What are your top variables for success?

[ozzz]

Eliminate competing hunters.

[Divergent]

I think everyone is after the big secret.... Truth is, its a lot of little things, not one or two big things.

I agree that there's no big secret and it takes persistence and hard work. What do you try to Eliminate first and foremost? I hear you speak of trying to find an area where there's virtually no human presence. Is there a process of elimination that you go thru where you try to cut out just a few variables to drastically increase your odds?

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[Divergent]

Eliminate competing hunters.

Lol you must've been reading my post I was typing up. I agree with you on eliminating properties that don't hold your goals. I cut this out of my equation this year. I also agree with the hunting pressure. No early season AM hunts seems to be a consensus also.

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[ozzz]

Eliminate hunting your good spots when its warm outside of the rut.

[DaveT1963]

Well I would like to eliminate 30 pounds - that would help

They guys above nailed that - eliminate wasting time in areas I should not be spending time in - for whatever reason (bad wind, lack of solid approach, no deer present that I am looking for, etc...) but I have been doing these for many years now so I don't even think about that most of the time - it just IS.

[Divergent]

I think everyone is after the big secret.... Truth is, its a lot of little things, not one or two big things.

X 2. I also sometimes think that a false illusion is created that some people make this happen rather easily and I don't believe that at all. We tend to only hear about the successful hunt but I know from my personal experience and for most of the really good Hunters I've known, far more hours are spent with no shot opportunity then for every sit where we get a shot opportunity.

[ Post made via Android ]

We all must be on the same page here...
Dave you said last week that you choose to hunt a specific area on a draw vs hunting at the head of the draw because of the way the deer would travel. This created a unique shot opportunity sequence that you could repeat. You had also stated that you can eliminate certain areas if there's an over abundance of food or water etc. I'm looking for examples along these lines.

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[Divergent]

Well I would like to eliminate 30 pounds - that would help

They guys above nailed that - eliminate wasting time in areas I should not be spending time in - for whatever reason (bad wind, lack of solid approach, no deer present that I am looking for, etc...) but I have been doing these for many years now so I don't even think about that most of the time - it just IS.

I'm working on the 30lbs...15 to go lol

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[JoeRE]

Yea the way I look at it there are two big variables that need to line up - right time and right place. Both have to be right. A lot goes into each I know, tons of smaller details, and even more goes into actually closing the deal, that's how I approach it.

Place - I spread myself thin, always have more spots picked out than I can hunt, that is to control the variable of spots not panning out or going dead. I try to select the best spots I can find in an area, that's it. I only hunt areas I know have a buck I would like to tag - that is a huge step at improving odds right there as others have mentioned. If you can't find a buck you are interested in you either need to move or change your standards. I want intel saying a buck is likely using certain bedding, a certain travel route, certain food source, etc. That's the "pattern" to jump on. If I can't find a spot that seems nearly slam dunk I just keep looking. No filling time sitting low odds stuff, don't have the time, or sitting in a spot before I know its going to be optimal. I try to decide what the best conditions to hunt any spot are - weather, stage of rut etc. I want to minimize disturbance from other hunters so I look for the hardest areas to get to. Whatever anyone else does I commit to doing 110% of that.

Timing - I make sure most things in my life are reasonably flexible, that allows me to pick what I think is the best time to hunt maybe a couple times a week. I would rather have three hunts with great weather conditions than 10 with average to poor weather conditions for the type of setup I am trying to do. For instance most of the time in the season I am looking for high pressure, or high pressure building in, cold temps, and just big weather systems moving through in general. Wind is needless to say too. I usually do not hunt in stagnant unchanging weather or warmer than average weather unless I have some warm weather based pattern like to a water source.

Doing all this doesn't give guarantees but it does make things more efficient. I used to sit 30,40, 50 times and be lucky to have an encounter with a good buck for whatever area I was hunting. Now my average after this obsessive focus on preparation is 1 in half a dozen sits or so.

Cutting stuff out that you know hasn't worked in the past is a good way to approach it too.

