I've begun to wonder at what point I DIMINISH my chances.
Rob and I have discussed this several times. How do you know that the time you choose NOT to go into a certain stand site......is gonna be the day the big boy decides he IS gonna take that route?
At some point.....having too many "locations" (spots to hunt) has to be a hinderance. I admit it's a nice "hinderance" to have.....but it makes me start to second-guess.....and it's only April.
I wish i had your problem, and so do many other hunters i know. Alot of us our stuck on our own lands or competing against others. How many is too manyfor you?
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Poster of the GREATEST photo in HNI history, 12/09/09
"My god Siman...............you just made me sick"
Cay.....don't misunderstand....I'm in no way complaining. I quadrupled the amount of land I have vailable to deer hunt from '07 to '08.
My point is.....the land I've been hunting has been good to me. It's something I wanna do (hunt other areas)....but I've done "OK" on the land I've had.
So...the "unknown" factor is there....and I wonder how much of a risk I take in being unsuccessful (in terms strictly described by taking game).....by spreading myself a little thinner. I also understand there's a big "reward" opportunity that accompanies the "risk".
I've begun to wonder at what point I DIMINISH my chances.
Depends on your hunting time available, but trust me, the more the better barring extremes. You will learn to concentrate on certain properties at certain times if you are scouting as you should. In the past I have had access to up to about 3,000 acres for bowhunting and saw more deer, and bigger bucks, the whole season ( I hunted almost every day). You will probably realise, like I did, what overhunting can do a month or more into the season. Now, I have access to much less....but I hunt much less, also. Regardless....congrats on the 'problem'!!
I've had that "dilemna" in the past, but as stated, it's a good one to have.
If you're limited to one location, then one single element such as wind can ruin your hunt.
Multiple locations also allow one to rotate hunts so as not to "overhunt" one spot.
With multiple locations, I would invest in enough trail cams to "scout" all the locations.
I've alsohad my decision on which location tohunt made for mesoley because I overslept and didn't have time to get to my first choice. That also comes in to play if you're short on time, having alocation in close proximityhas advantages even if it means just more time in the woods.
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"... and let them rule over all the creatures that move along the ground." Genesis 1:26
When you fight fire with fire, all you do is burn your fingers too
I hunt 100,000's acres of public land and I guess i don't understand your problem. Study all the land you have and pick the spots that look good or where you spot big bucks. You can play that" I should have been somewhere else" game. That will only drive you crazy. A successful trophy hunter only has to be right one time. I tell myself this everytime I go out. More land = more chance at success IMO.
The reason I asked the question, MM....is I've taken a 3.5 and 4.5 yr old the last 2 seasons. It's gonna be a "little" tough to hunt the area I've been hunting "differently".....when it's been good to me.
"Too many locations"?
