Muddy

[jlh42581]

Just re-read my answers, there's gunna be a lot of disappointment with those boring answers.

Ur approach is obviously working for ya.... I'm glad I'm not a gobbler on the ground you hunt

I guess also just keeping a positive attitude and not being afraid to try something new when I'm in a rut also comes into play. Scouting on the way in and out from stands is key to find those hot new areas. I have a boring common sense approach, I don't try to over think things because then I get second guessing and end up parked on the side of the road mulling stand locations over.

Thats never happened to me

[tim]

just seen the topic, muddy good posts as usual, the part i like and can relate to these days is, where u said you dont like second guessing or u end up on the side of the road mulling over which treestand to hunt....thats about where im at these days. this is so key with hunting i believe take all that mental crap/second guessing out of it and just believe in your setup.......

[muddy]

just seen the topic, muddy good posts as usual, the part i like and can relate to these days is, where u said you dont like second guessing or u end up on the side of the road mulling over which treestand to hunt....thats about where im at these days. this is so key with hunting i believe take all that mental crap/second guessing out of it and just believe in your setup.......

If you put the stand there in the first place there's a reason behind it. Trust those gut feelings. Conversely if you're sitting somewhere and your gut tells you to move sometimes you gotta lose a hour or two of stand time and get outta there.

[dan]

just seen the topic, muddy good posts as usual, the part i like and can relate to these days is, where u said you dont like second guessing or u end up on the side of the road mulling over which treestand to hunt....thats about where im at these days. this is so key with hunting i believe take all that mental crap/second guessing out of it and just believe in your setup.......

If you put the stand there in the first place there's a reason behind it. Trust those gut feelings. Conversely if you're sitting somewhere and your gut tells you to move sometimes you gotta lose a hour or two of stand time and get outta there.

That is solid advice...

[muddy]

just seen the topic, muddy good posts as usual, the part i like and can relate to these days is, where u said you dont like second guessing or u end up on the side of the road mulling over which treestand to hunt....thats about where im at these days. this is so key with hunting i believe take all that mental crap/second guessing out of it and just believe in your setup.......

If you put the stand there in the first place there's a reason behind it. Trust those gut feelings. Conversely if you're sitting somewhere and your gut tells you to move sometimes you gotta lose a hour or two of stand time and get outta there.

That is solid advice...

I think back on that and can recal 3 different bucks that were the only deer sightings on that particular day, each of those bucks got a truck ride because my gut said, "stay put". That could also be stubbornness as well I suppose. Two other times my gut said "Get the heck outta here" and 2 hours later I had a buck down.

[Edcyclopedia]

Just want to throw out there that I'm not a gigantic CENSORED FOR BAD LANGUAGE like my last post may come across. This sort of discussion for me would best be discussed around a campfire or something, [glow=red]I have no skillz in typing or getting my point across diplomatically on an internet forum.[/glow]

Sounds like english to me
I get in trouble too...

[muddy]

Just want to throw out there that I'm not a gigantic CENSORED FOR BAD LANGUAGE like my last post may come across. This sort of discussion for me would best be discussed around a campfire or something, [glow=red]I have no skillz in typing or getting my point across diplomatically on an internet forum.[/glow]

Sounds like english to me
I get in trouble too...

I think we should share a campfire! Start putting in for points.

[muddy]

Re reading this is funny. I have changed a few things.... with the advent of IR trail cams I've started relying on them a lot.

One thing I didn't mention... I rely heavily on hanging and hunting. I bet 95% of my sets are out of a LoneWolf anymore, I feel the best hunt out of a stand is the first time in. What better way than to hunt a new, or location tweeked, set up each time?

This year I hunted 1 specific deer and it bit me in the but somewhat. Saw him a couple times but ended up passing 4 deer over 150 (one was pushing 170) in hopes of a true giant. The great thing here is that according to my cameras and what I saw in the field, I will have plenty of bucks to chase next fall... and yes, already thinking ahead to next November amd this one isn't even over. Hopefully something trips up later this week, I've sat roughly 15 all day sets this month and that includes thru those brutal cold days last week... starting to get fatigued.

