Efficient Killers?

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


First Sit
Posts: 209
Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2018 12:45 pm
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby First Sit » Tue Jan 01, 2019 6:26 am

I think this is an important topic because a lot of us fall into the limited time category. I never stop learning and there's more than one way to skin a buck. No doubt I can be more successful if I had more time to hunt but instead of blaming lack of hunting time for tag soup making the best with what you got is the best solution. I have definitely left some bucks on the table due to lack of time to chase em. Also for those looking down on 2.5 yr old bucks I wouldnt I've got a 2.5 yr old 11pt that scores better than the 4.5 9pt I shot last year.
Last edited by First Sit on Tue Jan 01, 2019 6:29 am, edited 1 time in total.


ETNyates15
Posts: 94
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2014 3:11 am
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby ETNyates15 » Tue Jan 01, 2019 6:29 am

Ridgerunner7 wrote:I like this topic, not because of any competitiveness but becauseI think most guys want to be more efficient because they value other things other than hunting and prioritizing family. They just want to maximize their limited time in the woods.

Like Dan mentioned earlier, I think a period of being obsessed and consumed with finding and hunting big bucks is almost a prerequisite for a really long term consistent success. I was just as he described for many many years. 5/6 days a week all year long. Fortunately it was before I was married or had kids. I would say I’m still completely obsessed with it. If I’m not spending time with the family, coaching basketball, or at work I’m doing something hunting related that will improve my success.

I will say I do have limited time to hunt but I definitely still hunt. I got out more this year than I have in the last five seasons. My road trips are what is mostly limited to 2-4 days excursions.

I’m working on an article about this topic right now but here is the short version gist of what has been helpful for me.

Scouting more than you hunt and all year long. You have to know your hunting ground intimately and ideally over the span of a year locate several quality deer to focus on. This will be very important to maintain efficiency once the season actually starts. No replacement for this.

Timing your hunts in a particular area when you have the best chance of success. This takes years of hunting to see a trend. Utilize sightings, trail camera data, when the buck sign picks up. Analyze it over a long term and a picture of when this area has the highest potential should materialize.

Learning as much as you can about those individual deer. Favorite travel routes, track size, when they tend to be in certain areas and historical patterns. What’s their weakness? Where are the most vulnerable ? When are the most vulnerable ? Is the move to dive in and be aggressive? Or is the move to sit back and wait until they move further in daylight. All of this needs to be analyzed and considered. You will get better at figuring this stuff out over time.

Staying mobile and first sits. We all know this yet we all fall short from time to time at implementing. With many areas scouted and a decent number of bucks to go after. You need to be smart and hunt those bucks when the conditions and timing are perfect. At the same time you need to recognize those locations and opportunities where you CAN get multiple sets. Maybe your access is through a river and all you have to do you do is climb up over the edge and you are at your tree. I have several spots across multiple states where you can get away with several hunts in a row when the wind is right. If you can time it right when the bucks are moving you are all but guaranteed a shot at a good one. They are difficult to find but recognizing those spots are really important. Aside from that those first time sits are like gold. Say you’re scouting yielded 4 locations where you had very high confidence, you were patient and hunted them the first time when everything was perfect. Now say the next guy’s scouting yielded 20 of those locations where he felt super confident and waited for the perfect wind and conditions to hunt?

Being flexible with your hunt timing. I don’t know how many bucks I’ve been able to get on just because my time is somewhat flexible. Yes I have to work and yes I won’t miss family obligations but for the most part I can hunt within an hour of my house any night during the week on a moments notice if I get the right info I need to kill a buck. This isn’t possibly for many guys.

Finding places close to home. This might mean sacrificing quality like in my case but I can still hunt decently quality deer around the home which gives me more opportunity. Consequently these are the areas I know best.

