Do you ever hit a brick wall?

[jlh42581]

Well said. I scouted a good bit in season last year and learned some stuff but it didn’t really help me this year. I need more scouting I think and I need to stop spreading myself so thin

I opened my huntstand app recently and everything that i dont feel is AMAZING i just started deleting. Im the exact same way man. There is SO MUCH public land here you cant possibly cover it all and jumping around all over the place always lets you one step behind. If I go into an area and walk out thinking I was wasting my time, Im done there. Ive stopped doing stuff like marking rubs and what not unless I feel it is somewhere I can spot check again and see if deer are there.

Heres the big skinny on all this dude. Some people have way more opportunity. On private land I hunt its nothing to see a dozen deer a day. On the public I might go a week and not see a deer. My friends that give me access to their private will not even try to hunt public, they have zero interest in it being that complex. I like it but believe me, it does get to be a hard pill to swallow. You just never know if a person has way less responsibility or more time. You cant gauge you based on what others are doing. Take for example my home state here of Pa. My archery season is 6 weeks to not include any of the summer pattern and it ends right in the peak of the rut, gun season doesnt happen till the rut ends. Currently no sunday hunting at all, I work an hour from home. This all leads to very little time without taking vacation. In ohio, i can hunt Oct->Feb 7 days a week non stop with a bow, the opportunity is much higher but I cant drive 3 hours all the time, my wife would lose her mind. Its not that I wouldnt do it, its that I better not right now in my life.

[tgreeno]

At the end of the season most will have forgotten what you killed, or didn't kill. The only ones who will remember are you, your family, and a few close friends. And those people care about you because of who you are, not because of what you shoot... If you choose to hunt public land, or the same small pressured parcels, your simply not going to kill the size or number of deer guys on big leases or private managed lands are killing. Every success comes with sacrifice. I have hunted nearly every day since early September and still have not shot a buck and im perfectly ok with that.
The greatness of a hunter is not measured by his wall, but rather by his heart, drive, and willingness to help others.

An awesome quote from Dan as always! His attitude is why his forum & brand is so successful!

Personally I could care less what anyone else shoots! If it's a giant buck good for them. I only worry about checking myself! Every sit I am putting myself in what I deem to be the best possible position to kill the best buck in an area. If that doesn't happen, then I evaluate the situation, (is it me? Is it the spots?) and see if I can improve it. Always trying to improve odds. It's more an internal battle with me. Myself against the bucks in the area.

[headgear]

Dan you nailed it!

[Dewey]

At the end of the season most will have forgotten what you killed, or didn't kill. The only ones who will remember are you, your family, and a few close friends. And those people care about you because of who you are, not because of what you shoot... If you choose to hunt public land, or the same small pressured parcels, your simply not going to kill the size or number of deer guys on big leases or private managed lands are killing. Every success comes with sacrifice. I have hunted nearly every day since early September and still have not shot a buck and im perfectly ok with that.
The greatness of a hunter is not measured by his wall, but rather by his heart, drive, and willingness to help others.

I would also like to add that it’s important to be happy for everyone else that is succesful even though you are having a tough season. This is way harder than you think. I believe that is the true sign of sportsmanship. Some let all the success of others get them down. Use it for motivation and proof a what can be accomplished if you stick to your goals and admire them rather than fall into self pity.

I am truly happy for every single one of you that have killed any deer this season no matter if it’s a buck or doe. Each one is a great story to learn from and I thank you for taking the time to put them together. It’s been over 2 years since I killed a buck so enjoying all of your successes with you has really kept me motivated. Keeping a positive attitude is your most powerful weapon you have. I know my day will eventualy come again so I just keep on trucking while enjoying the ride.

[tgreeno]

I would also like to add that it’s important to be happy for everyone else that is succesful even though you are having a tough season. This is way harder than you think. I believe that is the true sign of sportsmanship. Some let all the success of others get them down. Use it for motivation and proof a what can be accomplished if you stick to your goals and admire them rather than fall into self pity.

