Lessons you had to learn the hard way.
 

Here's some valuable lessons I've learned ..and they were learned the hard way. Nevertheless,,,I 've learned them and have not repeated the mistake again.LOL

1. Make sure your climber is attached top to bottom with a rope

2. Carry 2 flashlights and extra batteries..a mile deep in a gator filled swamp without a light is not fun

3.Make sure you got your tree rope that hold you to the tree with ya.

4.When getting ready to climb the tree..don't lay your bow to close to the tree..you may step on the string...and knock it off the pullies..} -;

5. Make sure of your tacks and don't stray off the path by following another 's trail tacks..you may need to double tack once in a while

6.Carry an extra truck key and hide it on your truck

7.Make sure your license is not expired.

8.Make sure your buck has long enough antlers.

9.Don't assume another's wooden stand is not rotted. ]-; that one hurt

10.Make sure the correct choke is in the shotgun ..that was a new one.LOL

11.Carry a compass...no matter how well you think you know the 50,000 acre WMA

12.Don't share any information unless you want that person to hunt in your area...good responce.."Didn't see jack man..how bout you?"

Please feel free to add to the list..

1. patience is worth it's weight in gold.

2.I only get out of it what I put in to it. you can't be lucky all the time.

3.I try to be moble the deer will not always come to where I want them to just because I think the spot or tree I picked should produce a sure kill.

4.scouting is more important then the set up itself. I now own 4 trail camera's.

5.a fair weather hunter will get to be out and enjoy a nice day in the woods.a dedicated hunter will not only enjoy being out no matter what the weather is but. also bring home the bacon.

6.l try not to hide my mistakes but, learn from them.

7.I set everything out the day before I decide to hunt as if my mother was making sure I had everthing I needed before going to school.I am old now and the mind has a hard time keeping up.

8. I now set goals or limits but I am satisfied if I don't reach them everytime. I guess being older comes in to play on that one.

Check your zero every season and after every miss or bad hit with the ammo you plan to use...

Shoot your bow from you tree stand, with full hunting gear on and with the broadheads you will hunt with...

You can not beat a deer's nose, forget the fancy scent absorbing products, learn where the deer will come from and hunt the wind...

In addition to 2 flashlights and extra batteries, take a clip on flasher type light...When you kill a deer in the evening, clip on a limb over your deer so you and your buddies can find it in the dark...

Cheap scopes are just that and will cost you a deer...I'd rather hunt with a cheap rifle than a cheap scope...

Always carry extra batteries for the GPS--and always carry a conventional compass on top of that as a backup!

If I'm hunting some place new, I always will have studied an aerial map first and know where landmarks/civilization are along the traditional NSEW compass points.

I never rely on only electronics when it comes to life and (possibly) death situations. Someday that cheap manual compass just might save my life when my very expensive GPS unit decides to flake out.

I also learned the value of using a lantern this year to track after dark. Not saying you should lug it around in the woods with you...but have it in your truck or some place close.

Excellent tips! I especially like the idea of the clip on flashing light. That item will be in my pack for next season!

Have a plan to get out of a tree if your stand completely fails and your are left hanging by your harness. If are not familiar with "suspension trauma", read up on it.

There is a big difference between shooting and hunting. Are you a shooter or a hunter? ;)

It took me years to figure this one out, as most of the guys in my family that 'hunted' merely set up box blinds each year and played the baiting game. When I actually started hunting (ie. go where the deer are, rather than trying to bait them to you), I finally started seeing nice bucks.

Practice, practice, practice. If you haven't practiced a particular shot (e.g. 300 yards with a rifle, 40 yards with a bow), don't take that shot for the first time on a live animal. It's unethical if you have no idea if you can make that shot.

+1 on that.

Great stuff guys! UPhunter, you are absolutely right. I know some folks that do the the same thing. They sit in the same damn stand every year no matter what!

A couple tips I learned the hard way...

*Don't keep your scope cranked all the way up on the highest power while in the stand.

*Don't underestimate the importance of aiming closer to the back of the rib cage with your bow on a harsh quarter away shot.

*Don't put estrus scents out too early. If you scare the does off and they blow, stomp and flag when they take off, you'll play hell getting daddy to come in to you for a bit...and momma will remember that when she thinks about coming back down that path.

Very nice thread. Thanks!

+1 fine piece of advise. Don't be afraid to put a good scope on a cheap rifle.

1. Never offer to help your buddy gut his deer if you know he shot it thru the guts.

2. Never try to skin a deer with two guys both operating knives.

3. Never lay down in a sand burr patch to make a long shot.

4. Never sneak up on your deer from 2 miles away only to make a little too much noise 10 yards from where you think you want to take your shot.

1. Watch where you cut, and have a light on it, even if you already have good light. I cut my hand on a piece of broadhead that had been in the deer for a good while cause I wasnt watching what I was doing.

