If there's meat in the freezer and everyone got home safely it was a good season. That's not to say that it was a bad season if there's no meat in the freezer, it's only a bad season if someone gets hurt.

Did I have fun? Or was there something else I'd of rather done.

My Season would have been considered "unsuccessful"

I go back to when I first started hunting deer with the bow, and how many times I didnt see anything or took a shot and didnt connect. each yr. I learned and learned. now, after all Ive learned the seasons get better and better. even tho I dont always kill a deer, I see more deer, I pass on deer, watch deer, and pattern deer. To me thats succesful and when I do harvest a few deer thats just a reward for the work put in.

I'm along the lines of success = dead deer. I know I'll enjoy myself and have fun in the fall woods regardless of whether I shoot anything or not. I have pretty decent hunting areas and feel that I should be able to fill a freezer with does and have my chance or 2 at a big buck. Whether that chance or 2 pans out or not...that's just hunting. If I found myself in a different hunting situation my expectation of success may change, but success at all is at least one deer down. I don't need to be successful to have fun, but I do need to get a deer for me to consider myself being successful.

This last season was as successful as I'll ever be I guess. Me and my Dad hunted land that we own together. Put up stands together. Hunted together. He is 63 years old and had not hunted for 20 years. Before that, he had raised me up hunting and fishing. We both kind of lost interest for personal reasons. Then about 3 years ago I started back hunting. Well, this past season my dad said he would hunt if he could find a decent gun to use. He's on a fixed income(retired) and really couldn't afford even a used gun. I took my electric guitar and sold it, took the money and bought him a bolt action 30 06 remington with a scope. He killed a 7 point getting into his stand one morning in november. I saw several deer and let some pass. I eventually killed doe for meat in the freezer. But just to be able to hunt with him knowing he hasn't many years left was the greatest success for me.

LT

To me, A sucessful Deer Season is Every season I get to spend time in the woods and enjoy nature..... BLAH BLAH BLAH..... AND WHEN I GET TO SHOOT A BIG BUCK!!!

A successful season for me means many things.


1st,That I stay safe and enjoy the time spent in creation. Ifeel closest to my Creator while hunting. Alsoknowing I will return home safely to my family.

2nd, that my time spent preparing and scouting in the off season sets me up for successful encounters.

3rd, actually hunting the plan and seeing it work, when it doesn't, keeping a clear outlook and adapting and tweaking it as the variables change, knowing NOTHING is for certain. Knowing I am not in control andthere is a great power involved and trusting and being ok with that.

Finally, harvesting a buck. For me personally and this isn't for everyone, I do not feel completely successful if I don't put an arrow through a buck. This does not mean I did not have a great time,My goal inhuntngwhitetails to kill mature bucksI have no excuse not to, if I do my homework andifit's in theLords will. If I don't then there is a reason for it and I trust in that.Those years for me that I didn't harvest, only motivated me to work harder in the off season.

I am not a great hunter, Ihave been reasonably "successful" (reached many of mygoals)atit because of what the Lord has blessed me with. An intenselove for the mountains here where I have grown up, a love for the whitetail, nice country to hunt in, an awesome mentor, a will to work very hardat it, willing to learn something newand a loving wife that supports my passion.

I've had tremendously great days hunting that I considered "successful" in calling in the deer, turkey or whatever and never released an arrow. Some of my best days never saw an arrow drawn.

However, when someone asks me if I was successful, I don't feel I had a successful season unless I killed AND RECOVERED at least one deer. I've had great seasons that would've been fun that I would have considered unsuccessful if I hadn't taken deer. I'm a bit shallow that way I guess!

Just see deer
A tasty doe is just fine