LAbushman

I would like to know what percentage of deer hunting do you believe is luck and what percentage do you believe is skill? I believe that it is similar to fishing, 50% skill, 50% luck.
It amazes me at our hunting club that some of what I consider less skilled hunters shoot wall hangers. They do not scout and hunt very little during the season. I live in the woods and I am less successful than them. I do not consider myself an accomplished or highly skilled hunter but I do consider myself very unlucky (at hunting or fishing).

Jimmy S

LA...Good question. I agree with you about some folks that are more lucky than good. I personally feel that I make my own luck when it comes to hunting. It seems that the harder I work, the luckier I get. That being said, there is absolutely no doubt that luck plays a role in being successful while deer hunting. We all need a certain amount of luck, and 50% is higher than I seem to experience. To be a successful deer hunter a lot of things come into play. Sure, we can be lucky at times but to be consistent, being a good woodsman, having a good knowledge of the game being hunted is far more important than relying on luck....

Also, those who seem to be lucky especially when spending little time in the woods is a personal matter. Some people would rather be lucky than good but I cherish the time I spend each Fall hunting whitetail deer. I would much rather go home empty handed at the end of a long season than get lucky and punch my tag on a nice buck because I was lucky early.

PAhunterJEN

Interesting question....
I believe that it is mostly skill and knowledge though I suppose some may have more luck than others. My one brother always gets a good buck, fills his doe tags, and catches the most or biggest fish. My other brother hardly ever gets anything. My uncle D. (known to be a BS'er) is always criticized for his hunting skills and yet he always does well. Another uncle who knows next to nothing about hunting and never spends any time in the woods always comes home the first day with a nice buck - we suspect he hunts at a game farm or something!
Still, you've gotta learn your area, learn about deer, and especially keep quiet and scent-free.......

huntnma

i think it's about you bettering your chances by knowing everything you can and doing everything you can, but luck definately plays a part in the hunt too......lucky the deer walked within range, lucky it came by in the first place, but you knew the chances were good because what you found when scouting....lucky it didnt scent you.....ya'll get what i'm tryin' to say ,

trailer

I would also say that luck has something to do with it but for me it’s also intuition. I’ve always had this feeling on where to position my self for the days hunt or how to react to a situation. Some might say it’s skill but for me I react more on the gut feeling I get.

stubblejumper

Luck can always be a factor but the best way to tag a big buck in my area is to let the smaller bucks walk.The larger bucks are usually taken by the hunters with the most patience.

Bugeaters

i believe you put your time in in the field and you make your own luck. pattern the does and watch the bucks and you make your own luck. i would say it is still 65 percent skill and 35 percent luck. ya gotta be lucky enough to see them to pattern them to shoot them.

SACOHUNTRESS

i know about those guys with alot of luck. My fiance and i have been after this elusive swamp buck here in Alabama on our hunting land for 3 yrs. We have tried everything and done just about anything to get this buck. Last season a new guy joined our hunting club, he has no experience and just doesn't try at all. He was in a shooting house on a plot just outside the swamp, this buck( by our deer cams) has never to our knowledge been in this plot. The guy was in there drinking a beer and eating sunflower seeds, he got out of the stand and walked behind a tree to relieve himself, and the buck walked in the plot 40 yrds. from him and he shot it. This buck just walked into the plot, the rut wasn't even in yet, he has always stayed in the swamp this time of year. when he broaght it to our house to show us i thought i was going to be sick[X(]. but it's ok, and i told him i was proud of him and his trophy.

skeeter 7MM

Luck is always a factor whether we admit it or not, horseshoe luck is a totally different matter though and while one might be this type of lucky once in awhile, to be truly successful on a regular basis it takes knowledge and skill. You can always throw in a little dose of luck for good measure. Like trailer I use the gut feelings, I must say most of my gut feelings come directly from knowing the spot when I see it, last fall it happened 3 times I just knew I had to hunt their but also knew I needed the absolute perfect wind to be truly successful. As luck would have it 3 animals were harvested the first day we set up in all 3 spots. 2 were bull elk(1 mine) and 1 whitetail buck. The reason I say luck was I actually got a wind that is not prodominant for the area and time of year, the rest was skill knowing where to sit and what technique to further our chances. So I believe both are required but maybe not for the reason the poster posed this question. To me luck is a variable that can not be controlled but you can control your situation through education/skill. In combo they are deadly!

Sj brings up a good point about patience as well which is a skill. Arguably one of the hardest skills to handle or harness!

rybohunter

Luck can play a factor in any single hunt. But to consistently shoot game year in and year out is skill or a really good hunting spot.