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What has this last season taught you??

Hey guys hunterif has made a very valid point what have we learned from this past season to make us better for future seasons? For me, I learned that I maybe starting my vacation too early with the end of October, as I see more action late November into December and January then end of oct. I feel these past two seasons have just been too warm to see much daytime rut activity. 2nd I've learned that even though the weather isn't cooperating and your not getting much on the cameras hunt anyways. If the does are ready weather doesn't matter. This year, shortly b4 Thanksgiving we had 4 days of extremely high winds. Those days while scouting and baiting my spots, I saw two of the largest bucks of the season with in 20 yds of my Stand walking in. Lastly go with your gut and don't let yourself get psyched out. One morning I woke up to go hunt showered changed and was getting ready and told myself what's the point not gonna see anything anyway, and decided not to go. I had pictures of my big guy that I had been chasing most of the season, right there 7:30 in front of my stand.

Great thread Silverado, thanks for starting it. I've been deer hunting with a bow since 1975 and every year I've learned something. At this stage in my hunting career it's about the particular area I'm hunting, for instance - a buck will cross a river to get to a doe, or that there are other hunters coming in from other directions that would aid in my hunts if I move my stand location.

I've learned that I have to go where there are deer so CT for me this season!

I learned a ton last season some extremely major things and somethings that are just stupid. first and I think the stupidest thing I learned is NEVER go in the woods without eye black I know this can be a controversial topic and I didn't really believe it worked. So it was one of the last days I could hunt and everything was going wrong the wind was wrong we attracted thousands of birds instead of deer so basically me and buckdown thought the hunt was screwed from the beginning. And then 15 mins before last shooting light 4 does showed up behind us just outa range and one of the does comes down gives me a 15 yard broadside shot looks at my face and is gone. That's the last time I ever go in the woods without eyeblack. I think it is because the background in my blind is black and my face is white as hell and they can tell I'm not natural so I think that extra black helps you stand out less. #2 get down out of your climber while you can still feel your hands and feet. #3 don't wear fishing boots scouting. The first time me and buck down went scouting he was wearing fishing boots it was entertaining to watch but not the most effective thing ever.

1 I learned something this year don't have your glasses hanging around your neck on a string they can get caught in the bow string and screw your shot up big time 2 shoot you deer early in the season that way if its to cold you don't have to get out of bed.

eye black? Never used it and I've had deer within 5 feet of me on the ground. Movement and wind direction is what usually spokes them.

Want to try something really cool. While Turkey hunting one year I see 3 deer across a field and I start bleating and while doing so I cup my hands and hold them on the top of my head like two ears, you know like a deer. One deer comes trotting across the field right to me, staring at me and trying to make out what I was. She was not spooked or nervous, just really interested. As soon as I lower my hands she booked!

Since been corrected. Keep your bow in a hard case when not in use. I used to just put it in the backseat. Missed back to back (8 & 6) bucks due to sight movement. Duh

Nothing for me. Hunted my usual spots that I have had a success and killed deer where and when I figured I would. A really routine season.

I learned that I can't shoot any from my couch. I learned that you can enjoy hunting from your couch if you have friends that bring you alone with a smart phone and get enough updates and pictures. I learned that sometimes you can enjoy someone else's success just as much as you can enjoy your own.

Most important, enjoy every hunt and every day as if it is your last one....... it could be.

All good points guys keep em coming, we all learn from each other. Unfortunate events for some may turn into future positives for others.

O boy where do I begin.. Learned? I've learned a ton this year and I'm learning this very second. I learned make sure you know your bow 100%. Poundage, draw length etc. I learned to stay calm and not to stand up so quickly when I see a deer. I've learned understanding the deer's behavior is key to taking one. The extra couple bucks on accessories I spend is worth spending. Still learning how to stay calm control my breathing and not let buck fever get the best of me. I'll be learning in April about turkey at the deep seminar. I'll be learning till the day I die and If I ever stop that's the day I call it quits and rip me out of the woods!!

Toonces - didn't learn anything about how to butcher a shank bone? I sure hope you did since you'll run out of fingers at some point and then you won't be able to hold the shank to butcher it :)

BBB just because I fell down doesn't mean I learned how to walk :)

Just cause it's snotty out doesn't mean deer don't move..late November snow storm,30-40mph winds,snow blowing sideways,mid day ..25 deer under my stand..it mightve been tolerable if I sat in my blind instead of my truck watching...

