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The Piled-High Club

general question to the Piled High Club?

how are you selecting target areas in your home state, a little further from home?
draw a ## mile radius on a map? notice where roadkill or deer in daylight are concentrated and make a note? note where firearms hunters don’t go?


I ask as I ( many of us) have access to over 1000 acres of fragmented WMAs, town forests and state land within 10 miles and I spend a lot of off-season scouting pieces of this. I try to eliminate big chunks ( more coyote than deer tracks, concentrated year round stands,
some of these areas have great sign. The WMAs typically get the most weekend pressure and out of state plates , trailheads are on state maps and serve as “it’s an ok to hunt here ”billboard” “
my notes show most daylight sightings occur on smaller/ under 100 acres pieces
 
I prefer more remote stuff to get away from society in general as much as possible. Dont want to hear kids playing, car radios and whatnot. I have tried hunting close too or even in town some over the years and it is not normally a satisfying hunt for me. Even when I killed deer it was just that, going and killing a deer. That was fun but the hunt did nothing to refresh my soul. So I guess I would say it depends on what the individual wants to get out of the hunt. If it is just to kill a deer, kill a big deer or something else, find the places with the highest odds of fulfilling your goals.
 
khnc said:
Let me just add that Andy May killed yet another huge whitetail with a bow this week. Spot and stalk after he saw it in a dang field from his truck on a property he was going in to check a camera on. Even the top killers get lucky it seems. lol
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I always laugh when people say some guy gets lucky. I have a little phrase. Do you know what Luck is? Luck is when Practice, Patience, and Persistence meets Opportunity. What it come down to is AM was ready when his moment came, he knew that moment was going to come eventually, and he was out there trying to make it happen. IMO, truly successful hunters have all 3 P's. AM definitely has them. I'm thinking it's way more than just "luck".
 
1simplemann said:
I always laugh when people say some guy gets lucky. I have a little phrase. Do you know what Luck is? Luck is when Practice, Patience, and Persistence meets Opportunity. What it come down to is AM was ready when his moment came, he knew that moment was going to come eventually, and he was out there trying to make it happen. IMO, truly successful hunters have all 3 P's. AM definitely has them. I'm thinking it's way more than just "luck".
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While i would agree with this 99% of the time, here was what he said happened. " I was in my truck heading to a property that I have not hunted in 5 years, to check a camera I had there. As I pulled up I see a nice buck with a doe in a field. It ran into the woods with her. I parked and grabbed my bow to see if i could get close. As he was on his way in, other bucks moved in to chase the doe. The big buck moved to run off one of the bucks. I hid behind a log as they passed very close. I was able to get an arrow in the big one."
He was wearing jeans and tennis shoes. This was luck. He is one of the best whitetail hunters I know of right now. In this case, he was lucky to be in the right spot at the right time, with his bow laying on the truck seat. No skill made that happen. The skill came when he snuck in for a stalk afterwards, along with having the composure to make the shot.
 
1simplemann said:
I always laugh when people say some guy gets lucky. I have a little phrase. Do you know what Luck is? Luck is when Practice, Patience, and Persistence meets Opportunity. What it come down to is AM was ready when his moment came, he knew that moment was going to come eventually, and he was out there trying to make it happen. IMO, truly successful hunters have all 3 P's. AM definitely has them. I'm thinking it's way more than just "luck".
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Luck always helps. Especially during the rut or gun season when deer are off their normal routines. You can do everything right and still go home empty handed with the dirty point buck comes in. Any number of things can cause him to not give you a shot or not even be seen at all.
 
khnc said:
While i would agree with this 99% of the time, here was what he said happened. " I was in my truck heading to a property that I have not hunted in 5 years, to check a camera I had there. As I pulled up I see a nice buck with a doe in a field. It ran into the woods with her. I parked and grabbed my bow to see if i could get close. As he was on his way in, other bucks moved in to chase the doe. The big buck moved to run off one of the bucks. I hid behind a log as they passed very close. I was able to get an arrow in the big one."
He was wearing jeans and tennis shoes. This was luck. He is one of the best whitetail hunters I know of right now. In this case, he was lucky to be in the right spot at the right time, with his bow laying on the truck seat. No skill made that happen. The skill came when he snuck in for a stalk afterwards, along with having the composure to make the shot.
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He also specifically went to this spot prepared and to follow up with scouting based on prior intel.
 
