Nubby_Stalker

Ditto

buttonbuckmaster

I'm kinda suprised that time would be a factor with guys that type online all day about hunting.

kickin_buck

You would think that would be true. However, I am only online all day talking about hunting when I am at work. If work would allow me to be in the stand hunting all day, I would not even know what the internet was.

Schultzy

No excuses here, It's me plain and simple. But I'd like to add this that the land that's across the road from the woods I hunt Is a gold mine. The big guys tend to call that home most of the time.

buttonbuckmaster

This has been the strangest season I've ever had. Take away the suicidal buck I killed in early November, and I'd say it was the worst I've ever had. Nocturnal buck movement on the cameras, very few buck sightings for me period. Standing crops have put a damper on the deer movement in my area. Add in more fence rows being dozed out, and its like I'm hunting a ghost. We often talk about what we do to be successful, yet we rarely talk about why we aren't.

cooter144

No excuses here

If I am not successfull it is my own fault

I have had some success in the past but would like to become more consistant at putting down mature bucks

y2khog

This may be a dumb question but, what do you consider a "mature buck"? Is it the number of points, his age or the size of the deer? I'm not sure how to "age" one. I've hunted very hard since opening day which was Oct. 1.
Out of the 25 or so days I've got to hunt so far, most have been all day sits inmultiple stand locations. Even with this, I'veonly seen 3 deer from the stand. One doe, and a 4pt that was with the 10pt that I shot. Even though the 10pthad a large body, the rack wason the light side.

dukemichaels

I used to beleive many years ago that the "grass was always greener on the other side as well".

Used to blame luck.. and think of hunting whitetails as a game.. like chess.

One day I woke up. Like someone just through the switch on or slapped me across the face with a wooden spoon.

What I've learned was.. it's not where you hunt.. but how you hunt the land you are given that seperates those who do and those who don't.

There will always be great land out there. But it makes no difference if you are not on it. So get over it.. move on.. and get it done on what you got. And what you will get if you work for it.

The old cliche reads that "timing is everything". It holds especially true for us whitetail hunters. Learn what timing is on each piece of land you hunt through knowledge of the animal.

And don't look at it like a deer is playing against you. Like he is your equal. He is not. You have every advantage over him. You are earth's ultimate predator. Stop putting him on the same level.. and start making your own decisions through knowledge and observation. You are above him.. and it's no game to him. It's not like chess.

There's a WORLD of knowledge out there. Don't be so cynical towards those who have hunted and written about whitetail hunting for many years through our books and magazines. The written word holds powerful truth.. yet so many dismiss it simply cause they don't understand it. Words and ideas are too often lost in translation. Embrace what was written before you.. and you will open your mind to any entirely new way of thinking. And then you can seperate whats real and what is not.

As far as luck. Don't count on it. Prepare to make your own. Work for luck.. stop waiting for luck to work for you.

That is all I got.

Antler Eater

Wow, I don't know how it could be said any better....

HuntingBry

The past 5 years I have done exactly what Duke is talking about above (good post BTW), and I have found that the very best bucks on my property that I can find through scouting, glassing, and talking with others in the area are bigger 2.5 year olds and nice 3.5 year olds. Are there odd sightings of a "big" buck that could be older, sure, but I'm not counting on hearsay for my hunting.

In the last 3 years I have shot bucks that would be in the top 10% for size on the properties that I hunt and have access to. So, to me, nothing is stopping me. I'm doing pretty damn well with what I've got.

If someone can come hunt with me on my properties and drag out P&Y bucks year after year I will bow to their hunting prowess. I don't believe that would happen though.

That doesn't mean that I am content either. I'm constantly looking for access to better properties that hold bigger bucks. When I get them I'll raise the bar to hunt the top 10% on those properties. Until then I'll keep working with what I've got.