Plans change....

[Lastcast#1]

Just a random thought I decided to post..

Its good to have a plan..I try to have one..Well, I try to have many..Plan a, b,c,d ...! Plans of attack are based on previous and current scouting as well as previous and current experiences while hunting..2 years experience..I have worked hard, like everyone on the beast does..

So yeah I had 30 new trees ready to roll for this fall..Spots for all types of wind weather, and times of year..

Its funny how plans change on a dime once the season begins..Heck, once a hunt begins..My plan was to rotate thru many of these spots...I bet I only hunted 6 or seven of those trees I physically prepped..

The Beast..Man have I learned a lot here..Often times I may have only moved 15 yards..Other times a hundred yards or more. Why? sign..real time sign..The presence of sign, or even the lack of it, can be enough intel to result in the plan changing..

I imagine for some its hard to deviate from " the plan"..Lets face it I am greener than green compared to most on this site..But if there is anything I have learned, it is allow yourself to be malable. Deviate from the " plan " if your gut is telling you to do so..Post after post on here exhibits why it is so important..You see more deer and have more opportunities..

Above has been my experience.I leave for a hunt with a plan..That plan can change.....

Regards

Chad

[ Post made via Android ]

[mauser06]

You're right on.


Even if you don't scout your tail off and locate actually buck beds....staying mobile is huge. I learned that the hard way.


It's probably human nature to see a good buck or a decent amount of deer from a spot and hunt the place till even the squirrels are spooked.


Hunting hot sign can be great...but I have spots (rut spots) I know if the sign is thick I missed it.


I've done some mobile hunts with NO plan...just knowledge of the area and walking the transition edge with the stand on my back.

It goes several ways...see good sign and hunt it and have a great hunt..see great sign and hunt it and for whatever reason not a great hunt...find no good sign and scout.


There's a certain confidence you have to have...it takes time to acquire. Atleast for me it has. It's hard to leave the comfort of a few spots you know you'll see some deer for spots you've never hunted.

I can't think of a hunt I've hunted based on beast style tactics and didn't have a good hunt. I'm to the point I can usually walk right to buck beds.

I'm still slow on the confidence of just going all in. But getting there...

My scouting is effective. My hunts have been productive. But I still sometimes feel like it's a giant risk to burn a day of hunting on a spot I never hunted.


I gotta get over that...the only way to find out if it's worth hunting is to give it a chance...if the scouting says it's worth hunting it deserves a couple fair chance sits...


Just a mental thing for me. But I'm getting there..

[ Post made via Android ]

[Ol'DanBoone]

Wow, mauser. Why do you think its hard for you to get past that???? Im always ecstatic to hunt a new spot. For me, i just cant wait to see how right(or wrong) i was in analysing that spot. Im the opposite, new spot...cant have enough. Lol

[ Post made via Android ]

[dan]

Sticking to the plan can be both good and bad... Following your gut and chasing new leads has always been productive. But its always a kick in the guts to go scouting after season and find the spot you had planned to hunt ripped up by something huge. You got only so many days in a season. You gotta take your best chance each sit and waste none... Always blows my mind when a guy wanting to kill big bucks talks about hunting a "doe" stand. You can always shoot a doe while buck hunting. Why waste a sit. Every one needs to count till the tag is filled.

As far as low confidence in new spots, new spots have always been my best producers. Catch the big boys off guard. Even the "crazy" spots where someone would look at you like your nuts have done real well for me. The biggest confidence boost for me in hunting new spots is to look at the area and break it down into small manageable sections then hunt the best location in each section knowing the buck is in there hiding in one of those sections and eventually you will cross paths.

[Edcyclopedia]

Fresh sign trumps historical data for me...

Giving yourself enough time to adjust and improvise will likely pay dividends.

The majority of my best deer have been due to improvising; things like:
- Others vehicles or stands in the vicinity.
- Lack of sign.
- Deer sightings.
- During "neighborhood" hunts having people in their yards, not wanting to alert my presence.
- Forgetting ammo in wrong jacket, going home to retrieve with less time available, so I'd hit a closer opportunity.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Rich M]

Sticking to the plan can be both good and bad... Always blows my mind when a guy wanting to kill big bucks talks about hunting a "doe" stand. You can always shoot a doe while buck hunting. Why waste a sit. Every one needs to count till the tag is filled.

I did just this - put the kid and my father in the doe stands, shot a doe out of a buck stand, and overall saw less than everyone else - trying to get it done.

Gut instinct is huge for me. It has made a diff in both hunting and fishing. Gotta listen to that little voice.