I am truly happy for every single one of you that have killed any deer this season no matter if it’s a buck or doe. Each one is a great story to learn from and I thank you for taking the time to put them together. It’s been over 2 years since I killed a buck so enjoying all of your successes with you has really kept me motivated. Keeping a positive attitude is your most powerful weapon you have. I know my day will eventualy come again so I just keep on trucking while enjoying the ride.

Dewey, come see me in 6 years...It's been 8 for me

[checkerfred]

At the end of the season most will have forgotten what you killed, or didn't kill. The only ones who will remember are you, your family, and a few close friends. And those people care about you because of who you are, not because of what you shoot... If you choose to hunt public land, or the same small pressured parcels, your simply not going to kill the size or number of deer guys on big leases or private managed lands are killing. Every success comes with sacrifice. I have hunted nearly every day since early September and still have not shot a buck and im perfectly ok with that.
The greatness of a hunter is not measured by his wall, but rather by his heart, drive, and willingness to help others.

At the end of the season most will have forgotten what you killed, or didn't kill. The only ones who will remember are you, your family, and a few close friends. And those people care about you because of who you are, not because of what you shoot... If you choose to hunt public land, or the same small pressured parcels, your simply not going to kill the size or number of deer guys on big leases or private managed lands are killing. Every success comes with sacrifice. I have hunted nearly every day since early September and still have not shot a buck and im perfectly ok with that.
The greatness of a hunter is not measured by his wall, but rather by his heart, drive, and willingness to help others.

Super post, super true. I think for me it isn't the outside world that I care about, it's the internal frustration of wanting to be better, wanting to learn, and spending a ton of time and perceived effort and simply not progressing. It's almost like a person that wants to lose weight and is eating good and exercising and it's just not happening. Eventually most just cave in and give up the dream. Everybody can tell them they are fine just how they are, but until they believe it, it just doesn't matter

That person trying to lose weight... If he or she has a goal to lose 50 pound in a month but only loses 10 pounds, is he or she succeeding slower than excepted or did they fail? Growing as a hunter and getting closer to your goals "IS" succeeding. Are you seeing more bucks? bigger bucks? Are you finding the sign? Are you making good set ups? Its not easy, and its not supposed to be. If it was easy everyone would be killing giants.

This thread has grown more than I thought it would, which is a good thing because I'm sure it will help out more people besides just me. I always like and respect your insight. I'm not caught up in killing giant mature bucks, I mean, sure who doesn't want to do that. I think most of it is burnout just from driving a long way. It tends to wear on me. But yeah you're right, since finding the beast, I'm at least now in the game. I just feel like I get in a rut sometimes and I'm not sure what to learn to try to get out of it if that makes sense.

[dan]

At the end of the season most will have forgotten what you killed, or didn't kill. The only ones who will remember are you, your family, and a few close friends. And those people care about you because of who you are, not because of what you shoot... If you choose to hunt public land, or the same small pressured parcels, your simply not going to kill the size or number of deer guys on big leases or private managed lands are killing. Every success comes with sacrifice. I have hunted nearly every day since early September and still have not shot a buck and im perfectly ok with that.
The greatness of a hunter is not measured by his wall, but rather by his heart, drive, and willingness to help others.

At the end of the season most will have forgotten what you killed, or didn't kill. The only ones who will remember are you, your family, and a few close friends. And those people care about you because of who you are, not because of what you shoot... If you choose to hunt public land, or the same small pressured parcels, your simply not going to kill the size or number of deer guys on big leases or private managed lands are killing. Every success comes with sacrifice. I have hunted nearly every day since early September and still have not shot a buck and im perfectly ok with that.
The greatness of a hunter is not measured by his wall, but rather by his heart, drive, and willingness to help others.

