Hunt Every Day, or Best Days

[JAK]

I got out on weekends and a week day hear and there. And i take a week off for the rut. I always tried to hunt my better spots on a best weather day. But found that with the growing hunting pressure in the areas i hunt it. Guys would already have the first few spots burnt up. So then your constantly searching for where your target buck went. Insted now i hunt that spot if i have a good wind. If i could hunt every day im sure it would be diffrent. But for the majority of hunters thats not an option.

[tgreeno]

If you hunt every day...You'll hit the best days

I hunt every day I can, until I'm not having fun anymore. Then I take a day off, and start all over again!!!

[Tennhunter3]

Be in the woods as much as you can.

If your hunting bedding I don't think a bad day exist. Wind swirl and change can make it harder but the buck eventually is going to get up. Very heavy rain or snow can keep them bedded odds are your going to leave if it's a severe thunderstorm or blizzard anyway.

Sure during the rut their is later and earlier moving days. The type of beast hunting we do if your not looking into the bedding area your out of the game.

[mheichelbech]

Figured I would chime in on this one since it’s such a good topic. I have somewhat limited time to hunt so I absolutely save certain spots for when the conditions and timing during the season are optimal. There’s no sense in me diving into those areas when I have almost no chance of success. But like others have mentioned, it takes a long time to learn those spots and areas where timing is critical. When I am waiting for a certain area to heat up it’s not like I’m sitting on the couch at home, I’m out scouting looking for new opportunities In areas I’m not as familiar with trying to gain that knowledge, sitting observation stands trying to get eyes on the Buck I know might be in an area, still hunting through the fringes of bedding cover in an area , or diving into known buck bedding areas I scouted in the off season. All of these options do one of two things… 1. Provide me with Intel on where or where not to hunt or 2. Places me in a set up that Is a high-quality sit with a fairly good chance to kill something. Obviously some set ups are much better than others but each outing has its own purpose and it is either to kill or to learn, but never to just sit wishing or hoping blindly.

Along with finding the bedding, hunting or scouting purposefully has been one of the most important things I have learned from this site. It always amazes me, how guys like Andy and Dan seem to establish new ways of doing things whereas I am always following. Fishing is the same thing, I seldom seem to be able to develop things on my own.

[Twenty Up]

Scout every day that you can. Hunt only the days that you feel like you can kill

[Thesouthpaw]

Scout every day that you can. Hunt only the days that you feel like you can kill

I like this.

[G-Patt]

Thanks for the input guys. I hunted 40+ days this year during bow season, 90% run and gun, and never hunted the same tree more than twice. I guess I just listen to guys like Andy May and Joe Elsinger talk about only going in on "Kill Days", but I need to take into consideration that on the other days those guys are still out there scouting.

Andy and joe are excellent hunters. They found a system that works where they hunt. There are no guarentees or right or wrongs to this sport. With time and some studying you too shall find your system. If you do what every other hunter does than you will see the results every other has as well. Learn to be different and hunt different and you too will find your success. There are traits that a hunter must have to be a 10 percenter. They may be different than another successful hunters traits but often times they are very similiar.

x 2. This couldn't have been said any better.

[funderburk]

Figured I would chime in on this one since it’s such a good topic. I have somewhat limited time to hunt so I absolutely save certain spots for when the conditions and timing during the season are optimal. There’s no sense in me diving into those areas when I have almost no chance of success. But like others have mentioned, it takes a long time to learn those spots and areas where timing is critical. When I am waiting for a certain area to heat up it’s not like I’m sitting on the couch at home, I’m out scouting looking for new opportunities In areas I’m not as familiar with trying to gain that knowledge, sitting observation stands trying to get eyes on the Buck I know might be in an area, still hunting through the fringes of bedding cover in an area , or diving into known buck bedding areas I scouted in the off season. All of these options do one of two things… 1. Provide me with Intel on where or where not to hunt or 2. Places me in a set up that Is a high-quality sit with a fairly good chance to kill something. Obviously some set ups are much better than others buteach outing has its own purpose and it is either to kill or to learn, but never to just sit wishing or hoping blindly.

I needed to hear that said exactly like that. I gotta start making each outing more efficient and extremely purposeful. Great perspective.

[NBK438]

I hunt when I can but dont put the pressure on myself to kill a buck everytime I hit the woods. More and more I find myself wanting to perch up somewhere and get a look when I can. It has become such a key for me in swamps and marshes that I make sure I pick out and cut up an observation stand that let's me get the view I need over actually focusing on kill trees to cut up. I have realized certain variables can play out each season within some bedding areas that cause the deer to do unexpected things and my set up could be off. Human pressure differences can change their bedding within an area from season to season too and I've been burned multiple times on bumping deer staged up much sooner than anticipated because pressure was less.

