MGH_PA

This is a long one guys.

Alright, well with the 2008 PA archery season now officially at a close (with the exception of late season), and it was a season of ups and downs for me. Sort of an emotional rollercoaster, with the final week being one long lasting plunge. I'll put it right out on the table here, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself in the closing weeks to put a buck down as I haven't done so since 2002. I've said it on here over and over that I really never became SERIOUS about bowhunting until two years ago. Don't get me wrong, all through college I hunted when I could, but paid little attention to wind, scent control, and I hunted the same two or three locations all season. The past two seasons, I've put a TON of work and prepartion in. Everything from planting food plots, post-season scouting, map creation, stand rotation/seleciton, entry/exit route planning, scent-control, playing the wind, etc. I suppose this increased effort which has resulted in two more years of tag soup has me really questioning my abilities as a hunter.

This was also the first season I kept a journal. It was a fun process, and I've learned a lot from it, so here's a statistical breakdown of my season, and some analysis on my end. So, along the lines of GMMAT's thread, looking over this, what can you say about my season? Where did I make mistakes? What could be changed? What is positive? Am I really one of those guys who simply doesn't get it? I'm extremely frustrated at why I can't seem to put a buck on the ground in archery season, and it seems year after year it's the same old thing. Anyways, let's look at some stats:

Total Sightings: 158

Approx Different Deer: 35

Approx Number Of Deer Within Shot Window (30yds under): 75 (All Six Bucks Included)


Busted (Known): 0

Sits: 40

Morning Hunts: 6

Missed Days: 3

Total Time on Stand: 5085 Minutes (84.75hrs)

Buck Total (Different Bucks): 6

Largest Buck: 115-120” 8 Point

Smallest: 5” Spike


Buck Sightings Prior to November 1st: 2 (Spike, 6 point)

Buck Sightings After November 1st: 13

Stand Locations: 13 Total Sites

Acreage Hunted: 90

Major Accomplishment: First Turkey with a Bow (Nov.1)



My take on this season in terms of positives is that my deer sightings were through the roof compared to last year. The fact that I wasn't busted once (known) was a MAJOR improvement, and I believe it can be attributed to my greater attention to scent control, and playing the wind. I did manage to take a turkey with a bow, which was an accomplishment. I had all 6 bucks I saw this year in range (I only saw 2 last year and neither were in range), although only the 115"-120" was a shooter, and I couldn't get him to turn sideways for me at 25yds, and eventually ran out of light.

The 75 deer within my shot window is not an exageration (I think I estimated on the low side), so many of you are probably wondering why I didn't take even a doe. Well the timing was always wrong. Early in the season, I passed quite a few due to temps in the evenings, and then after late October, I passed all of them due to the hope of them drawing in the bucks (which they did at times). The remaining shot opps were yearlings, and I don't take them. Personal decision.

Anyways, statsitcs aside, I'm still feeling a bit down, and not really having a ton of confidence at this point. A few points that are disconcerning are the fact that I only saw two bucks prior to November. That tells me I wasn't hunting buck locations, rather I was hunting primarily doe areas. The problem being is that, my 13 locations were spread pretty even throughout the 90acres, and there's only one small section I haven't touched which could be an early season buck location. If that turns up empty next year, it's a safe assumption that our property really doesn't hold the bucks in the preseason.

Anyways, I did see some amazing things this year. Tons of turkeys, button bucks head butting, gray foxes playing tag, and some of the most amazing sunsets ever. I'm healthy and alive which is a lot to be said, and maybe I'm putting too much emphasis on the kill, but I still can't get past it. Why am I not able to put it all together?

Honest, opinions here, guys. Lay out it. Don't be gentle

rybohunter

Sometimes you just need to play the hand that is dealt to you. Your land for what ever reason doesn’t hold many bucks during the fall. It obviously has does, and the spike in bucks during the rut showed that they will pull them in. I’m sure it is frustrating, but it may not have as much to do with your ability.

I had 3 mature bucks living right under my nose all season and didn’t make any verified sightings of them. I saw 2 quick glimpses of “probable shooters” but that was it. Sometimes they just don’t move during daylight hours, and the breaks don’t work out once the rut starts. It happens.