Super post, super true. I think for me it isn't the outside world that I care about, it's the internal frustration of wanting to be better, wanting to learn, and spending a ton of time and perceived effort and simply not progressing. It's almost like a person that wants to lose weight and is eating good and exercising and it's just not happening. Eventually most just cave in and give up the dream. Everybody can tell them they are fine just how they are, but until they believe it, it just doesn't matter

That person trying to lose weight... If he or she has a goal to lose 50 pound in a month but only loses 10 pounds, is he or she succeeding slower than excepted or did they fail? Growing as a hunter and getting closer to your goals "IS" succeeding. Are you seeing more bucks? bigger bucks? Are you finding the sign? Are you making good set ups? Its not easy, and its not supposed to be. If it was easy everyone would be killing giants.

This thread has grown more than I thought it would, which is a good thing because I'm sure it will help out more people besides just me. I always like and respect your insight. I'm not caught up in killing giant mature bucks, I mean, sure who doesn't want to do that. I think most of it is burnout just from driving a long way. It tends to wear on me. But yeah you're right, since finding the beast, I'm at least now in the game. I just feel like I get in a rut sometimes and I'm not sure what to learn to try to get out of it if that makes sense.

I used to get "bowhunter burnout" when I used to hunt every morning and every evening.... Now, I simply don't hunt if I don't feel like it. I think you accomplish that when you reach the stage of not caring if you shoot a buck or not. And you become more focused and aware of whats going on around you when you hunt "happy".

[Rich M]

That person trying to lose weight... If he or she has a goal to lose 50 pound in a month but only loses 10 pounds, is he or she succeeding slower than excepted or did they fail? Growing as a hunter and getting closer to your goals "IS" succeeding. Are you seeing more bucks? bigger bucks? Are you finding the sign? Are you making good set ups? Its not easy, and its not supposed to be. If it was easy everyone would be killing...

This one hits the nail on the head.

I've been on Beast for 3 yrs, in those 3 yrs I have gotten 2 "best" bucks and my ability "to find and see deer" has increased tremendously. I'm not hunting mature bucks, just deer. For some reason seeing more bucks...

Hunting has become more fun and less tedious. I like it that way better.

[kamcgraw]

Hey everyone, this is my first post, but I've been a lurker for a little while. First off I want to say thank you to all the helpful and knowledgeable people on here. It has changed the way I hunt whitetail forever.

I felt like this was a good post to reply to. Before learning of beast tactics, I was an OK whitetail hunter, with success every couple of years. After 2 years of hunting this way, Id say I'm still an OK hunter, but I'm cool with that. I'm learning every time I step foot in the woods. And my buck sightings and close encounters have skyrocketed. I think Dan hits it on the head. You cant worry about other people and their success. It just doesn't matter. Don't compare yourself to others, compare yourself to who you were yesterday. I still have to remind myself of this from time to time, but I couldn't agree with it more. When you think this way, your time afield will be much more enjoyable. Keep your head up and keep on grinding.

[Wolfofmibu]

At the end of the season most will have forgotten what you killed, or didn't kill. The only ones who will remember are you, your family, and a few close friends. And those people care about you because of who you are, not because of what you shoot... If you choose to hunt public land, or the same small pressured parcels, your simply not going to kill the size or number of deer guys on big leases or private managed lands are killing. Every success comes with sacrifice. I have hunted nearly every day since early September and still have not shot a buck and im perfectly ok with that.
The greatness of a hunter is not measured by his wall, but rather by his heart, drive, and willingness to help others.

I needed this! It's been a long season for me with no "success" of a kill but success on everything else you've stated.

I can totally relate fellow West Michigander !

[checkerfred]

I used to get "bowhunter burnout" when I used to hunt every morning and every evening.... Now, I simply don't hunt if I don't feel like it. I think you accomplish that when you reach the stage of not caring if you shoot a buck or not. And you become more focused and aware of whats going on around you when you hunt "happy".

I wanted so bad to go hunt this morning but since I went yesterday, I was beat. It’s extremely difficult for me to get up at 2:30am to go hunt 1.5 hours away, then walk the steep ridges, come back and do it again the next day. Things hurt now that didn’t hurt just 2 years ago. I always feel like I missed something in the woods when I skip too. I really need to work on this.