What do you wish someone told you when you were 17

[greenhorndave]

Go for it. Don't be afraid of failure. I still constantly have to remind myself at 31.

Mine is similar, just adding, "don't worry about what other people think."

I certainly did in the past and still do somewhat today, but I would have accomplished a lot more without second guessing.

Oh yeah, also the quote I just read and subsequently added to my signature below...

[Tufrthnails]

Man at 17 dream big. Travel, work hard, and play harder. As for hunting related explore dive into as many terrains as you can feasibly hunt. And forget what the old school guys tell you can't be done. Figure out on your own what can and can't be done. I played by the rules of the old school hunters until I was 35. Frustration brought me to the hunting beast.

[Eddiegomes83]

My advice to a 17 year old is the pull out method does not work!

[jporcello]

Find out who is Dan Infalt and why is he so successful killing mature bucks. Stick to a budget and have a financial plan for the future. Only buy a home if you can afford the 15 year fixed mortgage. Read Dave Ramsey books. Read more books in general and start with the Bible.

[greenhorndave]

My advice to a 17 year old is the pull out method does not work!

[HunterBob]

I wish someone would have told me "let me take you out in the woods and show you what I know."

As I have gotten older, I have realized that I have to reach out in order to find mentors, both for personal issues and for my passion in hunting.

I would want to tell 17 year olds that reaching out for this kind of help will reap tremendous benefits, hoping that some might listen. Sometimes you might be surprised by who is willing to help when you ask for it.

[Hawthorne]

Things are different now I think than when I was 17. I would tell them to stay away from drugs and alcohol and get the best education you can afford. Both those will pay off in the long run. For hunting, I’d tell them to take it slow and don’t worry about big bucks now. They will come with experience

[jkelley1487]

I'd remind them that hunting is a great hobby/passion but always remember to keep it in perspective.

Don't let it totally consume your life and neglect things like your relationships with family and friends.

Slow down and just enjoy it.

[Kraftd]

Appreciate and use the time you have now, because there will almost invariably be less of it every year until you're too old to do what you can do now physically.

I hunted and fished a lot, wish I would have done even more. At that time you think you're busy, but once career, kids, house, etc. rolls around you ain't seen nothin'!

Also, learn from anywhere you can. Never become set in your ways, in any aspect of life, and keep an open-mind and practice critical thinking and problem solving.

[Boogieman1]

Live life to the fullest, there's no guarantees u will make it to 18.

You also have the ability to do anything you want right now. No wife, no kids, no responsibility. Remember your wants and interests when choosing a partner. If she's needy and clingy right out the gate it's only gonna get worse. I suggest finding a good looking deaf mute. You never have to hear her gripe and she can't tell you no.

A stay at home son is not a career field. Dream big and live bigger

[tbunao]

I wish my step mother at the time DIDN'T tell me that being a wildlife biologist was a horrible idea. “You’ll never make any money”. *insert multiple choice words

I can only imagine the trouble I would of steered clear of -and what I would be doing now if I would of pursued that career. Al though that did lead to the pursuit of riding and filming BMX and some of my greatest memories and friends came from it.

I wish someone would of told me not to listen to her

[Bowhunting Brian]

Live life to the fullest, there's no guarantees u will make it to 18.

You also have the ability to do anything you want right now. No wife, no kids, no responsibility. Remember your wants and interests when choosing a partner. If she's needy and clingy right out the gate it's only gonna get worse. I suggest finding a good looking deaf mute. You never have to hear her gripe and she can't tell you no.

A stay at home son is not a career field. Dream big and live bigger

I prefer a woman that's is old, rich, and has a heart condition to marry. ..
To add to the thread. I would say to stay in shape
Everything is easier when your fit. Physically and mentally.

[jkelley1487]

Live life to the fullest, there's no guarantees u will make it to 18.

You also have the ability to do anything you want right now. No wife, no kids, no responsibility. Remember your wants and interests when choosing a partner. If she's needy and clingy right out the gate it's only gonna get worse. I suggest finding a good looking deaf mute. You never have to hear her gripe and she can't tell you no.

A stay at home son is not a career field. Dream big and live bigger

I prefer a woman that's is old, rich, and has a heart condition to marry. ..
To add to the thread. I would say to stay in shape
Everything is easier when your fit. Physically and mentally.

So true, it's an adjustment going from high school to college and trying to stay fit. It's a lot easier to stay in shape than try to lose 20-30 lbs.

[Grizzlyadam]

As far as deer hunting goes I would say that your results are often a direct reflection of the amount of scouting you put in. Dont skimp out on scouting before, during, and after the season ends to figure out what's going on. Especially after the season, you can be really aggressive and get into core areas.

Don't sit in a spot too many times just because you think it's a good spot. Move around a lot and spread out your pressure. Don't hunt where you think deer should be, hunt where the deer are. I believe that's a Fred Bear quote.

Don't put much faith in trail cameras. They are a great tool to get an inventory of the deer herd. Expecting much more than that will leave you chasing your tail in circles.

I'll repeat the part about not sitting in the same spot too often. In my earlier years I made that mistake over and over. I would find a great spot and have great action the first or second time I sat there then I would sit over and over there seeing nothing and getting frustrated. But I would see fresh sign all the time still. The deer tune into your spots quickly and avoid them during shooting light. They still go through at night leaving sign and pictures which keeps you motivated to continue hunting that spot but your fooling yourself if you think the don't know you are there all the time.

Don't think that watching videos or reading the internet can replace experience. Yes, you can learn a lot with the resources available these days, but nothing can teach you woodsmanship and make you a better hunter than boots on the ground experience. Patience is important, don't expect instant success, and be ready to fail repeatedly. It's all part if the learning experience.

Start out small, kill some regular deer before you focus too much on trying to kill big mature bucks.

[elk yinzer]

Tons of life advice but keeping it at least somewhat hunting related, I wish someone told me when I was 17, that about a decade later I would give basically zero flying "ducks" what anyone thinks of me besides a select few loved ones. That teenage insecurity, peer pressure and seeking approval totally fade into the rearview. I think at that formative age you fall into some of those traps, compare yourself to others, I would imagine kids these days that is even more amplified with social media. That leads to all sorts of regrettable actions and behaviors in life and in hunting. Forge your own path, hoe your own row, and do what floats your boat.

I wish someone told me to consider how my lifestyle fits into my career path. Generally considering values, and not letting parents or temporary economic conditions influence what you value. Specifically realizing that a decade later, for example, you may regret choosing in a path that requires you to sit on your can in front of a computer 40 hours a week and midstream career changes are just about impossible once you have a young family. You may even value the limited time you get to spend afield, as other have said that is the biggest bottleneck for most of us. In retrospect maybe some of those science classes don't sound so bad.

I wish someone told me to go hunt out of state every chance I get, to find a way to go elk hunting ASAP. You gotta put the important stuff first, but do it every chance you get because it gets a whole lot harder when your family is young and you're busy with life obligations you can't just get up and go on a dime. Go hard, because when you're young, why not. Do it cheap, do it with what you got, sleep on the floor, whatever you gotta do.