Successful Hunters How Do You Do It?

[Don Thomas]

Funny; the original question was totally open-ended with regard to WHAT was being hunted, but 99% of the answers referred to whitetails, implicitly from tree stands. Nothing wrong with that, but can I really be the only one out here who thinks bowhunting is a bit more complex than that? In terms of he answer to the original question, it doesn't really matter. The answer is: spend as much time in the field as possible, and learn as much as you can while you are there. There are no short cuts. Don

[NDTerminator]

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but what really helps is living where there's game!  May seem obvious, but if you live where there's lots of whatever you are hunting and you are constantly rubbing shoulders with the critters, you learn about them even if by accident.

I live in rural ND, a state where the deer population is considerably higher than the human population.  I see, encounter, and observe deer literally every day around my farmstead.  I know their habits, where they are feeding & bedding and how it changes as the year progresses, and by the beginning of season, which bucks are where.

Because of this, my wife and I usually bump off 125" or better bucks with bow every year, plus rifle tags and several extra doe tags. I think the last year I failed to fill my bow tag was around 1985.

It also helps in that you'll get lots of opportunities to trial & err.  The more shot opportunities you see, the more you learn and you'll err progessively less.

BTW, I highly recommend that if available, get extra doe tags and fill them. The more game a guy puts on the ground, particularly starting out, the more confident and proficient he becomes.  Nice to have that in your corner when you are drawing on a good buck, knowing you have bumped off a couple does in almost exactly the same circumstances earlier in the season...

[JDinPA]

A friend of mine sent something to me when I started hunting.

The more time you spend in the woods, the better you're chances.

I'm not the best hunter but persistance pays dividends.

[Apex Predator]

I usually have a sucessful season, if it's measured by taking game.  I am constantly learning from my mentors and peers.  Always listen to fellow hunters.

I think what kills most folks is ground scent.  It the deer is down-wind of you, it's over every time.  Playing the wind is a must, but what you leave on the ground can be detected long after you are gone.  I wear knee high rubber boots when stand hunting, setting stands, or scouting.  Never leave ground scent to ruin your spot even when you aren't around to spook anything.  Have several stand sites so that none get burnt out.  Never, ever touch anything with your hands at the deers level.  Rubbing your hand up and down that monster rub you just found has told many bucks you are in their territory!

Persistence.  We all get lucky sometimes.  I spend 70-80 days a year in the woods chasing game.  Probably deer hunted 40 days last year.  There aren't tripping over themselves where I hunt either, but I do kill a few every year.  You can't kill them at home watching the ball game!

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

I learned a long time ago to become a student of whatever game I'm pursuing, as well as their habitat. Learning what your quarry is doing is only the first step. Taking that knowledge and pursuing why they do what they do is ultimately what I'm after.

When I first started hunting, all I cared about was "what". What trail to the game use, what areas do they feed in, what places do they use for bedding areas. And that was great information...for hunting in one particular place. But until I started seeking out the "why", I could never translate the "what" from location to location.

The "what" allows you to be successful at one single place. The "why" enables you to be successful no matter where you are.

[Bowman0202]

I know there are books, books and more books, but two of the best I've read which have helped me are: Bowhunting Forests and Deep Woods by Greg Miller and Hunting Open-Country Mule Deer by Dwight Schuh - then get into the woods and apply what you've learned.

Good Hunting!!!

[GhostWolf]

All I’m seeing so far is some of the basics. No one has replied as to how one can successfully take game year after year. How one first starts being successful by following some of the basics such as, the right winds, areas, timings, patience, knowledge of game, proper placement of ambush spots, shooting skills, well tuned equipment, etc… Don’t forget some of the other basics that will pop up shortly I’m sure. Sit still, right camo, blend or melt into your surroundings, see with your ears first then your eyes, learn to spot game, learn to spot parts of game, (i.e. ears, legs, antlers, etc…), learn to enter and exit your spot sounding like the game you pursue, learn to language/calls, etc… I could go on and on here but they are all just basics, search for the essentials, the answers can only be truly found when you begin to piece them together.

