What makes or breaks certain hunters?

[dbHunterNY]

I can think of a lot but three huge ones I see most are....  discipline, work, and preparation.

hunter has to be disciplined enough to not ignore all the little stuff that adds up that he or she knows will help kill a deer; hunt a stand only with right wind, sit still, move slower the more you close the distance, don't set something where you know it'll fall and make noise, don't sit in a convenient tree with no cover, etc.  a lot of hunters know this stuff, but when push comes to shove they ignore it with the state of mind that they can get away with not doing something here or there. 

some hunters also are lazy.  they won't go too far from the vehicle or crest the set of ridges even if the hunting is better.  they won't put in time to have stand sets for multiple winds.  they won't make it a point to gather trail cam intel before the hunt verses whenever they get around to it. they won't go out of there way to find a better hunting spot that requires a lot of work for permission.  when they practice scent control they don't actually get dressed out in the field.

preparation helps seal the deal.  have you practiced with the weapon you intend to use?  what about checking that equipment before opening day?  have you got everything you know you'll need like shooting sticks for longer shots, etc.  have you established your own process that works when hunting from a specific treestand setup.

my thoughts.

[Buckmaster7600]

I am honestly surprised by how many place luck so high on their list.

I find it awesome how many different ways people hunt and prepare.

One thing that hasn't been brought up but I feel is very important in my personal success and failures is mental attitude. I am arrogantly confident that I will kill a mature buck my way every year if I wasn't I don't think I would do it anymore. I have confidence in my skills that when I am ready I will put myself in a position to kill a mature buck in the big woods. This has led to some success and many failures because we all know what over confidence offend gets us.

I play to my own tune when it comes to hunting. I have 400 acres of beautiful agriculture and swamps with oaks and apples that I rarely hunt that is in my backyard. I like the big woods and it's where my passion is. I could shoot a 110-120" buck every year on it and have for many years but it's not fun to me anymore. I don't run any trail cams and do very little preseason scouting and if I do it consists of getting in a stand with a few cold ones and a set of Binos before season. I rarely hunt the wind even during bow season, I hunt where I think deer will be and let what happens happen. I don't use any form of scent control at all, I think my hunting clothes were washed last year but I'm not sure and I know they haven't been washed this year. I shower with regular shampoo and soap.

I do a lot of In season scouting up at my camp but I don't seriously hunt until I know it's time, usually around the 15th of November. My biggest enjoyment in hunting is killing a mature buck in the big woods on my terms Mano Y Mano. I don't like using calls or scents although I have, nothing against them I just prefer not to use them.

When I can kill a mature buck on my terms I consider it a successful season.

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[dbHunterNY]

I never used to run trail cameras.  with my job and schedule it's become a necessity.  I really only get to hunt a day or two at most a week.  leaves little time to find and get one something good.  I guess I've adapted somethings to keep filling tags.  I mean heck i'm on here now so late, because I just came in from processing a deer I took on Sunday afternoon.  between other stuff and at night when i'm not working is the only time I have to get anything done anymore.

[nyslowhand]

• Location
• Location
• Location
• Knowledge of prey
• Tactics
• Adaptability
• Luck

[Deerstalker]

Well if you dont have access to land or its really far away people after while just stop going especially if they don't get anything after a few times or years of going .

[upstate]

What will break me? 

Physically not being able to do it any more. 

In early 2011 I ran out of patience with my nephew and sons, running up a ladder to a roof to physically show them what needed to be done. I broke all my own safety rules and only had one foot on the roof when the ladder slid, I fell into and down we went. Two vertebrae were "burst compression"  fractures and two other lumbar vertebrae were fractured. I was lucky I could walk again. 

Today I struggle with pain in my hip, leg, feet due to the narrowing of my spinal column and lack of any discs at L 3-4-5. However, I still hunt as much as possible. I walk slower, move more in my stand and my excitement wanes a bit but I still love it. I have a Ranger for my spot near Truxton (very hilly, steep) and a 4 wheeler for my spot on the tug hill, but 2016 was the first year I did not even unpack my gear on the hill. Opening weekend saw 3 inches of rain and I needed to address flooding issues. Thanksgiving saw over 3 feet of snow on the ground. 

I'm only 52 and will hunt til I can't, but I already don't climb trees or walk crazy steep hills because its not safe for me to do so.

What I am currently looking for is land to hunt that is reasonably accessible. So, I'm not giving up yet. 

 

 

[sfoulkrod]

To me hunting skills are handed down from generation to generation.  Unfortunately, my dad didn't really hunt, so I learned 90% of what I know from a buddy.  I like the idea of the solitary hunter, but there's lots to be said about going out in a group of 2 or more.  It keeps camaraderie up and you get to bounce some of your ideas off someone rather than mull them over by yourself...  

[nybuckboy]

To kill big deer

1) You gotta hunt where big ones are known to be (generally)

2) be willing to put in the time (esp early thru mid Nov)

3) Play the wind

 

[vizslas]

some people just dont have it . they forge ahead blindly ,sometimes luck happens. I do what i can to raise my percentages. if I dont tag five deer then I dont have enough for summer sausage. so be smart  play the wind and dont be lazy. you have to put the work in to anything to be good at it. woods time range time, the right equipment. If I walk into the field with my climber and  gun well we are over into the $1500 worth of gear to get up a tree and shoot a deer. Ok say it i know you can do it for a lot less Ie. no tree stand. cheep boots  cotton long johns,.. its all about the preseason...

[Deerstalker]

Alot of it comes down to 2 things TIME !!!! and money .

Spending the( time )to know where the deer are  at and money to either get to a place that has lots of deer or buy  land that has a lot of deer on it .

Most people probably not  lucky enough to have really good  hunting area near where they live so that means spending money to either travel to find a good public spot or buy/ lease land then possible spending  even more time and  money  planting crops to attract deer there .

 

 

[Five Seasons]

Besides the obvious "access and time"... there's a lot of comments about luck here. I've had one hell of a season. Had 2 or 3 130+ class bucks taken a step or 2 in another direction I'd have a deer at the taxidermist right now. Over the years I've had strings snap at full draw, guns jam, forgot my release... you name it. I don't blame any of it on luck.

90% of hunting is prep work. My family spends more time in the off season scouting and prepping stands than they do actually hunting some of them. You need to play the wind, pick the right stand based off scouting and patterns that you understand from camera usage. You need to practice with your gear, constantly check and double check scopes, guns and equipment. Not just at the beginning of the season but throughout. Minimize movement and scent. All of these things "build luck" in my opinion. The other 10% for sure is lady luck, ain't no 2 ways about it.

Last tip I've learned about myself this year is to put down the damn phone. It was a nice distraction during long sits that's become a habit and I've been caught with my pants down more than once. And I've been missing the real pleasure of hunting and that's the peace and quiet outdoors.

Edited December 5, 2016 by Belo