Midday during the rut. How many guys actually do this? I’ve killed an abnormally high percentage of my rut bucks right in the middle of the day including many of my biggest rut bucks. By not doing it I’d say your knocking your rut efficiency down 30-40%

Being good at everything. Not just beast style hunting, not just rut hunting but everything. Ground hunting, still hunting, spot and stalk, decoying, calling, etc. I want to be great at it all and work at it improving my weaknesses. I had multiple shots opportunities this year from the ground. One with the decoy, 2 spot and stalk , one ambush style, and one still hunting. All on pope and young caliber animals in heavy pressures areas. Different situations call for different tactics and recognizing that and having the confidence to apply it takes time but is a big advantage in being efficient

A lot of guys struggle with calling in deer because they are setting themselves up for failure from the start. Never attempt to call in a buck to a spot that he can see from distance. Certain set ups are more conducive to it. Sometimes you have to let the buck actually walk out of sight before calling him in. Your chances go way up if you’re trying to call a buck into an area that he can’t visually check.

Shooting. I am overly obsessed with my archery and train like a target archer. After a 77% recovery rate on bow hunting shots I decided that that wasn’t nearly good enough and chose to do the work to take it to a whole different level. I learned about bow tuning, bow forgiveness, micro tuning to get the most forgiving set up I can possibly achieve. Tweaked constantly for the best accuracy I could achieve. I learned how to shoot with an unanticipated release which completely eliminated all my target panic and buck fever. I was able to work up to extreme long ranges (well over 100 yards) and hold really good accuracy. The only reason I did this was because I wanted to be more efficient at shooting deer 40 yards and in. How much more efficient would you be if you felt comfortable shooting deer at 30, 40, 50 yards if all the conditions were good enough? I’m not trying to promote long distance bow hunting at all but there are guys out there that have put in an incredible amount of work where those distances feels like a chip shot. I know so many guys who get multiple shot opportunities every year on big bucks that just can’t seem to consistently put a good shot on them. They miss, hit a twig, wound. I think it’s a big issue for many hunters even experienced ones that never really address it properly.

Having your equipment dialed in. Quiet equipment, being efficient with it and having confidence to be mobile is huge in becoming a more efficient hunter. Knowing where all your stuff is right when you need it to avoid missing an opportunity. I could go on and on about this topic .

Trusting your gut. This takes time to develop but I always recommend trusting your gut and going for whatever your instincts tell you. Overtime they constantly re-calculate with your failures and successes. Eventually you instincts become more in tune with the situation and will be more spot on.

I agree with what Dan said. It takes a level of obsessiveness that most guys probably don’t have. I don’t want to speak for others but I think for myself and probably a few other guys that seem to do ok is that they don’t choose to be obsessed to this level, it’s just what they do and who they are. It’s not work for me to scout constantly, always searching for the next deer and scouting new ground. It’s just what I do and what I love to do. Like PK said. Time is going to be spent somewhere. I enjoy spreading it out over the year so I’m not hunting constantly during the season. That seems harder on me and family. Some guys choose to take
4-6 weeks of vacation all during hunting and knock down some big bucks through persistent time in the woods.

With all of that being said I know there are a lot of young guys on here with aspirations of building this incredible wall of big bucks but I will say this. I don’t think any of the many many big buck killers on this sight would recommend this level of obsessiveness. It will no doubt take away from other aspects of your life including some family time. I think you would probably be a better person with a more well-rounded life by not being so obsessed over one thing. I do think there is a balance that can be had if you can always keep your priorities right and you can still have some great adventures and kills in the deer woods.


Andy -Thanks man, great synopsis here! Really appreciate the thoughts. Lot to digest here.
ETNyates15
Posts: 94
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2014 3:11 am
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby ETNyates15 » Tue Jan 01, 2019 6:31 am

First Sit wrote:I think this is an important topic because a lot of us fall into the limited time category. I never stop learning and there's more than one way to skin a buck. No doubt I can be more successful if I had more time to hunt but instead of blaming lack of hunting time for tag soup making the best with what you got is the best solution. I have definitely left some bucks on the table due to lack of time to chase em. Also for those looking down on 2.5 yr old bucks I wouldnt I've got a 2.5 yr old 11pt that scores better than the 4.5 9pt I shot last year.


