It just happens so quick

[First-light]

So this afternoon I'm watching a show from Alaska. They are deer hunting and go through some elaborate preparations to tag a deer. 

We all do this. It starts months before season getting ready sighting in, washing clothes, food plots, cutting timber, taking the right weekend off and so on.

The moment comes and it happens in seconds (just like sex) you shoot the deer, its dead and you take pictures and maybe mount the deer. Now I'm not knocking anything here

I love to hunt and get a great feeling out of harvesting a deer. It just hit me today just how quickly that time that we cherish so much with a Whitetail goes by so quick at the moment of truth compared to all the we did before season. Some people tell me I think too much..........lol

[Pygmy]

Take up squirrel and rabbit hunting.....It takes up FAR more time and you get to experience the thrill of the kill MANY times...hehehehe... And the little varmints are DAM good to eat, too  !!!  And much easier to carry out of the woods...

[tommyc50]

so true wow i shoot all year long [the bow] and practice like crazy now close to hunting season my wife sees the change in me thats all i think about. last year im sitting in my stand the last day of bow season friday i'm opening a piece of candy not looking or paying attention and a deer come out right under my stand from behind me to the front and stands there 30 yrds well i prepared for this all year and what happens my arrow hits the rail  when i raised the bow off the hook and CLANG!!! now its b/s that deer dont look up she looked right at me i stand up and draw and she trots off i didnt see another shooter all gun season. so you can prepare all year but when the opportunity arises you have to be ready it happens in an instant 

[Nomad]

Months before the season ? I do very little pre season, my clothes have not been washed from last season , I shot my bow 2x's, I don't do food plots , trail cutting , hinge cutting , scouting. 

heck my daughter never sets foot in the woods preseason , shoots her gun a couple times, spends a few hours on stand , zero scent control , wears my old oversized clothes, fills the freezer .

[moog5050]

We all make it what we want it.  I like the preseason work, especially the ups and downs of shooting the bow all year.  Killing a deer is just icing, exciting icing, but only icing on that cake.  

[Swamp_bucks]

Me and friends just talked about this. I told them it would be great to shoot a nice buck opening morning of bow. Lets me know all the hard work paid off and i did everything as good as i could of during the spring and summer months. But yet I'll miss the rut (unless it goes into gun).  But as long as freezer is full im happy doesnt matter what day of the season it is.

[kpkot]

31 minutes ago, Stay at home Nomad said:

Months before the season ? I do very little pre season, my clothes have not been washed from last season , I shot my bow 2x's, I don't do food plots , trail cutting , hinge cutting , scouting. 

heck my daughter never sets foot in the woods preseason , shoots her gun a couple times, spends a few hours on stand , zero scent control , wears my old oversized clothes, fills the freezer .

Lol did i miss a post why u changed your name? I like the new handle though  interesting. 

[grampy]

If I did all my preparation right, and put myself in the right place, I expect to kill a deer shortly after legal light on the first day! Seldom have I done "everything" right. And thats ok too.

Edited September 1, 2017 by grampy

[Pygmy]

54 minutes ago, Stay at home Nomad said:

Months before the season ? I do very little pre season, my clothes have not been washed from last season , I shot my bow 2x's, I don't do food plots , trail cutting , hinge cutting , scouting. 

heck my daughter never sets foot in the woods preseason , shoots her gun a couple times, spends a few hours on stand , zero scent control , wears my old oversized clothes, fills the freezer .

I've seen pictures of your daughter...

Would she like to come hunt with me in my new tower blind ???

I'll gladly  gut her deer, etc........<<SMILE>>...

Edited September 1, 2017 by Pygmy

[Buckmaster7600]

At a seminar I was at many years ago as a young boy Larry Benoit stated " you have 364 days 23hrs 59 min and about 55seconds to wait for that one moment that all of us live for. How you use them will decide how the 5seconds that matter turn out." I don't think there has ever been a truer statement made about deer hunting.

