We all know someone .

[Pine]

You know , the person that harvests no matter what they are after .
The guy that says they had a bad year because they only​ got three deer this season and only one buck that just didn't quite make P & Y .
And you also know someone that has deer hunted thirty plus years and never taken a thing .
I was just sitting here pondering that and I can't really explain it .
I'm one of the people in the middle , I've taken three deer in a year . Had several years with tag soup .
Yeah , I just can't figure it .

[M60gunner]

I used to know the first guy you described. Park his truck walk in maybe fifty yards and get his deer or whatever he was after. I feel like I was an example of Murphy's law. Do all the stuff right but still end up empty handed.  One reason hunting has become more of an outing for me.

[Orion]

More of it has to do with where one hunts as it does with how one hunts.  Also, some folks put limits on themselves, preferring to kill one or a few mature animals rather than a lot of critters. And, of course, some folks are just not very good woods persons/hunters. Lots of reasons for both scenarios.  Not mystical in my view.

[Learner]

I would guess that it's most likely a mixture of many things.

But I wonder if sometimes it could be that we pay too much attention to details that for a given situation don't matter, and we neglect things that actually do, for a given situation.

The motive behind this thought is that I've been listening to some podcasts by a fellow named Jason Samkowiak.  Sometimes he plays the role of the "contrarian" on topics.  He is very opinionated, but he does make one think.

One recent topic he covered was regarding the role of "noise" while hunting.

In a nutshell, he says that some types of noise matter, and some don't.  Most interesting was his explanations with regards to what deer in a given environment are conditioned to expect as "normal", and what signify "danger" to them.

One example was regarding deer near residential areas, and also some farming areas.  He says that for these situations it sometimes help to walk to our chosen hunting area while talking out loud, laughing, etc.  The reason is that the deer are already accustomed to "non-threatening" humans being in this environment.  He says that in these specific cases acting "slealthy" and "quiet" (while walking to a hunting area) can actually make the deer think that we are predators (which of course we would be!).

Another interesting example was that of metallic sounds versus other sounds.  Clinking buckles, metallic sounds, etc, are supposedly a real turnoff.

All that to say is that we may do things that spook deer without our knowing, while other things may not really matter.

Here's a link to his podcast:

   Jason Sankowiak - Dealing with Issue of Noise while Hunting  

Best wishes,
Frank

Where my son went to college to get his auditor and cpa degrees, there were deer on campus.  he would walk right pass them. one pretty good buck would tolerate people fairly close, with in a few feet.  One day he was on his bike heading home and that one larger buck was off campus along the bike path about a block from his apartment.  My son stopped and talked to that buck.  The buck was eating while he talked to him, about 20 feet away.  On our end of the state, deer will be out in a field while I am hunting.  A car will stop on a gravel road a half mile away and the deer will raise their tails and bolt. Not all deer are the same.  Pheasants have very tiny brains, but in a thick switch grass plot that never gets hunted, you almost have to step on them to get them to fly.  Two weeks later after the farmer has let a couple of gun groups with dogs in, those same pheasants will bust out of the far end of the switch grass before I even get to the plot.
The reason it always looks so easy for the TV bowhunting shows in Iowa, is that those are basically farm animals that are accustomed to the activity of those that are tending the run ways and feeding plots, where never is heard a discouraging word.

[McDave]

I definitely think animals know if they're being hunted.  Last summer, my wife and I were backpacking in the Wind River mountains of Wyoming.  We had stopped by a lake to have lunch.  Two huge mule deer with big racks came out of nowhere and walked into the lake 40-50 yards from us, drank some water, and then walked off.  They looked at us without any concern.  We've had similar experiences with moose, elk, and black bear.  I've hunted enough that I know animals act totally different when they're being hunted.  Even if they don't see you or smell you and you see them, they're alert and cautious, constantly on the lookout for danger.  

We've probably all seen movies of lions in Africa lying around very close or even in the middle of a herd of prey, neither the lions nor the herd seeming very excited about anything.  The herd knows when the lions are full and lazy, and when they're hungry.

