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Things I'm Learning... 2018 Edition

Archery season is almost done... (very sad!) and the orange army will soon be deployed. Ill likely be one of them poking around a bit, but it's just time in the woods for me. It's just not the same when I'm not bow hunting, and the woods feel different when they turn orange to me, so taking the bow just doesn't "do it" for me.

Any way. What have you been learning this season?

For me, two things jump at me.

1.) It's been so long since I've hunted green fields and similar food sources that I'm rusty at it. It's forcing me to think differently which long term will be good. 2.) My best weapon is time. Historically I have a lot of chances to get out in the AM or PM. But with my wives schedule this year... I'm at best hunting half as often. I've tried to adapt by using mid day's to scout - taking hikes often looking for sign that feels really good - thus far, I've not found any areas in season this year that scream "HUNT ME". Just a lot of areas that are ok. I've seen deer with greater frequency, perhaps than ever, this year... but I've drawn and let down on 4 due to not liking the shots, and opted not to draw on a small buck I just couldnt feel out the angle well on at about 30yds. I'm fine with that, it feels successful in a lot of ways - almost catch and release. But I've learned in all of this, that historically I've relied on time afield as my best weapon... with that more sporadic this year, it's a lot harder to stay on hot sign and it show's with more close calls vs chances I feel good about.

I'm going to have to improve my map/aerial pic viewing and raise my game with narrowing down a spot better for next year.

Good stuff overall.

How about you all? Whatcha learning this year that will help you in the future?

Will

lol...I've learned that I spent too much time tweaking my saddle setup and shooting my recurve, and not enough time scouting/hanging trail cams etc. I've gotten lucky in that my 'usual' spot I know like the back of my hand and can adapt quickly.

I've also learned that my mobile saddle setup isn't the best for quick morning hunts before work. 20 min setup and breakdown time would only leave me about 20 minutes to hunt. what I will do next year is hang some presets...maybe some climbing rails and platforms so I can get up the tree quickly and tether up.

I think I'm going mobile for the rest of the season.

Oh, and I also learned I need to invest in some quality waterproof-windproof hunting attire....avg November rainfall in MA is just under 4 inchs (insert Moons dicks boycott joke here) and as of last night we'd already gotten close to 6. when you add in today's rain, and thrs nights snow/fridays rain we could approach 8+. its been a soggy season for me.

I’ve learned get out of the oaks! As well as screw the cameras and just look for fresh sign like back when I started. This season is turning out so far to be my worst in awhile. I need to stop and rescout a bit and start fresh.

I have learned that I need to try harder to be friends with Moons.....

But seriousily, this year I think the biggest two lessons: 1) don't stand hop from woodlot to woodlot... give a stand a few sits before moving on 2) Early season is great if you have summer deer patterned... but don't burn yourself out too early and don't burn too many vacation days in October. Stuff gets real Nov 7 - 21....

x2 on friends with moons. lol

Careful what you wish for guys !!! Being friends with Moons could result in a lot of non stand time

Shot another one !! Can you help me drag it out?

Shot another one can you help me drag it out?

Shot another one can you help me drag it out?.

Do you guys see the pattern here ????

1. know the seasons before you go in the woods.. 2. be prepared for anything and everything 3. have reinforcements at your ready. 4. bring change of underwear... 5. dont take pictures if it means rushing your shot and forgetting to aim a tad bit high at this yardage. lesson 1 and 2. early on a cool crisp morning, sitting in the tree, i see this black blob wallowing down the hill..Im not sure what to do...(lesson 2).... I reach in for my cell phone to pull up the hunting seasons (which is now in my I books account) and I see "black blob is in season " (lesson 1) So i go the phone out... why not take a picture....(stupid, stupid, stupid).. snap off what I thought to be a couple quick pics of said black blob.... (yeah, they didnt come out)

.Now getting to business,,,,,, i pick up the bow, draw back quickly as the blob enters the shooting lane at 30 yds.... not thinking things thru, i aim just up the front leg, 1/4 of the way up and release,,, ...............Knock lights,,,, arrow travels and hits low,(lesson 5),, BEAR Growls and spins and snaps at the arrow.... and runs about 20 yds and stays there for 3 -5 minutes (or eternity) just behind some mulberry's.. no second shot... no good view... No nerves lefts....WTF..... i just pissed off something that could eat me for dinner..

