It doesn't hurt......knowing there are P&Y bucks in all those counties.

I'm looking at some new land for next year, too. I know what's "here". I don't know what's out "there". My goal (If I choose this route)would besomewhat opposite of yours. I have plenty of "deer", here. What I don't have.....is "large racked" deer, here.

Good luck.

Buckeye,

I applaud your new goal. It will only make you a better hunter. I am a proponent of hunting outside what is fimiliar. You will quickly notice that your generalizations pertaining to deer will change...evolve.With that said,it will become very apparent to you that your hunting techniques will also need to change.The region to region similarities/dissimilarites will boggle your mind.

Yours is a cool course, and I wish you the best of luck on your endeavor.

One last piece of advise: As you move through this venture, "expect nothing"! With this attitude, you will keep yourself from everbeing "let down". Go into every hunt with the idea that you are back in school and willing to learn. Let it become a game of "connect the dots". As you move through the course and have more and more dots in your pocket, you wll be amazed at how quickly your trophies amass. Stay positive!

I am just at a place in my hunting where I don't have to kill a big buck every year to make me happy...

In 05 I didn't loose an arrow at a buck at all and as much as I thought it would bother me back then it didn't.... I had so many awesome encounters in 05 that I know made me a better hunter. I saw and experienced deer behavior that I had never saw before, I have many fond memories from that year. Maybe the most of any season....

This year however not killing one does bother me as I did loose an arrow at a great buck on public land and I did not recover it, the first deer I ever shot at with a bow and arrow that I did not recover..... This is a different story all together though....

We have 88 counties and only one buck tag per year

Yes, our public land is pressured pretty heavily in my area of the state.... If you can get down 3+ hours or so south or southwest of me you can get into some decent hunting as there is so much public land and the overall human pouplation is rather low.

Here our public land is on the low side with a large pouplation of people.

Had I not blown the shot op and wounded that buckthis year it would have been my second "public landP&Y". Both from different counties....

I have had similar feelings and experiences.

Since I started trophy hunting in 1991, I have expected to kill a big buck every season. It may sound unreasonable but it's how I keep my confidence high. I have not killed a big buck every season which I knew was entirely possible from the start. But I gave it my all. It all washes out as some seasons I've killed 2 big bucks and evened out the seasons with zero. Not getting one does not make me unhappy, you can't win them all.

My '06 season was similar to your '05 season. I raised my bar and decided to go for one of the true top end bucks of my area. There were 3 that I was after. I had a shot at #3 and missed. It caused me to hunt hard for the entire season and like you, I saw things that I never saw before. Although I shot a decent buck on Christmas morning, I had previously stated on this forum that I was having the best season of my life.

I also hit one in 1985 (a 150 10 point) that I did not recover. That also is a different story. I searched for three days to no avail. 1 month later while pheasant hunting, my dog kicked him up, man was I relieved. That shot bothered me for over 2 years. It happens and I turned it into a learning experience.

This places us somewhere in the 5 stages of a hunter. I can't remember what all the stages are, but I've been through all of them. I like the stage I'm in the best. The sights, the sounds and the smells are more important to me than killing a big buck. That would be the icing on the cake.

Good post.

I agree with you Fraley! The 1st few times are the best hunts on a stand. The more options a guy has the better, this is a goal of mine as well to expand my hunting opportunities on different areas so I don't over hunt my home area.

Hey why not set new goals, i to think you upped your standards a little. I dont know how pressured your public land is, ours in certain areas is somewhat pressured, but some is almost inacessable. This has been something i have been pondering on doing myself is some public land scouting , i can still only take one buck in our state but getting out on some new land would be inviting and exciting to not bad thinking for a buckeye [8D]

My goal in 08 is to learn my new property and of course to avoid "bad shots".

As we've talked before, I think this is a pretty cool idea and one to keep things very exciting. The more I've started to hunt some different places, the more I want to keep expanding my experiences.

My goals for next year will remain the same as far as the size of buck I will shoot,(3.5+ and 125+)but what is going to change will be the priority of WHERE I take it. I will hunt whichever area I feel gives me the best chance, instead of focusing on the area most convenient to hunt. (30 minute drive to my PA spots vs 90 minutes +to OH)

I particulary like iamyourhuckleberry's and GregH's comments.I approach my hunting like that I enjoy the hell out of every moment,I give it all I got and I am perfectly fine with whatever the results may be.
I have nothing to prove to anyone accept myself.
Scott, sounds like a great idea! Have fun!