Beginner Beast Mistakes

[upstateNYhunter518]

Biggest mistake is finding and looking for these beds thinking that alone is gonna produce. Find the bed then find the way the deer is entering and exiting and think they have it all figured out. Way more to this stuff than just the simple find the bed read the sign and it then come back and hunt it. Gonna get you a lot of empty sits and often times ruin the spot before it is even good. You have to take it all in. When is that buck there and why. Food scourse does pressure put him there what advantages does he have in that spot and can you even get in there to hunt him in that area. It is certainly a process of learning g and your not gonna jump ahead by reading comments here from guys. It is in the field mistakes that lead to growth and understanding. There is just simply no way around them. Any and ever good hunter you talk to on this site will likely tell you the same thing there.

What I do see is guys being defeated so quickly when they find what they believe are the golden areas or spots then they hunt the 3 or 4 of them and they don’t produce. It’s like it takes all the wind out of their sails! You can’t let what so many called failed hunts defeat you or you won’t last long in this game. Take it all in and really get a big picture of what all is going on in and around these areas you find buck bedding. So much can be learned in there when you really break it all down. Some are definitely easier than others depending on the situation and circumstances of that particular location. There are also some who I believe over complicate it as well. I like to find something before I go to the actual kill spot I have determined from my scouting telling me that buck is using it at this time. Fresh sign in whatever form that may be. Just some indication he is or has been there recently. Enjoy the process of learning and failing cause it never ends. Still fail way more than I succeed, that is for sure!

This makes so much sense. Thanks for the reminder that success does not come with out a ton of failure! I learn from every hunt, that's my mantra!

[Wolfie417]

My biggest mistake this year was probably not getting out of my comfort zone enough. I realised what I was doing farther into the season though and it shaped up nicely.

[csoult]

1. Only looking in the prototypical bedding spots for beds. Deer typically bed in the spots that give them the best advantage period. There have been plenty of times where I find a bed in an off the wall spot only to realize that it makes the most sense.
2. Ok, so you've found the bed. Now BEFORE you leave, how will you hunt it and out of what tree. Indecision can happen if you wait until you get in there to hunt to figure these things out. Indecision leads to leaving unnecessary ground scent on the day of the hunt. Leave that scent while you're scouting. Also, pick a kill tree not the best looking ones. Obviously you want to have the best cover, but if that tree takes you out of the game then you can't win. Be in the kill tree.
4. Don't over hunt an area unless you can. There are certain spots you can hunt fairly frequently, but they are few and far between. Entry and exit tell the story there.
5. Give it time and adapt to the situation. Don't get discouraged if these tactics aren't working right away, it takes time to put the pieces of YOUR puzzle together. If you pay attention on here (this site), there are a multitude of different styles, try some of them and develop the style that works for you. CONFIDENCE IS KING in this game as with all other things in life, believe, be determined, and you will.
6. It's a game of information, you want to have it all and make it so your prey (Buck) has none.

[218er]

I’m relatively new to beast style hunting as well. My biggest mistake this past year was having a lack of spots to work with. The more options you have the less you worry about burning out a spot and therefore you can be more aggressive. In season scouting is always great but it is nice to have some baseline knowledge to work off. My goal for 2019 is to have a dozen or two possible spots instead the 1/2 dozen I had this year.

[funderburk]

I’m relatively new to beast style hunting as well. My biggest mistake this past year was having a lack of spots to work with. The more options you have the less you worry about burning out a spot and therefore you can be more aggressive. In season scouting is always great but it is nice to have some baseline knowledge to work off. My goal for 2019 is to have a dozen or two possible spots instead the 1/2 dozen I had this year.

Same thing here. I need several spots for every wind. Had too many times where I just couldn’t go due to wind. Gotta remedy that.

[Scratchman]

Not setting up or even choosing a kill tree.

[Tennhunter3]

It would be a long list

I found too many spots did not focus on the area enough to learn it.