This is exactly what I wanted to explore in this thread. Of course I want to hunt 365 and scout 365 and everything but just looking at the other side of the coin really and seeing what people are doing that they think works. Not looking for short cuts or private land excuses just looking for good information that works for people in the field.
User avatar
NYBackcountry
500 Club
Posts: 918
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 3:22 am
Location: Upstate NY
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby NYBackcountry » Tue Jan 01, 2019 6:36 am

PK_ wrote:
Bowhunting Brian wrote:I don't get this thread. The o.p. answered his own question in one of his posts. Scouting more than hunting with two examples of hunters he mentioned.


Just my opinion but...

I think if you scout more than you hunt, it’s hard for me to see the ‘efficiency’ in that scenario.

If you want true top end mature public land bucks you need to get efficiency out of your mind. Ok, not completely out of your mind, but you have to accept that it will take tons of time. Whether it is time scouting, glassing, cams, shining, hunting, whatever, it is all time spent in the pursuit... All that work on the front end can and should mitigate the amount of time needed actually hunting to get the job done but all of that scouting time counts IMO. (At least I know my wife and kids wouldn’t differentiate between scouting and hunting time spent away.)

If you want real efficiency you need to get very good at reading maps and staying away from unproductive areas without having to walk it all. You also need to be ok with targeting 3.5+ and ok with the fact that with no scouting, cams or glassing, you will end up killing some 2.5s. That’s just reality.

It sounds very basic but it all boils down to knowing where to hunt and when.

I think what Dan and Joe did on the public land challenge would be the epitome of an example of being efficient. No boot scouting, read the map, walk in to a new spot and break it down within a few days.

When you have done this for years you collect lots of great spots and you can become more efficient that way too...


I couldn't agree more. If I remember correctly, Dan and Joe spent a day (?) give or take in the first spot near camp. They immediately recognized what they were looking for was not there, leveraged some contacts and moved on to an area they figured would be hot for the given time of year. There is a big lesson there, stay and hunt the hill country where there is food all over, or drive to isolate food sources given the limited time frame.
First Sit
Posts: 209
Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2018 12:45 pm
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby First Sit » Tue Jan 01, 2019 7:04 am

Ridgerunner7 wrote:
With all of that being said I know there are a lot of young guys on here with aspirations of building this incredible wall of big bucks but I will say this. I don’t think any of the many many big buck killers on this sight would recommend this level of obsessiveness. It will no doubt take away from other aspects of your life including some family time. I think you would probably be a better person with a more well-rounded life by not being so obsessed over one thing. I do think there is a balance that can be had if you can always keep your priorities right and you can still have some great adventures and kills in the deer woods.


This is something that isn't discussed much. I have an obsession with hunting and its put a lot of stress on my relationship with my wife. I used to live in the woods I put it before everything school, work, friends, family, my relationship with my wife. Once things got serious with my wife and having a daughter I wanted to also focus on my family as well and I've shifted a lot more towards a balance of family and hunting. Im still I guess young only 30 but even now with backing off a lot it still puts stress on my relationship. My wife tells me it's not a 3 month hobby its 365 days and she's right. She also knows I'm always thinking about it planning researching scouting etc. I've started doing a lot less other things hobby wise so I can focus my available free time on hunting. It's a tough balance and you need to have a good women to put up with it.
ETNyates15
Posts: 94
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2014 3:11 am
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby ETNyates15 » Tue Jan 01, 2019 7:19 am

First Sit wrote:
Ridgerunner7 wrote:
With all of that being said I know there are a lot of young guys on here with aspirations of building this incredible wall of big bucks but I will say this. I don’t think any of the many many big buck killers on this sight would recommend this level of obsessiveness. It will no doubt take away from other aspects of your life including some family time. I think you would probably be a better person with a more well-rounded life by not being so obsessed over one thing. I do think there is a balance that can be had if you can always keep your priorities right and you can still have some great adventures and kills in the deer woods.


