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Biggest deer hunting weakness?

bigmike23

bigmike23

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2020
Messages
1,685
Location
NE PA
Just a fun idea, but If there was a job interview for deer hunting and a question was what's your biggest deer hunting weakness, and what you're doing to improve it, what would it be?
Something I struggled with pretty good last year was picking the right tree. I have to give myself a pat on the back as I've gotten pretty good at finding the general spot I need to be to get on bucks, but once there I can't seem to pick the perfect tree to be in. Sometimes it might be from laziness as I don't feel like climbing a tree with 20 limbs. But mostly from which trails to cover that's going to offer the best opportunity. Seems to being something you can only learn by failing again and again.
 
Topdog said:
The most common weakness most deer hunters have is mental toughness… hands down, those who give up and quit will never succeed in whatever the goal is.
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Maybe, but for this group of nuts the most common weakness is overanalyis of insufficient data. Too much theory and not enough scouting to make a theory in the first place. And applying effort to the wrong levers...
 
My weakness…truthfully, I hate the damn dark. Yeah, I said it haha. I kill deer, but I wonder if I would kill more if I got in earlier or stayed later. As my buddy always tells me “what can get you in the dark, can get you in the light” but it’s still not my favorite time to lurk around. Although I tough it out sometimes, more often than not it hinders me. Oddly enough, I feel completely fine once I’m settled in the tree, just not while my two feet are on the ground. Which of you grown men are a sissy like me? Don’t lie! Haha
 
Mschmeiske said:
My weakness…truthfully, I hate the damn dark. Yeah, I said it haha. I kill deer, but I wonder if I would kill more if I got in earlier or stayed later. As my buddy always tells me “what can get you in the dark, can get you in the light” but it’s still not my favorite time to lurk around. Although I tough it out sometimes, more often than not it hinders me. Oddly enough, I feel completely fine once I’m settled in the tree, just not while my two feet are on the ground. Which of you grown men are a sissy like me? Don’t lie! Haha
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I don’t really have any issues with the dark but I’m in southern wisconsin and there’s not too much to be concerned with. If I was in bear or wolf country or even an area with hogs I’d probably have the same concerns as you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Mschmeiske said:
My weakness…truthfully, I hate the damn dark. Yeah, I said it haha. I kill deer, but I wonder if I would kill more if I got in earlier or stayed later. As my buddy always tells me “what can get you in the dark, can get you in the light” but it’s still not my favorite time to lurk around. Although I tough it out sometimes, more often than not it hinders me. Oddly enough, I feel completely fine once I’m settled in the tree, just not while my two feet are on the ground. Which of you grown men are a sissy like me? Don’t lie! Haha
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I have gotten better about it. I use to panic some just hunting the farm I have hunted for ever. I get lost with out visual direction. On a no moon morning it was pitch black. I got spun around trying to walk in 100yrds to my stand. I ended up sitting down by a tree until it was light enough to see.

To add: Everytime I have walked out of public in the dark, I panic I will get lost. Always miss my trail and wonder off course for a while.. so gives me more annexity than fear. I applaud guys like Dan Infalt watching him navigate with a compass and aerial photos. I would walk 2 miles and probably only be 100yrds from the truck if I tried that.
 
I know everything about deer hunting.
My problem is I can't remember it all at the same time, LOL.
I find myself doing something that I shouldn't and later I say to myself, what the heck did i just do. It could be the choice of location, how I entered my stand, how I missed a shot, making too much noise, moving at the wrong time or what ever. Just making a mistake that was the wrong thing to do. Then when I thing about it I say to myself, you know better.
 
Moving to quickly when I’m walking to and from my hunting spots. I’ve made an effort to slow down and pay more attention as I’m walking the past couple years and I’ve actually spotted several bedded deer.
 
