Getting better?

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Are you getting better at hunting big bucks?

Yes
114
83%
NO. Getting worse
7
5%
Staying the same
17
12%
 
Total votes: 138
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SD_Bowhunter
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby SD_Bowhunter » Tue Jun 12, 2018 1:53 am

I voted yes.
Beast style terrain: Farmland
I first started reading about the beast style hunting tactics 3 years ago. The first year I did not implement and stuck with my traditional hunting style. The next spring I started scouting for buck beds trying to find bedding in several cattail swamps. I found a few beds, but nothing that indicated primary bedding.

This past year I really saw a huge increase and felt like it finally clicked. I started looking for small pockets of isolated cover within a half-mile or so of larger shelter belts and pockets of trees that hold large numbers of does. Most of the beds I found made so much sense once I started looking at the bigger picture. These small groups of thick brush and small saplings out in the middle of CRP fields or next to small sloughs in the middle of CRP always seemed to produce beds. I can now pretty quickly identify potential bedding from an aerial map.

This will be the first season that I actually implement beast style hunting. I plan on spending the early part of the season leading up the the rut hunting these suspected primary bedding area. I plan on documenting each hunt and posting my results/lessons learned throughout the coming season. I have found videos and map showing the set up and what it looks like from the ground can be very helpful to new beasts trying to learn what to look for.


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wickedbruiser
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby wickedbruiser » Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:43 am

The wealth of knowledge here has played a tremendous role in becoming a better hunter. Started really dedicating my time towards bow hunting in 2011 after graduating from college and joined the Beast in the summer of 2014. Since then, it has become a game changer. I'm happy to say I feel that I'm getting better each year. Big part of it is getting "smarter". The will to learn and be the best you can year in and out.
Rich M
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby Rich M » Tue Jun 12, 2018 3:04 am

I put staying the same.

Bunch of different factors - hate hunting in FL - hot, sweaty, buggy, did I say hot & sweaty. Just want to shoot legal deer but not willing to put in all the sweat to figure them out.

If I could hunt somewhere and not sweat to death, I'd be more inclined to scout, hunt more, etc. I do like hunting in GA but the lease prices are getting too high and folks too competitive for my lease and hunt 2 or 3 weekends approach.

Just not willing to put in a vast amount of effort for a 100# deer in a state where 100 inches gets you into the buck registry. Then you get the quota permits and preference point stuff - can only hunt most nearby areas every 2,3 or more years. Lots of excuses

I do understand a lot more - thanks to the Beast. The reward doesn't justify the work in this area - so I continue to goof along and hunt some but not with the "hunger" many folks do.
jhpa
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby jhpa » Tue Jun 12, 2018 3:09 am

Yes. I'm starting from scratch as a big buck hunter. Nothing to show for it...yet. But, my hunting career thus far was sit and hope a big buck walked by that day. So after just a single spring of scouting and thinking and learning from the beast, I'd say my chances have improved.
ChasingFLATS86
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby ChasingFLATS86 » Tue Jun 12, 2018 6:59 am

I'm getting better. My sightings+kills were more of the right place at the right time and fat and few between. i only seen 1 mature buck last year but he was right were he was supposed to be, I actually seen him stand up out of his bed. If it wasn't for the beast style of hunting I would not have seen anything mature all year.
God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth. That means we should listen twice as much as we talk.
First Sit
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby First Sit » Tue Jun 12, 2018 9:33 am

Improving every year and probably will until I stop hunting. I don't think anyone stops improving as long as you put the effort in and try and learn as much as you can with the time you spend in the outdoors.
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Ghost Hunter
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby Ghost Hunter » Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:17 pm

