What WOULDN'T you do?
- Lockdown
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What WOULDN'T you do?
Pretty pointless thread but I was just sitting here thinking about how crazy us Beasts are. A post in another thread really got me thinking about it. There are guys that walk miles of swamp or paddle/canoe for 5 miles. Some wade thru nasty waist deep water. Some hoof crazy elevations in hill country. Me and Tyler were 2.96 miles from the truck in the South Dakota badlands this year. It's insane what we go through for a CHANCE at a big buck.
I thought, if I had pre-scouted bedding and knew a huge buck was bedding there and was very killable, what would it take for me to say "no, that's too much work." ?
I think for me it would have to be excessively blazing MY OWN TRAIL through cattails with waders on. That is one thing I hate. Even then I'd probably do a half mile if I knew of an island with a drop tine Booner on it. I'd be cussing the whole way, but it would be worth it in the end.
I think part of what I'm addicted to is the story behind the kill. The crazier it is, the more it means to me. I think that's what drew me to the Beast in the first place. The craziness of bed hunting.
How about you? Pain is temporary, but where do you draw the line?
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I thought, if I had pre-scouted bedding and knew a huge buck was bedding there and was very killable, what would it take for me to say "no, that's too much work." ?
I think for me it would have to be excessively blazing MY OWN TRAIL through cattails with waders on. That is one thing I hate. Even then I'd probably do a half mile if I knew of an island with a drop tine Booner on it. I'd be cussing the whole way, but it would be worth it in the end.
I think part of what I'm addicted to is the story behind the kill. The crazier it is, the more it means to me. I think that's what drew me to the Beast in the first place. The craziness of bed hunting.
How about you? Pain is temporary, but where do you draw the line?
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
Opening rifle season a few years ago I planned to paddle up a river to a remote spot. Huge cold front blew in the night before. Opening morning temps were in the single digits with a stiff wind the windchill was below zero. River froze twenty or so feet out from the shores. It was dangerous getting in and out of the river. I didn't see any deer. I won't do that again.
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
Generally two scenarios:
1.) Decent probability I could die. Fall of a cliff, hypothermia, etc.
2.) It compromises the opportunity to hunt another day (e.g. sitting all day in freezing rain with the wrong outerwear on the first day of a 2 week hunt).
And the obvious. Family, friends, the lord, and work committments. It can be difficult to swallow but life needs balance to be sustainable.
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1.) Decent probability I could die. Fall of a cliff, hypothermia, etc.
2.) It compromises the opportunity to hunt another day (e.g. sitting all day in freezing rain with the wrong outerwear on the first day of a 2 week hunt).
And the obvious. Family, friends, the lord, and work committments. It can be difficult to swallow but life needs balance to be sustainable.
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- Dewey
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
I don't really draw a line as far effort goes but the more difficult access is my standards will steadily increase. Easy spot I would kill a 120" but some of my hardest spots I have passed on much bigger bucks waiting for a true monster. When I'm in deep and I know getting one out will be extremely difficult it's easy passing on an average bucks.
My best memories are hunting spots I swore I would never go back into again yet every year I am drawn back to them. Guess I just enjoy the punishment and hard physical work. As long as I am physically able to do it I won't be seeking out very easy spots to hunt anytime soon. Hunting pressure is my motivation to push in deep and I enjoy the solitude.
Recently I learned a very valuable lesson in hill country. Never ever descend a very steep ridge in the dark without a headlamp or flashlight. I almost walked right off a rocky outcropping with a 30ft drop. That would have been a bad day.
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My best memories are hunting spots I swore I would never go back into again yet every year I am drawn back to them. Guess I just enjoy the punishment and hard physical work. As long as I am physically able to do it I won't be seeking out very easy spots to hunt anytime soon. Hunting pressure is my motivation to push in deep and I enjoy the solitude.
Recently I learned a very valuable lesson in hill country. Never ever descend a very steep ridge in the dark without a headlamp or flashlight. I almost walked right off a rocky outcropping with a 30ft drop. That would have been a bad day.
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
Obviously life or limb type stuff would be a no....
But I'm like Dewey...as stuff becomes more difficult I increase the bar just because I didn't go through that to kill a 1.5yo I can shoot much closer to the truck...
I have a spot like that I'm hunting this week if conditions allow...it's in a very...VERY nasty tangled mess of multimodal rose and red brush...but it's in the bottom of essentially a box canyon...it's several hundred yards down hill into the hole..I really haven't figured out HOW I'm gunna get a deer out of there...years back my buddy farmed the fields and getting a truck or tractor close wouldnt been an issue..the new farmer changed some things and it's not gunna be easy...I already told myself I'm not shooting what I'd normally shoot down there...
Really haven't found anything that I've said "yep...looks great but I ain't hunting there".
I certainly ain't piling up a doe or a small buck in some of the places I hunt...
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But I'm like Dewey...as stuff becomes more difficult I increase the bar just because I didn't go through that to kill a 1.5yo I can shoot much closer to the truck...
