For me its also a time I review some of the tactical threads right here on The Beast and look for weaknesses in my approach, a new motivation, a new method, a new tactic.... you know trying to find and add that next piece to my game....
Today while I was Spending some time reading some old favorite threads. The Stanley quote below (found originally in the Your "Big Secret" thread) jumped out at me. His comments about sitting on empty patterns far more than repetitive patterns is just so true IME with mature whitetails. As much as we want to think they are creatures of habit, and the more I hunt individual bucks, the more I agree with this. They just have a knack at doing the unpredictable just when we "think" we have them figured out. Most bucks that repeat a behavior for consecutive days just do not live long in most places. IMO, It's the bucks, that by some quirk in their nature, that tend to be a little more unpredictable (in how they bed, move, feed and even rut) that tend to make it through their first 3 hunting seasons in most parts of the country. But all bucks, no matter how smart or dumb, do certain things every day: They hide, They eat (I will add they drink), and during the fall they breed.
Stanley's advice about learning the 3 key elements (food, shelter and breeding) and then to THINK is as relevant today as ever. His comment about it isn't as easy as it may look is priceless. Never get down because things don't come together like you had planned; While at times the easy happens, for most, it is the result of a boat load of effort, adapting and persistence. Would we really want it any other way?
Shoot Straight
Stanley wrote:
Good question. It is impossible to tell if a buck will repeat a certain pattern. No one can tell that. If a buck does a certain thing twice my radar is up. I then make plans to set up and kill the buck. I have sat on an empty pattern many more times than a repetitive pattern.
Most bucks don't pattern so to speak. The bucks that do pattern are very killable. The thing to keep in mind is what bucks do on a daily basis. They hide and they eat. During the rut they breed. So when you are trying to pattern a buck think about those important things.
You never heard me say it was easy. You may read a story about how a buck was killed on a pattern. The story often makes it sound easy. It is not!!