What did you learn this year?

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
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Zona
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What did you learn this year?

Unread postby Zona » Wed Dec 21, 2016 3:27 pm

The great thing about hunting is we are all learning something new to use in future seasons. What did you learn this year that will make you a better hunter in the future. I learned that many of my areas are very time sensitive. Sign that I thought was rut related is actually early season sign. Areas that I thought I should wait on should be hunted the first week of the season. My notes and trail cam picks have given me the intel to make this educated decision.


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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby BowHusker » Wed Dec 21, 2016 3:40 pm

I learned that I must scout better! Both for deer and for tree's to hang in. I spent more time in my best areas searching for a tree than I did looking for deer lol.

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Dewey
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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby Dewey » Wed Dec 21, 2016 3:49 pm

This year learning how to hunt and be succesful in hill country was huge for me. This opens my eyes to so much opportunity in areas I have never hunted before. Nothing is more fun than learning and applying new tactics.

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tgreeno
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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby tgreeno » Wed Dec 21, 2016 3:53 pm

This year I learned...You can never have too many spots! I need to scout harder after the season and in the spring. My goal is to have twice as many spots next year as I did this year!
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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby mspaci » Wed Dec 21, 2016 4:51 pm

what tegreeno said, its late season & im out of ideas.
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Lockdown
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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby Lockdown » Wed Dec 21, 2016 5:16 pm

I learned that I spread myself too thin while scouting this spring. It did help me learn, but prepping 20 some new sets was overkill. I would have been better off getting to know a couple of my best areas even better.

Quality over quantity in 2017!

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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby mauser06 » Wed Dec 21, 2016 5:24 pm

I need to change the way I shoot deer is probably my biggest take away.



I have many. But that's the most important. You can be on big bucks all day. If you mess up the shot all the prep leading upto it is meaningless.

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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby seazofcheeze » Wed Dec 21, 2016 10:30 pm

1. Shoot the first deer that meets my pre-season goals even if there are a few bigger ones around, might not get another chance.
2. Gained a lot confidence in my hill country scouting.
3. the timing of when one bedding area is used
4. Learned a lot about another new property through observation, hunting, and 3 months of trail camera Intel
5. Learned a giant Kansas buck can pinpoint the exact tree a snort wheeze came from and come in downwind...that lesson still hurts.
6. Learned I want more trail cameras.
7. I don't think I can hunt more than 3 states a year and be effective at this point in my hunting career.

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HoosierG5
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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby HoosierG5 » Wed Dec 21, 2016 10:53 pm

Where not to hunt!

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cedarsavage
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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby cedarsavage » Thu Dec 22, 2016 1:14 am

Lots
1. Still hunting and snow tracking are viable options in low densities. This allows me to cover more ground hit multiple bedding areas or scrape lines in one day.
2. Getting a handle on the proper pace for the above, sometimes you have to speed through areas that probably don't have any deer in them. This was difficult to grasp coming from hunting high density the last five years but some places in big woods literally just do not hold deer with any consistency.
3. In my area food has equal importance to bedding great security cover here, is worthless without a good food source
4. In season scouting is huge, in lower Michigan I was afraid of doing to much in season scouting because the deer were so cautious of humans, here they're very skiddish but ground scent doesn't necessarily ruin a spot
5. I need more cameras, really hard to keep track of deer in big woods without cameras
6. Quality over quantity. In 2017 if I don't have pictures telling me to hunt I'm not going to hunt, I'll scout/still hunt until I'm getting daylight pics. This season I hunted a lot early and at one point went about 3weeks without seeing a deer and was burnt to a crisp by the time the rut came around, I had a hard time paying attention, sitting still and making stealthy approaches. Here December is better than October anyway
7. "Gang set" scrape lines. I'm gonna prep trees for every wind so when an area is hot I can put the pressure on it several days in a row regardless of wind and hunt til the buck makes his swing through. Deer rarely hit the same places daily here so I'm gonna put the pressure on til I'm satisfied I'm not gonna kill him
8. After reading Bill Vaznis book on still hunting I decided to setup one of my trad bows for still hunting probably with a sight, because it seems finger shooting will allow quicker, quieter nocking of an arrow and shooting
9. I knew this before season but I got a back tension release and I'm gonna learn to shoot it, because I need to improve my shooting
10. I'm gonna do an out of state hunt in 17 because I think I'd drive myself crazy only hunting big woods. Probably first week of November so I'll be optimistic when I get back

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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby SEMObowhunter » Thu Dec 22, 2016 1:22 am

I learned a lot this season. Scout much more than I hunt, but also know need to learn the areas I plan on hunting more in depth. So this is a double edged sword. I need several good spots, but not too many. 5 - 10 areas is the number I'm shooting for. Another lesson is getting high in the tree is not always the best option, and to stay persistent on a buck when the time is right. Wait for the right time to strike, but then stay after him, especially during the rut. I learned I need some equipment upgrades and modifications also. Not necessarily new things, just ditching some old stuff and acquiring some different clothes and gear for hunting 100% mobile. Good year although no buck kill with a bow. Saw the one buck I was after and passed up several. Very limited hunting time but have been scouting hard since Thanksgiving and already on the way to next year.
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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby cedarsavage » Thu Dec 22, 2016 1:32 am

seazofcheeze wrote:1. Shoot the first deer that meets my pre-season goals even if there are a few bigger ones around, might not get another chance.
2. Gained a lot confidence in my hill country scouting.
3. the timing of when one bedding area is used
4. Learned a lot about another new property through observation, hunting, and 3 months of trail camera Intel
5. Learned a giant Kansas buck can pinpoint the exact tree a snort wheeze came from and come in downwind...that lesson still hurts.
6. Learned I want more trail cameras.
7. I don't think I can hunt more than 3 states a year and be effective at this point in my hunting career.

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Do you mind elaborating on #7 I was thinking of doing 3 states in '17 but I'm pretty well set on 2 now. I'm curious to hear all the pitfalls of 3.

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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Thu Dec 22, 2016 1:37 am

I still suck @ mature buck hunting in NH.

There are better opportunities for mature bucks elsewhere.

I'm aging, achy and heavier, which helps enable my distances to penetrate properties.

I'm happiest being self-employed.

I appreciate things more than I ever have and let the small stuff go easier...

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Mibowfreak
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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby Mibowfreak » Thu Dec 22, 2016 1:47 am

When the sign is telling you to hunt a particular spot, even if it isn't what you consider a "great" spot, hunt it!! It can pay off.
Rich M
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Re: What did you learn this year?

Unread postby Rich M » Thu Dec 22, 2016 1:49 am

Biggest thing I learned is that deer can and do smell where a "scent-free" guy in scent-free rubber boots walked across a field of ankle high grass. :shock: Same for a pine needle strewn tote trail in the woods... :shifty:

Other than that, this stuff is just starting to sink in. Gonna need some more time and opportunity to put it into practice.


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