[crazynate]

I hunt state land here in MI me it's hard to get shots on animals especially deer. I usually fill my tags every season but not without a lot of hard work. My cousin is the guy you described and over the last 10 years I've learned lot about hunting whitetails from him. Applying more common sense and having more confidence has helped me bag my tags every season. And that can be hard to do on state land in MI with a recurve. The simple things in the woods can make a huge difference. I have learned to trust my gut instinct.

[crazynate]

If you ever want to hunt state land Graps I'll take you to my secret " honey hole" any time you want. It's not to far from you either. I'm always looking for someone to take out there.!

[Shadowhnter]

I agree with the vast majority of whats already been said, especially about the numbers of varied reasons.

One other thing that ive given a lot of thought to, is timing. Not seasonally, or patterns, just good old fashioned timing...you know...fella walks in and sits down, waits 2 min. and game comes walking by. There are fellas, that just have good luck in their timing, and though we'd all like to think we are somewhat in control of the hunt, it all comes down to timing, that essentially, is out of our control. We can be there when we THINK game should be moving by, but we are at the mercy of life's timing, and that so often goes against our planning and desires. For instance,  "If I didnt have to stop and air up my truck tire, I would have been on stand and killed that ol mossy horned buck, that im now watching from 100 yards away, going right past my stand"...kind of timing. Some guys just have better timing.

The greatest hunting trick of all time is called dumb luck.  Being able to get off a shot when dumb luck strikes is very important.  Sure, you can say that there is a reason dumb luck strikes, but each situation is unique and and unpredictable.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I don't agree.  It all boils down to good ole fashioned luck.  By the way, I have a bridge for sale.

[kennym]

What ya want for it Charlie? I need one....    

Luck is great, but you have to be ready to capitalize on her when she comes. Gotta stay awake, and alert.

Cell phones are a distraction and handheld games are the same. I've been known to check TradGang while on stand, but only when I first get there and the timber is settling back down.

No games for me.

[Pine]

Well I'm not a great hunter but I have had several " lucky days "
A few times I have had deer bumped up and run right to me .
One time there was four guys that walked past me and never saw me . As they barley were out of sight , six deer circled around them and stopped about 10 yards from me , looking away from me .    
Just picked out the biggest one .

[Pine]

Originally posted by crazynate:
If you ever want to hunt state land Graps I'll take you to my secret " honey hole" any time you want. It's not to far from you either. I'm always looking for someone to take out there.!

I might just take you up on that .

[Trenton G.]

I definitely know people like that. Both my brother and younger cousin shot nice bucks on opening day. Neither one set foot in the woods all year to help hang stands, scout, etc., but both go in and kill deer within a few hours of sitting. I spend every free moment that I get in the woods scouting and working but it never happened this year. Frustrating, but that's why it's called hunting.

[Turkey-duke]

Personally, I think that some people just have that killer instinct.  They seem to instinctively know when to move or get their shot ready and seemingly make it happen.  I know enough to realize I don't have it.  For me it has rarely been an issue of getting on game, it's a matter of the details once they are there.  Some can be learned by experience but I think a lot is just plain instinct.  I have come to grips with this reality for myself and I realize that just getting on the deer is a blessing from my Creator and just push on.  
I've come to appreciate and understand what my Grandpa meant when he'd say :"Nope, I got lucky today - didn't kill a thing."

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Kenny, I only need 2.5 mil for it. There is at least that much on material. Good steal I mean deal, I tell ya.        

Turkey Duke, I'm the same way. No issues seeing or getting on game but I have an uncanny ability to mess up every time.

[Sam McMichael]

I have seen deer react calmly to me in a casual manner but run away quickly when I was in a hunting posture. I think they can tell the difference.

It seems that many of those instances where the casual hunter routinely takes deer involve a bait pile. At least it appears that way around here. I could be wrong, but...

[96ssportsp]

I have a saying I picked up along life's journey........"luck happens when preparation meets opportunity".
Now there are exceptions, but I live by that rule.

Scott.

[Captain*Kirk]

Originally posted by Turkey-duke:
 
I've come to appreciate and understand what my Grandpa meant when he'd say :"Nope, I got lucky today - didn't kill a thing."

Guess I'm one of those who agree with this. Many times I come home empty-handed, yet happy as a clam. For me, it's not about the kill. It's about a good hunt and giving it my best.