I just started hunting two years ago, so let’s see if I can recall some of the bigger lessons I have learned during this short time period, all of which I have pretty much learned on my own (trial and error).

If using buckshot, triple-check your pattern from 20-50 yards to determine how far you can shoot. Once you are no longer getting at least 4 pellets in a 6-inch circle, you’re out of the gun’s effective range. Generally, it’s best to avoid using buckshot, except in certain scenarios.

If, on the first shot, your quarry doesn’t fall, and you still have a shot…ANY SHOT…at that animal, take it. Fire until the deer is down. A little lost gunshot meat is better than losing the deer.

If you are not certain that your animal is down for the count, WAIT before tracking. Pushing a wounded animal is the worst thing you can do.

Decide what you will and will not take before you go out. Coming home regretting that you didn’t take a specific deer isn’t fun. Often times, you have only a moment to make the shot in the woods, and that is not the time to decide.

If a redneck slob hunter wounds a deer (hits in the leg!) and you have to put it down after you have already decided to let it go (not realizing it was wounded at the time), DO NOT give the slob hunter the deer when he comes looking for it. And go ahead and give him a piece of your mind while you’re at it (Is there a hint of regret there? Oh yeah!).

Pack your heavy clothes while you’re hiking in. I now use a military utility belt with suspenders and attach compression sack to it for the heavy clothes. Keeps the sweat from building up under a backpack.

If you’ve bought a used bolt action gun, disassemble the bolt and clean it thoroughly before taking it out in the field. Some people feel the need to dump gallons of oil in their bolt to keep it lubed, which will cause it to get sluggish in the cold and MISFIRE, costing YOU a deer.

Buy a pair of binoculars and a harness to go with them.

Be as still as possible when in a stand or sitting on the ground. When you MUST move, be absolutely sure there are no deer near you before doing so, using a pair of binoculars if necessary. They have the most awesome camo around.

Try still hunting for a change when it’s rainy, super windy, or especially when it’s first starting to snow.

Carry a compass and water at all times.

There’s no harm in knowing where your exact POI will be a 15, 10 or even 5 yards. Or 5 feet, for that matter.

Always keep an extra knife on your person (not in your pack, not on your utility belt) at ALL times. Same goes with having an extra load/rounds ON YOUR PERSON.

Always keep your gun RIGHT with you, no matter what!

Pick up some LAW. Ive found that even small amounts of normal lube can cause sluggish operation or FTFs in really cold weather. LAW will help solve that problem.

Thanks. The gun is actually fine, now. I just LIGHTLY coated all the bolt parts with Gunzilla (on a Q-tip) before reassembling. There is a HUGE difference, even with the gun at room temperature. The click is something with which to be reckoned. :D

That is a good one. This season, I have taken it a bit further. I keep everything I need for hunting in the trunk of my car (yeah, I'm not a real hunter yet...need a truck!!), neatly organized (well, for me), including my gun (so it heats and cools with the weather and there isn't a possibility of condensation from the shock of going from warm to cold and vice versa). This way, I can go hunting on a whim. You never know when something could drop out of your schedule and you suddenly have an opportunity to hunt.

Check the fuel and repellent pads on your Thermocell BEFORE leaving the house.

Couple of things I have learned over the years:
1) Keep a pair of latex gloves in your Backpack, they can be used to keephands dry under gloves, or while cleaning game..
2) a $2.00 knife sharpener is a must,
3) baby wipes... enough said..
4) Bandana or handkercheif, another must
5) wear layers, weather can chage quickly...
6) and the most important..... Enjoy where you are, what your doing and who your doing it with... Life is too short to hunt with A$$ho!es.....

The things I learned the hard way.
1. If your using a pump shotgun,pumping out all the shells don't mean its unloaded,
always check the tube and make sure! That one cost me!
2. Don't ride with your buddy who smokes like a chimney!
3. Always carry an extra pair of socks!
4. If your going to sit all day,bring sunglasses!
5. And last one a freind learned the hard way ALL WAYS check your muzzel if you slip and fall!

1. Make sure you have your wallet (assuming thats where you keep your license)
2. Keep extra flashlight (as said before)
3. Dont forget cell phone (frusterating when you get stranded)

Just a few experiences ive learned from...

HUGE LESSON LEARNED YESTERDAY...

Unless you are 100% sure a shotgun is all you need...then bring your high powered rifle..cost me dearly yesterday...