I hunted beds that now I would walk right by.

When I found a bed I did not focus enough on the spot I planned to kill him at as far as travel knowing which tree exc.

Dont expect too much your first or second year its alot to learn and takes a long time.

I did not focus enough on my entry routes.

Biggest mistake I made this year not shooting straight.
Hit a limb in front of a 130 inch 8
Shot under a nice 10 point.

[dewayne]

This was my first year beast style hunting and let me tell you I could write pages on this. Below are my top three take away from this season.

1. Scouting.... can’t stress this enough. The turkeys will be there, scout for deer.

2. Put in the time... football can wait. I’m actually giving up football completely next season.

3. Not staying mobile enough. I find myself rotating the same 3-4 trees all season. There is lots of land out there... scout some more.

[Guide2Gear]

I think one of my biggest mistakes was thinking i deserved to shoot a big buck because I put so much time in the stand. Changed between the same 4 stands daily, never saw big deer and dreamed I should have. I never knew how to earn one. Take everything bad and hard you’ve ever done in the Whitetail woods, that may earn you one buck or one chance. It wasn’t until my third year hunting the beast way that I connected, and I put myself through heck and all my friends laughed at what I do. But I earned it. Scout your but off and make smart decisions. And mistakes happened every day, think of them as positives and learn from them. I laugh at A lot of failed opportunities now. Just gotta keep at it.

[BigTree2935]

This was my first year on the beast. First things first, thanks to all you guys for the information on here. I’ve learned a ton of new things and continue to learn. A couple of my biggest mistakes this year were not writing down the information I saw out in the woods as far as wind direction/sightings things of that nature. And as a few guys have mentioned not scouting enough spots for different winds. Always learning

[cschwanz]

Great info on this thread and a few posts I can relate to on a personal level last year being my first attempt at any sort of mobile hunting.

-Didn't do near enough pre-season scouting, just kinda bopped around with the wind.
-Need to slow way down on the final approach and stand setup. I moved into a really nice area on our property last year with a perfect wind to intercept what I what I thought was a good travel route. Got about 2/3 way setup and was starting to rush things since I thought I was behind schedule (i still had like 2 hours until dark) and something made a couple small clanks. About 15 seconds later a pretty nice buck went slipping out of the thicket I was behind. So my plan was good that day but I just fumbled it on the goalline because I was rushing things.
-Picking an actual tree rather than an area. A couple times I'd get into a spot then stand and look around trying to figure out where I wanted to hang.
-Finding actual beds rather than just "possible good areas". Goes back to m ore scouting.

Looking forward to this coming fall and putting a lot more pieces together!!!

[Thesouthpaw]

Lots of great info on this thread.

[funderburk]

Lots of great info on this thread.

Agreed. Lots can be learned here.

[SC_z7]

Seems like the most common theme is the need to put more into scouting and that 100% applies to me as well.

The other biggest thing that has been an eye opener for me is how much preparation (silencing equipment for one), time, and effort true beasts put into each hunt. I do have an advantage in some ways of hunting mostly private land, albeit heavily pressured, but its an hour and a half away so a lot of my hunting involves getting up at 2/3 a.m. and coming back after dark so I can get two hunts in a day. I am learning I am probably better off getting up, having breakfast with the family, and then putting all my effort into one hunt. I used to be a believer of it was just about putting more time in the woods. The beast is teaching me that I am better off with one well executed hunt, then a couple poor ones.

[DaveT1963]

I think guys just starting this method find a handful of beds and think that's enough to hunt the entire season. The more I hunt this way the more I realize I need a TON of spots to bounce around on and it takes a lot of work to find them. It was mentioned already but not being aggressive enough is another factor and if you ARE aggressive enough you have to know when to be aggressive. If you come out of the gate swinging without knowing your opponent things usually don't work out

And the more you find you will eventually run across one that just jumps out at you and reeks mature buck. Find 5+ of these and it can bring a whole different level to your confidence