Over optimistic

[mainebowhunter]

As hunters, we are probably the most optimistic people you will ever meet. Every year, we are going to do the same things and think the results will be different. We get pics of big bucks at 9pm at night and we think "well maybe tonight things will be different". Buddy and I were just having this conversation tonight. He was running cameras in a spot where he killed a nice buck in 2013. BUT since then? It has progressively gotten worse. But still running cameras. Still thinking this year might be different. Tonight...he decided to pull them.

I did the same thing year. I completely abandoned a piece of urban ground this year ...just does not produce. Realistically? I am wasting my time based on past history. Decided at the end of the season to look for more ground. Better ground.

Optimism is great...but its a struggle, something we have to fight against. Being realistic about your chances at a buck that never shows in daylight. Never works out. So change it up. Try something out of the box. I share this because I have done it and I am still fighting against it. Even last Saturday...as I am checking cameras, looking at all the pics of dark dark dark pics of bucks, had to remind myself to keep changing it up. Sitting in the spots that "look" good does not usually get the job done.

Anyways...just the random thoughts of Ben 4 days before the opener...

[DEERSLAYER]

From some of the scouting posts you have made this year I think you might do pretty well.

[Hawthorne]

I struggle with this also from time to time but not has much has 10 years ago. Me being over optimistic causes burnout quicker. I stay positive but not gung ho. There's a balance there.I've had spots go dry. They are usually people related. Changes in pressure on neighboring areas can effect small properties. why I'm always looking for new areas with areas I have experience with to hunt every year. I've gone into years with only one small property of 40 acres I had a chance to kill a nice buck. It paid off a lot of years but that one eventually went cold also. I have more good spots this year than I ever have thru learning on here. We'll see what happens

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[mainebowhunter]

From some of the scouting posts you have made this year I think you might do pretty well.

LOL...we shall see. If it was regular season, my excitement level would be a few notches higher.

But Saturday, one buck in particular I am hunting ...really the buck I am looking for...he is a slammer. Its urban zone. Buck is 23" wide, guessing well over 200# probably 5-6yr old buck. I have gotten pics of him since june. Now the pics are .75 mile apart on completely different properties. He is moving at night a bunch. Get him on 3 different cams on the same property. Been earnestly checking for tracks trying to pin him down crossing a twitch road to determine direction of travel.

1 or 2 other 3.5yr olds are traveling with him. So where I see one...more than likely I will see the other. Odds are low. Definitely in favor of the deer.

[Stanley]

I have said this more than once. Hunting junkie spots is non productive.

[JohnFunn]

Good luck Maine!

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[UofLbowhunter]

Good luck with that buck!! Im over optimistic as well, i now how it feels!!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[mainebowhunter]

I have said this more than once. Hunting junkie spots is non productive.

Problem is Stan -- many are not honest with themselves. They were at one time, great but no longer are productive. The optimism that it "will get better if I just give it some time. If I move, maybe the bucks will show back up" ---- sooo, I am going to keep running cameras and crossing my fingers.

I have lots of time in the woods over the years, its still hard to admit to myself that I need to give up on an area. As a hunter, "give up" is contrary to my nature.

[vermonthunter16]

It is very difficult to give up on spots when you are limited on spots. But I am a realist. If there is no fresh sign, why bother? Unless of course it is the rut. Then you can hardly predict!

[JoeRE]

Yea one of the best things I have ever done was walk away from several farms that I hunted for 10-15 years. Not only were they infrequently producing decent bucks, they were limiting my development as a hunter.

A secondary benefit to dropping old pieces of property - As a land manager, you can learn a lot every year off of one piece of land every year I expect but if you want to focus on becoming a better hunter then I think you really have to move around, experience new situations and put yourself outside of your comfort zone. Pretty sure every skilled hunter I have met did the latter.

[headgear]

Sometimes you have to put emotion aside and look at the big picture with your brains/experience. I've got a beautiful 12 pointer maybe pushing upper 140's in my back yard. I'd love to shoot him but deep down I know it would take a small miracle because I only have 5 acres and he never shows up close to daylight. This is a pattern that repeats itself year after year, the bedding is probably a long ways off and not a place I can get access. I will happily shoot a much smaller buck on public land where I can get closer to bedding to have a chance at daylight movement. It's just about knowing what mature bucks do and hunting them where you can kill them.

[tim]

i agree with Stanley. but then there are guys that slam a guy if he kills a slammer every year in the same tree. they say he lucked out on a spot and don't know how to hunt but has a spot that produces every year. im here to tell you that is skill. ive sat so many stands over the years that when I find that rare producer im not abonandoning it. those spots are so rare. ive got a couple go to spots that I have tweaked slightly over the past decade ,they are in the right spot but need slight tweaking it seems every year. optimism is a huge key in hunting, if your not optimistic in your spot then you are in the wrong spot for sure.

[olivertractor]

Good luck Maine! I'm seeing that the over optimism has definitely gotten the best of me, just gotta keep on trucking. I'm getting better @ it and in high anticipation towards in season blind sits. It's hard when one targets a single buck, cause it narrows vision, once again very guilty of that.

Usually I only have a couple target bucks that fall in the diameter of my hunting area, finally see they're around an area than to transition again and not keep up with them. It's hard to pull the pin on a buck even when they're from a year or 2 ago.

I'm starting to see my big woods is gonna take some time to get buck structure back, so I gotta pull the pin drive little further get into better populations, but still spot check the over optimistic areas as I feel I know if they're there I'll be able to see it fairly quickly as long as pressure is somewhat nonexistent

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[mainebowhunter]

i agree with Stanley. but then there are guys that slam a guy if he kills a slammer every year in the same tree. they say he lucked out on a spot and don't know how to hunt but has a spot that produces every year. im here to tell you that is skill. ive sat so many stands over the years that when I find that rare producer im not abonandoning it. those spots are so rare. ive got a couple go to spots that I have tweaked slightly over the past decade ,they are in the right spot but need slight tweaking it seems every year. optimism is a huge key in hunting, if your not optimistic in your spot then you are in the wrong spot for sure.

As long the optimism is based on reality not fiction in [s]your[/s] my mind.