This is something that isn't discussed much. I have an obsession with hunting and its put a lot of stress on my relationship with my wife. I used to live in the woods I put it before everything school, work, friends, family, my relationship with my wife. Once things got serious with my wife and having a daughter I wanted to also focus on my family as well and I've shifted a lot more towards a balance of family and hunting. Im still I guess young only 30 but even now with backing off a lot it still puts stress on my relationship. My wife tells me it's not a 3 month hobby its 365 days and she's right. She also knows I'm always thinking about it planning researching scouting etc. I've started doing a lot less other things hobby wise so I can focus my available free time on hunting. It's a tough balance and you need to have a good women to put up with it.


One of the wisest people I know told me if you have more than 3 priorities in life you have no priorities. Meaning you can't focus on more than that many things at once. A lot of us try to have too many hobbies or activities and forget that we need to focus on few things in the moment and continually rethink and maneuver those priorities as things change in our life. I always try to keep my perspective on no more than 3 things in life and sometimes that is making hard sacrifices of things I love to do. Not that this is for everyone but with mine being my relationship with God, my family, and my businesses, sometimes my hunting time in this season of life gets limited.
User avatar
treeroot
500 Club
Posts: 1199
Joined: Wed Nov 08, 2017 2:55 pm
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby treeroot » Tue Jan 01, 2019 7:21 am

You can't replace experience, whether it's scouting, shooting, access or actual stand locations. I

Setting realistic expectations is another one. Can't hunt what doesn't exist. Is killing a 2.5 year old good enough for your experience level/ allotted time available?

Limited hunting time for me would also equate to being very aggressive. From reading on here I think most people that travel hunt differently than they do at home. They aggressively scout and push in further faster than normal. If they blow it out they move to the next location then the next and so on. With limited time I think it's a series of experience driven go for broke hunts.
User avatar
Ridgerunner7
500 Club
Posts: 1486
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2010 5:34 am
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby Ridgerunner7 » Tue Jan 01, 2019 7:24 am

treeroot wrote:You can't replace experience, whether it's scouting, shooting, access or actual stand locations. I

Setting realistic expectations is another one. Can't hunt what doesn't exist. Is killing a 2.5 year old good enough for your experience level/ allotted time available?

Limited hunting time for me would also equate to being very aggressive. From reading on here I think most people that travel hunt differently than they do at home. They aggressively scout and push in further faster than normal. If they blow it out they move to the next location then the next and so on. With limited time I think it's a series of experience driven go for broke hunts.

Great point! I agree. That is how I often go about it on my out of state hunts with limited time.
User avatar
stash59
Moderator
Posts: 10077
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 8:22 am
Location: S Central Wi.
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby stash59 » Tue Jan 01, 2019 7:34 am

ETNyates15 wrote:
First Sit wrote:
Ridgerunner7 wrote:
With all of that being said I know there are a lot of young guys on here with aspirations of building this incredible wall of big bucks but I will say this. I don’t think any of the many many big buck killers on this sight would recommend this level of obsessiveness. It will no doubt take away from other aspects of your life including some family time. I think you would probably be a better person with a more well-rounded life by not being so obsessed over one thing. I do think there is a balance that can be had if you can always keep your priorities right and you can still have some great adventures and kills in the deer woods.


This is something that isn't discussed much. I have an obsession with hunting and its put a lot of stress on my relationship with my wife. I used to live in the woods I put it before everything school, work, friends, family, my relationship with my wife. Once things got serious with my wife and having a daughter I wanted to also focus on my family as well and I've shifted a lot more towards a balance of family and hunting. Im still I guess young only 30 but even now with backing off a lot it still puts stress on my relationship. My wife tells me it's not a 3 month hobby its 365 days and she's right. She also knows I'm always thinking about it planning researching scouting etc. I've started doing a lot less other things hobby wise so I can focus my available free time on hunting. It's a tough balance and you need to have a good women to put up with it.