Off he walks parallel to the trail i was hunting heading to the swamp.. Now what... Listen and wait for 1/2 hour hoping to hear that death moan.... NOPE...... head down check out the arrow... yup, found split in half,,, blood 2/3 up the shaft... Head out to find brother for backup..(lesson 3). Long story short... blood where he was standing... and 5 yds after that... light red, no bubbles....not a lot of blood for the amount of time he was standing...full day of searching ( on full alert mind you, so every twig snap,,, well you know ----Lesson 4 ) and NOTHING.. no more blood, swamp to big and wet to get into go all around .. nothing... replay the shot in my mind and the Knock hit... Im thinking front leg hit ..... Just hurts when this happens..... I will never make these mistakes again... Bear or Deer,,

One thing I learned, and apparently keep learning and forgetting, is to expect to see deer at every second, especially when you don't see anything. If seeing white tails bounding away were a sport, I'd be Tom Brady. I need more patience and putting into practice the lessons I've learned. Mental preparation is just as, if not more important than preparing your gear or shot.

I have learned that I may be a full time saddle hunter. Not once this season have I schleped a lone wolf climber into the woods.. I went all in and bought 2 saddles.. 1 Areo hunter Kestral and 1 Mantis. I waited 4 or 5 months for it but WOWZA is that thing kool. I’ve been telling all my hunting buddies about what a great tool this thing is but I may have to shut up about it. Hey I don’t want everybody to find out just how easy it is to hunt outa this thing.... any tree anywhere anytime. I am heading back to the NY Camp on fri the last chance to arrow a buck from the saddle as rifle season opens this sat. Well maybe I can get my first buck with a rifle from the saddle and film it. I have been at my job many yrs and have 6 wks vacation. Starting fri I have the next 10 days off to hunt. If I score I NY I can come home to taxachusetts and try for a 4s doe or buck.

Ed that is maybe the funniest thing ever... and yes, I would also have learned I need to bring new undies, if I'd wounded a bear. Yikes! Hope you are well!

slayer, stop selling me :)

Thanks Will, be silently surfing.... moved back to the old neighborhood and trying to pick up where i left off.... old spots are still there...not as active... but have new ones in northern Z9... and am training son in law... (in all the lessons learned) of bow hunting... and yes he is hooked already... and as private land connections... cant wait... and grandson is shooting at bow and hitting target all the time at 10 yds... so much to look forward to... Hope all is well with you

Will, I'm with you on not getting out much this year. We just moved into our first house and between house projects and work I've only been out a handful of times. I logged about 40 days last year, this year I might get a dozen.

I've learned better ways to access particular areas based on wind direction and terrain features. I promised myself I'd hunt very aggressively all season and I have and I've been on deer, but the majority of times I jumped deer either from sound or scent. But it will be valuable info for hunts later this season and next year.

I've also learned I will more than likely never hunt out of anything other than my saddle ever again;)

1) I need to stop Trophy Hunting. Same as when I'm spearfishing, I pass on fish the average Spearo would whack in a second, because they are quality fish! I'm always hesitant, looking for the big boy coming up from behind.

2) Perhaps after almost 30 years of Traditional archery, compensating for arrow distance/flight/arc to target etc, wrapping my head around the fact my xbow shoots flat out to 40 yards! I need to stop overthinking.

3) making damn sure the can of Nose Jammer I "wanted" to spray in the blind, was NOT the can of Buck Bomb! I had an unfortunate "Incident" last year with this. ( ended up driving home in my underwear & irritated skin and a dog who went absolutely berserk) and wouldn't leave me alone for days, a car that I could've used as a scent drag for weeks!

4) just getting away from the cameras, and BS & hunt the sign like my Grandfather taught me.

5) RTFL- for you Firefighter/Paramedic types you get this! Read The Farking Label ! Before you spray as you're watching the buck approach! Been a fun season so far w good friends and fun sightings. Good luck all. Cheers

Qdiver I agree totally with number 4. I used to scout my ass off now it is quick scout and cameras up then keep checking the cameras. They always look good until the season starts then crap!

I've learned this season hasn't gone as planned. And Qdiver forgot the 5 Rs' of medicine !

After hunting the same spot for almost 3 seasons it has become apparent to me that it is an early rut season spot. Patterned the bucks to be cruising hard in this area the last week of October to the end of the last week of November. Thought it was because of a doe last year, but same pattern this year minus the doe. I know now to seriously hunt this place hard those two weeks with multiple stand placements so as not to burn out one given area. I have 3 there now but need at least 3 more. Only hang on stands and over 20 ft no exceptions!!!!

