24/7...365
I am definitely obsessed and love the challenge.
I think a person has to decide how much time they are willing
to put forth. There are no shortcuts, at least I haven't found any.
There are so many things that are important to consistently taking
these marvelous animals with a bow, but
I believe the amount of off-season work a hunter puts in has to be at or near the top of the list.
I'll spend between 20-30
days between now and mid-April scouting
and prepping trees for next fall. If you are fortunate to hunt land that
holds mature deer
now is the time for homework to be done, not
next fall. This way things are not disturbed in-season and it's just a
matter of "tree time"
.
Experience is another overlooked factor IMO. I've been fortunate to
close the deal on some real nice bucks, but
if I'd known in the beginning, what I know now...wow. Knowing the importance of background cover while in the stand, when to come to fulldraw, and
not to
get out of the stand until there is ZERO light. All 3 of these things
cost me B&C bucks my first few years
all inside of 20 yards. I've never had a 4th opportunity, but if I do....I'll be ready this time.
Though I've only touched on a few of the things I believe are necessary,
one more to add-"mental and physical toughness". If it were easy,
everyone would have walls filled with trophys. It's suppose to be tough...that is why we love it! When the rut is happening, you have to hunt hard even when you're tired. That 2-3 week window is over in a flash. All day hunts during the rut are a 'dream come true', but I know few other bowhunters who do it. I always say 'there will be plenty of time to rest
after the season'.
Well it's late and I've started to ramble a bit, however, I hope reading this will be helpful to someone who's just getting started in the pursuit of these incredible animals.
TB