Opening your mind....

[Swampbuck]

This is a great thread and I think its the main reason people hit a wall. It applies to everything in life also. But I think when people have a little success hunting their ego tricks them into thinking they have it figured out so they quit learning... And we all do it to some degree but I think its important to stay humble and try to look at things as a student.

[Dewey]

I always hate the term "deer hunting expert". The only experts out there are the deer themselves and we are the students.

[Bubbles]

Hadn't read this one before. Good bump.

[Buckbreath]

If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.

[tgreeno]

Great Thread!

I had been deer hunting a certain way for 36 years, and have had some decent successes. 4 years ago I started strictly hunting public land. And have had to pretty much change the way I scouted & hunted. Then last February I found The Beast. Now I am ratcheting my scouting & hunting to a new level.

It has actually reinvigorated me about hunting again! I am looking forward to scouting trips, like I used to look forward to hunting trips. And the hunting trip are even another level of anticipation & excitement!

It reminds me of a quote for all you "Matrix" fans...When Morpheus tells Neo..."Free your Mind"

[mainebowhunter]

I don't agree with everything that is done on the beast. But I don't have to. And I do not have to try and prove my point at each and every turn. I don't have to try to be RIGHT. Moon theories, first time stand sits, sitting a spot out, ozonics, scentlock, morning hunting early season...guys disagree on all of it. If I read something I don't agree with, I do not have to comment on it.

The reason I am here is because that kind of stuff is not allowed. There are egos here, just like everywhere else. BUT no one is allowed to tell someone else, "your full of POOP" Fighting, constant bickering, its not allowed. I left a forum that I was part of for nearly 10-12yrs. because of it.

[strutnrut716]

Wow ! Great Thread.....

x2 Tgreeno...

[GoInLight]

I think if you love hunting you'll find a way to be successful. Guys that consistently kill big deer are always scouting, always studying, always learning, and always looking for a reason to be in the woods. Guys that look for excuses not to hunt, like the idea of hunting more than the actual hunting.

Also I hear guys say on here that they haven't killed a140 or a160 or whatever, so they don't think they have the right to contribute. Well I know guys that haven't killed a 160, but they're killing mature deer for their area and they are dang good hunters.

[Hawthorne]

Like that movie Yes Man with Jim carrey. He was a boring hard headed guy until he had to say yes to every thing. He had the greatest time of his life. Lol

[Wannabelikedan]

Like many of the veterans on this site, I too have broken away from the mainstream ideas and tactics of deer hunting. Crazy enough I can credit my deviation to one of those tv show mottos. The theme of Major League Bowhunter is/was "never stop learning". As mentioned earlier in this thread, i do agree most hunters hit the "wall" when they scratch the surface of success with these mainstream tactics. From there, they're waiting for the stars to align perfectly again and that time may not even come again in their lifetime. I, like many others I'm sure, have done the same thing. Not to say everything you hear on these shows is garbage but you can't look at what these "experts" are doing and have the same application work on the deer you're hunting. The beauty of this site is an endless bank of knowledge, successes, failures and experiments from the normal everyday hunters. I first heard of dan on a wired to hunt podcast and thats ultimately what landed me here. Researching his tactics and experiences has just further confirmed that you gotta keep evolving your approach to finding and killing big bucks. Don't limit yourself. Learn from your failures. Keep an open mind.

By the way, this site is crazy addicting. Glad I finally made the jump into the den of the beast!!

[Jonny]

Bump

[<DK>]

[BorealBushMN]

This is good stuff! Just read this whole thread (along with many others)...... mind blown

I, like many others, found myself in a uninspired place in my hunting “career”. And then I found the Church of The Hunting Beast! I have seen the light!

[Ack]

Bump

[greenhorndave]

Bump

Good bumps Ack