I have asked in the past how much people thought luck was a factor in hunting success but talking to a friend today made me rethink some things.

What do you think is the most important ingredient for hunting success??

In my opinion it is the land you get to hunt.

I know guys that have taken more deer then they can remember. Most if not all hunt land that is not hunted very much if at all. You know the private paradises that we all wish we had. The only shots fired are by you and you control the deer population and can afford to pass on animals not quite in their prime. These guys always act shocked when I tell them that I am thrilled just to see a deer.....no matter what the distance I saw it at. You see I spend 99% of my time on state lands. We do well but it is a different world out there. Lead flying all over the place at times and dealing with other hunters that don' t exactly make it an ideal situation to see deer(that aren' t running). Don' t get me wrong.......on state land this year I took 3 deer. Only one I would say wasn' t set in motion from people being in the woods. The other 2 were taken because I know where the funnel is that they head to as a getaway. I am just saying that IMO anyone could have a ton of deer on his resume' if given the chance to hunt some of these sweet spots where seeing deer is the norm and seeing a trophy is a good day.

I think skill and luck can be looked at a couple different ways. The 2 deer I took on state land were 1 skill and 1 luck IMO. Both taken from trees within 20 yards of each other. The first was a buck that was just making his way through the woods 65 yards to my right that I am sure was moving away from other hunters he heard or saw enter the opposite edge of the woods(They always do) The other deer was a doe that was running full speed from some idiot taking pot shots at her in an open field. She picked the absolute worst direction to run in and I shot her 10 yards directly behind my tree. I was the only hunter in that square of woods and just past me is 1,500 acres.......she just zigged when she should have zagged.

I think skill serves you much better to get a deer(not a trophy) on state land. I think skill helps you get a trophy on private land. Luck is luck and you just never know..........sometimes it is good and sometimes it is bad but rarely is it reliable either way. Even though we all know some dork who walks in the woods for 20 minutes before heading back for breakfast and yet somehow has some of the best racks on his wall to show for it.


A good question I will pose is Do you think that a well seasoned, crafty, veteran of the woods could have similar success on state land as he does on private land??

I think that the crafty vet could look over the land and give a good opinion on stand placement and where the big boys SHOULD be come season. However when the city hunters show up and 50 guys are walking and talking through the woods with tags hanging off their guns and coats it is impossible to predict the deers reaction to such stress and disruption of their routines.


What do you guys think??

I say LAND---SKILL---LUCK


If any other items rank higher on this list please feel free to add them.

I' d take being lucky any day! Of course good luck eludes me so I' ve had to compensate with skill and owning my own land. I' d still just rather be lucky in general,lot less work involved!!

I would rather be lucky than good anyday. Look at Mike Beatty, now there is one lucky guy! The land you hunt is important as well, the amount of hunting pressure, food sources available, and genetics are all key factors. The basic skills required in hunting are pretty easy to acquire, and are the one aspect I can control. All it takes is time on my part during the offseason(scouting, practice shooting my bow). I can' t dictate what the deer do, and that is where good old fashioned luck comes in.

IMO I think that all three are equally important.You could have the perfect land and if you have no skill how are you going to hunt it? You can be lucky but you need some sort of skills to get lucky. If hunting state land and their is high pressure then go when the city guys aren' t in them,like during the week or do more scouting in the places that they don' t get into.But we' ve had successful sesaons on public lands and we did what I had said.

I think the land is very important, you have to have good land with nice bucks on it in order to take a nice buck, then i think luck and skill go hand and hand with eachother. the more skill you have the lucker you seem to get.

WEll, there are a lot of deer taken on land that some people would think was down right poor. SKILL to hunt the land you have available with what it holds is the most important. Throw in some luck once in a while to keep you shaking your head and you' ll have fun. That' s what it' s all about... having fun... not seeing who can shoot the most or seeing who can gain access to the best places.

All are important to have a successful hunt, but their is one other important factor, work. But I will say, many of the deer I have taken was because lady luck did happen to shine that day.

you could have all the other factors on your side but luck will decide if the scale tips in or out of your favor I have had days where everything was done right and the deer walked just a few yards out of range or behind some brush etc.

Which takes more skill.....hunting 100 acres with a good population of deer moving through or 100 acres with very few deer? I say that the most important ingredient is the land. Skill can be acquired through experience and continued learning, luck can always be a factor but you can increase the odds in your favor by placing yourself in the best situations.

Well said Cougar.

I just think that a hunter of any caliber stands a good/better chance of taking a deer if they are hunting no pressure private high population land.

Being a great hunter means nothing if you have idiots driving through the woods in groups of 10 every 15 minutes trying to scare up any and all living things......actually then it pays to be the lucky guy.

A marginal talent hunter will see his harvest numbers go way up if given the chance to hunt a nice plot of land...........A great hunter stands a very good chance of seeing his harvest decline if forced to hunt the state forests crowded with weekend warriors.

Luck is luck and could change day to day so it doesn' t really matter where you are for luck to shine or spit on you.


I know guys that have hunted 2-3 straight SEASONS and could count the combined deer they saw on one hand. I also know people that see more then that 99% of the times they go out.