What could I be doing wrong?!?

[Blakebry123]

Could I be missing something here? So I have this nice buck on camera at 815pm, 30 minutes after legal shooting hours. So I pushed in about 100 yards and setup to hunt. That day, all I saw was a doe that came through about 730. So time frame wise I could probably push in more to get a shot. So I'm left to assume I'm not exactly in his core area and he probably comes through there every so often. There's a ton of tracks leading in and out of where I setup. What would you guys do to drop the big one? He's an 11 point about 150-160 on public lands, so I'm really trying to drop him before rifle season starts. I've made sure I move in playing the winds and keep away from where he could cross my path and pick up a scent trail. Thanks for any advice!!

[northeast beast]

sounds like you got it right...it's a game of inches. I struggle at times when I hammer the beast info and podcasts and throw a hill country bedding dvd watch in there and I basically get so mind wrapped thinking I have it all perfect and the first time in is the kill and even when we do it all right it takes some time or the deer are notthere .I'm enjouing reading dan's hunting journal it is reminding me that it is hard to make it happen evend on the best days...keep at it and keep working hard it i's worth it. Don't let your mind get you to jammed up.

[Youngbuck1993]

Have you compared historical weather and wind direction to your trail cam pictures? It is possible that he is only using that trail/bedding area with a certain wind direction.

[Jhand]

You could have done everything right and he just wasn't bedded there that day.

[tgreeno]

That's why they call it hunting!

Maybe he just wasn't home? Someone else bumped him out? The wind or weather conditions were wrong? He saw or heard you? They are many variables that make bed hunting a low percentage deal. You may fail 9 out of 10 hunts. You only need one hunt to make it happen!

[Blakebry123]

I appreciate he quick replies!! So according to wunderground, he seems to love easterly winds and came through there with rising barometric pressure at 30.21. The only variable I didn't have yesterday was the rising pressure. So maybe the day before the next storm front I'll hit the spot. It's so hard to stay out of there and not put too much pressure on him. It looks like a crappy place to hunt because it looks like a landfill on the map. But he's walking through an old vehicle trail cutting through there that hasn't been used in a while. It's a really great spot but I'm pretty sure since it looks like a landfill I've been the only guy hunting it. Trying to look at it like chess, not checkers haha.

[Tennhunter3]

That's why they call it hunting!

Maybe he just wasn't home? Someone else bumped him out? The wind or weather conditions were wrong? He saw or heard you? They are many variables that make bed hunting a low percentage deal. You may fail 9 out of 10 hunts. You only need one hunt to make it happen!

Great post!