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What have you learned?

Really plan hunts around weather/ wind during the season & be flexible. If you get in a hot movement pattern stick with it & drill down. The late season buck I shot last year was a deer I’d seen in daylight twice in 3 years. But he popped on a camera during a storm in late January & I hunted observational sits where I thought he was moving. Nothing!!! Good deer movement from different bucks so I stuck with it, 4th night it paid off!! Years prior I would’ve bailed & gave it a sit or two tops…
Not tinkering with gear as much & stick with what’s working. My saddle setup & climbing method are working & chasing something that’s not a big deer is diminishing returns
 
NATHAN said:
You can't buy Big Buck success.
Click to expand...
You can DEFINITELY buy big buck success. With big bucks($). I went to the GAOS, stop by the guided tours section just for curiosity. Some outfitters were GUARANTEEING +8 points buck at their properties.

Also can anyone lend me 23K for an Africian antalope hunt please?
 
I will pose another question herein, selfishly for my gain: what do you learn when you don't see deer at all on a sit?

skunked a lot last season and I think my lessons were
- scout more and don't settle on anything less than exceptional sign/high confidence
- move slower = be quieter = assume that your next deer is always right nearby
- don't look at your phone! missed an opportunity on a doe bc of this
- if there's other hunter sign nearby (like within 3-400 yards), don't sit that spot
- some tracts aren't worth the effort
 
mschultz373 said:
I will pose another question herein, selfishly for my gain: what do you learn when you don't see deer at all on a sit?

skunked a lot last season and I think my lessons were
- scout more and don't settle on anything less than exceptional sign/high confidence
- move slower = be quieter = assume that your next deer is always right nearby
- don't look at your phone! missed an opportunity on a doe bc of this
- if there's other hunter sign nearby (like within 3-400 yards), don't sit that spot
Click to expand...

Sometimes deer don't move much and you won't see any.
Sign is nice, but alot harder to see and find than most think. Particularly "hunting" sign.
Always move slow or use routes that hide your presence....visual and/or olfactory.
My buddies and I often hunt within 200 yards of each other.
 
mschultz373 said:
I will pose another question herein, selfishly for my gain: what do you learn when you don't see deer at all on a sit?

skunked a lot last season and I think my lessons were
- scout more and don't settle on anything less than exceptional sign/high confidence
- move slower = be quieter = assume that your next deer is always right nearby
- don't look at your phone! missed an opportunity on a doe bc of this
- if there's other hunter sign nearby (like within 3-400 yards), don't sit that spot
- some tracts aren't worth the effort
Click to expand...
The answers to that question depend on your evaluation of the hunt and all the questions you ask. Your list scratches the surface and are all valid points of consideration. There are dozens of other questions that may be relevant depending on the hunt set up.

For me it was implementing lidar into my map scouting and how to more precisely use that in all types of terrain. Just as important was all the boots on the ground scouting I did in the mountains paired with the trail cams I hung and let soak all season. I map scouted entirely new to me ground, then went and hiked it and hung cams as if I would be hunting the spot. I did it that way to see if what I thought was a spot actually would turn out to be one. Hung 8 cams and had nearly 30 different bucks on them, nearly all of which I had daylight pics. Obviously with cams you are looking through a straw but having that data confirmed several things and made me question a few other things. That's what I love about it, always something new and more to learn.
 
If it factors greatly in terms of learning, The NWR I predominantly hunt prohibits trail cams. I have hung a few on WMAs before which was helpful.
 
mschultz373 said:
I will pose another question herein, selfishly for my gain: what do you learn when you don't see deer at all on a sit?

skunked a lot last season and I think my lessons were
- scout more and don't settle on anything less than exceptional sign/high confidence
- move slower = be quieter = assume that your next deer is always right nearby
- don't look at your phone! missed an opportunity on a doe bc of this
- if there's other hunter sign nearby (like within 3-400 yards), don't sit that spot
- some tracts aren't worth the effort
Click to expand...
Nailed it
 
I have to make a change. For a older hunter. Going in in the dark, climbing a tree, hanging a platform hunting, going back down pulling everything is not working anymore for me. Climbing in the dark in cold weather is not too easy or safe for me.
New plan, setting up after lunch, go to spot, climb and hang platform, evening hunt, leave platform and top two sticks, pull bottom 2 sticks. Go back in the AM. Hunt morning, pull platform, rinse and repeat.
Advantages, no more setting up or pulling setup in the dark. No set up in the morning cold conditions. Safer and easier.
If the spot does not justify a evening and morning sit, then it is not elevated worthy. Finally realized I am not in my 50,s anymore.
 
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