I don't post a great deal here, but I read a lot of the threads... I visit a few other forums as well. It appears that a lot of people look for advice, answers to problems they are having deer hunting, etc... I'm not sure forums are the best place to get advice. I've read some pretty "Off the wall" suggestions over the years!

What might apply to the hunting in my area may not apply to where you hunt and vice versa... Deer density, hunting pressure, terrain, etc. all come into play and deer act differently accordingly.

Just because someone has hunted 40 or 50 years doesn't automatically make them an expert (myself included!). I'm sure we all know older people who don't have enough sense to pound sand in a rat hole. I know some younger guys who are very, very saavy. When they speak, I listen.......

We really have no idea who is posting on a forum. Someone can say they have killed "X" number of deer, have hunted for 50 years, etc., but for all we know it could be some nutcase from downtown New York City who has never set foot in the woods.....not likely, of course, but possible. Or it could be some animal rights activist messing around...you just never really know.

There are a lot of armchair experts around as well........people who regurgitate what they read or see on tv but who don't spend a lot of time in the field... I know a guy who has had two birddogs in his lifetime and he had both of them about 35 years ago and neither was worth a hoot, but he's always speaking up about how to train and hunt a dog...

I'm not saying to discount everything you read on a forum....just think about what you read and compare it to your personal experiences where you hunt.. Does it make sense? The best teacher is experience and the best "gadget" we have is our brain. We are conditioned from the time we are young to believe what we read and what we are told...If it's in print, it must be true, right? Not by a long shot.....

We never stop learning.... there's always something new to add to our box of knowledge if we keep our eyes and ears open when we are in the field.... Like the old cartoon I once saw read, "I wish I knew now what I thought I knew when I was 18"..

Good luck this year to all.....