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What will you change/improve for next year?

I think I bit a little bit too much off trying the SHIKAR Mini Stick Straight out of the box. While I ended up using it for the entire season, it was a little bit too compact without having the top step to grab onto for my old crippled body. I did it, but it wasn’t very graceful lol

I think I’m going to try the tethered one stick next year, I think that’ll be my biggest change.
 
For next season I want to simplify my process from the base of the tree to being "in the saddle"when using my lightweight set up, which means a possible change from a chest/bino rig to a belt and fanny pack set up, this is still in thought process. Practice shooting more from the saddle under realistic circumstances. Lastly just get focused on hunting again, I had responsibilities, some good and some bad, that took away from my personal time hunting this last season so I'm going to concentrate on getting back after it next season.
 
Hopefully got some big changes coming next year that should enable me to hunt a lot more. However, I don't want to count my chickens yet.

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-I want to add a LWCG .5 for SRT presets.
-My buddy and I are going to start filming.
-We are going to scout a new area of public that should hold some older bucks and my personal goal is to kill a 150"+
-Everything else is already set and ready to roll.
 
1. Scout more in the spring
2. Set cameras in July
3. Workout harder and more regularly instead of trying to get in shape a month prior to the season
4. Do not pass on does
5. Do not pass on good huntable days because the calendar date isn’t the “right” time
6. New saddle - I only have had 1 so time to try something different
 
I’m going to just put more effort into preseason and hunting in general. I think it’s too easy to get wrapped up in new gear and trying to build the perfect setup. I used to be an absolute killer and in the past few years I’ve gotten so lazy about hunting and have just been coasting. It really showed up this season because the days I did get to hunt I felt like I was always playing catch up. I have so much public and private land here to hunt and my resolution is to take my dogs out hiking at least once a week every week so I can scout and follow deer trails through the mountains looking for ambush spots. Now is the time to do that stuff and it’s too easy to spend the winter and spring being lazy. I have all the gear, I’ve settled on what I want to use. I just need to get back to putting in the work.
 
Kevin2 said:
I think I bit a little bit too much off trying the SHIKAR Mini Stick Straight out of the box. While I ended up using it for the entire season, it was a little bit too compact without having the top step to grab onto for my old crippled body. I did it, but it wasn’t very graceful lol

I think I’m going to try the tethered one stick next year, I think that’ll be my biggest change.
Click to expand...
Kevin I’ve used a full length and a short helium stick for one sticking…..single step aider on the long one and a 3 step, plus mini platform on top of my short stick…..I taped the two bottom steps together as 2 are enough. Best thing about the helium sticks is they are light and are doublesteps, so you can stand with both feet level. Honestly I prefer the long stick as it is so much easier to climb on top of 3 hard steps and single step aider. Those sticks that have one sided steps would never be part of my gear.
For me personally I plan to find other trees to climb. Hoping to add an ebike for my public land adventures………scouting and hunting. This was my first season in a saddle so I still have my wallet wide open and keep playing with pretty much everything. The JRB climbing method/style is something I will also be adding somehow. The thought of using a throw ball, and making presets makes it hard to wait til later…….I need to chill out or I’ll never get that ebike
 
Just switched from ropeman to Kong duck and love it. Massively upgraded my camera setup as well. Put some Amstel daisy chains & cable aiders on my XOP sticks and two new EWO pouches on my saddle
 
JCLINE84 said:
Does that mean you already lost 50? Great job man!!
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I lost 60, (345 down to 285) and I've been bouncing between 285-300 for the last 4 years. Figured out a pretty major medical issue where I gained 178lbs in 15 years. I could gain weight with only minor short term screw ups, and now I can eat like a jerk for 6 months and be lazy and just bounce between 285 and 300, and never go higher. If I can drop another 50 in my mind I could bounce around between 240-255 and have a much easier time in life and maybe the ability to move around more and feel better will drive me even lower.
 
I'm going back to my roots of hunting. Less cam reliance and more ground work. I'll find some "targets" and use my knowledge > camera intel to try to close the deal. Ultimately, after early season meat hunting, closing the deal on a specific buck is more fun to me than just hunting a great area and shooting a buck I have never seen before. The chess match is my crutch.

Spend less time in the woods on weekends and more time with the kids. They are growing up too fast but are too young to take hunting right now. I'll spend the majority of my tree time during the week after work and dedicate the weekends to the kids. I've found that weekday hunting is usually surrounded by less people and better conditions anyways...

Just like fishing, at work all week the water is a mirror, the weekends are rain and wind with nothing but white caps...

Moral of the story, better time management and a better home life balance. My setup is good to go, just got to maintain practice.

Good luck this year to all. Stay safe.
 
I plan to hunt the right times more often. Sept 15 rolls around here and its 103 degrees and I'm just chomping at the bit to get out. Hunt every single day available and burn out by Oct 1st. Not that I stop hunting by any means! I just simply start shirking other stuff like the gym and honey-dos. I have 2 solid weeks off the second and third weeks of November next year and I mean to make them count. Which means only hunting high percentage days where I have the right temp, conditions and available locations and NO OBLIGATIONS that must be met at the time. I've back burnered my family and loved ones too long when it comes to this sort of thing. So I plan to really plus up relationships in August and September, forget about early season patterning and just rely on preseason scouting and knowledge of previous years to get me back. And lady luck during our rut.

Hopefully after the 22/23 season I'll have enough clout from being this way to not be murdered by my lady for an out of state trip for elk.
 
Well I’m definitely going to try a little bit longer stick for sure this year. But, since you mentioned that JRB method, I’ve been looking at the videos for hours! I’m definitely gonna have to try that for sure this year too. Thanks for the post
bfriendly said:
Kevin I’ve used a full length and a short helium stick for one sticking…..single step aider on the long one and a 3 step, plus mini platform on top of my short stick…..I taped the two bottom steps together as 2 are enough. Best thing about the helium sticks is they are light and are doublesteps, so you can stand with both feet level. Honestly I prefer the long stick as it is so much easier to climb on top of 3 hard steps and single step aider. Those sticks that have one sided steps would never be part of my gear.
For me personally I plan to find other trees to climb. Hoping to add an ebike for my public land adventures………scouting and hunting. This was my first season in a saddle so I still have my wallet wide open and keep playing with pretty much everything. The JRB climbing method/style is something I will also be adding somehow. The thought of using a throw ball, and making presets makes it hard to wait til later…….I need to chill out or I’ll never get that ebike
Click to expand...
 
rightside_3_1296x.jpg
I hate the advertising slogan "game changer", but if reducing my walking time from 2hrs to 20 minutes isnt game changing I don't know what is
 
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