I shoot year round and stay in shape just so I know I am as prepared as possible for those 10 days I live for in the Adirondacks. I want my body my gear and my ability to all be in the best possible condition because I know it's a long off season dwelling on what you could/should have done and I know I will likely only get 1 shot at an old mountain buck.


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[Robhuntandfish]

me and my hunting buddy were talking about this the other day.  He said he thought he liked the setting up just as much as the hunting.  The work and planning to fool a whitetail to come within bow range is the whole process.  Its all the work that makes the moment so rewarding.  

[growalot]

If you haven't figured if out by now I'll say it....Its all about the prepping for me,more so than the actual hunt. The time spent on stand is spent thinking about prepping for next year. Drawing deer into the property and seeing them in person or getting them on cams. Thats when my hunting actually begins,months before the actual season. I accomplished what I set out to do and won the "game" before ever pulling the " trigger ".

[steve863]

Life itself goes by quick!

 

 

[Five Seasons]

I've said it 100 times before on this site, and don't get it twisted, I'm out there to shoot the biggest baddest buck I can. But I love my "time" in the woods. I even cherished the 4 hours sweating with mosquitoes buzzing around me, scratches on my arms from all the briers and pain in my lower back that my 63 year old dad and I spent trimming and putting in a new stand this past sunday.

I just love my woods therapy. It's why I still turkey hunt eventhough i suck at it. It's why I'm going bear hunting next weekend with no real hope of tagging one. The satisfaction of letting loose an arrow is undeniable. But watching the woods come to life and the morning sun burn off the dew? Nothing tops it.

Edited September 1, 2017 by Belo

[Five Seasons]

12 hours ago, Stay at home Nomad said:

Months before the season ? I do very little pre season, my clothes have not been washed from last season , I shot my bow 2x's, I don't do food plots , trail cutting , hinge cutting , scouting. 

heck my daughter never sets foot in the woods preseason , shoots her gun a couple times, spends a few hours on stand , zero scent control , wears my old oversized clothes, fills the freezer .

aside from food plots and not washing your clothes, most of that is irresponsible. A poor shot or deflected arrow from a twig isn't always just a clean miss.

Edited September 1, 2017 by Belo

[Culvercreek hunt club]

15 minutes ago, Belo said:

aside from food plots and not washing your clothes, most of that is irresponsible. A poor shot or deflected arrow from a twig isn't always just a clean miss.

Irresponsible? Why? a life long hunter could easily confirm that his equipment was all set and  not much has changed since last season. If you are going to take 50 yard shots I can see more practice. but I haven't shot my compound at all yet.  Tell you what. I'll go home tonight. take off my broad heads and set the target up at 30 yards and take a shot and post it. I guarantee it;s a bullseye.  Maybe a hunter doesn't shoot over 20 yards? you have no idea or enough information to make a comment about irresponsibility. Irresponsibility is hunting outside your limitations. 

[Five Seasons]

Irresponsible? Why? a life long hunter could easily confirm that his equipment was all set and  not much has changed since last season. If you are going to take 50 yard shots I can see more practice. but I haven't shot my compound at all yet.  Tell you what. I'll go home tonight. take off my broad heads and set the target up at 30 yards and take a shot and post it. I guarantee it;s a bullseye.  Maybe a hunter doesn't shoot over 20 yards? you have no idea or enough information to make a comment about irresponsibility. Irresponsibility is hunting outside your limitations. 

Sure flat footed no pressure. Now hunting requires practice and muscle memory. I'm not saying everyday, but you should be shooting before and during the season.

But also no trimming? Again, deflection or poor shot because of growth is irresponsible.


