Define a "successful" season
 

Ok Guys, I know when seasons close the board sometimes get's a little negative. Perhaps through boredom or lack of any hunting situations, we tend to beat our chests, a little to prove our Top Predator Status. I guess I'd like to read some more postive posts to keep the hunting fire burning.
So I ask you what makes the season a success for you?

Me? well don't get me wrong, a boomer buck at the Taxidermy shop being mounted for my den would be great. But it's not that barometer that measures success for me. I like to reflect on the encounters... the situations where you know you could have, but didn't, shoot an arrow. The nice 8 point I passed up because it was only the 2nd week of the season. The extra wide 6 point that was so scared of my decoy he ran towards me (I was on the ground) and stood 6 paces from me looking nervously at that funny "frozen" doe in the field.
Or the other chance encounters, the squirrel that was eye level in the tree beside my stand. As I'm wonderring what do i do if this friggin thing leaps at my camo masked face, he desides to go higher and annonce to the world my presence for the next 1/2 hour.
I love coming home, and as I walk in, my face seems to tell a story,(or lack of) and the family knows by my expression that I have yet another tale to tell over dinner.
Hunting the wiley Whitetail, as you know is not always exciting, somedays pass by, without much excitement. But you never know, the slowest day can turn around in mere seconds to the best day ever.
It's a challenge, it's test of patience and knowledge, somehow it gets into every fiber of your being..and when it does and you've given it your all, it's been a successful season. ;)

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

I know the "right" thing to say is the experiences, encounters with deer and such. But that just don't cut it for me. If there isn't deer in the freezer, I had an unsuccesful season. Period. Maybe as I mature in my deer hunting career that will change, but for now, I like to shoot stuff.

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

MOBOW That's great I'm not looking for political correctness. In my youth I was right there with ya.

However now at {gulp} 40, and apretty highlevel of success in "kills" perspectives change, and the hunt is the success for me.

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

I consider it successful if I have a handful of bucks in bow range..... Whether I kill or not doesn't define success.....

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

A successful season for me is a season that I get to hunt once again with my father.

I spend approx. $500 on a hunting trip back home last year. I took a nicebuck but that wasn't what made it successful.It was successful because Ireturned home, sat with my father on a rock outcropping opening morning, waiting for daylight to break. He then turns to me and says, "I'm glad your here son."

That is what a successful season means to me.

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

:(, that was beautiful MD, :D
I agree with that 100%, I spend more money on gas each year to hunt than actual hunting itself, just because I enjoy going home to hunt with my father.When it comes to that, money is no object.

For me a succesful season is being in the right spot at the right time and having mature bucks around me, not just one chance encounter, but multiple times. Even if I do not bag one, just knowing that Ifigured them out, deciphered their patterns,and I was good enough to put myself in the right locations is succesful for me. That makes me proud.

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

Lots of time in the woods, by myself and with family and friends...

Lots of deer seen regularly....

Lots of opportunities to harvest those deer....

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

After 20 years of bowhunting and plenty of "kills", I measure my bowhunting success as experiences and goals I set for myself prior to the season and it is never about bringing home venison. I don't set my goal to bring home a deer, if you do, you fail more than you succeed and I don't call my time in the woods a failure.

Here's a link to my HNI journal that explains it more. I'd love feed back on it.
http://www.huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=179

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

PS, great thread Badatta2d.:D

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

i'm successful if i see deer...i've only seen does no bucks yet..hunting for a couple years now..its kind adepressing but what are you gonna do... this year is gonna be my first bowhunting season...just bought a parker hornet...hope it goes well for me

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

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.

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

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

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

My Season would have been considered "unsuccessful"

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

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.

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

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.

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

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

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

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!!!

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

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.

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

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!;)

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

Just see deer
A tasty doe is just fine

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

As I look back over my hunting career, the encounters, not the kills are what jump out at me as the most memorful(is that a word?). Just getting the chance to bowhunt is good enough for me, arrowing a deer is just a bonus. The most gratifying thing is when I see a nice buck that I know Ive passed on in the prior years. Being successful is not just killing if it were our sport wouldn't be called hunting. I live for those close encounters with all the wildlife be it deer, a coyote that was close enough to drop kick, the owl that landed a foot behind your shoulder, etc.....

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

Good planning, forget nothing, see lots, put blood on the arrow. Doesn't get much betterr. Forget all that touchy touchy feely feely stuff. If I don't hear TWACK.... I failed. I do that alot.[8D] When I fail it's an OK hunt. A great hunt lays a blood trail. There isn't any such thing as a bad hunt.

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

every year is a successful season just because i get to spend time with my friends in the best place of all the great outdoors even if i dont kill one

RE: Define a "successful" season
 

I'd say successful is seeing lot's of deer near your stand while hunting ,and having the opportunity to at least take a few of them. That's a successful season that I had this past fall.

nubo