zaboo

i have been deer hunting heavily for over 5 years now and i still have not bagged a deer. its frustrating. i have one spot to hunt that has no deer,another ,with a scattered few, but terrible club rules,and im afraid of our local wma because of recent shootings. what am i doin wrong

iSnipe

zaboo, my friend, I really wish I could offer the tip to get the job done, but without knowing what you are doing and not doing, it's hard to say. Two tips comes to mind and I think they will help:

1.) You must agree whatever you are doing, is not the right thing. I'm using the law of averages to ascertain that. So in order to have change, you must change! Look at your habits, they way you are doing things and do them differently. I know it sounds ridiculous and simple, but once I was like you having little success and I had to re-think my methods. Once I got away from my line of thinking and started to do things different than what I had thought, then I started to have more success. Learn what you are doing, then do it differently.

2.) Persistence. The law of averages dictates that if a person keeps working at their goal, without stopping, without giving up, always keeping at it, at some point they will achieve the outcome they are looking for. Don't be "frustrated", be ANXIOUS!

Go get 'em!

iSnipe

sconnyhunter

Give it time, time, time, and more time. Remember, getting a deer is not all its about. Hunting is also about being out in the stand wathcing the sun rise. Hearing the forest wake up in the morning or go to bed in the evening.

I was once in your shoes as well, we have all been there. Hunting has taught me so much about myself that I never would have learned anywhere else. So just be patient, and enjoy the squirells near you, the chicadee that land on your gun barel and sings to his hearts content.

iSnipe

Now that there is one of my favorite things in the deer woods. I find it funny that with every pack of chicadees that comes through, there is always at least one nuthatch that has an identity crisis. LOL!

Good times.

iSnipe

SWThomas

If you keep hunting the same spots using the same tactics, maybe try something different. Buy yourself a trail camera and do a little scouting with it. Also, if you're not doing it already, you could put some food out to attract the deer.

deerman69

misses and bad hits happen to everyone. I've been bowhunting for over 35 yrs. now and it still happens to me. All you can do is try to get it out of your head and learn from your mistakes. These guys that act like they never miss don't belive them, just try to keep a positive attitude and keep plugging away. deerman

Bernie P.

Stop making the same mistake over and over!!!!You must find better areas to hunt.It's just that simple.

hometheaterman

I feel your pain as I hunted several years without getting anything. My thing I've learned that seems to work for me is to hunt early on during muzzle loading season. It seems like during rifle season the deer are too afraid to come out during the day much. Not so much during muzzle loading season. Last year I finally went out and hunted more than a couple hours during muzzle loading season and ended up killing a pretty big 8 pointer. That got me hooked. I shot him at around 136 yards or so. I ended up also killing a fairly large doe on the last day of rifle season. However, I sat in stand after stand only to see nothing. I'd go get in the stand several evenings a week and sit until dark and never see anything. I'd go in the mornings some but not as often. I just was never having any luck. Finally I had luck on the last day but it was very frustrating during the season.

This year I went the opening day of muzzle loading season and didn't see anything. I sat in two different stands one in the morning and one in the afternoon. No luck at all. I was getting frustrated again as I figured my luck from last year was back. I didn't get to go the next 3 days of muzzle loading season but when I finally got back in the stand I had some luck this time. I got in the stand around 5:30. About 9:00 I saw a spike that I shot at from probably 200 yards at the edge of the woods. I must have missed as he ran out into the field looking around. I guess from the noise a doe also ran out into the field I hadn't previously seen. They looked around long enough to give me time to reload. The doe was closer so I shot at her this time. She ran about 15 yards and fell. Never did get the spike.

Then in the afternoon I went to another stand and low and behold a 6 pointer walked out about 20 yards in front of me.

Just seems like that stuff never happens during rifle season but during muzzle loading season they just don't seem as cautious and seem to come out. I know several others I hunt with usually have a lot of luck during black powder season but don't often have much luck during regular rifle season also.

I'd say maybe try hunting during a early muzzle loading season if you guys have them. During the rut I'd try to use some calls and scents. That's really all the advice I can offer as for years I didn't have much luck either and have just started to have a little luck.

I honestly think a lot of hunting is luck.