One of the wisest people I know told me if you have more than 3 priorities in life you have no priorities. Meaning you can't focus on more than that many things at once. A lot of us try to have too many hobbies or activities and forget that we need to focus on few things in the moment and continually rethink and maneuver those priorities as things change in our life. I always try to keep my perspective on no more than 3 things in life and sometimes that is making hard sacrifices of things I love to do. Not that this is for everyone but with mine being my relationship with God, my family, and my businesses, sometimes my hunting time in this season of life gets limited.


You've just hit the nail on the head!!!! Until you move mature whitetail buck hunting up into the top 3. You'll have to settle for much less, mature buck wise. Realizing this, and being happy with it. Is the hard part. Settling with taking younger bucks consistently, or years between old brutes.
Happiness is a large gutpile!!!!!!!
Bowhunting Brian
500 Club
Posts: 4138
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2011 3:13 am
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby Bowhunting Brian » Tue Jan 01, 2019 7:47 am

ETNyates15 wrote:
Bowhunting Brian wrote:I don't get this thread. The o.p. answered his own question in one of his posts. Scouting more than hunting with two examples of hunters he mentioned.


That’s just two examples of people, there are others that may do things differently. I thoroughly enjoy studying lots of different ideas and techniques which is why I asked for more input.


Makes sense now after reading some more posts on here. Good topic. I'll be revisiting to read more on this thread later.
Rich M
500 Club
Posts: 3980
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2016 1:29 pm
Location: Sunny Florida
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby Rich M » Tue Jan 01, 2019 8:12 am

All I can say is amen to the previous post. Deer hunting takes time - if you decide to learn how to play baseball you practice catching throwing etc. How can hunting be any different?
User avatar
DaveT1963
500 Club
Posts: 5196
Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:27 am
Location: South
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Tue Jan 01, 2019 8:54 am

I think everyone should go back and read Andy's post again… especially near the end when he talks about balanced life. There is a cost to pay and sometimes we trade in things of more value.
ETNyates15
Posts: 94
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2014 3:11 am
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby ETNyates15 » Tue Jan 01, 2019 9:02 am

treeroot wrote:You can't replace experience, whether it's scouting, shooting, access or actual stand locations. I

Setting realistic expectations is another one. Can't hunt what doesn't exist. Is killing a 2.5 year old good enough for your experience level/ allotted time available?

Limited hunting time for me would also equate to being very aggressive. From reading on here I think most people that travel hunt differently than they do at home. They aggressively scout and push in further faster than normal. If they blow it out they move to the next location then the next and so on. With limited time I think it's a series of experience driven go for broke hunts.



Agree with this last point as well.
ETNyates15
Posts: 94
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2014 3:11 am
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby ETNyates15 » Tue Jan 01, 2019 9:03 am

stash59 wrote:
ETNyates15 wrote:
First Sit wrote:
Ridgerunner7 wrote:
With all of that being said I know there are a lot of young guys on here with aspirations of building this incredible wall of big bucks but I will say this. I don’t think any of the many many big buck killers on this sight would recommend this level of obsessiveness. It will no doubt take away from other aspects of your life including some family time. I think you would probably be a better person with a more well-rounded life by not being so obsessed over one thing. I do think there is a balance that can be had if you can always keep your priorities right and you can still have some great adventures and kills in the deer woods.


This is something that isn't discussed much. I have an obsession with hunting and its put a lot of stress on my relationship with my wife. I used to live in the woods I put it before everything school, work, friends, family, my relationship with my wife. Once things got serious with my wife and having a daughter I wanted to also focus on my family as well and I've shifted a lot more towards a balance of family and hunting. Im still I guess young only 30 but even now with backing off a lot it still puts stress on my relationship. My wife tells me it's not a 3 month hobby its 365 days and she's right. She also knows I'm always thinking about it planning researching scouting etc. I've started doing a lot less other things hobby wise so I can focus my available free time on hunting. It's a tough balance and you need to have a good women to put up with it.


