. So she has 6 hunts and 2 kills. I'm an honest to God true believer in beginner's luck.

Here's another example, my Dad's friend Kelly went elk hunting with my Dad and uncles. It was his first time elk hunting and the only time he ever went with them to Colorado. He shot a big 6x6 that he mounted. Its hands down the biggest bull they've killed, and they've been hunting out there every other year for close to 20 years.


Don't get fooled by randomness. ;)

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Re: Correlation between big bucks and new hunters?

Unread postby fishlips » Tue Jul 14, 2015 8:56 am

How do you guys get more proficient at finding these type of spots? I have a hard enough time identifying the more "traditional" bedding spots that are covered on here, so I know I am walking right past some other good spots.


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