[NBK438]

I think it also depends on what you consider bad weather as well. I have multiple spots with semi loud entry that I'm not getting into undetected without some wind or a little rain(preferably wind for me). I shot my MI public land buck on one of the warmest days in Oct last year. The variables are so different from hunt to hunt I cant tell what is a good day and a bad day sometimes.

[Boogieman1]

For me, nothing increases ones odds like time on stand. Give me 2 hunters with equal ability and one gets to pick 5 days to hunt and the other gets 30 in a row it’s no secret where my money is gonna lie.

Even a greenhorn can often be somewhat successful by shear determination. Never seen a buck that didn’t move when someone stepped on his tail.I believe certain things influence deer movement but if u sit around waiting for the stars to line up its gonna be a bumpy road. Make your own luck is my advice

[alleyyooper]

Been deer hunting 60 plus years, main thing I have learned if your not out there your not going to even see that buck you want let alone shoot one.

I started my deer hunting on a private 80 acres my folks owned half wooded and 3 to 4 other hunters on the place. I have sat during a blinding wet sticky snow storm where it was really hard to keep the sights on the rifle clean, yet shot a nice buck as it came down a draw and was attempting to crawl unter a fallen tree top.

Sat in a blind during a rain storm wondering why i was silly enough to walk out to hunt in weather like that. About a hour later a group of does worked their way pass the blind and laid up in a bunch of thorn apple trees about a half hour later a nice buck comes right down the trail the does traveled. I got totally soaked field dressing him out.

One Sunday was well below zero when I went out to my blind in the morning, by lunch time the wind was also howling so it was extreamly cold. I decided that since th epack was playing i would lay up and watch the game. Wife tells me there is a really nice buck in the front yard. I quickly dress and work around the house only to find him gone.
Well I am dressed so I made my way out to my blind in th efront yard.



A half hour later he came out in the front yard again. I field dressed him with flood lights I set up, could have did it 2 hours earlier in natural light.

That is one thing I have learned over the years, I rather shoot my buck in the mornigs to mid day. I do not care one bit to field dress a buck in the dark with a flash light or get it to where I can set up work lights.

In a hour from now I am going to take my dogs on our morning walk. while walking them I am going to be deer hunting. Is so easy now to see the trails the deer made and used last fall and winter. They will use them again this coming fall.

Al

[alleyyooper]

Been deer hunting 60 plus years, main thing I have learned if your not out there your not going to even see that buck you want let alone shoot one.

I started my deer hunting on a private 80 acres my folks owned half wooded and 3 to 4 other hunters on the place. I have sat during a blinding wet sticky snow storm where it was really hard to keep the sights on the rifle clean, yet shot a nice buck as it came down a draw and was attempting to crawl unter a fallen tree top.

Sat in a blind during a rain storm wondering why i was silly enough to walk out to hunt in weather like that. About a hour later a group of does worked their way pass the blind and laid up in a bunch of thorn apple trees about a half hour later a nice buck comes right down the trail the does traveled. I got totally soaked field dressing him out.

One Sunday was well below zero when I went out to my blind in the morning, by lunch time the wind was also howling so it was extreamly cold. I decided that since th epack was playing i would lay up and watch the game. Wife tells me there is a really nice buck in the front yard. I quickly dress and work around the house only to find him gone.
Well I am dressed so I made my way out to my blind in th efront yard.



A half hour later he came out in the front yard again. I field dressed him with flood lights I set up, could have did it 2 hours earlier in natural light.

That is one thing I have learned over the years, I rather shoot my buck in the mornigs to mid day. I do not care one bit to field dress a buck in the dark with a flash light or get it to where I can set up work lights.

In a hour from now I am going to take my dogs on our morning walk. while walking them I am going to be deer hunting. Is so easy now to see the trails the deer made and used last fall and winter. They will use them again this coming fall.

Al

[alleyyooper]

Forgot to mention that today you can really see ther buck rubs . If yoiu take your time and study them yoiu can figure out which way the buck was traveling, can also get a good Idea of its size, small one if it is only takeing on small bushes. if they their takleing large trees it was a large one.

I know many of you say that doesn't mean squat. Well if the big fellow was shot 2019 season a different buck will take up the area they always do.

Al

[1STRANGEWILDERNESS]

Man oh man!

Let say I owned 40 acres and that was the only place I was gonna hunt.. I don’t think I’d be in there more than 1-2 times per week and that’s with proper conditions. That’s just me though. That’s why I like to have a lot of spots. Can’t burn em all out !