JoeRe's homework

[sbeasley]

Have read Joe's and Dan's journals within the last 10 days. Amazing stuff. I believe Joe has tagged 6 trophys in the last two seasons - a literal lifetime's worth of trophys for most hunters. Its great that you logged your hours invested and miles. 300 hundred hours invested per year seems very do-able. I can't imagine what the average person spends watching tv in a year?

Besides the valuable Intel gathered, you're getting great exercise - low impact, unlike running on blacktop, and i think he would agree that being in the outdoors is priceless.

If you were to stop scouting and just went off known Intel of your spots, how do you think you would fare next year, the following year, 5 years from now? I realize that so many things can change and you can't become complacent but a large part of what you are doing is learning how dear use the terrain and that's never going to change. The progression of thick cover is slow.

I bet you could rest on your laurels a few years and still reap the results of your investments. You might not recognize a monster when he steps out or have him already named but they're still going to be in the same places (unless another hunting beast has moved in). Logically it's why experience seems to make most things in life easier.

This question applies to all of you repeat offenders out there not just Joe and Dan. Scouting is like putting money in the bank - you can live off the interest for awhile if yer lucky.

...Not that anybody wants to quit scouting. That's the fun part.

[stash59]

[jwilkstn]

I agree. I thought I worked hard until I read Joe's journal. Very motivating!

[Bowhunter4life]

Dan and Joe are no doubt in my mind two of the most educated hunters in the world As far as chasing a mature whitetail goes. They both have proven that time and time again. None of this comes easy and most guys are always looking for the shortcuts. Most will take them also evening knowing that it isn't going to be their best odds. It is just a matter of how bad you want it and what your willing to do to get it. These guys are both hard workers when it comes to chasing whitetails and they go to great measures to achieve their goal. Definitely thankful to have two guys like that sharing their hard work and giving valuable information out to everyone who wants to learn. I know I have taken plenty away from both of them.

I've been pretty fortunate to take some decent animals the last couple years and as for your question I don't believe I could sit back now without the spring scouting and be nearly as successful. Yeah of course there are most likely certain areas that will continue to hold bucks year after years as long as nothing changes there. To me you have to stay on top of the deer cause it isn't uncommon for patterns to change from one season to the next. That could be due to many different factors.

[Jed33]

Is their journals on this message board? I would like to read them also.

thanks.

[Nocturnal]

Must be in the 500. Slowly getting there..

[Mibowfreak]

Here you go guys. You start reading, and you wont get anything done today


http://www.thehuntingbeast.com/viewtopi ... 91&t=28843

[strutnrut716]

THANKS ! Mibowfreak...

[JoeRE]

Thanks guys. I am just one of many nuts on here Yes I did a journal of my hunting adventures for the 2015 calendar year. It was a lot of work just putting those posts together every single week but I wanted to give back what I could to the Beast having picked up so many ideas here myself. That's what makes this site awesome.

I guess a little background on how I got to that point. I used to hunt a ton as a teenager. Much less scouting. Then came college, job, family, much less time in the woods every fall. But the fire still burned bright you could say...so that just forced me to be more efficient, spread out my time and my prep through the year. I keep some flexibility in my schedule and can spare a few hours most weeks...that's how I prepare. I have become obsessed with stacking the odds in the off season and only hunting a minimum. I love scouting and just figuring deer out about as much as hunting...that's the only way a person can keep at it I think AND that's why I would never stop.

Every year builds on the last that is for sure. In 2016 I killed my public land buck in an area I talked a lot about in the 2015 journal just not going to say which spot. Public land around here is a strange animal, some things stay the same and some change. Some setups stay money for years and others are good every few years or just once with one unique buck. Hunting pressure seems to vary a lot year to year on specific public areas. A lot of it is non-residents hunting every few years and who admittedly are more hard core than your average Iowa bowhunter. Iowa doesn't have huge chunks of public, some corners are hard to get to but if enough hunters show up most places gets burned out pretty fast. I monitor a huge area, several times more spots than I could ever hunt, knowing half of them won't pan out any given year and I will still have more than enough to pick from...

And by the way, yes I know most of the pics are deleted, I know its not entirely fair to you guys finding the journal now but I deleted them at the end of the year, trying to find some balance between sharing information and privacy. I still share a lot.

[PK_]

Joe put more work into his season's journal than the average Joe puts into his season, period.

As far as the 'coasting' part of your question, yes you could absolutely 'coast' on the Intel gathered after years of hard work and scouting. But your success will diminish either in quality or quantity. Maybe not right away, but over the course of several year's span it almost undoubtedly will.

[JoeRE]

Yea coasting literally has never entered my mind. I never have though "I'm going to quit scouting for a while, I have plenty of information." Never though about that till you bring it up. When I have a spare hour or two and feel like scouting, I scout. Obviously that happens pretty often

Some years I am not that into it either. I do less homework and results usually take a hit too that same season. Kinda uprising how fast that happens. I think it has more to do with the sloppiness carrying over into my hunting. I still have that stockpile of good spots but when I don't feel like scouting, I am also more likely to make excuses about not hunting, or picking an easier spot to hunt, and just in general loose the edge of that killer instinct. I think that's the correlation if that makes any sense. Its more than just being in a good spot - gotta pick the right time to be there and then gotta make the shot. When I am on, this sounds crazy but I believe I am 100% lethal as soon as a buck steps in range. He is going down. When I am not I am not.

Its been a few years since a down time for me, 2009-10 was probably the most recent low point I just didn't spend much time in the woods. The years before that I hunted and scouted my tail off and killed plenty of big bucks. I shot the first 2 year old buck that came by me in 2009 because I wanted to. Season done, meat in freezer, I had a bunch of other stuff going on in my life. It was the smallest deer I had shot in 5 or 6 years, and no regrets. In 2010 never drew my bow back I think then I did kill a big buck late season but my brothers set me up with that opportunity. This ties into that other thread about highs and lows, my advice is just take them for what they are, if you have the drive to do better next year do it, if you don't then don't, highs and lows are natural no reason to take the fun out of it. If you force it and the less fun it is, the more burned out you will get, downward spiral.

[Stanley]

Great thread...

[JoeRE]

One thing, I do pride myself in persistence and attention to detail but don't assume I have anything close to Dan Infalt's big buck knowledge and intuition...I know people try to rank hunters and all that (I hate it) but don't stick me up there. I wouldn't shoot what I do if I didn't live where I live fellas....and Dan has close to 20 years experience on me, he shares a huge amount of information and we are all better hunters having found the Beast.

[dan]

Your a humble guy, and a great hunter Joe... Don't sell yourself short.

As far as falling back on past scouting and past experience, of coarse we could... But to be the best you can be, you need to keep reaching for the stars. The best football, baseball, or basketball stars could likely do well falling back on past experience, but I would be willing to bet they show up for practice each weak.....

Every day you spend scouting does far more help than your realizing. It not only gives you a spot or two to hunt next fall, it also gives you a look into the deers world. An open mind will keep learning as long as he keeps looking, and understands there is always more to learn... The man who knows everything, has a lot to learn.

[mainebowhunter]

And a lot of guys don't realize its really where the fun and enjoyment comes from. When you sit on stand with 100% anticipation because you have done the work, really is where the enjoyment comes from. Whether or not the buck your looking for shows or does not show.

At some point, you have to put in the work. And then you keep putting in the work.