Also really started to pay attention to thermals more. It’s amazing how thermals will supersede light and variable wind. You think your scent is going one way with the wind till that little parachute of love goes up or down the hill 40 yds out. Lol.

Also buying a midrange video camera. I had fun taking video of some of the encounters I had this year. iPhone is not cutting it anymore and would love to get a kill on video

Mathews solo cam hunter here I come. Ha Hahahhaha

It stinks about time guys, I'm with you ; kids, trying to buy a house, work, it's tough to get out there. The number one thing I learn every year is that I know very little about hunting, always taught to me by the most amazing animal on the planet, the whitetail deer. Seriously though, I feel like I learned a ton. Sometimes it's not so much learning as much as it is having it repeated until you get it through your thick head. That's why my 1. Is hunt the wind. I heard this for many years but always thought I could get away with a less than ideal wind if I had great scent control. Great scent control is about as important as not shitting your pants on stand... play the wind. I second DFA, love thermals. 2. Hunt fresh sign. I'm with you guys screw the cameras, they tell you where the deer was last week, not right now. They change constantly. Unless your trying to pattern a specific buck, and you have a minimum of 10 cameras and plan on checking them every free moment you have, just hunt fresh sign. I have a 5 year old who wants to throw the football around with his dad. I love hunting, but I love him a ton more. 3. Saddles, pinch points, and funnels, nuff said. ;-) 4. But should be #1, saddle hunting is awesome!!! It makes all of the above unbelievably easier, I doubt I will use any other stand again. That's it, learning, mostly from you fine gentlemen, and the whitetail deer. Thanks Will, for forcing me to use this enormous oddly shaped melon attached to my neck, nice thread buddy!

Eastie for the win: "Great scent control is about as important as not shitting your pants on stand... play the wind."

#Truth bud. Note, it also frees you up for one more bowl of venison chili the night before hunting.

DFA, man, so true on the thermals. You drop a milkweed pod on a North West "wind" that Light and Variable, and the dang thing floats TO the North and West... WHAT? It as you noted it goes out 40yds, hits a stream, and suddenly shifts and starts flowing perpendicular to the "wind" going down stream. What? Thermals are crazy!

That fresh sign thing is serious... The freshest sign being seeing deer.

I'm seeing more deer this year and I think it's because I started trying to stop thinking so much and just hunt! Get out there and look for fresh sign. Staying mobile makes hunting a lot more like, well, hunting!

I feel that I've confirmed my skill at finding deer, and also my lack of skill at closing the deal, but luck hits everyone sometimes. This goes back to the number one rule of hunting. Luck can't strike you if you aren't in the woods. Hopefully next season I will have that time for luck to strike me again.

MWR has a good point. Many times, especially when I'm new to an area, I feel like I'm not hunting, but just scouting with a weapon for the next hunt or season. If I didn't do both, I don't think luck would ever hit me.

I have learned that while I can find where deer go to and through. I can’t really figure out what way they come from. Lol

You know Death, usually I don't know where I'm coming from!

Will, sorry to have to correct you but here goes.

Eastie for the win: "I have a 5 year old who wants to throw the football around with his dad. I love hunting, but I love him a ton more."

I am not sure where to start. I had a number of things I wanted to accomplish this year, but I probably only hit one or two. I have been fortunate to harvest an animal already, and in a relatively new spot, so I guess the ultimate goal has been accomplished. BUT, harvesting an animal is such a small part of the overall process for me. I sit here writing this and I question whether or not I was lucky, or was it the reward for a bunch of hard work on and off season. Probably a bit of both. I scoped out a dozen locations off season, but only really worked three of them with any consistency while hunting. The harvested deer was the result of scouting, seeing deer a multiple times around the area and moving around to accommodate their travel. So, the lessons................

1) Mobility. I can actually say I have mastered mobility. I have taken it to a level I never would have imagined. At this point it will come down to minor refinements and what I am willing to leave behind to lighten my load. But I can go anywhere and almost climb anything. I hope we have a chance to all meet again this Spring so we can all share our experiences. I am of course talking about the saddle and climbing system. A total game changer. My issue is not what tree can I climb. The only issue is what is in the way of the tree I climb which restricts my shot. To be able to walk into the woods as far as I want, anywhere I want and climb a tree to hunt is huge. Oh, and none of this "they stole my stand" or "cut my straps" bullshit to deal with. As far as anyone is concerned, I was never there.