I have a spot like that I'm hunting this week if conditions allow...it's in a very...VERY nasty tangled mess of multimodal rose and red brush...but it's in the bottom of essentially a box canyon...it's several hundred yards down hill into the hole..I really haven't figured out HOW I'm gunna get a deer out of there...years back my buddy farmed the fields and getting a truck or tractor close wouldnt been an issue..the new farmer changed some things and it's not gunna be easy...I already told myself I'm not shooting what I'd normally shoot down there...
Really haven't found anything that I've said "yep...looks great but I ain't hunting there".
I certainly ain't piling up a doe or a small buck in some of the places I hunt...
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
I am not getting soaked in the cold on my way there. I wouldnt last 20 minutes in the stand.
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
I do think I was a bit more care-free with my life before I had kids. Having a family has a way of draining the dumb*** out of a guy.
I will still do stuff that most apparently are not willing to, just make sure I am prepared. I used to jump in without thinking a lot more....and have the scars to prove it.
I will tell you what I think is crazy - somebody sitting in the same couple spots every weekend all season long and expecting to kill a big buck or even just sitting in a heated box blind all season long - why don't you just sit in your office and watch hunting shows instead!
I will still do stuff that most apparently are not willing to, just make sure I am prepared. I used to jump in without thinking a lot more....and have the scars to prove it.
I will tell you what I think is crazy - somebody sitting in the same couple spots every weekend all season long and expecting to kill a big buck or even just sitting in a heated box blind all season long - why don't you just sit in your office and watch hunting shows instead!
- cbay
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
No more sitting out the cold to the point i fear not being able to use my body to get down the tree.
Only ever had cotton clothing until last year and almost pushed it too far a couple times.
Only ever had cotton clothing until last year and almost pushed it too far a couple times.
Scout. Learn. Hunt
- whitetailassasin
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
I'm really thinking about this:
And my dead honest answer is this:
I've argued with the significant other about hunting too much, lost jobs, hiked in miles, boated miles, drug deer out on bikes, over my shoulder, on poles, in sleds, and once in a wheeled garbage can. I've blazed through cattail marshes, swam rivers in my underwear in December, too many soakers to name, missed trick or treating, faked being sick, made up enough excuses just to get out one more day, to be honest I've pretty much done it all for the opportunity at whitetail deer.
But as I've gotten older, work, family, kids, etc has grounded me in a good way. It's taught me balance and in return I believe my hunting has become better. Maybe not as often, but I like my odds. It's also made my home and personal life more fruitful and I believe every man needs that.
But man I did some wild crazy a** s*** way too many times....and just might again, how big was he again?
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And my dead honest answer is this:
I've argued with the significant other about hunting too much, lost jobs, hiked in miles, boated miles, drug deer out on bikes, over my shoulder, on poles, in sleds, and once in a wheeled garbage can. I've blazed through cattail marshes, swam rivers in my underwear in December, too many soakers to name, missed trick or treating, faked being sick, made up enough excuses just to get out one more day, to be honest I've pretty much done it all for the opportunity at whitetail deer.
But as I've gotten older, work, family, kids, etc has grounded me in a good way. It's taught me balance and in return I believe my hunting has become better. Maybe not as often, but I like my odds. It's also made my home and personal life more fruitful and I believe every man needs that.
But man I did some wild crazy a** s*** way too many times....and just might again, how big was he again?
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- IkemanTx
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
I learned a real lesson this year. Scouted a place that was so thick you had to machete paths to move more that 10 feet. There was chest high poison ivy all over the property, and it was 103°. With 70 oz of water, I still reached heat exhaustion within a few hours. Dizziness, exhaustion, irrational thought.... I won't go into property like that anymore. Period. That 300 acre chunk of public has been removed from my mind. It simply no longer exists to me.
Here is one of the cut "paths" through. For reference, the vines on the right and left are head high.
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Here is one of the cut "paths" through. For reference, the vines on the right and left are head high.
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Go where none other dare to go, and there you'll find success.
- headgear
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
I've been turned back a few times, it's usually the deep impassible muck or extra deep water that gets me to give up or some kind of trip that is just too dangerous. Two miles back one way is about my limit as well, not that I couldn't go further but I really don't need to do that to get on bucks. If I had rock solid intel about a buck further back I would go but the thing is you almost never get rock solid info about places that far back, even scouting doesn't really tell you enough, there would need to be some kind of visual confirmation, not easy to get way way back without making that trek.
- nor' easter
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
I'm with Joe on this one. I used to be fearless but I'm now married with a new baby. I won't risk life or limb, but other than that I guess the only situation that may give me pause is trying to get a moose out of a really remote area. My father-in-law assisted a brutal recovery this fall. They had to cut 2 miles of trail with axes and 1 chainsaw, 1/4 up the moose and pack it out on their backs all in pitch black. 6 guys and it took 7 hours... on second thought, I'd still pull the trigger on a nice bull...
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
I won't sit in a tree covered in poison ivy, I wouldn't walk through the snake and gator infested swamp the southern guys do but that's about it
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- stash59
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
All I can say is push yourself passed your limits while you can. With my health limiting what I can now do. I have several places I wished I would have pushed myself harder. To be able to say I made it there. Leave as many regrets behind you as possible.
JUST DO IT!!!!!!!
JUST DO IT!!!!!!!
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Re: What WOULDN'T you do?
I draw the line at paying for an outfitter. Thats the craziest thing to me.
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