[Divergent]

Yea the way I look at it there are two big variables that need to line up - right time and right place. Both have to be right. A lot goes into each I know, tons of smaller details, and even more goes into actually closing the deal, that's how I approach it.


Place - I spread myself thin, always have more spots picked out than I can hunt, that is to control the variable of spots not panning out or going dead. I try to select the best spots I can find in an area, that's it. I only hunt areas I know have a buck I would like to tag - that is a huge step at improving odds right there as others have mentioned. If you can't find a buck you are interested in you either need to move or change your standards. I want intel saying a buck is likely using certain bedding, a certain travel route, certain food source, etc. That's the "pattern" to jump on. If I can't find a spot that seems nearly slam dunk I just keep looking. No filling time sitting low odds stuff, don't have the time, or sitting in a spot before I know its going to be optimal. I try to decide what the best conditions to hunt any spot are - weather, stage of rut etc. I want to minimize disturbance from other hunters so I look for the hardest areas to get to. Whatever anyone else does I commit to doing 110% of that.

Timing - I make sure most things in my life are reasonably flexible, that allows me to pick what I think is the best time to hunt maybe a couple times a week. I would rather have three hunts with great weather conditions than 10 with average to poor weather conditions for the type of setup I am trying to do. For instance most of the time in the season I am looking for high pressure, or high pressure building in, cold temps, and just big weather systems moving through in general. Wind is needless to say too. I usually do not hunt in stagnant unchanging weather or warmer than average weather unless I have some warm weather based pattern like to a water source.

Doing all this doesn't give guarantees but it does make things more efficient. I used to sit 30,40, 50 times and be lucky to have an encounter with a good buck for whatever area I was hunting. Now my average after this obsessive focus on preparation is 1 in half a dozen sits or so.

Cutting stuff out that you know hasn't worked in the past is a good way to approach it too.

I read part of your journal recently and you seem to be well prepared. I think this is one of the keys to success. How many areas and sets do you have prepared before the season starts? Ive been covering a lot of public ground the past couple of months. I haven't spent enough time looking for stand sites when I find the sign. Are you going home afterwards and formulating a plan or are you planning your setup while you're scouting?

I'm guilty of the low odd sits. It's one of the many things I need to work on. I cut loose my hunting club membership for this upcoming season because it didn't provide me with the genetics that I'm looking for in a buck. I've been cutting out many old tactics which seem to be ingrained in me.

Do you more experienced hunters scout on days that aren't optimal for hunting, hunt other areas, or just try to find some balance in life with family etc?

I am slowly coming to the realization that preparation is the key to life...

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[Edcyclopedia]

Doing all this doesn't give guarantees but it does make things more efficient. I used to sit 30,40, 50 times and be lucky to have an encounter with a good buck for whatever area I was hunting. Now my average after this obsessive focus on preparation is 1 in half a dozen sits or so.

I only dream to be able to be that good!
That's impressive for sure!!!

[Rich M]

Timing - I make sure most things in my life are reasonably flexible, that allows me to pick what I think is the best time to hunt maybe a couple times a week. I would rather have three hunts with great weather conditions than 10 with average to poor weather conditions for the type of setup I am trying to do. ... Wind is needless to say too. I usually do not hunt in stagnant unchanging weather or warmer than average weather unless I have some warm weather based pattern like to a water source.

I did this last year and missed the rut. Yup - 85 degrees and the rut still happened. Last year, I was waiting for a cold front and got it the week after the prime movement died down. It happens...

I'm real big on the whole concept of not mucking up your hunting areas by over-hunting or playing the wrong or variable winds. The whole "can't kill one from your couch" theory has probably saved more deer than it has killed.

My "private" stand gives 3 good hunts before they pattern it. Then it is all about deer who are just passing thru.

The 2 guys I hunted with moved my tall tripod to a decent spot 2015 but put it "in the middle" instead of the downwind side - they shot a few there but saw quite a few less and smaller bucks there. Hunted the typical wind and ruined any real opportunity at big bucks in the rut when we would see a huge increase in activity in that location.