Jammintree said:
He also specifically went to this spot prepared and to follow up with scouting based on prior intel.
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Yes, very likely. One thing that I need to make clear. Like I said, Andy is one of the BEST archery whitetail hunters that I know of currently. In no way am I criticizing him. I have gotten "lucky" before on killing a deer , not killing a giant, but a deer in general. This has happened multiple times in all the years ive hunted. Saying he go "lucky" , in this case is not taking away any of his skill or ability. If I was driving past my farm and saw a huge buck in the field , AND , it gave me time to grab my rifle and step out of the truck and shoot it, that would be luck. All im saying is Andy didnt go to that property with the intention of spotting and stalking a huge buck in the middle of the day. It just fell into place this time. He knew how to capitalize. I would have killed a 330 bull in WYoming during the 2022 season had I made a better shot at 25 yds with my bow. I was sitting under a partially downed tree staying out of the sudden downpour in September. After an hour of sitting, I hear a bugle just below the ridge i was on. I ALWAYS have an arrow knocked in elk country any time im sitting. I then saw multiple cows heading my way, with the bugling bull in tow. He hit an opening at 25yds and i stopped him with a cow call. My arrow hit him in the elbow. He turned , broke the arrow off on a pine tree and continued to bugle and chase his cows up the mountain. I was sick! But, had I made a good shot, I would have been "Lucky". As hell! :)
 
Swampfox said:
I have followed you and your stories for a number of years now. I was a proficient hunter and killer before but I can certainly say I have learned a good bit from you. Thank you for taking the time to share your stories and experiences. It doesn’t matter if I’m in the pine trees of the Florida Parishes, hills of the homochitta, or the palmetto flats of North La delta, I can think back and relate to how you find feed trees in those places. Thanks again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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That's good to know. Thank You, I appreciate your kind words.
 
khnc said:
While i would agree with this 99% of the time, here was what he said happened. " I was in my truck heading to a property that I have not hunted in 5 years, to check a camera I had there. As I pulled up I see a nice buck with a doe in a field. It ran into the woods with her. I parked and grabbed my bow to see if i could get close. As he was on his way in, other bucks moved in to chase the doe. The big buck moved to run off one of the bucks. I hid behind a log as they passed very close. I was able to get an arrow in the big one."
He was wearing jeans and tennis shoes. This was luck. He is one of the best whitetail hunters I know of right now. In this case, he was lucky to be in the right spot at the right time, with his bow laying on the truck seat. No skill made that happen. The skill came when he snuck in for a stalk afterwards, along with having the composure to make the shot.
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There is always an element of good and bad luck when in the woods. Just like poker. The key is that when your cards are dealt, knowing what to do with them once you have them in your hand. In this case, he got good cards. The rest is history. Was he fortunate to see the buck in the wide open in the field? Maybe. Was he fortunate to even be paying attention. Definitely not. He's obviously observant. Some guys wouldn't see a freight train coming at them. Was AM fortunate to even be there in the 1st place to see it happen? I don't think so either. He obviously thought the area had potential otherwise he wouldn't he wouldn't have wasted his time. Was he lucky to have his bow in the truck? Nope. He was ready just in case his chance came unexpectantly. It obviously did. Was he lucky to be able to successfully stalk the buck? Doubt it. 100% skill. Try stalking and killing a deer on the ground sometime. It ain't easy. Pretty sure most guys can't. Was he lucky to make the shot? Doubt that too. The guy can shoot by his admission. I stand by my original statement. Luck is when Practice, Patience, and Persistence meets opportunity. Guys like AM make their own luck.
 
khnc said:
Yes, very likely. One thing that I need to make clear. Like I said, Andy is one of the BEST archery whitetail hunters that I know of currently. In no way am I criticizing him. I have gotten "lucky" before on killing a deer , not killing a giant, but a deer in general. This has happened multiple times in all the years ive hunted. Saying he go "lucky" , in this case is not taking away any of his skill or ability. If I was driving past my farm and saw a huge buck in the field , AND , it gave me time to grab my rifle and step out of the truck and shoot it, that would be luck. All im saying is Andy didnt go to that property with the intention of spotting and stalking a huge buck in the middle of the day. It just fell into place this time. He knew how to capitalize. I would have killed a 330 bull in WYoming during the 2022 season had I made a better shot at 25 yds with my bow. I was sitting under a partially downed tree staying out of the sudden downpour in September. After an hour of sitting, I hear a bugle just below the ridge i was on. I ALWAYS have an arrow knocked in elk country any time im sitting. I then saw multiple cows heading my way, with the bugling bull in tow. He hit an opening at 25yds and i stopped him with a cow call. My arrow hit him in the elbow. He turned , broke the arrow off on a pine tree and continued to bugle and chase his cows up the mountain. I was sick! But, had I made a good shot, I would have been "Lucky". As hell! :)
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I nock an arrow as well. Just in case! Years ago, I had 2 bulls walk up while eating lunch. I wasn't ready. No arrow nocked. You can imagine how it ended. Never had it happen again but I will be ready if it does.
 
