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I’m dumb

HuskerInIowa

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2022
Messages
996
Just mad at myself so venting quick. I swear if you would’ve had to watch me today you would’ve thought it was my first time ever deer hunting let alone using a saddle.
Decided to try to add to the freezer and went to my doe only zone for the morning, knew I couldn’t be out a long time because of family things.
Did a poor job of scouting the zone, thought I knew well enough where I wanted to go and was WAY overconfident in the “just a doe” mentality. Stumbled my way in snapping sticks on down trees I stepped on instead of over not once but twice (no explanation, it’s literally rule 1, don’t step on anything you can step over). Somehow (blind luck) I still managed to get near the trail I’d seen them use in the past without jumping anything but then I set up in a tree that was, not kidding, I ranged it later, 46 yards from the trail. That part was just due to bad scouting, I wanted to make sure I had a tree I could get into and it gets real thick with less opportunity as you go.
Hadn’t cinched the belt on the saddle up well so 1 stick into my climb it was sagging with sticks and platform on it. Probably the only smart thing I did for the day at that point, I got back down and put it on correctly.
Finally got up in the tree, took some calming breaths, got set. Dropped my can of dip, successfully knocking it off two branches on the way down to the forest floor, to add to any noise and frustration.
Once it was grey light I could now tell I had very few windows to the main trail and it was too far anyway, they would’ve had to take the road less traveled to get where I was.
Watched as two good sized does worked their way down the main highway 15 minutes later with a buck that was spooked from another area soon to follow for good measure.
Bright side, if there is one besides lessons learned, is that none of them were aware of me.
Nothing like a heavy dose of mistakes to remind a fella to be at their best or Mother Nature will knock you down a peg or two real quick like.
 
I’ve been there man. Although I try to laugh it off, that’s easier said than done sometimes. Anyway, you aren’t alone!
 
We all have a day where everything just sort of goes wrong. You got to spend time in the woods, and you came home safe and get to go do it all again (better) soon.
 
Set up in Bankhead one evening bout 1600 over a pond and massive acorn crop and the deer had been eating them, in the middle of maybe 600 acres of bedding. Walked in on a field road about 300 yrds and got set up fairly smoothly, was feeling good for my chances. About 30 min into the set here comes a truck, not just any truck, a construction truck, coming to repair a gate about 100 yrds from me. They beat on it, ground and welded on it and I know they saw me so just for good measure they beat on it some more. I was not about to get down and let them think they ran me off, so after about 30 mins they left, I'm sure smiling and laughing all the way. After bout 10 mins I'm getting ready to leave and here comes a 4 pt strolling between where they were and me. From that I think we can get away with a few more mistakes than we think, and no I did not shoot the 4 pt, was not a legal deer.
 
Just mad at myself so venting quick. I swear if you would’ve had to watch me today you would’ve thought it was my first time ever deer hunting let alone using a saddle.
Decided to try to add to the freezer and went to my doe only zone for the morning, knew I couldn’t be out a long time because of family things.
Did a poor job of scouting the zone, thought I knew well enough where I wanted to go and was WAY overconfident in the “just a doe” mentality. Stumbled my way in snapping sticks on down trees I stepped on instead of over not once but twice (no explanation, it’s literally rule 1, don’t step on anything you can step over). Somehow (blind luck) I still managed to get near the trail I’d seen them use in the past without jumping anything but then I set up in a tree that was, not kidding, I ranged it later, 46 yards from the trail. That part was just due to bad scouting, I wanted to make sure I had a tree I could get into and it gets real thick with less opportunity as you go.
Hadn’t cinched the belt on the saddle up well so 1 stick into my climb it was sagging with sticks and platform on it. Probably the only smart thing I did for the day at that point, I got back down and put it on correctly.
Finally got up in the tree, took some calming breaths, got set. Dropped my can of dip, successfully knocking it off two branches on the way down to the forest floor, to add to any noise and frustration.
Once it was grey light I could now tell I had very few windows to the main trail and it was too far anyway, they would’ve had to take the road less traveled to get where I was.
Watched as two good sized does worked their way down the main highway 15 minutes later with a buck that was spooked from another area soon to follow for good measure.
Bright side, if there is one besides lessons learned, is that none of them were aware of me.
Nothing like a heavy dose of mistakes to remind a fella to be at their best or Mother Nature will knock you down a peg or two real quick like.
That's just about every hunt for me and it's no big deal, the deer still end up showing up.
I've accepted my behavior and go for quantity of hunts over quality. :)
 
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