[mermatt83]

From what I've learned on this site in the past 3-4 months, i'd say Eliminate any belief/reliance on gimmicks and commercial products that promise short cuts. Eliminate your belief that you can beat a deer's nose and repeatedly go in an out of an area without being patterned because of some spray or drag. The guys on here who get it done with consistency don't seem to use or rely on short cuts, they sweat and work and study the heck out deer behavior, wind thermals, hard-to-reach areas, over-looked areas, ways to use their equipment efficiently and just overall how to become effective predators. These beasts work harder and smarter than those who never know success or who occasionally stumble upon it.

[mainebowhunter]

The list really is pretty long...others have eluded to that.
1. Killing what I am shooting at. Fixing Target Panic.
2. Scouting more than I hunt
3. Remembering, no matter the outcome, hunting is something that is supposed to be fun and enjoyable.
4. Opting to hunt the best spots, not the easiest spots. Locally and spots you travel to.
5. Locally, finding more spots that hold big deer. Having more spots than I can effectively hunt in one season.

Over the years, I have hunted quite a few different places all over the country. I am no genius when it comes to hunting. But different parts of the country are better hunting than others, however they may not be the easiest or cheapest ones to go to.

#1 is a really big deal for me. I see guys who get stuck in that rut and struggle year after year. I don't care how much you know, how good you are getting on deer, if you cannot hit what your aiming at, really does not matter.

[JoeRE]

Timing - I make sure most things in my life are reasonably flexible, that allows me to pick what I think is the best time to hunt maybe a couple times a week. I would rather have three hunts with great weather conditions than 10 with average to poor weather conditions for the type of setup I am trying to do. ... Wind is needless to say too. I usually do not hunt in stagnant unchanging weather or warmer than average weather unless I have some warm weather based pattern like to a water source.

I did this last year and missed the rut. Yup - 85 degrees and the rut still happened. Last year, I was waiting for a cold front and got it the week after the prime movement died down. It happens...

I'm real big on the whole concept of not mucking up your hunting areas by over-hunting or playing the wrong or variable winds. The whole "can't kill one from your couch" theory has probably saved more deer than it has killed.

My "private" stand gives 3 good hunts before they pattern it. Then it is all about deer who are just passing thru.

The 2 guys I hunted with moved my tall tripod to a decent spot 2015 but put it "in the middle" instead of the downwind side - they shot a few there but saw quite a few less and smaller bucks there. Hunted the typical wind and ruined any real opportunity at big bucks in the rut when we would see a huge increase in activity in that location.

Funny you bring that up, I was just looking back in my notes on that. The first week of Nov in 2015 was similar to 2012 in that regard, and as a crazy coincidence the moon phase was similar which is something I try to break out as a different variable. Anyway I completely agree there is a window around here about Nov 4-9th that deer are gonna be moving regardless of weather, although there will probably more daylight activity in good cool weather. That window varies across the country but you are right when it comes to peak rut its happening - flurries of rutting activity earlier and later do seem to drift around though and one of the big factors in that is weather - a big late October cold front means a big flurry in pre-rut activity no doubt about it. Same with weather as the rut winds down I think.

[briar]

Having hunted for about 30 years now and being on the beast a while I think the most important thing my eyes have been opened to is the amount of work that successful mature deer hunters put into their craft. Some of this work may or may not directly affect their success that year or even the next, but it all adds up and the accumulation of all of this knowledge and experience stacks so many odds in their favor that when the time comes to pursue that special deer they have located, they can bring it all together and make the hunt a success.

The #1 more important without a doubt thing in killing a big buck is finding a big buck. IF you don't do this, all of your effort is based on hoping such a deer shows up or even exists and this just doesn't work out. Once you have that deer located then is the time to stack the odds in your favor and start piecing together that puzzle.....and that's where all your work starts to pay off......unless you hit roadblocks, like unhuntable ground, pressure, mistakes on your part or simply a deer that just doesn't show itself in hunting hours. IT happens and ideally you have more located, different ground, ect....and that's the work you do year to year to build up that inventory so that every year you have more options, more knowledge and a better ability to make that plan come together.