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Cell phone while hunting

I was listening to a “Hunt Suburbia” Podcast (thanks Will!) 7 Habits of unsuccessful bow hunters….. one I am guilty of is checking my phone too often. Plenty of times I have seen deer while looking at the phone and have enough time to put it away, a couple close calls and a couple of lost opportunities that would have been easy close shots if I was not checking e-mail, FB, Bowsite, weather, etc….. ever happen to you?

If I could count how many times a deer has not been killed because I was on my phone dealing with work…..I’d cry. Thank God I can’t count.

Interesting. I have a kind of contrarian view on this. I am guilty—very guilty—of this, and I don’t know how many deer it has cost me. On the other hand, I don’t know how many deer it has gotten me, because it counteracts boredom and keeps me in the woods longer.

I tuck in and look at my phone. I'll read or whatever. Sure I take in nature and what not, but after a while I may start to fidget, or my head may start swiveling. I'm with Jeb. I'm listening to everything that's happening out there. There may be some stealth bucks that have gotten by, but I typically hear hoof falls within 60 yds as though they were walking on light bulbs.

2X I've shot deer moments after putting my phone away. Like, saw/heard the deer while looking at my phone, put it in my pocket, clipped the release on, and within 30" was drawing! I've tried to reduce use to low odds times, at least, that's what I tell myself! ha ha ha!

Ill admit this though... Most of my phone time is text's with buddies who are hunting or more often not hunting and want to vicariously. From the ground I feel like it's impossible to get away with, so I dont use it in that situation... I guess the Ghille suit is going to limit my phone use!

When hunting I carry a phone as my gps and camera. Otherwise it stays off. If we were all the same it would be a boring world but man, I just cannot understand the need to be on a phone when out in nature. If hunting from a stand is that boring try still hunting.

A few years ago, I had a bad habit of looking at my phone often. The past couple years I have made a conscious effort to not use it outside of the gps function. Now if I have to answer a work email or text it's painful, because I'm always thinking a monster is going to slip by while I stare at the stupid thing. I even managed to stop looking at bowsite while hunting lol. Maybe a quick predawn post, "I'm up, freezing my nuts off.", but that's it.

Another form of addiction. I carry one for emergency only but hate it for what it does to people. There I said it.

Shame on you guys. You go to all this effort to get into the woods and climb a tree. You have this incredible opportunity to watch and listen to nature at in its purest form. Your experiencing something most people will never have the opportunity to do. And what do you? Screw around with your phone. I'm busting balls, but seriously, next season commit to shutting it off other than for navigation. Seeing and hearing deer is just a bonus. It's all the other creatures you observe though that makes it all worthwhile.

I look at it alot. Sometimes. I mostly hate when my buddies text me before sunrise in the dark. I won't even pull it out. In the dark I ain't moveing. I think it helps me from fidgeting. The only thing moving is my thumb. I'll scan all over look at the phone and back in my pocket. I think other things are more of a deterrent.

The phone has cost me some deer but I’ve cost myself some good bucks just being dumb and not phone related. I commit to the first 2 hours after first light to not check it but cmon around 8 or 9am you gotto fiddle. It helps me stay up to 10am or 11am. I always go phone free the last hour of light, unless I’m texting a victory story. I guess it boils down to true dedication. To be so focused on an end goal isn’t my style. I enjoy being successful, but I enjoy the journey and time spent as well. If I’m coming in at noon or 1 and I’m planning on sitting just to see what happens the last hour of light I’ll be on my phone from 12-3 or 4 for sure. It’s free time and free to do what you please.

I check weather ,time and a few sites but for the most part do not play with phone. I love live the moment. Ill text back in forth a little. Call them if necessary.

I had a friend recently get up in his stand, hunt a while, then realized he left his phone in his truck. He got down, tromped through the woods, got his phone, and back in the stand. Since when did phones become essential hunting equipment?! Especially in eastern MA suburbia?

That said, i'm as guilty as the next in looking at my phone and missing deer coming in. I should just leave it at home!

I’ll text with friends who are hunting, check bowsite, and weather. It does help me from eating all my snacks too early. But I try to keep it to a minimum. I am in the woods and not at home staring at my work computer.

Just last night on Shark Tank (I also love television) they had some guys who make fake phones (just blocks of black plastic) that are meant to be used to counteract phone addiction.

Maybe it was two nights ago. The TV shows all run together. So many shows, so little time…

I rarely have the luxury of not being on my phone occasionally. The plus side is that I get to hunt every single day of season that I want to. The downside is that this requires me to check in on work atleast once an hour when I'm hunting unless I legitimately "take the day off". This is the life I chose and I am fine with it. I would much rather be able to hunt whenever I want and have to check in on work from my phone than be limited to only hunting on weekends and several other days that I may take off. It doesnt bother me and Im sure it will, but it has never costed me a deer so far, that I know about. Typically the first 2 hours of the day and the last hour of the day I dont need to check my phone and thats when I get to take it nature at its fullest. I still make it a point to legitimately take days off where I wont use my phone at all.

Unfortunately, I would rarely hunt if I could not access work while in the woods. It drives my friends nuts, and drives me even nuttier... but it is what it is... i try to check it as little as possible, but unfortunately, deer season conflicts with my busiest time of year with work... it has actually weighed on me so much the past couple of years that I have considered a career change for mental health reasons! lol... unfortunately, with a freshman in college and junior in highschool, I can't take a step back for another 6 years... Regardless, I have definitely had deer sneak in on me while on my phone. Thankfully, I have been able to harvest the ones I wanted to while that has happened... but God only knows how many I didn't see... I am making a conscious effort to try to stay off as much as possible... esp. on short sits since work has really decreased my time in stand the past few years...

I’ll confess to having done camera-off zoom meetings on my phone from up in a tree. One ear for the earphone and the meeting, one ear for the deer. As you can imagine, I didn’t have much to say in those instances. Nor do I recall seeing any deer during those times, which is probably telling.

Nope, Airplane mode for me. Still have location services on so they can find me if I keel over and camera works too if needed.

Location services works on the new iPhone even when the power is off

Remember that heavy early Nov. snow storm a few years ago? Well, I was unsuccessful finding my access trail in grey light what with all the bent over snow covered slash. Pissed off, I drove back to a small land parcel with a tent blind. I was sitting there messing with the Iphone ,killing time and sulking and not concentrating when the best buck of my life (verified on trail cam) presented a brief broadside shot. Before I could put down the "magic rectangle" and pick up the bow he was out of my life forever. I realize it was my childish reaction to adversity that ruined a pretty chance but I'm blaming the phone in spite of the facts,LOL.

BD my wife also calls it the “magic rectangle,” great minds think alike. My kids have referred to it as the “truth machine,” because when I make up nonsense answers, to hide my ignorance and poison their minds, they just look up the actual info on the phone.

Jeb. Just because they read it on the fone don't makes it tru

Truer than the nonsense I spout, I assure you.

The only reason I say that is cause your story coincides mine

It’s not a truth machine. My kid has these stories that get more and more outlandish and I have to Interupt him and ask, “is this from Tik Tok?”

I just keep mine on silent. Check it once and awhile and have it ready for pictures or vid if I see something I'm not going to kill.

China fills our children's minds with perverse info,(tik tok) . It's a relentless chipping away at the future of our country made possible by the absolute necessity of the Iphone. Cyber quick sand.

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