There are numerous basics that successful hunters use year after year and enjoy success but never truly understand what it means or what it takes to be successful. For 35+ years I’ve relied on the basics myself until I’ve found/discovered what I call the essentials. What the essentials are, is a combination of the basics grouped together all at once, all the basics and I mean all the basics. It’s the big picture so to speak. Once you unlock the essentials you will be able to hunt any animal you pursue successfully to the point where hunting with a trad bow seems unfair. I have used the essentials twice to take game, once to a rabbit and once to a deer. I’ll never use the essentials again to take game unless my life depends on it. I was filled with deep guilt and almost stopped hunting completely. I’m still searching within to find the answers I’m looking for. I’m not very religious but I’ve become very spiritual where hunting is concerned. When I take game now I may use just one essential combined with some basics, never 2 or more essentials at once. Hmmm I wonder how many people have stopped reading my post now? For those of you who plan to read on, it’s going to get a little crazy… LOL and no I’m not on drugs….

I have followed as many of these threads as possible over the last few years and there was only one guy who ever mentioned/eluded to one of the essentials and he was a native too. I will not share with you the essentials, for they are the journey, but be fore warned, once you unlock the essentials, hunting will become a sacred endeavor you may never view the same again. The taking of game will become extremely difficult, as it seems as thou the animals have no chance it becomes unsporting. (Note; I have never considered hunting a sport, for me it has always been a way of life, as I was introduced to at the age of 3 and been involved with it every single year since). So the Reward can become the spoils, don’t worry it is a natural progression. I’ve seen posts over the last few years where hunters get to a point in their life when they no longer hunt or hunt but no longer kill, they are just content to let the animal pass once they’ve gotten it in bow range. Embrace the knowledge you gain as you seek out the answers to the questions that all hunters have asked since the beginning of time. (And no I don’t think I know all the answers, I’m not trying to be some know-it-all here, I’m sharing with you an enlightment I’ve had, one that has taken me 37 years of hunting experiences to figure out exists). Many/most hunters will spend a lifetime hunting and will never be aware of what is out there awaiting to be discovered. Most will hunt using the basics all of their life. Yes they will be great hunters, yes they may enjoy year after year of successful hunts, but most will never know of the Essentials. How many times have I heard “there’s no such thing as a great hunter, you just have to be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time”. The Essentials will put you in the right spot at the right time. (Don’t use the essentials to take game, been there, done that, and it’s not a pleasant feeling). Why then do I talk about them? It’s an Awakening, the best way I can describe it is; hunting with the basics is like going to an art gallery, only at night. Walking up and down all the corridors looking at the all the paintings with the lights turned off. You know the painting are there, you may even catch a glimpses of them as the lights reflect from a passing vehicle. But once you start to unlock the essentials it’s like your seeing the paintings for the first time in the light the artist intended them to be viewed. You may have spent days, months, years walking through the gallery, but it’s only now you see the paintings clearly. Yes it is possible to see the paintings with the lights off if you put in enough time, have enough patience to be in the right spot at the right time, so when the passing vehicles lights reflect and light up the painting momentarily your there to see it. Like hunting with the basics. You still with me?

If you focus on the animals you pursue alone, you’ll never find the answers. You need to look far to see what’s right in front of you. I know I’m talking in riddles but understand I want people to know there is more out there then just the basics. I have never shared what I call the essentials with anyone, nor do I want to as of yet, because I’m still discovering/unlocking secrets that amaze me like you wouldn’t believe. (I suspect there are others who know of the essentials but they will never spill the beans neither, they are sacred, they are each and every ones personal journey). I’ve shown people I’ve hunted with parts of it, unknowingly to them. Came close to spilling some of the beans this year when I took a mule deer doe at 10 yards after being as close as 5 yards to her in the wide open, I was able to walk, draw my bow, and move at free will when I was on the ground less then 10 yards from her without her even being the least concerned. (I shared with my hunting party what I did, but not how I did it).  She walked around me at 5 yards, directly down wind of me, still not alarmed. (This encounter lasted for over 2 hours in a wide-open field as we circled each other at various distances). How was this possible? Was this a fluke encounter? Nope I’ve had many encounters like this, with moose, whitetails, mulies, caribou, coyotes, fox, wolves, bears, owls, ravens, rabbits, squirrels, grouse, partridge, etc… Can I have an encounter like this every time I take to the woods? No, but they do happen more frequently now that I’ve started looking with the lights on, so to speak…