GeoFish said:
I know everything about deer hunting.
My problem is I can't remember it all at the same time, LOL.
I find myself doing something that I shouldn't and later I say to myself, what the heck did i just do. It could be the choice of location, how I entered my stand, how I missed a shot, making too much noise, moving at the wrong time or what ever. Just making a mistake that was the wrong thing to do. Then when I thing about it I say to myself, you know better.
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I can’t say I know everything about deer hunting, but I can relate to goofing up, although I have gotten better over time and I’m goofing up less often.

And on @Mschmeiske ‘s question, there are occasions where I can get a bit unnerved in the dark while I’m on the ground - particularly when I hear an animal busting out of thick cover and I’m in an area with black bears without a firearm (my home state doesn’t permit the carry of ANY firearm while archery hunting). But most of the time I wouldn’t say that I fear the dark.

For me, I think my biggest weakness is: failure to greatly broaden the pieces of public and private land that I hunt. I’ve expanded the number of parcels that I hunt some, and I’ve expanded the areas that I hunt on parcels that I’ve always hunted. But I haven’t put the highest level of energy and effort into it that I could, and that I see some more dedicated deer hunters do.

It’s just been easier, more relaxing, and more enjoyable to retread the decent areas that I already know, than to put in all the driving around, and the time, energy, and work that’s required to locate even better places that hold deer.
 
As for the dark, I was too scared my first season to get out of the truck till gray light came. Then Turkey season came around and I felt like a bad A$$ with my gun in hand lol. The following archery season I figured, well, nothing to be afraid of. I really doubt coyotes and bobcats want anything to do with me. The two things I fear are momma black bears and rabid fox. I use a very dim flashlight so I won’t see any danger till it’s too late.
 
Mschmeiske said:
My weakness…truthfully, I hate the damn dark. Yeah, I said it haha. I kill deer, but I wonder if I would kill more if I got in earlier or stayed later. As my buddy always tells me “what can get you in the dark, can get you in the light” but it’s still not my favorite time to lurk around. Although I tough it out sometimes, more often than not it hinders me. Oddly enough, I feel completely fine once I’m settled in the tree, just not while my two feet are on the ground. Which of you grown men are a sissy like me? Don’t lie! Haha
Click to expand...

I had a bear try to climb my tree while packing up after a hunt in VA. I thought it was a deer coming in. Things got weird when I finally shined my light and there it was. I banged my top stick against the one below. Took a couple hits before the bear took off. I didn’t know there were bears in the area. My brother had one start up his tree in ANF, PA. That was midday and rifle season, so he enjoyed the whole thing. I’m glad my Switchback didn’t get crushed by the dang thing.

So, the next day I kept my headlamp on the whole walk to my spot. Spotted a set of glowing orange eyes on a ridge edge. Didn’t stick around to see what that was.

I don’t love bears. Had some trouble with them out west and would rather avoid them altogether. That all happened during the daytime, so your friend is right. But I do stupidly feel better seeing them before they’re sitting in my stand.
 
Jimdude said:
As for the dark, I was too scared my first season to get out of the truck till gray light came. Then Turkey season came around and I felt like a bad A$$ with my gun in hand lol. The following archery season I figured, well, nothing to be afraid of. I really doubt coyotes and bobcats want anything to do with me. The two things I fear are momma black bears and rabid fox. I use a very dim flashlight so I won’t see any danger till it’s too late.
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I take it to mean the dim flashlight is intentional cause you don’t want to see it coming.

There isn’t likely much anyone can do against a charging bear in the dark. But I’d use a spotlight nonetheless, if I wasn’t worried it would spook deer.

Another weird one for me is Owls. I’ve been swooped on three or four times and one actually contacted my face mask while attempting to turn, as I had thrown my arm up. Always happened during grey light in the morning while on stand.
 
falling asleep early so i can get up when i'd like for a morning hunt and not be tired

i can hardly ever fall asleep before midnight, no matter what time i wake up that day, or if i do fall asleep at 9 pm, my body wakes me up in a few hours thinking i didn't mean to fall asleep at that time

for work, my usual is fall asleep around 12:30 am and wake up 6 hours later, which isn't enough, but waking up at 4 am or before is tough
 
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