Patience..passed on a lot of deer waiting for certain bucks that always seemed to be out of range,behind a tree or would just vanish..next season it's one for the freezer first..

I learned not to zoom in too much with the camera cuz it might cost you a deer.

I relearned that I need to be more adaptable and mobile during the season.

I learned I would rather be lucky than good. Mid december I'm sitting on a rock, 8am drinking coffee, and the biggest buck I have ever seen stops 18yds broadside infront of me with his head down. The rest is history.

Vmang you have any pics of him?

Maybe his history is he spilled his coffee on his who-ha, screamed and Mr big ran off.??

I'm an old school 65yr old bowhunter. No smart phone only a camera. Don't laugh but I don't know how to send pic from a camera. Rack was a wide 8 heavy mass and palmated main beams. Looked more like a moose than a whitetail.

BBB THE HISTORY WAS A DOUBLE LUNG AND HE MADE 80YDS.

vmang - I know, I was just having some fun. We've all been there, either taking a leak, having snack, taking a nap, only to have the buck of a lifetime decide to ruin your day.

Glad it worked out for you.

If you have a digital camera (not one that uses film, but a memory card) all you would need to do is plug your camera into your computer (hopefully your camera came with that feature) and your computer should ask if you want load the new pictures. Take your camera to Best Buy, they can hook you up with a cable if don't have it and walk you though it..

Thanks for the info Bob VMang

1) As scent conscious as I am, I learned that it's ok to piss in the woods. I posted a thread on the big game forum "to pee or not to pee" and it was cool to get so many replies. My bladder was soon much more comfortable this season. 2) I learned that a doe decoy can spook does. In years past, my experience has been that if any deer see the decoy, they will come in and check it out. Maybe snorting at it, but they would come in regardless. Maybe my placement was poor this year and they didn't see it from far enough away to not be alarmed. Or maybe it was just a skittish doe and fawn. 3) It's worth driving further to areas with greater deer densities. 4) As much as I love bowhunting, it was worth giving up a few days during the rut to hunt birds with my son

Going deep works . On state land I hunted as far in as you can go and got my deer and saw others . Not easy but it worked

after 27 years of deer hunting, I finally learned best no to doze off, cause when you wake up they are out of range..

Notme should change his handle to notright

Never go in the deer woods unarmed during hunting season .. my broth put a marginal shot on a four point on a day I took off to rest .. I got up the mountain on my way to help him recover a lost blood trail when a buck the size of a horse with points uncountable at the moment "10 or 12 ..170 class who knows "I was star struck .. no weapon .. the deer ran under a half broken tree directly towards me stuck his front legs in the dirt about 8 yard in front of me looking back and forth as if he thought I was something else .maybe another buck trying o steel the doe he was keeping .. if I had a spear I could have got a good shot .. he paused for 3 seconds and trotted off behind his doe . I was devastated if only I had my bow at least would have had a shot it was 11am on a blue bird sunny warm /windy day like all winter ... my father had warned me not to go without a weapon but I didn't listen...now I know the hard way ..

That was last year and it still burns me like it was yesterday don't let it happen to you alway bring your weapon even if you are going On huntable land my excuse was I was tired and Short on time .. never did find the four point

notme hasn't been right for years, love that about him.

Always heard two sides of this but I witnessed it this year. Friday morning shot a buck , Saturday morning I watched a large doe walk up to the gut pile and mill around the area for probably 2-3 minutes, She then followed the trail down the same way he ran, I got her within about 5 feet from where I got him. No, gutpiles don't bother them at all.

I shot a small buck years ago a short time later another one came thru and walked within 2 feet of the dead deer 20 min later a 6 ptr came in too I shot that one 2 bucks opening day of muzzle loader about 30 years ago .

Nothing really. I'm not saying I'm an expert or can't learn but this year seemed to be one of those years of routine after routine. Nothing special going on with acorns or the weather so I just stuck to the basics and was lucky enough to score on a great buck.

