kwaldeier

well i am mad.this is my 3rd season in a row i have came up empty handed.i just wanna vent a lil bit.i have saw 2 "shooter" bucks but i wasnt quite enough so they were sprinting away from me and i couldnt get a shot off.the does i tried to shoot, of course i missed all 3 of them low.i have asked many many times on here for support, which is what i thaught this forum was all about, and i get mocked.i have shown plots of land and no replies.even tho i have learned a few tips for scouting just browsing.i guess i will have to scout ALOT harder next year to bring down the big one. i will have to get up game cameras and scout in the snow after season is over.shoot more often at the range.my dad has gotten 2 nice ones, he is just an avid hunter.in the 10 days i went out 5 because basketball interfeared with the season, o well.so since i am going to scout my brains out for the next year, i need tips.what is the MOST MOST MOST important thing to look for when scouting?? rubs, scrapes, trails, tracks or etc.i find rubs everywhere in my part of the woods, trails up the..u no where....but i dunno if they are cow or not. i will have to wait til it snows.what are some tips for a trail camera. where do i position it at?? pointing towards a rub or scrape or trail??there are a billion places on my land i can think of off the top of my head to place a camera and hunt.i need your help to narrow down my possibilities. i am just asking this time to please help me atleast see more deer next year and i will be happy and a buck will be an addition.well....im all outa vent so plz plz PLZ reply without chritism or mockery

*JB*

Please don't take this the wrong way. But all the scouting in the world won't help if you can't hit the deer. I would suggest becoming very good at judging distance, and then become a very good shot from varying distances.

RDHunter

Don't feel bad , your not alone I myself haven't scored on one yet but my season isn't over until Dec. 31st but still I could kick my self for not taken a doe or even a young buck back in Oct.
I know how you feel and I don't like eating tag soup ether , just look at this season as another learning experince and maybe next season you will score on huge buck that you'll be proud of.

bucketmouthhauler

What state are you from? seems like an early end to the season? Also I wouldn't wine about not shooting a deer since you only hunted 5 times. It takes a ton of time to kill big bucks with a bow. I have hunted 5 times in the last 3 days.

bowhuntingfanatic

please dont take this wong if your seeing deer and geting shots you are doing something right. everyone miss's sometime. it sounds like you are very discouraged. witch it not a good thing when it comes to shooting a bow. practice daily throughout the year and get that confidence up. also maybe you are using the wrong pin the heat of the moment, are you judging the distance correctly?it will happen just try to stay positive no matter how hard it is. i went throw a simalir year a few back, i missed 2 deer with my bow and then on the first day of shotgun season got my biggest buck ever with the old remington, sometimes the gun is what you need to get your confidence up. maybe try that.

MOmightymite

Dont worry. You arent the only one on here that took a while to get one. I got my first deer after 4 frustrating years. I missed my fair share before i got one, and most of that was because I didnt feel confident with my bow. I got a new bow that fit me better, and started shooting a lot of 3-d shoots in the off season, and it has really paid off. I would suggest to try some 3-d shoots in the off season. It sharpens your shooting skills and also allows you to judge distances better so have a better idea when archery season begins. I know you said you are busy but 10 days in the woods isnt really a lot. I am a college student and I have hunted every weekend except 2 since the start of the season. So try to get out as much as possible so you can pattern the deer.

iowabob85

Sounds like you may be rushing it a bit. If you are good with a bow then you are having trouble judging yer distance. Maybe you should invest in a range finder. Oh ya don't think about the negative so much and focus on the positive, at least you got out there and got some shots! The rest will come in time.

GMMAT

I started bowhunting 10/14 of last year. I knew NOTHING about it. NOTHING. I had NO IDEA of where to set up....and "winged it" a lot. What that did, though.....was 2 very important things. No. 1....it got me in the woods..where I might actually see where the deer were....and where they were going/coming from. No 2....it kept my inexperienced axx out of where I've NOW found they ARE......because I likely would have screwed up my area, back then....if I knew where they were.

Don't be so hard on yourself. I'll say this, though.....I've hunted over 30 times in this season, alone. You HAVE to put your time in. It'll also be rewarding when you harvest your first animal (which, to me, is NOT a requisite to a successful hunt).

Put your time in....practice. Good formula.

Jeff

Hotburn76

Well the scouting is the right thing to do. If you can only go out five times then you need to do some serious scouting so that when you do go out you know where they are. I try to hunt trails that lead in or out of bedding areas, I try not to hunt right on them but in areas I know they have to go. I would set up a trail cam on the trails and you should be able to pattern them better, my cuddeback was the best hunting tool I bought this year! It surprises me your dad has bagged two and you none? Does he not help you or work with you on it? The last thing I can add is I suck at guessing yards, if I can not get out a mark off an area for my twenty and thirty then I do not hunt. practice, practice, practice!!!

Dr Andy

Scouting and practicing are importand as is stand set up. You don't need a rangefinder if you hunt on your own land and can pace off the distances in your shooting lanes. In the summer you can mark these distances with little flags the deer will ignore them come fall. As far as cow prints versus deer, this should be obviuos there are a lot of resources and maybe someone can go scouting with you. In the late summer can you glass the areas at a distance, see where the deer are moving? As far as missing low,practice practice practice at 3-D targets and from you treestand or balcony etc. I know it seems cumbersome but the practice is really important! Good Luck to you. Oh BTW for your first deer don't hold out for a big buck any legal sized deer will do!