One of the wisest people I know told me if you have more than 3 priorities in life you have no priorities. Meaning you can't focus on more than that many things at once. A lot of us try to have too many hobbies or activities and forget that we need to focus on few things in the moment and continually rethink and maneuver those priorities as things change in our life. I always try to keep my perspective on no more than 3 things in life and sometimes that is making hard sacrifices of things I love to do. Not that this is for everyone but with mine being my relationship with God, my family, and my businesses, sometimes my hunting time in this season of life gets limited.


You've just hit the nail on the head!!!! Until you move mature whitetail buck hunting up into the top 3. You'll have to settle for much less, mature buck wise. Realizing this, and being happy with it. Is the hard part. Settling with taking younger bucks consistently, or years between old brutes.


Yes sir, I know in my life where I'm at personally and have no problems with it. Love hearing what others are adding about their own situation.
mainebowhunter
500 Club
Posts: 3448
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2016 10:45 am
Status: Offline

Re: Efficient Killers?

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Tue Jan 01, 2019 11:03 am

Ridgerunner7 wrote:I like this topic, not because of any competitiveness but becauseI think most guys want to be more efficient because they value other things other than hunting and prioritizing family. They just want to maximize their limited time in the woods.

Like Dan mentioned earlier, I think a period of being obsessed and consumed with finding and hunting big bucks is almost a prerequisite for a really long term consistent success. I was just as he described for many many years. 5/6 days a week all year long. Fortunately it was before I was married or had kids. I would say I’m still completely obsessed with it. If I’m not spending time with the family, coaching basketball, or at work I’m doing something hunting related that will improve my success.

I will say I do have limited time to hunt but I definitely still hunt. I got out more this year than I have in the last five seasons. My road trips are what is mostly limited to 2-4 days excursions.

I’m working on an article about this topic right now but here is the short version gist of what has been helpful for me.

Scouting more than you hunt and all year long. You have to know your hunting ground intimately and ideally over the span of a year locate several quality deer to focus on. This will be very important to maintain efficiency once the season actually starts. No replacement for this.

Timing your hunts in a particular area when you have the best chance of success. This takes years of hunting to see a trend. Utilize sightings, trail camera data, when the buck sign picks up. Analyze it over a long term and a picture of when this area has the highest potential should materialize.

Learning as much as you can about those individual deer. Favorite travel routes, track size, when they tend to be in certain areas and historical patterns. What’s their weakness? Where are the most vulnerable ? When are the most vulnerable ? Is the move to dive in and be aggressive? Or is the move to sit back and wait until they move further in daylight. All of this needs to be analyzed and considered. You will get better at figuring this stuff out over time.

Staying mobile and first sits. We all know this yet we all fall short from time to time at implementing. With many areas scouted and a decent number of bucks to go after. You need to be smart and hunt those bucks when the conditions and timing are perfect. At the same time you need to recognize those locations and opportunities where you CAN get multiple sets. Maybe your access is through a river and all you have to do you do is climb up over the edge and you are at your tree. I have several spots across multiple states where you can get away with several hunts in a row when the wind is right. If you can time it right when the bucks are moving you are all but guaranteed a shot at a good one. They are difficult to find but recognizing those spots are really important. Aside from that those first time sits are like gold. Say you’re scouting yielded 4 locations where you had very high confidence, you were patient and hunted them the first time when everything was perfect. Now say the next guy’s scouting yielded 20 of those locations where he felt super confident and waited for the perfect wind and conditions to hunt?

Being flexible with your hunt timing. I don’t know how many bucks I’ve been able to get on just because my time is somewhat flexible. Yes I have to work and yes I won’t miss family obligations but for the most part I can hunt within an hour of my house any night during the week on a moments notice if I get the right info I need to kill a buck. This isn’t possibly for many guys.

Finding places close to home. This might mean sacrificing quality like in my case but I can still hunt decently quality deer around the home which gives me more opportunity. Consequently these are the areas I know best.