So you did learn something longbeard. The effort you have put In over the years has been worth it. You know where the deer are and obviously you have them patterned. So you learned hard work and dedication has paid off and allowed you to be in your routine..

He knew that years ago

I learned patience this year, I learned to stay away from my stands if the wind isn't right. A few of you guys posted about it and I realized I was just hunting sometimes, regardless of the wind. I just wanted to be out there and figured I'd get lucky.

I played the wind and I saw more bucks in one season than I've seen in the six years I've been hunting public land. I didn't wear out my stands or educate the deer, I didn't get a chance to shoot a buck, but just knowing I'm finally seeing them, it taught me a lot and it was as simple as reading the threads and trying to replicate the successful hunters on this site.

i think I hung in one spot too long with no success...I also hunted another state land piece with too much traffic....gotta get away from the crowd

Yes Shawn I guess you could look at it that way. BBB you are correct. Each year is different from the previous so you sometimes have scroll back in the rolladeck a few years to find some common and memorable traits to come up with a game plan. All in all it was a pretty basic year strategy wise for me. Stick to the basics and more often than not you'll be successful

This season reminded me that to be successful you have to be persistent, stay after it and trust what your cameras are showing you. I shot my buck in a spot that had only nocturnal pictures of deer. After 8 hunts with 0 sightings, he finally made a mistake and moved in legal light. My cameras gave me the confidence to stay after it in this property and my stubborn persistence paid off on Dec. 26th.

Gotta be persistent and get out in that tree...the morning I shot my big 8 I hadn't had any pictures on camera for a few weeks and it was one of those cold December mornings that you just want to stay in bed. Like Crow said...you cant shoot anything from your couch. If you put the time in it'll pay off for yah.

don't try to butcher a frozen deer they suck to skin .We just finished Dave's ended up being 120 lbs on the scale .

Even if you don't get a deer all season, HUNT hard til the end and have a GREAT attitude despite it all. It also taught me that there are a lot of great guys on this site who are generous. 2 people shared their venison with me.

Practice, practice, practice.. I was fortunate that both of my shots dropped both deer even though they were high. Something must have nudged my site. I thought the first time it was me, but two in a row led me to suspect the pin placement. Remember your in season practice sessions to identify such issues.

Garbanzo - ah, you touch on something that haunted me years ago. All of my practice used to be from the ground, not an elevated position. Our club has a permanent stand on the practice range, so once I discovered I was shooting high, I made sure I practiced from the elevated stand. That was MY problem.

A lesson I learned years ago and worth sharing. When you get on to fresh tracks in thick cover you need to get ready to shoot. Missed a slammer once on the top of a mountain. He was bedded in the middle of three dropped trees. Just moments before I told my father...wow look at those big tracks in the mud. He bounded out of there when we were leds than 10 yards away. Should have gotten ready to shoot the second we saw the tracks, stalked slowly and we might have had a chance.

There are deer on Staten Island.

Wild Bill - yes, but how many deer are on Staten Island? No one knows that answer based upon what I've seen so far.

bbb,

I wouldn't want to hear the din of human movement, while trying to hunt there. That I learned years ago, when trying to hunt within a couple of miles from the Merritt Parkway.

WB - you and I share that desire, to be far from the maddening crowd. I started hunting in West Fork, ME and always felt the need to be far away from other hunters and civilization in general. That's partly why I love going out west for elk where the expanse of open space is so different than CT.

I hunt the parkway and I have to agree with you Wild Bill, the sound of the traffic does diminish the hunt somewhat, nothing like hearing the crack of a branch breaking or the crackle of leaves in the dead of winter, the unmistakable sound of a deer moving, sometimes you just know it's going to be a deer the moment you hear the noise. Other than that, I can't complain about the parkway, it's been good to me. Last time I tried to get away from humanity in Ansonia and I had two stands stolen from public land, but I've never had a problem on the parkway, guys tend to leave your stuff alone.

Nice meeting you the other day Wild Bill, that was a helluva nice smokepole and it was nice talking with you. I did get my scope sighted in, so shooting became a little more fun afterwards.

You got a scope on your bow?? SWEET! :)

Nah BBB, was sighting in my 30-06, the scope mount had worked itself loose.

Oh, never mind.

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