Many people referred to hunting the right winds, (one of the basics), but remember, the right winds are not always the right winds, some times the right winds can be the wrong winds and the wrong winds can be the right winds. Confused yet? You shouldn’t be, just think about, see it, learn to feel what’s around you to your advantage. (i.e. ever watch the wind straight out of the west blow leaves around in the easterly direction. Ever notice what happens when the wind that is due west hits an object i.e a wall, a building or fence that is running north and south). Yep your getting the picture, back pressure, the leaves that moments ago where heading east as the west wind blew are now heading west into the wind, some are swirling around going in every direction. This is just one example of how hunting the right wind can be the wrong wind and most people never clue into these back pressure spoilers. What can cause back pressures in a hunting environment. Thick tree-lines for the field hunters. (Picture this, you are set up on the edge of the treeline, the winds are in your face the deer are working there way along the treeline and bang, just before they present a shot they scent and spook). What else causes back pressures or wind direction shifters, Hills? Valleys? Treelines, even treelines inside of treelines, ie the transition zones where tree get closer together and thicker like fur trees in the valleys of hardwood ridges, etc… Don’t forget updrafts and downdrafts…Right Wind, what’s the right wind? Pay attention, see all that’s there for you to see. You must tune into your surroundings. Some people believe they have picked the perfect tree, the basics are all lining up. They know the game, where they bed, eat, drink, move, timings, the weather conditions that produce the most activity, etc… But fail time and time again to close the deal, because the right winds are the wrong winds… Crazy hey? Just think about it…

As a guide I have had the privilege of watching many different hunters over the years, (started guiding at the age of 13), some dressed in the finest camo money can buy, placed in a known hot spot where game animals walk past daily and yet for some reason they can’t see any animals or can’t get them in range, the game always spots them first. They stick out like sore thumbs. When other hunters wearing just plaid shirts or cheap camo were able to have game all around them while hunting in the exact same spot under the exact same conditions. They were able to melt/blend into their surroundings. This brings me to what I call Earth Rhythms; everything around us moves in a harmonious fashion/order, but nature can be very chaotic at times, i.e. the grasses move more then the bases of the big trees when the winds blow. Most everything we encounter in nature is alive or was at some point in time. Everything out there has it’s own Rhythm, the manner in which it reacts to the forces of nature being applied at that particular given time. The next time you take to the woods, look for the Earth Rhythms, see them for the first time. Be aware of them, see them all at once, start trying to see the Big-Picture. Some hunters have the ability to blend or melt into their surroundings easily because they sit in a place that resonates at or very near the same frequencies as they do, yet they are never aware of why they blend in so well. The trick is to try and figure out your own Earth Rhythm, then find your place in the natural balance of nature. Don’t be the wind instrument sitting in the middle of the strings in an orchestra, you’ll be out of place and easy to spot. Earth Rhythms, bet I lost a few more here. LOL

A hunter must spot the game first, then he must be aware of their senses, all 6? What 6 sense you ask. The 6th sense, the one we all have yet over time we have desensitized ourselves to the point where most of us never experience this sense. (The gut-feel/instinct). Some have had experiences in their lives where they might have tapped into this sense from time to time. Ever feel like you are being watched only to look around a crowded room and make eye contact with someone who is staring at you? Ever have the reverse happen? Ever have this happen when watching game animals? The 6th Sense, hmmm there goes the rest of them. LOL

Oh there are so many pieces to this puzzle, and I hate to end it here, but I love beans, don’t like spilling them. Another time maybe?

For now, knowing there’s more to see then what you can see, there’s more to feel then what you can feel, and we all have the ability to find these answers we seek. The ESSENTIALS will unlock the answers and solve many of the mysteries… The Essentials exist, just knowing they are out there should speed up this process for you. The journey begins…

 “Successful Hunters How do you do it?” Wow what a deep question…

I wonder how many people read my entire post… LOL

[Bob Walker]

HUH?

[Killdeer]

I did!    

I am not a consistantly successful hunter, though, and am not qualified to add anything to the discussion. Interesting thread, though.
Killdeer  

[Benny Nganabbarru]

When I was getting into bows and arrows and dreaming big dreams, all of which I'm still doing, I took note of an advertisement for Hoyt Archery, and the caption said "It's about putting yourself out there again and again and again." I've found that to be pretty accurate.

[killinstuff]

I'm in the woods year round either running the dogs, fishing, hunting, stump shooting, whatever so I know my areas like the back of my hand. I scout year round and know well before hunting season where stand locations for deer will be, where the grouse are thick, what the bears have been doing, how the acorns and apple crop is, if the woods are wet or dry. I watch the life cycle of the woods I guess is the best way to put it to be sucessful.

[Doug S]

Keep trying.