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Biggest deer hunting weakness?

Hands down, no question, my biggest weakness is available time. I’m too busy with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to spend adequate time scouting and hunting to become the best hunter I can be. I’m ok with the balance I’ve struck, but it is no doubt holding me back
 
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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When I lived in Michigan, I didn't mind the dark at all. I hated getting up early, so usually missed making it into the woods before gray light, but I did on occasion with no issues. Same thing coming out at night, even in the SGA that had a crap ton of coyotes!
But now, here in Kentucky... holy cow is it a different story!
Now I don't care too much for the copperhead snakes, but that hasn't stopped me from being in the woods at night.
What has bothered me the most is...terrain. The terrain around here is downright scary when you can't tell where you are or what's around you!
There are drop offs where you're just walking along, and suddenly you're standing on top of a 30 ft sheer face bluff, creeks running down draws that go from being just a few feet deep, to plunging 10 ft waterfalls, and thiiiick.
The vegetation growth is crazy because of how it's exposed to sun on the slopes. You can be working your way along the only maneuverable bench, and then suddenly run into an impenetrable southeast-facing slope thicket of multi-flural rose.

My first season hunting here, I limited myself to only our property in an attempt to learn it. I had walked it a few times before the season and felt I kind of knew how I would descend the 300 ft hill to get to the house after my hunt. I did not take a compass with me, didn't think I would need it on my own property. As I began to send the hill I got diverted, because of the terrain, and ended up in an unfamiliar area, on a quite steep descent. I found myself sliding on my hip a number of times to keep from toppling down! At one point I ran into an old barbed wire fence, and had to follow it along until I could descend again. Now, quite off of my bearing... but still knowing that my descent would lead to at least one of two creeks that I could take right back to the house, I spotted a light in the distance. Thinking it had to be the house I moved in that direction, but being turned around I was actually heading for the neighbors light. Needless to say I found my way but that was on my own land! The wilderness out back is a whole other ball game...
 
bigmike23 said:
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.
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My biggest weakness is not having sympathy or compassion for anyone during deer season. Come to your wedding? Nope. Come hang out. Nope. Lost a leg? I got a ground blind.
 
bigmike23 said:
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.
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Mine would probably be my entry and exit. They aren’t always considered as much as they should but I have gotten much better at it!
 
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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As a kid, I felt afraid of the dark once in a while, but now as an adult, I know I'm the baddest thing in the woods, no doubt...

... And all the critters that hear me stumbling in the dark, stepping on sticks, kicking rocks, and getting clotheslined by branches know it too. :tearsofjoy:
 
Plebe said:
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.
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The dim light is intentional but not because I don’t want to see danger. I’m just trying not to spook every deer in the woods. Jeff sturgis and John Eberhart talk about that and I need every edge I can get. One of my other fears is one day I will realize that deer and turkeys are a lot smarter than I am!
 
I have to say mine would be entry and exit too. I try to make them clean, but it just doesn't always pan out.

Speaking of the dark, I make cleaner entries in grey light than I do going in during the night, but I do feel a lot safe on public ground during firearms season going in well before daylight and leaving well past shooting light.
 
I'll second the fire arm comment after me and my wife had a chance encounter with a kitty cat two years ago!
 
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