Drawing your own conclusion

[Stanley]

You can learn a ton on this site but until you apply what you know to the woods and start shooting deer it doesn't really matter. Trial and error, try things out, boots on the ground, scouting, hunting, messing up, jumping bucks, get out there and mix it up, that is where you really learn things. I think of the beast like college or even grad school for deer hunting, you learn a ton but until you are out in the real world applying that knowledge in practice, not talking the talk but walking the walk, that is when you really gain the experience along with the knowledge.

I would disagree with this. Take away the Beast site and the stuff that is learned, the learning curve is way way longer and then you still have to start shooting deer. Trust me. Most guys can't relate to this because they didn't have to learn on their own. They can look up things on the Beast site that might never be known in a life time of hunting.

The more I hunt the more I understand what Dan, yourself and others are talking about. The Beast drastically reduced the learning curve for me...the rest I have to learn in the woods.

I am pretty sure most hunters would never learn about a thermal tunnel, How water effects scent, oxbows in rivers, Bucks j hooking, Bucks using the same bed, Old mature bucks act differently than breeder bucks etc. I know I didn't learn this stuff in 10-20 years of hunting. It took many decades to piece some of this stuff together. Most hunters can learn this stuff in a few hrs on the Beast.

Hunters now days are so far advanced in killing good bucks than hunters were 40-50 years ago. I mean it's not even remotely close. You can find your way if you have the map. Without that map you will struggle mightily to find your way. I think a lot of guys could take a snot nosed 16 year old kid and set him up to kill a good buck. 40 -50 years ago that would be impossible.

[magicman54494]

ive been thinking about making a similar post. tactics are a great starting point but success will come when you learn to be aware of what is happening in your woods and adapt your tactics based on what your deer are doing and your hunting situation. a great hunter will not choose a tactic to kill a deer he will he will study the situation and let the deer choose the tactic.

[JoeRE]

Great topic man. I agree 100%. There are huge differences not just regionally between deer herds but also between just between hunters.

Many fundamentals may be the same but every single one of us will approach something with a little different angle...and I guarantee there is not just 1 right way of getting it done. If there was that would be pretty boring....

No doubt about it though, I have picked up more ideas from the Beast than I could ever have imagined. But like anything else, to really learn anything you have to get dirt under your nails too. I see a lot of straight A newly graduated college students who are not worth a bucket of slop. But they can write something up well. Get out there and try stuff.

[jwilkstn]

Excellent topic, Lockdown!

a great hunter will not choose a tactic to kill a deer he will he will study the situation and let the deer choose the tactic.

Great point. I know I need to keep an open mind more often and recognize when my preconceived expectation turns out to be off the mark.

[Tufrthnails]

Great post.

I think the other FL guys can attest that our swamps are greatly varied terrain and although the principles stay true how they need to be applied isn't equal across the board and I think that holds true across the country.

I was having a conversation with a non beast hunter the other day because he travels a lot of different states and I wanted to pick his brain tactically. But he was telling me he can't hunt tenn the same way he hunts colorado even though he considers them both hill country where he hunts.

[Lockdown]

Excellent topic, Lockdown!

a great hunter will not choose a tactic to kill a deer he will he will study the situation and let the deer choose the tactic.

Great point. I know I need to keep an open mind more often and recognize when my preconceived expectation turns out to be off the mark.

Magic you are spot on

The highlighted section is a big one for me. ESPECIALLY regarding scouting!! My first few years I was dead set that I was supposed to find rubs in beds and all sorts of buck sign in these bedding areas. Beds that were worn to the dirt. I was setting out looking for SPECIFICS. After a while I realized that nothing is cut and dried... each property and each bedding area is different. I knew there were big bucks on these properties, so why weren't their bedding areas jumping out at me? Of course I had help from the Beast members on this one, but it eventually sank in after a few years that on many of my properties, there was no competition for Mr. Big. On top of that big bucks often don't lay down a lot of sign.