People who know me say I'm one of the most mentally tough and dedicated hunters they have met, I just don't give up very easily. Wind, cold, sleet, snow, amd rain hasn't grounded me yet this year... hopefully TreeShaker slips up and when/if e does it'll be an awesome buck to put down.

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[yungbuck]

Looking forward to a kill zone of this giant

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[BigHunt]

So to sum it up, your technique is living in Iowa?

How did you wind up in Iowa anyway? Born there?

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[hunter_mike]

This is a good read, especially about attitude, patience and keeping it simple.

Muddy you had a heck of a season in 2017. Any more revelations on deer hunting tactics? Any statements on your mindset this past season that allowed you to get r done?

[muddy]

Goodness its been awhile since this poor thread was conceived!

I appreciate the kind words! Nothing much has changed for me, I keep it even simpler now that the kids are in so many activities. Also, since my dad died a few years ago, I don't sweat the little things... because that's all they are, little things. If a landowner goes for a walk under me, I say hello. If my wife is having issues with the kids, I go home. If the wind won't let me hunt where I want I either go elsewhere or stay home. Just letting the cards fall as they may keeps my mindset in the game and when an opportunity presents itself I try to capitalize. Go into the field with a good attitude and you never have a bad hunt!

That being said... I did have the biggest mess up of my hunting career this fall. Only a few people know that on a misty November morning I flubbed a shot on a 180-185" typical 10. My mistake was not keeping current with my trail cams. He had been in the area for a few days and I got lazy checking them. My second mistake was looking at the antlers. Once I saw him on that doe I couldn't stop staring... I absolutely lost my composure and sent the arrow through the neck just in front of the shoulders. I tracked him for 3 days before I lost blood in a rain. My third mistake was on the track, I saw him at a distance the first day and I froze. I should have tried to close and I didn't. I'm not afraid to say I lost a net typical booner and it hurt. My 4th mistake was getting down on myself... bad. It took 6 days before I climbed back up into a tree. When I did I got on deer, got in the right mindset, and made an extremely difficult shot on a freaking brute.

In hind sight my Toad buck signifies probably my greatest bow kill, it had been 4 years since I killed a buck on my own terms, not getting put in a stand by a buddy and 4 years since dad died. The past few years have been mentally difficult. Sure I've killed a few deer but not doing it "by myself" has been weighing heavy. Then I gimp a monster, I really sunk low.

I'm rambling, and I gotta make supper. Fire another question if you feel inclined Mike

[jman22]

Good stuff right here. I can really relate as I also have a young family and have scaled back my days afield quite a bit. That being said, I feel I hunt a lot smarter now and have more confidence than I ever have before.

Do you still rely on trail cams heavily? That's the boat I'm in, as I don't have a lot of scouting time, so cams and past years hunts really give me a lot of info. I guess I'd be curious to hear some of your cam tactics. Do you do long soaks plus have cams you check frequently etc..?

On a side note, I bought a pair of wool pants from Muddy this past fall and killed a great 4 yo 10pt. So Muddy 's knowledge even trickles down into his used clothing haha.

[SidewayZ]

Enjoying this post.

I really admire your patience and discipline to pass on buck in the 130-150 range.

How much time do you typically have to determine if a buck like that comes through to even decide if its a shooter for you or not. I know most of my setups, it seems like 10 seconds or less.

[NH Teufelhund]

So to sum it up, your technique is living in Iowa?

How did you wind up in Iowa anyway? Born there?

I guess that's one way to put it. Yes, born and raised.

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THATS FUNNY!

But really not a bad tactic... I know a lot of good hunters who have done well by moving to where the hunting is great... Andrae is one of them.

I live in southern NH and have a job I love that pays well and I often think about heading to a better hunting state. The states bow season length is as important to me as the deer density though. In NH I’ve learned a trophy can come in many shapes and sizes.