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Worst year yet...30+ hunts and zero deer down

About to wrap up year 8 or 9, lost count. Started hunting as an adult in 2014 and no kills. Shot at a few. Hit a couple, but still a big goose egg. This years not quite over yet and **it happens. Maybe next year I’ll get a p&y.
 
Sometimes you need an off year to appreciate the good ones. I had my best season two seasons ago and this last was close to my worst. It sucks when you are in it but look at the big picture. Next year can only be better,right?
 
So what you're saying is that you didn't see anything there when you were hunting and then you had some misshaps and low and behold, you go check your game trail camera and likely a nice buck took a turd right next to your hunting location? Hahahaha join the club man. No just kidding. That does get frustrating but just think... it can't get much worse than that. I want to see pics of the deer that laid that turd down.
 
I believe this is the culprit. He came to my game camera when I set it up on Dec 20, 1 1/2 hours after I left.
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notice his tail is up in the second picture...I believe that he crapped right where I was at either that or he's on alert. Telling me what he thinks of me and my efforts. If he makes it through to next season, I have a game plan for him.
 
I had the worst season of my life too. About halfway through it I just decided that it’s nothing to get mad or embarrassed about. I don’t need the meat even though I’d enjoy it. And I don’t have anyone to answer to but myself. I hunt because I like hunting. When I was younger and far less experienced I would go weeks or months without seeing a deer and was still happy to just be out there. I think success can easily breed pressure and expectations which cause us to stop enjoying the process. So the second half of the season I just hunted a bunch of new areas with no expectations other than observation for next season. I got to spend a lot of time perfecting my gear and testing new designs. Spent a ton of time just hanging in a tree and reflecting. 20 years of success tells me you know how to get it done. Don’t beat yourself up over one bad season. Learn from the mistakes you made and come back laser focused
 
At some point you may get past defining success as more than just killing an animal.....

1. Several years ago, I filled my tag very early in the season on a really nice buck. And then I sat around the rest of that fall, wishing I was out hunting. (I wasn't prepared to do an out-of-state hunt at that time.)

2. A few years after that, I had shot two elk in September and a lot of vacation build up for deer hunting. I ended up hunting almost every day of the deer season. With plenty of meat in the freezer, I was quite selective and did not end up filling any of my deer tags, buck or doe, that particular season.

Which deer season was more successful? Does success have to be measured in number of tags filled, inches of antler, or number of shot opportunities?????????????????
 
This was year 7 for me as somebody who started hunting later in life....first 5 years I saw maybe 2 or 3 deer. This season I seen more deer than I've ever seen during a season and still empty handed....sucks about ur bow..
 
This was year 7 for me as somebody who started hunting later in life....first 5 years I saw maybe 2 or 3 deer. This season I seen more deer than I've ever seen during a season and still empty handed....sucks about ur bow..
We’ll fix that next year.
 
You never know when things might turn around! Sounds like a solid twenty years, I hope my next twenty treat me well! Goodluck man.
 
If it makes you feel any better, I didn't have a season at all last year. Often I find myself scrambling right before the season to catch up on all the preparation I should be doing throughout the year. It takes the fun out of it for me to be rushing and feeling unprepared.

I swore that if I didn't get it together enough to adequately prepare, I wasn't going out at all. That's how it panned out and I stand by it. I know that probably sounds crazy to most people here.

However, it's supposed to be fun and if that condition isn't met, what's the point?

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I kind of love these threads cuz we who have failed in some way come to know we are not alone.

I always remind myself of my favorite Winston Churchill quote: "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."

We all fail. I definitely took 1 step forward and 2 steps back this year. I had more deer encounters this year than ever which was awesome. That means I am finding deer better than before. But I had more trouble closing the deal than ever. I missed the biggest buck I've ever seen on public land and would've easily been the biggest I've ever killed. I had 3 slugs in my shotgun and fired all three at him to no avail. I couldn't believe it.

But hey, now I am actually practicing shooting my gun now. Never done that before. Its funny how I spend all spring and summer practicing archery, but only fire my gun once to make sure it's still sited in. No more! That gun will be a part of me by next season.

Anyway, you're not alone man. There's always someone else and there's always next year.
 
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