Now, instead of looking for obvious sign, I look for hints and clues. If you come across the obvious stuff it will jump right out at you. I even pay a lot of attention to old sign. Rubs that are several years old. We talk a lot about each buck's personality. Some rub alot. Some don't. If the map says this should be the best spot, and you find 10 rubs from two years ago and only one from last year, that's still 11 rubs. Of course its nice to have lots of fresh sign from the year prior in hopes that the buck that made it is still alive and will be back again, but at the end of the day you need to realize that the following year could be a year when it gets all ripped up again by someone new

Mind you, I am still figuring a lot of this stuff out and will likely never have it figured out. The point of this thread is that if you have a narrow minded approach and head afield with certain expectations, you might miss out on the bigger picture. Don't think of the info on the Beast as gospel or exact facts, think of it as a means to point you in the right direction.

[Lockdown]

YOU CAN'T FIGURE OUT IF YOU ARE RIGHT OR WRONG UNLESS YOU TRY TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. I am a firm believer that I learn the most when I am wrong. So this year I'm setting out to try and answer all of my questions myself. Observations, repeated sits, and morning hunts. I sure don't want to spend the rest of my life hunting by other peoples' rules.

Being wrong is obviously going to accompany drawing your own conclusions. If we were right all the time, wouldn't we kill a deer every sit? Truth is, we all fail far more than we succeed in the deer woods.

My failures drive me. I think a lot of people are afraid to fail. I don't like when people call it a failed hunt. If you don't see any deer is that failing? If your target buck takes the wrong trail is that failing? If you bump him from his bed is that failing? Those aren't failures to me. They're all puzzle pieces. I've said it before... the goal each time I hunt is intel. Whether it is positive or negative intel, in the long run it is still a win. Bumping my target buck doesn't mean I failed, it means I was 95% right. I picked the right property, the right time of year, the right wind and weather conditions, the right bedding area, etc. I just learned a lot about that buck and that bedding Sure its very frustrating, but I think when you're hunting with a long term mindset and not just for today, you learn sooo much more. I just need to figure out what it is that I did wrong so I can adjust. Why didn't I see any deer here? Did I pick the wrong tree? Was I too loud upon entry?

[tgreeno]

This is a great thread Lockdown!

I am definitely on the steepest part of the learning curve this season! I have one week til season and bunch of new sets. At this point I feel like, "I don't know what I don't know"! I'm feeling confident! And maybe I shouldn't be? I'm sure some of my sets are gonna be busts. And I know I'll likely spook some deer. By the end of the season, I'll either feel like "I do know a little". Or "I don't have a clue".

I think we all have to "find our groove" and see what works for us! I think I'm a long way from "being there. And I'm fine with that!

[stash59]

YOU CAN'T FIGURE OUT IF YOU ARE RIGHT OR WRONG UNLESS YOU TRY TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. I am a firm believer that I learn the most when I am wrong. So this year I'm setting out to try and answer all of my questions myself. Observations, repeated sits, and morning hunts. I sure don't want to spend the rest of my life hunting by other peoples' rules.

Being wrong is obviously going to accompany drawing your own conclusions. If we were right all the time, wouldn't we kill a deer every sit? Truth is, we all fail far more than we succeed in the deer woods.

My failures drive me. I think a lot of people are afraid to fail. I don't like when people call it a failed hunt. If you don't see any deer is that failing? If your target buck takes the wrong trail is that failing? If you bump him from his bed is that failing? Those aren't failures to me. They're all puzzle pieces. I've said it before... the goal each time I hunt is intel. Whether it is positive or negative intel, in the long run it is still a win. Bumping my target buck doesn't mean I failed, it means I was 95% right. I picked the right property, the right time of year, the right wind and weather conditions, the right bedding area, etc. I just learned a lot about that buck and that bedding Sure its very frustrating, but I think when you're hunting with a long term mindset and not just for today, you learn sooo much more. I just need to figure out what it is that I did wrong so I can adjust. Why didn't I see any deer here? Did I pick the wrong tree? Was I too loud upon entry?

We're brought up thinking failing is bad. I think it's even more prevalent in today's society. The instant gratification thinking. I remember all of the mistakes I've made. Not just in hunting but life in general. I don't remember every time things just went okay.