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[vizslas]

 I also do very little trimming. Feet and yards along with a great shot.. Wait for it wait for it. I would have to say that with all the deer that I have missed would boil down to a hurried shot. Not waiting for the correct time.As far a scent control , I just watch the winds.There is no way that I could ever think that I could possibly fool the nose of a whitetail... They smell for a living, its their job...Activated carbon clothing,Biggest joke on the market.Your clothes dryer doesn't get hot enough to reactivate it,and for as long as its been hanging around before you bought it  pretty much renders it useless. I stay out of the woods as much as I can and I edge hunt fields and slashings.So it happens every year All the work i do and all the work I miss (he he)  for a few fleeting seconds of exalted pleasure . then the hours of work begin. go to bed get up do it again...

[Doc]

8 hours ago, Belo said:

Sure flat footed no pressure. Now hunting requires practice and muscle memory. I'm not saying everyday, but you should be shooting before and during the season.

But also no trimming? Again, deflection or poor shot because of growth is irresponsible.

 

 

I tend to agree with you when we are talking about bowhunting, and that is only because my archery abilities or lack thereof, need constant reinforcement.

But for jillions of years, I have gun hunted with a nasty ol' 12 gauge shotgun during gun season, and I will say that I usually took a maximum of 3 shots just to ensure that nothing got bumped or moved on the sighting system. There was no target practice involved with that shoulder mangler. And yet marksmanship never cost me a deer. Life is so much nicer now that our county allows rifles for deer hunting. Now I regularly shoot my deer rifle ..... Not because it has anything to do with "responsibility", but simply because now it is fun.

As far as trimming, anyone who does any still-hunting might find that a bit difficult.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

12 hours ago, Belo said:

 

Sure flat footed no pressure. Now hunting requires practice and muscle memory. I'm not saying everyday, but you should be shooting before and during the season.

But also no trimming? Again, deflection or poor shot because of growth is irresponsible.


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I can understand your point on practice but I have no idea what his shooting distances are in a hunting situation. I had a couple years of workign on the road and never got to practice. One time to make sure everything was as I left it. I was dead on at 20 yards and that is what I limited myself to. I also have a couple stands that would require no trimming ever becasue of where they are but I didn't read that in his post. He never mentioned shootign lanes. it was trail clearing the way it read to me. 

" I don't do food plots , trail cutting , hinge cutting , scouting." 

Edited September 6, 2017 by Culvercreek hunt club

[Five Seasons]

13 hours ago, vizslas said:

 I also do very little trimming. Feet and yards along with a great shot.. Wait for it wait for it. I would have to say that with all the deer that I have missed would boil down to a hurried shot. Not waiting for the correct time.As far a scent control , I just watch the winds.There is no way that I could ever think that I could possibly fool the nose of a whitetail... They smell for a living, its their job...Activated carbon clothing,Biggest joke on the market.Your clothes dryer doesn't get hot enough to reactivate it,and for as long as its been hanging around before you bought it  pretty much renders it useless. I stay out of the woods as much as I can and I edge hunt fields and slashings.So it happens every year All the work i do and all the work I miss (he he)  for a few fleeting seconds of exalted pleasure . then the hours of work begin. go to bed get up do it again...

 

You probably do very little trimming because you mentioned hunting fields. I hunt a lot of thick transition areas, so yeah not everyone needs to trim, but he said "no trimming". Seems you still do a little. And I have no qualms with not using scent control, that's why i didn't mention that specifically as being irresponsible. 

 

4 hours ago, Doc said:

I tend to agree with you when we are talking about bowhunting, and that is only because my archery abilities or lack thereof, need constant reinforcement.

But for jillions of years, I have gun hunted with a nasty ol' 12 gauge shotgun during gun season, and I will say that I usually took a maximum of 3 shots just to ensure that nothing got bumped or moved on the sighting system. There was no target practice involved with that shoulder mangler. And yet marksmanship never cost me a deer. Life is so much nicer now that our county allows rifles for deer hunting. Now I regularly shoot my deer rifle ..... Not because it has anything to do with "responsibility", but simply because now it is fun.

As far as trimming, anyone who does any still-hunting might find that a bit difficult.

practice comment was specific to archery, i think the 3 shots you take is even above what the majority of gun hunters do and must gun wounding comes from poor judgment, not guns.

