What part of the hunting process are you least confident in?

[Lockdown]

Picking the right spot (kill location) with out a doubt for me.
I have seen at least 2 of my target bucks every season for the past 3 years. Sometimes the spots have me catching a glimpse and others it’s a matter of yards. Often I catch myself saying, “yup I knew I should of gone to that tree” and others I just chalk it up to deer just doing deer things.

With very limited time to hunt this upcoming season I am taking on the “either I kill him or I get busted” mentality. Hopefully that’s the aggressive move I need.

Often I catch myself saying, “yup I knew I should of gone to that tree” --tbunao

It sounds like you're developing your instinct. You had a thought that the "other" tree was better. Those close calls teach us the fine little details, the small things that end up factoring in success vs failure. It's hard to trust that gut instinct sometimes. I don't even question it anymore. When I get those feelings I go for it and don't over analyze. Sometimes I'm right and sometimes I'm wrong but It feels like my judgement is always improving.

Being wrong is the best way to improve if you analyze it. At first I would be down on myself but eventually I learned how to break down what I did wrong just as effectively as breaking down an area. We as hunters get more chances at breaking down the bad than good but I feel a lot just chalk it up as a lose and move on. I think having a short memory a term they so often use in sports helps.

It’s a tough balance between trusting your scouting and trusting your gut. The woods are constantly changing daily and so should we. For me personally I’ve had more success going in blind than pre scouted area and that’s just due to no pre determined set tree so the gut instinct and woodsmanship are key factors.

Good post rr7

I couldn’t agree more

I’ve learned to trust my instincts over the years. I can honestly say I’ve never regretted making a bold move if my gut has told me to do so. Have I screwed those situations up? Absolutely. More often than not. But those moves have also resulted in kills too. On the flip side, I can’t think of one situation where going against my gut feeling (playing it safe) worked in my favor

I really like Tim’s point of trusting your scouting. It’s sooo important. Confidence is huge.

Also, there’s a huge difference between trusting your gut and going for it, and going for it because you’re frustrated. I’ve done both.

The talk about over analyzing is also spot on. I still have trouble with this at times, but have learned to block out all the questions, come up with a game plan, and swing for the fence. There is a huge difference between doubt and keeping an open mind. When you are open minded yet confident, great things will happen. If you’re trying to analyze everything but let the unknowns get to you, you’re probably in for a rough hunt. It’s tough to stay on top of your game if you’re questioning things while sneaking in.

Come up with a game plan, then execute it.

[Lockdown]

I think I need the most work on the shot. I’ve done well lately. The last buck I didn’t find was the stare down mulie out in SD. My arms were super tired from holding at full draw but I still feel I should have made the shot.

I don’t have any issues picking kill trees, but I do feel I need to improve on picking the bedding areas I hunt. Specifically WHEN I hunt them. I just don’t see the consistent use that I want.