GMMAT

Actually......another teammate of mine (Mantis)told me something I had a hard time with, at first......but I've learned to accept as GOSPEL:

He told me he's never heard of a spot being UNDERhunted.

Think about that one......

I've learned that the VERY best chance one has at harvesting an animal (whitetail) is the very first time they hunt a particular stand/location. Earlier in the year I posted my experience with wounding a deer. It was the second time I'd been in that stand. My 7-pointer and my piebald were taken from stands that I'd been in for the first time, each. I'm a believer.

Jeff

Copper31

Hey bud what I would do is just get a deer under your belt first. Heck take the next deer that presents itself a good shot. It will help break the ice and get you in the mode. Just have to get that first one.

isatarak

Sometimes it comes down to just pure luck, too. For any of us who fish, how many times have we gone fishing and seen our partner sack 'em up while we can't even get a bite or vice-versa?

mobow

I still say you are very close, but just not QUITE in the right spot....or something else is wrong, like they see or smell you.....If you are seeing deer, move in tight...don't be afraid to move and put yourself close to the deer, instead of waiting for the deer to put themselves close to you. Aggressive.

shed33

I treat every hunting season like a football game. Month of September is the first quarter, I try to get off to a quick start on my opponent through thorough scouting and offseason preperation.

Second Quarter is the month of Oct. Time to settle in and decipher what the bucks in your my area are doing in accordance to all the other hunting pressure and then move my set ups if needed near the beds they will most likely use to feed from until they begin their rutting travels. All the time keeping close tabs on the doe family groups and getting exacts as to when and where they are feeding and bedding.

Half Time, Assess my first half, make any changes I need to for the up coming deer movements of the rut.

3rd Quarter November hits, bucks are beginning to scent check doe family groups for receptive does. This is where last years and the prior years information comes into play. Certain bucks, especially mature bucks will show up in a specific area on a doe group year after year. That is what I have witnessed year after year anyway. Its like a routine for the older boys. They know when the shelas are coming in. Hunt the 3rd quarter all day every day that you can. Set up on your does, see which bucks they tow along with them. Usually you will have your opponent beat by the end of the third Quarter and by no means never loose faith, make adjustments as needed.

4th quarter the Month of December. Bucks by pure need, go back to feeding yet they still keep tabs on the doe groups to pick up that rare doe that didnt get covered. Early in December they are still rutting here..I focus in on the doe and buck feeding areas. We get snow so the food sources during December change drastically from the months of September and Oct. I always plan on finishing strong in December, hunting every possible day I can until the end. Never lose faith, keep after em and dont get down. Remember you love to hunt for more reasons that just killing a deer and being able to post a picture. The more you hunt the more you will learn.

Last, I have killed bucks on the opening day of August 30th and on the final day of the season. Upon retrieval they all felt the same! Darned good.

Best of luck, keep your head up. have a few spots you can move around too and use your common sense in association to the deer. Deer will pattern you as well as you pattern them if you allow them too.

If all hunters that didnt kill a buck with their bows after day 26 were losers...then there would be a lot of losers in this world. Heck your only in the 2nd Quarter bud! You have lots of time to score.

Troy

davidmil

I won't call you a loser just yet.... but I suspect you're doing something(S) wrong. Especially considering that others hunting with you seem to get a deer regularly and early. That shows me there are lots of deer in the area. Not knowing anything about your hunting tactics, stands or whatever.... I'd have to point you in the direction of the basics. Don't hunt the same stand/area(close proximityover and over. DOn't hunt a stand if the wind is wrong. Be flexible. Move a lot, move often from place to place. When you're in a stand, sit still. I'd bet you move entirely too much and too often. I'd be willing to bet your stands are too low. There are numerous possibilities, but if you truly evaluate the ones I've just mentioned.... things will get better FAST. The other possibility, you're hunting the wrong places. If that's the case you can do all the things I mentioned and still come up dry. You're not a loser... you're just learning. Some of us take longer. Sure there's luck in it, but not much. A lucky hunter gets a deer here and there. A hunter gets a deer often and over a period of time comes home with meat regularly.

BackwoodsBuck

I did not read the past three pages, so forgive me if I repeat what has already been said. You ask if you should take a thirty yard shot. If you have to ask, don't. Your head won't be in it. But only you can know what you can do. Don't let one bad shot ruin hunting for you. It sounds to me like you are physically capable of taking the shot, you just need to convince yourself of that fact. My advise would be to shoot at a squirel at thirty yards sometime in the woods. Use that as a confidence booster. If you can get the squirel, it will go a long way to convince you that you can get that deer. But do not take a shot at a deer that you are not confident in.

Hoythunter1000000

This thread is still running from last night when I was all down on myself. I took a doe tonight at 30 yards. I hit her in the spine and she dropped on the spot! So I'm feelling alot better about a 30 yard shot now!! And I guess I'm really not a loser.

Everybody said to change where I'm hunting and move around. Well I hunted where I had never been tonight and got a doe! After I shot here I had some other does walkin' around my stand. I could have shot one of them but I was happy with one for the night!! Thanks everyone for the help.