I didn't get the impression he was a still hunter.

1 hour ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

I can understand your point on practice but I have no idea what his shooting distances are in a hunting situation. I had a couple years of workign on the road and never got to practice. One time to make sure everything was as I left it. I was dead on at 20 yards and that is what I limited myself to. I also have a couple stands that would require no trimming ever becasue of where they are but I didn't read that in his post. He never mentioned shootign lanes. it was trail clearing the way it read to me. 

" I don't do food plots , trail cutting , hinge cutting , scouting." 

It is very true that every hunter and their circumstances are unique. We all have some stands with some cake shots that would be hard to miss even if you tried. But deer don't always do what they're supposed to and we're forced to take more challenging shots or smaller windowed shots. Throw in adrenaline (something stubby doesn't get) and any bit of practice will be your friend. Ask any athlete and they will concur. Archery hunting is a form of athletics/skill/sport in my opinion.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

10 minutes ago, Belo said:

 

It is very true that every hunter and their circumstances are unique. We all have some stands with some cake shots that would be hard to miss even if you tried. But deer don't always do what they're supposed to and we're forced to take more challenging shots or smaller windowed shots. Throw in adrenaline (something stubby doesn't get) and any bit of practice will be your friend. Ask any athlete and they will concur. Archery hunting is a form of athletics/skill/sport in my opinion.

I don't agree. you are acting like we can't choose what shots we take. This isn't golf where in order to complete a round you may end up with a 40 foot cross slope putt you have to take. I can walk into the woods and decide that I will not be shooting at anything over 20 yards. 15 yards, 10 yards.  Irresponsibility comes in when you choose to take the shot outside your  ability. I would rather see a guy shoot 2 times a year and walk into the wood saying he was restricting himself to 20 yards over the guys that shoots all year and lets that 60 yard arrow go. He might be great on paper at 60 but talk about injecting possibility of things going wrong, A step, more cross wind. the twig you are so hung up on. The list goes on an on. 

[Five Seasons]

that's a very fair point. And you're absolutely right. Having a limited skill set due to lack of practice does not mean you're unethical if you hunt within your skills. However, I guess you have more faith in man than me. that 10 point standing at 30 with a bush covering his back half and pine covering his shoulder giving you a sliver of a shot at the vitals is something too many guys will give into, whether they're trained at that shot and distance or not.

Edited September 6, 2017 by Belo

[airedale]

On 8/31/2017 at 7:06 PM, First-light said:

It just happens so quick

I love to hunt and get a great feeling out of harvesting a deer. It just hit me today just how quickly that time that we cherish so much with a Whitetail goes by so quick at the moment of truth compared to all the we did before season.

For me Deer hunting  has always been anti climatic and the reason why I have always prefered small game hunting FUN, FUN, ACTION, ACTION!

Let it happen quick because you can keep right on hunting. The small game seasons and limits are "liberal" (about the only good thing I can say about that word) you can go out the very next day and do it all over again. "Variety", Shotguns, Rifles, Handguns, and Archery all can be used and best of all you do not just pull the trigger on that expensive firearm once. Variety of game, Rabbits-Hare, Squirrels, Coons, Woodchucks, Fox, Coyote, Bobcat, Grouse, Ducks-Geese, Woodcock, Pheasant, Crows! 

Holy Smokes I am getting fired up and excited just thinking about it! 

Al

[Culvercreek hunt club]

24 minutes ago, Belo said:

that's a very fair point. And you're absolutely right. Having a limited skill set due to lack of practice does not mean you're unethical if you hunt within your skills. However, I guess you have more faith in man than me. that 10 point standing at 30 with a bush covering his back half and pine covering his shoulder giving you a sliver of a shot at the vitals is something too many guys will give into, whether they're trained at that shot and distance or not.

There are those guys. Always will be I guess and no amount of practice or prep will instill ethics.