Nutterbuster and others this is for you as requested. I may get long winded but thats probably what you were after anyways lol.
How did I get here? I started hunting in Kansas back in the day when you could shoot 2 deer. Initially that was a good deal because I wasnt a killer yet.
Killed my first buck at 16 on the ground at 15 yards while still hunting with my dad about 50 yds away.
Killed a few with a gun and really didnt care for it simply because most the deer I seen were running wild. I believe I was 20 when I killed the 1st deer of the season early and decided I was going to try for a big one. Low and behold I was driving by some public land that I had never taken the time to walk into and never really seen anyone else there either. My gut said stop so I did. Within 200 yds of the road I had found probably 100 rubs and a couple scrapes There might as well had been a neon sign on that tree that said "Hang stand here stupid". The next morning I connected on a 176" brute
I was really focused on antlers the next few years and to be honest it wasnt all that fun. Watched a lot of slick heads go by and told myself you know you are deer hunting, why aren't you shooting deer? The tags were starting to get more available and I also snagged my first private spot to hunt. Thats when it started.
THE COOKIE JAR: Like it or not your going to need one to kill a bunch of deer. Your going to need at least one killer spot or several good spots. The more the better and never ever give up on one until you are certain of its potential.
First and foremost look at your states regs. Where are the tags at? What and where can you kill them? In todays world urban areas are #1 and remote is probably #2 as far as deer killing in numbers. For me KS was both for awhile. The neighboring state of Missouri was getting pretty liberal on tags as well at that time. The mid 90's till about 2012 was really good for deer numbers.
One of the better spots I had was 7 acres. I could see 3 houses and smell dinner on the stove most evenings.
This next part is going to hurt some feelings but it needs to be said. If your one of those guys that always has an excuse as to why you dont have a place to hunt, big deer to go after, time to go, etc etc. Just stop reading because "know how " isnt your main issue, its you. Get it figured out, quit hunting or quit whining. I can here it now "Well in my state...." nope zip it don't want to hear it. No excuses.
Having and keeping spots is work and if you dont treat it as such you'll always be at the mercy of your buddies or your closest place because your too lazy to drive to the next one. Been several years my closest place was 1 to 1.5 hours away.
I do something EVERY day that is deer related, even if its just checking a spot on the way home to see if there are any deer out. Sometimes its just a shot or 2 thru the bow.
We'll get to the killing tomorrow but that should get your juices flowing anyway.
How did I get here? I started hunting in Kansas back in the day when you could shoot 2 deer. Initially that was a good deal because I wasnt a killer yet.
Killed my first buck at 16 on the ground at 15 yards while still hunting with my dad about 50 yds away.
Killed a few with a gun and really didnt care for it simply because most the deer I seen were running wild. I believe I was 20 when I killed the 1st deer of the season early and decided I was going to try for a big one. Low and behold I was driving by some public land that I had never taken the time to walk into and never really seen anyone else there either. My gut said stop so I did. Within 200 yds of the road I had found probably 100 rubs and a couple scrapes There might as well had been a neon sign on that tree that said "Hang stand here stupid". The next morning I connected on a 176" brute
I was really focused on antlers the next few years and to be honest it wasnt all that fun. Watched a lot of slick heads go by and told myself you know you are deer hunting, why aren't you shooting deer? The tags were starting to get more available and I also snagged my first private spot to hunt. Thats when it started.
THE COOKIE JAR: Like it or not your going to need one to kill a bunch of deer. Your going to need at least one killer spot or several good spots. The more the better and never ever give up on one until you are certain of its potential.
First and foremost look at your states regs. Where are the tags at? What and where can you kill them? In todays world urban areas are #1 and remote is probably #2 as far as deer killing in numbers. For me KS was both for awhile. The neighboring state of Missouri was getting pretty liberal on tags as well at that time. The mid 90's till about 2012 was really good for deer numbers.
One of the better spots I had was 7 acres. I could see 3 houses and smell dinner on the stove most evenings.
This next part is going to hurt some feelings but it needs to be said. If your one of those guys that always has an excuse as to why you dont have a place to hunt, big deer to go after, time to go, etc etc. Just stop reading because "know how " isnt your main issue, its you. Get it figured out, quit hunting or quit whining. I can here it now "Well in my state...." nope zip it don't want to hear it. No excuses.
Having and keeping spots is work and if you dont treat it as such you'll always be at the mercy of your buddies or your closest place because your too lazy to drive to the next one. Been several years my closest place was 1 to 1.5 hours away.
I do something EVERY day that is deer related, even if its just checking a spot on the way home to see if there are any deer out. Sometimes its just a shot or 2 thru the bow.
We'll get to the killing tomorrow but that should get your juices flowing anyway.