2) Figuring out topo. I just stare at maps. Mapping Trophy Bucks, the book, has helped quite a bit. I need to read it 10 more times but I am slowly getting it. I look for irregularities in the land, humps, flat spots along hillsides and points of least resistance. It seems to be working. My spots do not have lots of "signs" like you guys talk about. Most of the scrapes I find are literally on walking trails, so I know those are happening in the middle of the night. Rubs are random at best. I have never ever found rubs leading to the buck's hideout. I probably need to do more and better scouting. I learned though that I need to see a good run, preferably a spot where there is a merge. The likelihood of an encounter seems to increase exponentially.

3) Do not hunt spots I think look good. I need to hunt spots that the deer thinks look good. I made this mistake last year. You know what I am talking about; nice swamp with a beautiful large open area. Lots of places for a great shot. What was I thinking. My spots this year mostly suck for multiple shooting lanes. Uggh, I have had to let so many deer walk. Only if I had a gun :) But the big difference this year? I saw deer, and these are all new locations with plenty of other hunters.

4) Time. I gotta be out there. Maybe not all day, but I have to get out whenever possible. Because at the end of the day, a deer's movement can be quite random. maybe they will walk the run I am stet up on, maybe they go twenty yards behind me and downwind.

5) Downwind. Uggh. I am so tempted to spend two grand on scentlok crap. But I think at the end of the day it probably is not worth the money. Just stay downwind of the crafty little buggers. The locations that I now have figured out will have two trees next year. One for the westerlies, and one for the easterlies. Bring it, I will be ready.

6) Try not to get obsessed. Ya right. This season has affected my ability to function. Hunting is all I thought about and I tried to keep my work schedule as open as possible. This is ok to a point, but I just need to control the urge a bit better. Yes, I want to see a deer every time I go out. But it really is not important. Being in the woods alone, listening and watching all the other critters is what it is all about.

I’ve learned that Jeb disappeared

Qdiver911. Your #1 Trophy deer attitude has led me to many tag sandwiches which I’m ok with but I was on going to lower my standards and if given the opportunity take the first buck i had a clean shot on. I took opening z5 week and shot a spike the first night out. With the rest of the week and season to chase the trophy. Night 3 a seven point comes in with a broken front leg and presents a shot and I couldn’t let him go thru the winter. Tagged out the first week like many of the hunting emotions it was great but sucked at the same time. Never sat in any of my rut spots i scouted hard over the past few yrs .knowing there’s a few keepers in there I didn’t get to challenge myself in the quest for that trophy... I’ve Never heard a deers death moan before, shot the spike and dropped him, he tried to get up and he sounded like a loud goat. I couldn’t throw another arrow fast enough which ended it quickly. Felt bad for him and the 3 legger. Wife says I’m getting soft with my older age. Don’t tell anyone. Lol

I learned a food plot/green fields is where i need to be on years that have no acorns!

Bruce - I stand corrected. That is the best comment :)

And yeah, Vons right... I want Jeb, I want Jeb, I want Jeb. Where you at man?

Lots of great stuff in this thread. Nice to know I'm not the only one able to find deer but still struggling to close the deal. Here are a few of mine:

- Scent control is completely about the wind. This was the first year I really, REALLY focused on getting the wind right and it paid off I had more chances this year than I've had in the past. I read a multiyear series article in field and stream about scent control methods and drug sniffing dogs that really changed my thinking on this. You can't pay for scent control.

- Finding the balance when ground hunting between "getting to the spot" and "moving really slowly". This year I was able to ground stalk a doe after spotting her well ahead of me with the binoculars.

- As someone else said remembering that deer can be anywhere! I was trying to do a hang and hunt in a new area the second day of the season and after scouting around and looking at the map decided on the spot I wanted to go... just needed to find a tree. Was so focused on finding that tree I totally stopped being aware of my surroundings. A doe was bedded behind a log right in front of me. DOH!

- THIS IS THE BIG ONE: getting my equipment checked every year. Last year I noticed my bow was shooting a little funny so I adjusted the sight. Well, it wasn't the sight that was off, it was the bow! Brought my bow in before the season and saw how off it was. Now you'll see me down there getting it laser checked every September.

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