Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

One thing i've noticed over the years, from talking with friends and other hunters, is that often times their biggest buck came from their first or 2nd year of hunting.... Of course this isn't always the case, but this got me thinking. Do new hunters sometime have an advantage over the hunters who have years of experience?

From my personal experience... sometimes I seem to over-analyze. In my earlier years of hunting I would look at a field, decide where to hang a stand (Knowing little why I chose the spot) and sure enough, if usually ended up being a great spot. Nowadays, there are times I hang a stand & later on in the hunt, think... now why did I hang it here and not in that obvious spot on the other corner of the field? I didn't know how to hunt with scent control, hunt the wind, or really any of the strategies I use nowadays. But remember always being on big bucks...

I have several close hunting friends... all which have harvested their BIGGEST bucks ever, in their first 1 or 2 years of ever deer hunting. What do you think, do experience hunters sometimes over-analyze things resulting in lower success?

I would love to know your thoughts.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

I think luck generally plays a big role in someone getting a big deer their first or second season out.

Also throw in where the hunt, the food available to the animals, the local genetics, etc...

Seems to me most are luckier than they are skilled. Granted, this isn't necessarily always the case, but a 9 year old shooting a 180" deer his/her first season out isn't likely to be because they know a lot about the game they're pursuing.

I do agree that more experienced hunters may tend to over-analyze things though.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

I know I over-analyze when hanging stands. It seems to take much longer than it should to find the 'perfect' spot. Heck, I've done it enough that it shouldn't take any time at all to pick a stand location, but it seems that there is always something that makes a setup from being 'perfect'.


Are you maybe wondering that with all the thought,gadgets, magazine articles, etc., that maybe guys with a few years under their belt go farther into strategizing than need be, and just hanging a stand anywhere on a trail and letting the cards fall as they may is enough to get the job done?.....just an after thought.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

I believe that newer hunters are NOT better hunters IMO. These are the deer Ive shot in order. Spike, Doe, Doe, basket 6, 4, 8, 10, nub buck(antlerless season, doe. Now except for the anterless season I was looking to shoot a big buck however I admit I am pretty unlucky when it comes to deer hunting. I think a lot of the people that shoot there biggest deer in there first couple years are lucky. Personally I think its kinda too bad too, because its like they dont have much to look forward to if they shoot a monster. Thats half the reason I go out.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

My first season, first time bowhunting, opening day I arrowed a doe. I really had know idea what I was doing. I walked the woods a week before, found a spot where there were a lot of acorns and two trails leading into this area and set up a ground blind. I had know idea if a deer would walk this way but sure enough two did. I wasn't a experienced deer hunter by any means but I had somewhat of an idea what to look for. Nowadays I'm way to picky about spots to hang stands and if this will work or that will work. Just gotta relax, have a good time and hunt.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

Good post. I always have to remind myself "Keep it Simple, Stupid!!". I have a tendency to start over analyzing and playing the "What If?" game.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

I do not believe they are better, but I know that a lot of older hunters arefond ofcertain areas that have always produced, in turn a lot of other places are over looked. I have been guilty of this a time or two myself.The younger hunters sometimefind those over looked areas. I settle on an area to hunt pretty easy but, I will spend a lot of time standing in one place trying to figure out which tree would be the best.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

I agree with Washington Hunter, I also think a skilled and experienced hunter will do better then a beginner, but luck jumps in and helps alot of the times, but on a level playing field I would go with experience..:D

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

OMG! I am glad I am not the only one. I think we do overanalyze many times, and sometimes we do pass up spots that would produce whereas a new hunter might think it looks great. This may go back to a thread by buckeye about hunting deer instead of sign. I shot my first pope and young class buck and my biggest just by stumbling into him back in '88.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

I believe luck and good fortune have a whole lot to do with it! And I KNOW I over-analyze everything! I sometimes wish I could go back to my younger days when all I was worried about was if I was going to even see a deer! Now I'm not saying I shot deer on every outing but I do expect to see at least some deer. Thats why I love taking my 5 year old out with me, cause then I don't worry about anything other than if he is enjoying himself!

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

I sometimes feel like I am using up hunting time, standing there looking at each tree. I feel like it is sometimes just a waste of time to do it, but that will be when you are two trees off when youdo not do it. One more thing the perfect tree, you can not wish in the right spot or it has limbs to low.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

This one will get ya thinking.

Like everyone else pretty much said i think that luck plays a large roll in it.

But i know that ias well asmany other experienced hunters over-analyze situations alot. A lot of time it takes trial and error to find the "honey hole" on a piece of property

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

Ya can't buy experience![8D]

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

No, none that I've ever seen.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

I do most of my hunting on private ground that I know pretty well. I know where the deer will be in the morning and I know where they be traveling through in the afternoons, but I still need to switch trees just to keep them guessing. Sometimes it works out and other times it doesnt.I also do some hunting on public ground, and Ive had pretty good luck just walking into an area that Ive never scouted before and climb a tree with a climber in an area that looks good and see lots of deer and adjust my stand location accordingly, but I have to admit I saw lots more mature bucks when I hung stands in my earlier years than I do now.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

KS,

David Morris in his book "trophy whitetails" talks about this quite a bit and so does Greg Miller in his book bowhunting big woods/forestlands. Anyway both of these guys talk about how often BIG MATURE Bucks hang out in places people would least expect, imagine that...a smart buck hanging out where no was pressuring an area. Along comes the new hunter, really has no care in the world other than hes pumped to be out hunting. Randomly picks a spot and guess what...Mr. bigs been using it a lot since no experienced hunter is around nor have they been. New hunter caps his arse....The old bucks have humans patterend way better than we give them credit for..they do here anyway..they really figureit out in many cases..if it wasnt for the rut mistakes andhuntingmany would die of old age.

