Lessons learned...please feel free to add.
 

1. I thought since i would be hunting a big field..i needed to zero my rifle in at 100 yds....welll i had a buck come in at 10 yds...i only had a hesd shot...I missed...I was an Expert in the military...i ask a friend what happened..he said you shot 4 inches low...I was shooting a scoped 270. I researched...You are supposed to shoot your rifle in at 25yds...at 100 it will be right on...

2. Never set your climber up near the game trail...at least 20 yds away for archery and 50 for firearm...been busted too many times..

3. Check the dates on your licenses...another embarrassing moment..

4. Fold up 3 or 4 shhets of paper towels and place in back pocket...comes in handy (-;

5. Check how many step it takes you to walk 1/4 mile...mine is 500. This helps you plot out your Google Earth hunting trip.

6. Always carry a compass...very difficult to see in the dark..

7. Invest in a cap with lights...it makes a good back up if your head lamp goes out.Walmart has a real nice 6 light model RED for 14.00

8. If you drop your rifle in dirt..run your rifle pull up rope through the barrell...

9. Carry a 6' cable and lock to lock up your climber in case you get a deer. Takes up very little space.

10. Take a drink of water after you climb your tree...walking through fields etc can cause build up in your throat...and you will cough...so i take a good swig of water or Gatoraid...been perfect so far.

I especially like #5 and #10. I will give those a try.

I put a small piece of black electrical tape over the end of my barrel to help keep out possible barrel obstructions.

Solid lessons learned.

Leave the location of your hunting spot with your spouse or closest folk. And then leave them with the number to someone who actually knows the woods. Had a spouse last turkey season come into the woods to find her husband and if she didn't have the google map print out with her she would have been lost and her husband would have gone home and never knew she was out there.

I spent a good deal of time in the sandbox, party balloons are excellent for keeping everything out of your barrel. Rolls off like a condom when you are in your stand. Also keeps you from being hesitant to lower your firearm barrel first from your stand! (Safety, safety, safety!)

If you BZO for 100 @ 25m and are able to do so; get your true zero @ 100m. You will find the difference between BZO - TZO in the neighborhood of 2-4 inches.

Personally, my dope is set to 200 as my glass supports BDC -100/+850. A 200m zero has the happy coincidence of an initial trajectory cross-over at 50 yards, a distance available on almost all civilian ranges including many indoor ranges. This makes it easy to achieve a 200m BZO without needing 200m.... If 200m is available you can fine-tune the true zero at the real distance... At your earliest convenience!

Regardless of what you have your is dope set to, know where your rounds hit at less than your zero and know your hold under!

#4 Is a good one. ; ]

Another good use for a paper towel is when hunting with a Muzzle Loader, I'll take 3 or 4 209 primers and crumple them up in the paper towel and keep them in one of my pockets in the instance I drop the one I'm initially loading into my ML once I'm secure in my tree stand (yes, that has happened to me before…). Keeps them from getting lost into oblivion in the corners of your pockets. This is not part of my re-load primers that I keep in a rubber primer keeper that is attached to the tubes that I keep my loads in.

Storing Matches for those unexpected times- An empty 12 gauge shell and an empty 20 gauge shell fit snugly into one another. Perfect for storing wooden matches.

Wide Mouth 1 Quart (or greater) Nalgene bottles make excellent water proofing for a various pieces of gear. It's cheaper than a lot of other options that are specifically for water-proofing. When I go on long treks when it's raining or anticipate getting wet, I'll keep a spare pair of socks in it. The socks also keep loose gear from rattling around. It's very quiet opening too.

I also invested in a smaller-sized Pelican box to keep the valuables (keys, wallet, license, phone, etc) dry in case I plan on hunting in the rain or I get caught in it.

Flashlights- I have two Sure Fires (high Lumens) in my pack specifically for tracking in the instance my buddies or I get into a long track in the dark. I've experienced a few tracks where we've either lost power in the middle of the track or it went out on the drag back. Spare batteries work too, but you don't realize how hard it is to replace batteries in the dark until you actually have to do it.

Inova- Makes a great micro-light perfect for getting into your stand before first light. i have one that shines green and one that shines white. They have a high, low, and strobe setting. Green light has been proven not to spook deer as much as white light. The low green light setting is absolutely perfect for hiking into the stand. The white light is perfect for looking around in the instance you drop something. I keep them looped on a gutted piece of 550 around my neck. Easier and lighter than a flashlight. Keeps me from making too much noise digging around in my pack and then making more noise trying to put a flashlight back once I'm set in the stand.

Long-winded I know, but I hope someone finds this useful. Be safe.

VA

Thanks men...I usevto be a point man in the military...before i was converted.. Had a habit of ...well i was living the wild road..so they would put their biggest goof off as the point man..that way if he tripped over a bomb..no big lost. The point man had to read a compass very well and every 100 meters tie a knot into a string...so if my disagnated object was 1500 meters I'd have 15 knots in a string.the string was tied to a belt loop. Of course before you took off you measured your steps..back then 112 steps for me was 100 meters..

I use that same concept now for hunting Goggle Earth..Google Earth has a measuring tool...i put it on path..This yearbfor instance i chose an area I'd never been or seen before...It measured exactly 2 miles from a certain road...so i watched my odometer and right at 2 miles i parked my truck...the walk was 3/4 of a mile...i walked 1500 steps...found a tree and in one hour a doe walked across from me...Nice rubs everywhere...Oh..to remember my steps..every 100 steps i snap off about a 4inch twig and save it...when i have 15 twigs i know I have gone 3/4 mile..plus the counting gets my mind off the snakes and other scary sounds.

Chuck, I'd say your pace count is wired tight.

#1) Bug dope and snake boots are your friend. Especially if you hunt FL river bottoms.:D

#2) Bring 2 pair of surgical gloves in a Ziploc bag. After gutting roll the gloves off and put in the bag. No messy hands to bother with.

#3) Don't be afraid to get into the thick stuff. Deer head there when pressured but people don't.

#4) Talk to the game warden when you see him/her. They have told me about hunting areas I never knew of.

#5) Hunt small game to learn where to hunt big game. Turkeys too! More time in the field is good.

#6) Carry a predator call. I've turned unsuccessful deer hunts into successful varmint hunts by calling.

#7) Carry 2 knives and 2 flashlights so you have a spare of each.

#8) Get a good compass and learn how to use it.

#9) Carry enough gear to comfortably spend the night if you need to. It doesn't need to be fancy, just functional.

#10) Carry a small first aid kit. Cuts happen when you least expect it. Make sure it has Aspirin for headaches.

#11) 50 ft of parachute cord is very, very handy. So is 2 or 3 trash bags.

#12) Hunt slow and you will kill more.

#13) Hunt something new. Treat yourself to elk or bear or pronghorn etc... Hunt new places too!

#14) Take a kid with you sometimes. If you don't have a kid, borrow one. Try to see the world through their eyes every once in a while.

#15) Enjoy your day afield.

Eventually we all come to our last day of hunting. Enjoy every one of them as if it was your last. Watch the birds, look at the sun, feel the wind against your face, listen to nature and in the end just be happy you got to go, even when you go home empty handed. It's called hunting. It isn't called shooting and killing.

Tips like those in this thread are why I joined this site!

All good tips indeed!

Don't eat really greasy food before going into the stand...