Even with hunting. I kinda need to look at a set of antlers or pics from a kill to jog my memory enough to remember alot of the stories behind them. But I ain't got any pics of my many messed up opportunities I've had. And I can remember them all.

[Stanley]

Great thread lots of great input.

[Matt6506]

Like others have said the beast has opened my eyes to what I have been missing. I think for me currently the ah-ha moments are when I read something on here about what big bucks do and I think back to my own personal experiences where I witnessed the behaviour but never asked why. The beast is teaching me to always try to find the answer to "why". The way I look at it the beast has helped me map out the road now it's up to me to lay down the gravel and maybe pavement some day.

[Stanley]

YOU CAN'T FIGURE OUT IF YOU ARE RIGHT OR WRONG UNLESS YOU TRY TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. I am a firm believer that I learn the most when I am wrong. So this year I'm setting out to try and answer all of my questions myself. Observations, repeated sits, and morning hunts. I sure don't want to spend the rest of my life hunting by other peoples' rules.

Being wrong is obviously going to accompany drawing your own conclusions. If we were right all the time, wouldn't we kill a deer every sit? Truth is, we all fail far more than we succeed in the deer woods.

My failures drive me. I think a lot of people are afraid to fail. I don't like when people call it a failed hunt. If you don't see any deer is that failing? If your target buck takes the wrong trail is that failing? If you bump him from his bed is that failing? Those aren't failures to me. They're all puzzle pieces. I've said it before... the goal each time I hunt is intel. Whether it is positive or negative intel, in the long run it is still a win. Bumping my target buck doesn't mean I failed, it means I was 95% right. I picked the right property, the right time of year, the right wind and weather conditions, the right bedding area, etc. I just learned a lot about that buck and that bedding Sure its very frustrating, but I think when you're hunting with a long term mindset and not just for today, you learn sooo much more. I just need to figure out what it is that I did wrong so I can adjust. Why didn't I see any deer here? Did I pick the wrong tree? Was I too loud upon entry?

Great post. I have a very good friend and really good big buck hunter. He is not worth a darn the year after he kills a a good buck. He thrives on failure. When he doesn't kill a good buck he goes insane the next year trying. I'm kind of the opposite, success feeds me. I'm not afraid to fail but find failing unacceptable. I always give every hunt 100%. I would rather stay home and watch football if I'm not in the mood to give it 100%. Everyone is geared different, everyone self motivates differently.

[johndeere506]

There are also some things that others don't prefer that we wind up really liking when we try it. Climbing sticks, calling techniques, moon days, temps, (scent control ) etc all have more than one right way to apply or approach them.

Im glad I had a good amount of time hunting on my own before discovering the beast 4 years ago. It really makes me cringe at some of the unsuccessful things I was doing.

Lockdown-I have tried to learn 100% of what guys on here can teach me. I then apply the 80-90% that fits me and my specific hunting area, and my situation. The learning curve was greatly reduced by being here. I do agree that even though you learn it all here, its still much different than getting out and applying it.

The Hunting Beast is a classroom. Its best to confirm the knowledge in the field, and modify as needed for your style, preference and experience.

[cdeam]

Scouting. Scouting. Scouting.

That is the common denominator. If you aren't blowing out a pair of boots at least every couple years, you're probably not going to see what you want. At least on large tracts or pressured public. But with enough scouting you can find areas that fit a variety of tactics.

I think alot of guys start to get hunting on the mind in september. They wash clothes, tune a bow, play with stands. Then they go out a few weekends in october/november and by thanksgiving are done. The consistently successful hunters NEVER STOP HUNTING. From in season scouting to post season scouting to summer time float trips and late summer glassing, these guys are always working on their game. After a few years of that you begin to fine tune sets and know large amounts of habitat intimately. Then the game changes.

[gjs4]

Following will probably take longer than learning it through your own trials.

So many variables, shrouded by egos. There is no one method or even shared outcome. It's a great place to learn from the best, find corroboration and contradiction to your own beliefs but the forum originally (to me) was a place for folks who just "got it done"..often in subpar areas such of public or pounded...not a step by step checklist of how to find yourself surrounded by big racks because that cannot/will not happen.