I was just reading the how deer see (something along those lines) thread and someone mentioned deer seeing horizontal movement. Well that reminded me of something my dad told me the first time I ever went deer hunting and it always stuck with me and I told my son the same on his first hunt.

Everything in the woods with few exceptions is aligned in a vertical manner. Except deer. Deer are aligned horizontally so learn to look at the woods and with respect to identifying horizontal lines. You can scan everything else, but when you see horizontal lines stop and investigate them until you know what they are. Chances are great it will be the line of a deer’s back or the line between the brown over the ribs and the white of the belly.

He also told me to understand the fact that you will rarely see the entire deer so once you’ve identified a horizontal line start looking for the round of the eyes, the white around the ears, the white line mentioned above and the white patches on the inner legs, face and neck. I can’t tell you how many thousands of time I’ve seen deer in my lifetime by following that advice. In fact, that was almost 50 years ago and the last hunt of this season, New Years Day, I say a horizontal line that turned into a bedded doe. I could only see about a 12-15” section of her back and nothing else, but I had convinced myself it was a deer. Then about 25-30 minutes later she stood up and erased any doubt.
 
dalton916 said:
I was just reading the how deer see (something along those lines) thread and someone mentioned deer seeing horizontal movement. Well that reminded me of something my dad told me the first time I ever went deer hunting and it always stuck with me and I told my son the same on his first hunt.

Everything in the woods with few exceptions is aligned in a vertical manner. Except deer. Deer are aligned horizontally so learn to look at the woods and with respect to identifying horizontal lines. You can scan everything else, but when you see horizontal lines stop and investigate them until you know what they are. Chances are great it will be the line of a deer’s back or the line between the brown over the ribs and the white of the belly.

He also told me to understand the fact that you will rarely see the entire deer so once you’ve identified a horizontal line start looking for the round of the eyes, the white around the ears, the white line mentioned above and the white patches on the inner legs, face and neck. I can’t tell you how many thousands of time I’ve seen deer in my lifetime by following that advice. In fact, that was almost 50 years ago and the last hunt of this season, New Years Day, I say a horizontal line that turned into a bedded doe. I could only see about a 12-15” section of her back and nothing else, but I had convinced myself it was a deer. Then about 25-30 minutes later she stood up and erased any doubt.
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I received exactly the same advice from my father when I was 10-11 years old. I've never forgotten that advice.
 
So if I’m reading this thread correctly, if I tell myself to look for horizontal lines in the woods, I too will become a member of the piled high club.

3/3 that can’t be a coincidence!!!!

Haha you guys have been keeping the secret till the end of season. Sandbaggers
 
Bwhana said:
Seems many of us had great parents and mentors that taught us more than just the typical wives tales of hunting back in our day! Solid advice on horizontal lines.
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And many others of us had no such woodsman mentors in our younger days. We hang around here eagerly gobbling up the nuggets yall bestow. Thank yall so much!
 
dalton916 said:
I was just reading the how deer see (something along those lines) thread and someone mentioned deer seeing horizontal movement. Well that reminded me of something my dad told me the first time I ever went deer hunting and it always stuck with me and I told my son the same on his first hunt.

Everything in the woods with few exceptions is aligned in a vertical manner. Except deer. Deer are aligned horizontally so learn to look at the woods and with respect to identifying horizontal lines. You can scan everything else, but when you see horizontal lines stop and investigate them until you know what they are. Chances are great it will be the line of a deer’s back or the line between the brown over the ribs and the white of the belly.

He also told me to understand the fact that you will rarely see the entire deer so once you’ve identified a horizontal line start looking for the round of the eyes, the white around the ears, the white line mentioned above and the white patches on the inner legs, face and neck. I can’t tell you how many thousands of time I’ve seen deer in my lifetime by following that advice. In fact, that was almost 50 years ago and the last hunt of this season, New Years Day, I say a horizontal line that turned into a bedded doe. I could only see about a 12-15” section of her back and nothing else, but I had convinced myself it was a deer. Then about 25-30 minutes later she stood up and erased any doubt.
Click to expand...

Wow this is such a cool perspective. Never in my life heard this
 
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