What Have You Learned?

[2Poppa]

[align=center]Proof Of Desire = Pursuit

Through the years, I have pursued the great whitetail deer. I have become a "Lover Of The Truth", and in my quest for Big Bucks, I have made many mistakes.

But ... I always learn from my mistakes, and it is my desire to become Woods and Water Wise.

With deer season over,
What have you learned?
What were your mistakes if any?[/align]

[Demoderby4]

Heck i could write a novel!! But to keep it simple the most important thing is i need to be prepared well before i season starts and try to stay out of the woods as much as possible come the end of the summer, only to check on trail cams while practicing strict scent free tactics. Making trails to get to and from my stands as quietly and undetected as possible.

I learned so much throughout this season and i cant wait until i get to put everything to use this upcoming season, Strategy wise, tecnique wise (shooting and scouting and stand placement tactics mainly)

I know how to better interpret things and when to hunt what places and why.

I made countless mistakes last year, some as small as not sitting still longer another 25 seconds instead of standing to stretch, (spooked deer on 3 separate occasions doing that this year) not really playing the wind got me busted a couple of times and i know those reasons are why i got skunked a lot of times in my one stand.

Thats just a few simple things that could of led to getting a couple more deer this last year. Many more things need to change as well but i will post these for now.

[Goose]

The two things that have helped ME the most are:
 
1. Scent Control, I'm probably over the top according to some people but I feel it has greatly helped me with sightings and harvests.
 
2.Becoming a "student" of deer. Reading all I can and getting out in the woods and wearing down some boot leather. Asking myself why did they do this or how can I use this?
 
Two things I need to improve on:
 
1. Being more patient, as in sitting longer and not second guessing my decisions.
 
2. Be a little more aggressive. I've become to wind conscious and I think that hurt me a little this year. I'm not gonna go and sit upwind of deer but a crosswind I'll chance a little more. I think I was a little to conservative this past year.

[Jdbllung]

1.  That even when I can't stay in my stand any longer, I can. 
2.  If your carrying a radio with you and you have a chatty member in your group, turn it all the way down and just check it once in awhile.  ( I'm gonna buy the ear bud for mine.)
3.  I need to keep the fun in hunting, I got a little too serious this year trying to take one particular buck.  Looking back on this season, it wasn't that fun.  I had a ton of time in the stand this year, and it was more of a mission than enjoyment.

[Woods Walker]

Hunting, or just being in the woods, has always been a lifelong learning process for me, and 90% of the time I come away with more questions than I have answers for, but that's the joy of it. One question leads to another. For example.....
 
This year in my preseason "bowhikes" that I do at least once or twice a month all year, I made observations of the paucity of an acorn crop in my area. Many hours were spent sitting or laying on my back with binoculars in late summer trying to get an average of how many acorns I could count within a foot or so of each limb. There were rarely more than one or two, where there should have been a dozen or more. Why? It affected oaks of BOTH red and white species, and it also affected those oaks that were on ridge tops AND in bottoms. I don't know why. I DO know that the deer movement in the woods was not like it was in previous years, and even the squirrels were looking for food stamps. I did discover that the deer were spending more time in the more moist areas of the woods I hunt, maybe they shifted their diet to mushrooms or more succulent forbs?
 
Each observation leads to another question.
 
I also observed this just today, when I took my setter for a run on my neighbor's deer-loaded back 10 acres of second growth field......it's February 12th, and I saw a half a dozen FRESH RUBS. My farmer friend who owns the ground we hunt in Brown County also saw the same thing this week. I know that many bucks still have their racks this late, so I guess that as long as they have antlers, they will rub. Or is it that there is still some estrous doe scent in the air? I HAVE seen over the years bucks still pursuing "hot acting" does this time of year.
 
The other  lesson from this past hunting season that I SHOULD know, but I guess I need to be hit over the head with it periodically is......IF YOU CAN'T SEE WHAT'S IN THE NEAREST COVER, ALWAYS ASSUME THAT A DEER IS IN THERE AND ACT ACCORDINGLY!  (I'm a ground hunter). [:)]

[mag30079]

This past season taught me a few things.
 
1. Trust my judgement, for the past few years I would plan where I was going to hunt, my enter and exit, the wind directions and so on. I'd get to the woods and pick a different spot. Wouldn't you know if I would of stuck to my plan I would of had a shot or gotten with in range of a shot.
 
2. Relax and enjoy my quiet time.

[Patriot]

I learned that Opening Day of bowseason can be spectacular.  It had rained all day, but stopped at about 3pm, so that's when I went to my stand.  Shot a nice 8pt before I even had time to get my safety belt on!
 
Areas for improvement.  Even more scouting, get a trailcam.

[John1961]

 I need a rain suit. Last year I got my biggest buck, but I had to gut him, load and hang him in the rain and COLD. Didnt get dry or warm untill well after a hot shower and a warm blankie. and a cold one or few.

[coach]

I learn every day reading this Forum.  (ok ok....cheezy I know ...but true) [;)]
 
Learn that no matter how many bucks you have on your trail cam in the summer time and early fall,
they are not always there during the hunt.
 
I had 2 different big 10 pointers
I had 2 different big 8 pointers
I had 1 large 7 pointer
I had 1 medium 7 pointer....shooter next year.
I had 1 small 6 pointer
I had 1 small 5 and 4 pointer
I had 2 small spikes.
 
They came into the salt every night.  It was a routine....I knew exactly when they were coming in.
I thought I found magic.  My hunting partners were using salt blocs with has a whole bunch of mineral...and other ingredients.   I use table salt.  This is what their bones and antlers are made the most.   They had 20 pics every 2 weeks.  I was 100-200 yards away for the test.  I got 200-300 pics
every week.
 
When October came around.....only 1 Big 10 pointer remain.  We saw him twice but...no shot.
I know where he beds now.  This was a new property we bought last fall.  Big plans for next year.
 
sniff  sniff
 
 

[jacannon63]

I have learned that the deer that I hunt know more about me than I know about them.