Midday during the rut. How many guys actually do this? I’ve killed an abnormally high percentage of my rut bucks right in the middle of the day including many of my biggest rut bucks. By not doing it I’d say your knocking your rut efficiency down 30-40%

Being good at everything. Not just beast style hunting, not just rut hunting but everything. Ground hunting, still hunting, spot and stalk, decoying, calling, etc. I want to be great at it all and work at it improving my weaknesses. I had multiple shots opportunities this year from the ground. One with the decoy, 2 spot and stalk , one ambush style, and one still hunting. All on pope and young caliber animals in heavy pressures areas. Different situations call for different tactics and recognizing that and having the confidence to apply it takes time but is a big advantage in being efficient

A lot of guys struggle with calling in deer because they are setting themselves up for failure from the start. Never attempt to call in a buck to a spot that he can see from distance. Certain set ups are more conducive to it. Sometimes you have to let the buck actually walk out of sight before calling him in. Your chances go way up if you’re trying to call a buck into an area that he can’t visually check.

Shooting. I am overly obsessed with my archery and train like a target archer. After a 77% recovery rate on bow hunting shots I decided that that wasn’t nearly good enough and chose to do the work to take it to a whole different level. I learned about bow tuning, bow forgiveness, micro tuning to get the most forgiving set up I can possibly achieve. Tweaked constantly for the best accuracy I could achieve. I learned how to shoot with an unanticipated release which completely eliminated all my target panic and buck fever. I was able to work up to extreme long ranges (well over 100 yards) and hold really good accuracy. The only reason I did this was because I wanted to be more efficient at shooting deer 40 yards and in. How much more efficient would you be if you felt comfortable shooting deer at 30, 40, 50 yards if all the conditions were good enough? I’m not trying to promote long distance bow hunting at all but there are guys out there that have put in an incredible amount of work where those distances feels like a chip shot. I know so many guys who get multiple shot opportunities every year on big bucks that just can’t seem to consistently put a good shot on them. They miss, hit a twig, wound. I think it’s a big issue for many hunters even experienced ones that never really address it properly.

Having your equipment dialed in. Quiet equipment, being efficient with it and having confidence to be mobile is huge in becoming a more efficient hunter. Knowing where all your stuff is right when you need it to avoid missing an opportunity. I could go on and on about this topic .

Trusting your gut. This takes time to develop but I always recommend trusting your gut and going for whatever your instincts tell you. Overtime they constantly re-calculate with your failures and successes. Eventually you instincts become more in tune with the situation and will be more spot on.

I agree with what Dan said. It takes a level of obsessiveness that most guys probably don’t have. I don’t want to speak for others but I think for myself and probably a few other guys that seem to do ok is that they don’t choose to be obsessed to this level, it’s just what they do and who they are. It’s not work for me to scout constantly, always searching for the next deer and scouting new ground. It’s just what I do and what I love to do. Like PK said. Time is going to be spent somewhere. I enjoy spreading it out over the year so I’m not hunting constantly during the season. That seems harder on me and family. Some guys choose to take
4-6 weeks of vacation all during hunting and knock down some big bucks through persistent time in the woods.

With all of that being said I know there are a lot of young guys on here with aspirations of building this incredible wall of big bucks but I will say this. I don’t think any of the many many big buck killers on this sight would recommend this level of obsessiveness. It will no doubt take away from other aspects of your life including some family time. I think you would probably be a better person with a more well-rounded life by not being so obsessed over one thing. I do think there is a balance that can be had if you can always keep your priorities right and you can still have some great adventures and kills in the deer woods.


Spot on. Killed a buck this year very similar to the tactics you talked about in your podcast with hunting locally. HUGE benefit if you can pull it off. You talked about scouting during lunch break. Spot on. When your local, you can keep track of deer on an everyday basis. Some cannot make this happen. But its a huge benefit.

And the shooting part. MAN. Big deal. Shooting is something you can control. 100% will put more big bucks on the wall.


  • Advertisement

Return to “Deer Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot], brancher147, Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Tbian1 and 102 guests