The biggest thing you learned this season

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Boogieman1
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The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Fri Jan 15, 2021 7:23 am

Let’s face it even the most seasoned hunter will pick up a few new tidbits of knowledge with each passing season. For me, sometimes I will only learn a few small situational things which I store away for a rainy day. Other years I learn huge things that completely change how I set up. Like the time I learned deer can smell :lol:

The biggest thing I learned this year might sound silly but trust me it wasn’t ever funny for me. In fact i retired many times early from it. After 20 years I finally learned how to stay warm/comfortable! I’ve tried numerous things over the years but nothing worked for my particular situation. The biggest challenge I faced is drastic changes in temperature. A lot of the time it’s 25 when I head to the stand and by 10 it’s 72. Typically my only options were to spend the first couple hours freezing to death or the last couple burning up. While I didn’t crack no whitetail code this season I am happy as heck I finally figured this out.


Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
-John Wayne-
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seazofcheeze
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby seazofcheeze » Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:03 am

Killing an elk with a bow on public land is extremely difficult (at least it has been for me). It's even harder when I'm out of shape.

Big takeaway for 2021, less junk food, more cardio and weights. Not to be deterred though, I WILL get a bull in the next 1-5 years with a bow on public. I WILL.
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby Cchez » Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:04 am

My biggest takeaway of the year was learning more and more about thermals. My first hunt of the year i set up for the proper wind, but i hadn't quite grasped that thermals WILL drop to the lowest point even in the slightest elevation change. Where i was hunting was only about a 6ft elevation change over 80 yards or so. But as i quickly learned, once that thermal drop kicked in my scent was sucked right where i didn't want it to go. Glad it happened on the first hunt though, because it helped me with my setups for the rest of the season.

I also learned my "sure fire early season spot" needs to be checked in august for acorns before i go in and hunt it!
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Hawthorne
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby Hawthorne » Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:19 am

To scout for more doe bedding areas in the post season because that’s where the bucks will be when I hunt the bulk of my free time. And some public pieces are almost useless without acorns in the early season. Two seasons in a row with no white acorns took me to learn
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Huntress13
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby Huntress13 » Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:20 am

I need to take more time for choosing my spots and setting up mobile hunting. I intended to take more time but my work schedule changed and that threw me off.
Twigs in my hair, don't care.
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby hokiehunter373 » Fri Jan 15, 2021 9:04 am

I need to find better late season spots with more predictable food
Get me in the woods
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby Jrdeerhuntr » Fri Jan 15, 2021 9:21 am

Even during rut, bucks are not going scampering everywhere during daylight on high pressured public.
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G-Patt
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby G-Patt » Fri Jan 15, 2021 9:28 am

An observation sit might save you 2 or 3 unproductive hunting sits.
On my deathbed, I will receive total consciousness. So I have that going for me, which is nice!
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headgear
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby headgear » Fri Jan 15, 2021 9:34 am

Finding more and more of them watching access and pressure, even some of my own pressure over the years have them moved from way back of the property up to the parking lot.
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby Jdw » Fri Jan 15, 2021 10:03 am

I learned a few things about how deer relate to a bumper crop of red oaks.
I have targeted white oaks for years but this year the best red oaks were attractive for most of the season.
I marked a good number of the best trees and learned not to forget to look for red oaks when I am off season scouting.
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Boogieman1
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Fri Jan 15, 2021 10:31 am

G-Patt wrote:An observation sit might save you 2 or 3 unproductive hunting sits.


For me intentional observations sits have been a slippery slope. Now unintentional observation sits have produced for me. By that I mean actual hunting and witness something special out of range and bust a move.

I believe observation sits are best reserved for those with a load of free time. I mean for a guy who only gets to hunt saturdays and maybe string together a few days of vacation later on. I don’t see it helping at all. By the time the hunter has a chance to get back out there the pattern has completely changed.

Now if early season one gets off work with a couple hours of daylight left and watches to form a plan I think it’s a different story. But any other situation that involves a hunter with limited time I would advise to put yourself in the absolute best situation u can.
Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
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Boogieman1
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Fri Jan 15, 2021 10:39 am

Huntress13 wrote:I need to take more time for choosing my spots and setting up mobile hunting. I intended to take more time but my work schedule changed and that threw me off.

I can definitely relate to this. I worked nights for 15 years. Got off at the crack of dawn and didn’t return back til well after dark. My hunting time was only limited to how much sleep I wanted. Being able to hunt every cold front or noticing bucks running everywhere on my drive home was a huge advantage.

I still get a good chunk of time to pursue my passion and wouldn’t go back to night shift for anything. But I would be lying if I said it didn’t have its perks. :lol:
Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
-John Wayne-
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backstraps
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby backstraps » Fri Jan 15, 2021 12:06 pm

I would have to say it was a lesson that I needed to have refreshed. If you are going to try and take a mature buck and a particular target buck... YOU HAVE TO BE ON YOUR GAME!! There are no half way, short cuts, unless you can depend A LOT on luck. I just never felt like I was in the game. I was able to fill the freezer with some does and my daughter was able to get her a buck (which was super fun and exciting!!). But the time, effort, and dedication for a mature target is extreme/

My job basically got slammed with the virus outbreak. Between the rush on every simple commodity in the stores, to major home building supplies... the market switched to needing it, to needing it last week.
My time invested spring turkey hunting/scouting. summer scouts, trail cams, summer observation sit, early season planning... everything I need to (IN MY MIND) stay on top of a target buck was basically eliminated.

I did also learn another thing, this season.... to really appreciate time off work with friends family and mother nature even more!
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Wetfoot
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby Wetfoot » Fri Jan 15, 2021 1:01 pm

Not avoiding that week of November prior to the opening of gun season. For years, I've avoided it as I would spend tons of time patterning the deer and Starting about 1 November the heavy baiting would start up and the deer seemingly went underground. 2 things changed however. 1, I've almost totally abandoned my hang on, and 2nd, have started hunting 2nd and 3rd transitions beyond where guys are baiting. That has resulted in more ground hunts, but I've become better at that overall.
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Re: The biggest thing you learned this season

Unread postby 218er » Fri Jan 15, 2021 1:07 pm

Have options b, c, d, etc ready to go. I feel like I’d have a
spot in mind based on scouting and if the sign wasn’t there or there was a vehicle in the lot I’d go and try to make the best of it. In retrospect I should have just went down the list to the next option. I had a lot of spots ready to go that I never got to this year.
Persistence is undefeated.


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