You bring up another point. Guy kills a pig in his first year or two...then thinks..this hunting thing isnt so tough...kinda easy actually then go for 10 years without getting another hawg..not to mention not evenconsistently killing anything even close to themature beast he killed in the beginning ... The catch 22 of beginners luck...

I don't know about you, but I killed a button buck when I was 12...then gradually progressed over the years as my goals and what not evolved.....never had a luck monster just show up out of the blue...not one gimme..in 25 years...

Good post interesting topic... forsure..

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

Sort of a different take……

I just finished up my first full season deer hunting. I’m 42…..and I’ve been mostly an upland and waterfowl hunter since I was 10, or so. I never gave wingshooting TOO MUCH of my extra time. It was a pastime….and I loved it…..but I wasn’t enthralled by the pursuit of birds. Waterfowl hunting was a different story. I studied ducks…..had a really nice duck boat…..got into training my own dog (BIG TIME)……and got consumed by the sport/pastime. Then….I moved from the coast.

Along comes bow/deer hunting. It consumed me MANY TIMES OVER what waterfowl hunting did. I read everything I could get my hands on. I watched every DVD/TV show I could watch. I listened to those I trust. I was at a place in life that I could afford to buy the best equipment……take time off when I needed to……gain access to some good land. I had/have EVERY advantage.

I don’t know how much “experience” I’ve packed into 1.5 yrs. How do you measure it? No. of animals harvested? No. of animals seen? Times on stand? It really doesn’t matter, to me, how anyone else (besides me) measures it. Each situation is unique.

In about 30 hunts (first season)…..I took exactly one shot (clean miss) at one doe on closing day. I went at it even harder (and, admittedly, the first season I was CLUELESS)…..and found the deer. It took me a year to find the deer on my small parcels. Once I found them……I knew I could shoot them….and took 5, last year.

Was I lucky?.....lol…who knows?? I haven’t killed a “big” deer by most people’s standards…..but the last buck I took will hopefully make “book” in our state’s bowhunters’ association. I hope I get luckier and luckier (or more experienced and a better hunter…..I don’t much care).

I’m for everybody getting “lucky” or “more experienced”…..or becoming a “better hunter”. I won’t distinguish. I like it when hard work pays off…….and I hope you all do what it takes to up your odds of becoming “lucky”. I’ll be pulling FOR all of you.

Good luck.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

80 Percent of hunting is just showing up. (luck)

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

I like the thought of newbees being where the big boys are because an experienced hunter would not be there! Good reason

My first thought was, most newbees are hunting with an experienced hunter and gets placed in a good place to make the most of the opportunity. The works done for them, they just need the luck like you and I.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

Me either............there are no shortcuts to experience.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

IMHO, those people had to learn from someone, didn't they? Did they learn from experienced hunters or inexperienced ones?

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

I love deer hunting, it fills my brain all year long. The only other thing that i enjoy more in the outdoors than trying to track down a buck is professional big game fishing. Granted i know ALOTmore aboutmarlin fishing than i do about hunting, but there are similarities. I have been fortunate enough to travel the world and fish for billfish in most of the big name spots you can read about and in many others that you will never hear about. Ive been lucky enough to set records and win tournaments. Over the years ive been a "hired gun" to come in and fish on peoples boats to help them win tourneys as well. That all being said in any given tournament, no matter how many boats are out fishing, 9 times out of 10, there are only a handful that have any reasonable chance of winning a tourney. Its all about time on the pond (woods in this case) and experience gained through it. Sure someone might get lucky every now and then, but i wouldnt go betting on it. In fishing there is a saying and i think it applies to hunting big bucks as well, it goes...... 10% of the fisherman catch 90% of the fish. Seams about right to me. Every year where i hunt, its the same guys who seem to harvest the biggest bucks. Sure there might be a random guy here and there who kills a brute, but you can bet your bottom dollar that the "usual suspects" will have theirpicture up in the pro shot with some serious bone in their hands.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

I MOST cases getting a big one early in ones career is dumb luck.

However I do feel that with the internet, high deer populationsand ease of gaining information regarding bowhunting, that the learning curve for a new guy starting out is tremendously shortened.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?

In short----no. They are just luckier or seem that way. Take Tony Lovstuen for example.

I for one am 15 though and am a much better deerhunter than many "experienced" people I know. Don't underestimate age. Some kids learn quicker and are more determined than older guys.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

My first deer is by far the largest I have ever shot. Large Mule deer with my old bear 45 pound bow. I have yet to harvest anything close to the size of that deer. I had a couple close encounters of deer that large but never got a shot op.

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

Kid, most of us were killing bucks when you were still crapping yellow. :D The answer is NO!

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

Assuming that you keep your interest, you'd continue to learn, as well as gain experience. I guess I'm having trouble understanding how knowledge and experience can have a negative impact on anything?

I know this.When I was a boy/young man, I thought my dad was a terrible hunter, cause he never killed crap, that I saw, but later learned that he didn't kill crap while I was there because of me!
When I was twenty I didn't agree with my opinions from when I was ten.
When I was thirty I didn't agree with my opinions from when I was twenty.
I'm thirty four now, and I'm pretty sure that I won't agree with what I'm saying now when I'm forty!
So do me a favor and forget what I just said...

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

I think that the "new" people have more drive but, experienced hunters have more dedication!

RE: Are NEW hunters better than experienced ones?
 

I like to think of it as stepping outside of the box. I think sometimes the big boys are where you would not think they are and the young hunter ends up hunting there and scoring because he does not yet know how to hunt where MOST of the deer are. If we experienced hunters could step outside of the box once in awhile and take a closer look around, then mabey we could bring home more bigger mature bucks. just my .02 cents:)