I don't post a great deal here, but I read a lot of the threads... I visit a few other forums as well. It appears that a lot of people look for advice, answers to problems they are having deer hunting, etc... I'm not sure forums are the best place to get advice. I've read some pretty "Off the wall" suggestions over the years!

What might apply to the hunting in my area may not apply to where you hunt and vice versa... Deer density, hunting pressure, terrain, etc. all come into play and deer act differently accordingly.

Just because someone has hunted 40 or 50 years doesn't automatically make them an expert (myself included!). I'm sure we all know older people who don't have enough sense to pound sand in a rat hole. I know some younger guys who are very, very saavy. When they speak, I listen.......

We really have no idea who is posting on a forum. Someone can say they have killed "X" number of deer, have hunted for 50 years, etc., but for all we know it could be some nutcase from downtown New York City who has never set foot in the woods.....not likely, of course, but possible. Or it could be some animal rights activist messing around...you just never really know.

There are a lot of armchair experts around as well........people who regurgitate what they read or see on tv but who don't spend a lot of time in the field... I know a guy who has had two birddogs in his lifetime and he had both of them about 35 years ago and neither was worth a hoot, but he's always speaking up about how to train and hunt a dog...

I'm not saying to discount everything you read on a forum....just think about what you read and compare it to your personal experiences where you hunt.. Does it make sense? The best teacher is experience and the best "gadget" we have is our brain. We are conditioned from the time we are young to believe what we read and what we are told...If it's in print, it must be true, right? Not by a long shot.....

We never stop learning.... there's always something new to add to our box of knowledge if we keep our eyes and ears open when we are in the field.... Like the old cartoon I once saw read, "I wish I knew now what I thought I knew when I was 18"..

Good luck this year to all.....

It's always, "just one man's opinion...............".

As my Father would say laughingly, "I'll decide !"

A good observation and advise.

I wouldn't say that is exclusive to forums by any means.

But I thought that my advice and opinions were always the best advice and opinion around.
-Jake

Very true......

As I have often heard as a youth "If I want your opinion I will give it to you".

Jake sorry to hear your not the expert I thought. I'll have to start disregarding the stuff you post as drivel. Your welcome to do like wise too

One thing about forums I have found is people post all that advice and not one have there state posted in their profile. Automatic by pass that information as what happens in Zone one in Michigan is different than what is happening in zone 2 and even the seasons for the same critter have differences between zones.
Zone one 2015 not one doe permit issued.
Zone two 2015 doe permits by drawing and QDM buck harvest rules apply.
zone three 2015 5 doe permits per day over the counter for the entire white tail season no limit. 3 weeks of Ml season the only zone for that.

Al

Well, I know professional and 10 other words.
Seriously, though, w/exception of novice hunters, most here will be able to catch a red flag and these people will totally out themselves w/bad advise eventually. I use to hunt w/an extended group from time to time and we would all gather, talk and plan. We would discuss scenarios and what we would do in those situations. Some of those people had the right answer but I caught them not doing what they said. For example, I'm person B and person A is following me but they stop at their chosen point and I continue farther on. Person A has chosen a large hardwood tree they can hide behind and they are standing to peer around the tree or they can circle around it as cover as events necessitate. At the end of the hunt, hunter A is waiting on me so we can walk out together. I notice the leaves are still around the base of the tree they used for cover, In the previous scenario, person A said they would clear a 360 degree circle around the base so they wouldn't alert deer from crunching leaves. They didn't follow their own advise and when questioned, they saw no deer. Having situational knowledge but not using it when able just shows a lack of wisdom.

That's the point I'm trying to make (when you say consider the source).. When we know the person we can certainly consider the source, but on a forum we really have no idea if the source is experienced and wise, or if he/she is a complete fake.....