Just yesterday this happened but did not cost me a deer luckly
make sure you put the primer on the gun when muzzle shooting
went out hunting for a few hours only to find when i got back to the truck to unload
that i forgot to put the primer on. that could have cost me a big buck

1) Stick to the basics- Know your gun, maintian it, practice with it, never lean it against anything.
2) Trust your compass
3)Dont ever feel you have to shoot. A fudged shot- off hand, off side, through brush, etc. usually results in a wounded animal.
4) A hunting partner that feels he needs a beer while hunting needs to be left in the car.
5)A hunting knife is only used on game animals. If the most important thing a hunter needs to carry is a knife, the 2nd thing is a stone for it.
6) Leave the electronic toys at home. Chances are, worrying about the toys you left something you needed (like matches and a firestarter, or water bottle) at home.
7) One of the few things you can assume: The "other" hunter you see does not see you.
8)Always empty the gun before climbing the stand.
9) Always check the chamber once you are in the stand
10)Have a spare key to the vehicle where you can get to it.
11) Treat each shot as if it is the last bullet you have.

1. Strap your release to your bow EVERYTIME you are done with it. Does not do you any good on the ground when you are 20 feet up.

2. Pack everything in your vehicle the night before including your hunting weapon.

3. Make sure you have a flashlight in your gear on afternoon hunts.

4. Put a chemlite (glow stick) in your pocket, on your treestand and in your bag. For those of you that said a click on light these work a lot better. They look like a spaceship landed in the woods.

5. Spare key ON the truck.

6. Drag the deer the extra hundred feet to your truck. Don't assume the ground is hard enough for your truck just because it is for you. (Yea this one cost me .... Its expensive to get a tow truck out in the middle of nowhere at 10 pm)

7. Practice with your bow A LOT during off season. This includes drawing your bow at different angles and shooting it.

8. Make sure you have medical tape on your arrow rest. Ever heard a freight train in the woods? You will if you draw your bow without that on there.

Have spare primers in your vehicle, deer do not die to "bang" "bang"


Yeah I once left my primers at home while on a draw hunt, I ended up running into another hunter who donated a few to me.
Alas it was already after I had "bang " banged" 2 deer.

Add one: Never assume the squirrels you have been listening too all morning are still squirrells.

Remember to put the gun in the back of the truck before leaving the house to go hunting.
Make sure your ram rod is secure, especially if you're walking through thick cover.
Don't leave the water bottle in the truck.
Never try to make adjustments to your tree stand when you're already up on the tree.
Make sure your ammo bag is secure. Really sucks when you only have one round in your muzzleloader and your ammo bag has just fallen off the tree stand.

#1 If your afraid to go real high in a tree..no sweat..simply set up about 100 yds away..I looked back today of all the bucks that busted me..5/6 were busted by movement..not scent. Bad stand location { Too close to game trail} for us chickens who don't like it high..simply move away and use your long range rifle.

#2 Hunt all day..increases your odds tremendously..I ran into a die hard hunter the other day..here he is " Yes sir..I've got 7 deer so far..I hunt all day..most of my deer killed were between 1:30 -3:30 PM " I tried his technique and sat 12 hours yesderday .. Igot my deer at 5:15 PM

If you have a trigger lock on your gun make sure you bring the KEY and not leave it at home. Happened to one of my friends. lol

If hunting from the ground, clear all the leaves from around the area you are about to sit. If you need to reposition to make a shot (which is highly likely), you won't make any noise and spook off your quarry. As we all know from our squirrely friends, rustling leaves are LOUD.

*When you are eating lunch in your stand.....remember that the deer are still in the woods......and might be directly beneath you. Nice 6 point walked out from beneath me in bow season about 7 years ago as I was shaking smashed banana off my hand. Not sure if it was the rattle bag I was using or the doe sent I had spread wen I set up....doesn't matter I was set up right next to a buch of blackberry bushes and he magicly stepped right into them. By the time he stepped out he was out of bow range.
*No matter how much you have practiced shooting that fancy bow, don't try to shoot thru a hole in a tree that is only the size of a grapefruit.
*A cheap scope is not a bargain. Cheap scopes, cheap chainsaws and cheap ladders. They can all get you killed. Fortunately the deer I missed have only run away.
*The moss covered log you walked across in dry daylight will be slippery as snot in the dark after a rain.
*Even with a cellphone and gps waypoints, you are alone. ....completly alone. Don't drink your last bottle of water till you get back to the truck and are back on the highway. Don't go out in the woods without a space blanket, magnesium block, matches, cord.
*When you realize you are lost, STOP. Make a plan, and execute that plan. Backtracking till you reach a recognized landmark usually works.
* Think about how you will survive that night in the woods before you have to.
* Cotton Kills......quite possibly the best lesson I have ever learned. Even in "the south" cotton will kill you if you are in freeze conditions and are even remotely damp.

Amen brother and cotton stinks..

Lesson I learned yesterday..about pee.

I was talking to another teacher .a PE coach who had land in Idaho.He had much trouble with deer eatting his crops. He was told { And it worked} to put bear urine out. The deer stopped coming around. Last week I peed out of my stand..After hearing that..I will carry a pee bottle. God has gifted the White Tail with an extra ordinary sense of smell...to discern between pee ? WOW!!

Never leave your money where your wife can find it.
Or you may never see it again.