I really have to say some years things just seem to fall together. But, some years it just don't feel right. But, do feel like after joining this forum. I am more in game.
I'm reason they call it hunting and not shooting.
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cantfoou
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Location: Orange/Sullivan County NY
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby cantfoou » Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:33 pm

dan wrote:For me, my results are getting worse, but Im still getting better... Its a matter of how you measure better. Im hunting and scouting for myself less than in my younger years, Im giving up on very remote almost kill you to get to spots, worrying more about friends and family than kills, but Im still improving on my knowledge base. At least I like to think so... A few months ago I ran into an article that was just awesome and had some great tactics in it. I new the guy had to be a beast by the way it was written so I looked up to see the author and it was me :shock: Wrote many many years ago... Seems I can teach myself now. :think:


You got a link to that article??? Haha
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carmmond
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby carmmond » Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:39 pm

Worse for me..... At 52yrs I have both a 6 and 3yr old and my wife limit’s my hunting time big time. No more week trips let alone a weekend without feeling guilty. Heck hours call for pay back in time for her. But she does love the venison and I hear about it when I get skunked. I would love to hunt public but I find it difficult in locating something that has some kind of parking. I'm in Waukesha County and I see some spots on the DNR's webpage I want to check out but you can’t park on any roads around it without paddling 5 miles away from your vehicle.
Just used to going up on the farm 2.75hrs away and being happy…. But them days are long gone!
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magicman54494
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby magicman54494 » Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:23 pm

Im getting better. Physically I am past my prime but I have improved in other ways that more than offset the physical aspect.

Mentally, I am relaxed but focused. This keeps me alert and sharp without burning out. Staying loose allows me to make wise choices. There is a "zone" we can get into where things just seem to go right.

Another key to my improvement is all the knowledge I have gained over the years. I learned a lot from the members of this site. I also can not emphasize enough the knowledge I have gained by tracking mature bucks.

This is kinda counterintuitive but I dont care as much if I get a buck. You would think that would negatively affect my success but just the opposite has happened. This is real hard to explain. I still am driven to succeed but I dont feel the pressure if things arent going my way.
GoInLight
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby GoInLight » Wed Jun 13, 2018 10:41 am

I think I’m improving, but still have a ways to go. Its hard to explain but I feel like I’m working smarter instead of harder. Doing a lot of the grunt work from my recliner is nice. Then when I go into an area to hunt, im pretty confident what I’m looking for and what I want to set up on. Being mobile and reading hot sign are the things I guess that have helped me the most.
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Wannabelikedan
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby Wannabelikedan » Wed Jun 13, 2018 4:21 pm

I managed to do a few things right in my years prior to the beast and put a few solid bucks down. I still had years where I struggled and ate tags as a result of still not knowing how to tie everything together. Finding the beast and learning about how bucks bed was a light switch. Not saying I instantly knew it all then but man has it opened my eyes to why I was "successful" and where I failed in the past. It also gave me the confidence to venture out and hunt public ground. So yes, I am getting better, but the thirst for knowledge is still great.
Teaching is only demonstrating that it is possible.... Learning is making it possible for yourself.
tim
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby tim » Thu Jun 14, 2018 2:08 am

I think so . But you can never stop getting better I feel. For quite a few years now I’ve been making a list of bucks I will kill and those I won’t and with that I’ve been getting better
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flinginairos
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby flinginairos » Thu Jun 14, 2018 2:37 am

Looking back five year ago I am way WAY better than I was then. I relied on the rut and a lot of luck to tag a 2.5 year old every year. I was learning for sure but I was missing some important stuff. When I discovered this site and started soaking up everything I read on here the lightbulb went off and the last two years have been amazing. I by no means have this stuff figured out and hope I never do. I love learning new things every year and it drives me to push harder. The biggest difference for me now is having a calculated plan on almost every hunt. I don't go out hoping to luck into a nice buck, I go out thinking "today I will get him!". If it doesn't work out I know i'm one step closer to success. Just when I thought I couldn't get more excited about bowhunting I find the Beast and it kicked it up to a whole new level :lol:
AndyRoo
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Re: Getting better?

Unread postby AndyRoo » Thu Jun 14, 2018 2:42 am

Definitely getting better after finding the hunting beast. My encounters with larger bucks are 100% better. Just gotta work on picking the right spots and get a little closer to seal the deal.


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