Well, 2016 is out and 2017 is in, what would you do different next year in your archery/hunting life? What mistakes did you make that you learned from?
A few things I learned and will do differently:
1: be careful when lending equipment out. I lent out my favorite 57 pound TallTines limbs and my buddy accidentally broke them just a few days before deer season opened :/ ...no hard feelings, it was just unfortunate
2: I will be dropping draw weight. A product of mistake #1 is that I was forced to use my 62 pound limbs all deer season. I don't shoot them as well and it may have bee the culprit of 2 bad shots on trophy Whitetail. While I do like the heavier limbs for elk hunting I will be using bows in the low to mid 50s for Whitetail
3: I'll be getting a tracking dog! ... Also a product of mistake #1, 2 bad shots on trophy Whitetail resulted in incomplete recoveries (found the antlers and what was left after critters) that would have likely been found easily and within time to salvage meat if I would've had a tracking dog. Besides this I had 2 perfect shots that resulted in white knuckle blood trails and long tracking jobs into the wee hours of the morning.
4: I learned never to post anything about frontal shots on Tradgang lol (I might add that both of my poor shots were within 20 yards perfectly broadside) ...go figure? Maybe I should avoid taking broadside shots?
5: I have learned a new level of respect for those of you who shoot Selfbows! You guys are incredible and the selfbow I got recently is kicking my butt!
...oh I almost forgot that I learned that ambush techniques for elk can be very effective.
Should be a didactic thread...
Will be following this thread.
I did not spend enough time scouting. Work really hit me hard again, and my tried and true areas were dead.
I could have, and should have squeezed it in.
My son is 13 and so into all this, I cannot allow this time to pass by. I will spend it teaching him all I can. At 14-15, he will naturally think I'm an idiot. ;)
For 2017 I will spend less time hunting public ground in east Texas.
My only mistake this season was spending to much time hunting public ground in east Texas!!
FAR better hunting within 4-5 hours from home. I'll still hunt some of my more proven spots from time to time.
My bow shooting really took a back seat in 2016. I've already taken steps to correct that. My traditional hunting grounds were hit hard last year by the effects of logging and encroachment. so some serious scouting is in order for this year.
Shoot More, Hunt More, Be Closer To God!
... mike ... :archer2: ...
Retire and move to Arkansas!
:goldtooth:
QuoteOriginally posted by YORNOC:
I did not spend enough time scouting. Work really hit me hard again, and my tried and true areas were dead.
I could have, and should have squeezed it in. ;)
ME TOO!!!!!
just no time scouting paramedic school got in the way of alot. I also got into a club that looked awesomely promising - yeah not really - shoulda stayed on game lands. I am always looking for a way to get on private land or a good club and learned this year to stick to game lands. It is what I know and what I grew up on, while I have to work harder and go deeper to a point of pulling some overnights it is what I know best.
Medic school will be cleared up this May so promise to get some hot weather scouting.
J
I had a pretty good season and cant/wont complain. BUT i did learn:
-It was my first fall after getting married, so next year i will hunt less in the none prime parts of the season and more in the good part. I had burnt all my "brownie" points before November even thought about rollling around.
-I need to hunt less in the early season. I hunt way too hard too soon. I need to peak when it is good. Also kinda goes back to point 1.
-Hold under big does. Like completely under them.
-Learned that i absolutely love OH public land, and the challenge that comes with it.
Come on September!
I hope to be healthier in 2017 after having several illnesses and two surgeries in 2016. I hope to improve my accuracy with special attention to back tension. Also, I would like to attend a few more large 3D events.
spend more time scounting, spend more time shooting bow this year (firearm teaching got in way). Build more arrows and bows.
After hunting private lands for the last several years, I'm going back to my roots and hunting some public lands. I miss the mountains and big woods wilderness areas. Already started my scouting for next year and gonna continue it through the year until next archery season begins.
Going to bring a large isolated piece of public land back into the mix. The last 8 years we have spend a large percentage of our hunt days in urban units which has been amazing and productive. Miss the public land - worked it for 20 years and never saw another hunter!
Better build my shooting area in the yard and work more at shooting during the season. Each year is always great - always easy - and we go into season very strong but between work - which gets busier as fall progresses - and shortening daylight - I hit the wall and just about stop practicing by November. I hate that and my shoulders experience way more pain when I don't shoot.
I think that is it - Things and seasons have been fantastic. We never really stop scouting or hunting. Might hunt gators? this year - haven't made that decision yet. We are going stingray hunting this year in June.
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A few things for sure. I have some elbow tendonitis issues forcing me to use a lower weight bow this year, and it has done the job. I will continue to practice with the lightweight bows so I can clean up my release and shoot them as well as my heavier bows. In fact, I called Brian Wessel to tell him to make me a much lighter recurve than I originally ordered. Should be done very soon.
Work schedule changes will make things difficult as far as time for hunting, so I will do a better job of getting my trail cameras into small travel corridors earlier in the year, rather than on food plots, to hopefully see more deer during daylight, especially outside of the rut.
Going to sell most of my bows and the hunting property .
Let the next owner deal with the trespassers .
Remember what Graps said everytime I'm even thinkin' about buying hunting property. :knothead:
Deno
Plan on hunting more. Spent most of Sept and October fishing and crabbing. Once Rut hit I gave the does a free pass. Now I am struggling to get meat for the year. Never ever had that problem before. I also need to practice more. I know I am not as good as I was or could be. Just set up lighted backyard range so I have no excuses now.
1 spend more time scouting
2 spend more time at high elevation.
3 not buy a new BOW.
4 maybe buy a new BOW.
5 use a quiver to get arrows off my longbows.
(Any suggestions)
6 shoot a few 3ds.
:archer2:
In 2017
1.I will give thanks to our Lord and Savior.
2.shoot my longbow more.
3.Hunt more both big and small game.
4.build strings.
5.make the move to wood arrows
6.get in the best shape of my life.
1. Make my ladder stands SILENT one way or the other. If it means scrapping them, so be it!
2. Be more adaptable,too easy to hunt the same ol same ol. Deer pattern us no matter how sneaky we are.
3. Hunt the ground more- see # 2-- Got ghillie - will travel....
4. Remember to pick a spot the size of a freckle, done pretty well on this but need to stay with it.
5. NOT--NOT--NOT build a new bow. Already having trouble with this one....
6. Maybe convert some of my homebrew hangons and tree ladders into just ladder stands, don't really like the sidestep to the stand anymore.(and they are silent)
Pick a spot!
I tend to set up too close to trails, then shoot over the back of every deer I can. I will spend more time practicing those close shots.
Scout more during the off season.
I am going to practice shooting from a tree stand all year long!
I'll be changing several things. This was my first year with a trad bow, so I learned a lot. I'm not going to use trail cameras. I got hung on up on hunting one spot because I had a few good bucks coming in. Another thing I'll do is scout more this spring. I need a better setup for a south wind. I'm also going to find one good place for a pop up and leave it all season long. I got rained out a few times that I would have been able to hunt if I'd been in a pop up. To date most of my practicing has been at 15 yards. I'm going to practice a lot more this summer at 20-25. I'll still keep my shots close, but I think practicing at longer distances should help my shooting up close too. I'm going to build a couple ladder stands 10-12 feet high. Most of my treestands were set up for compounds and it makes my shot angle a little steeper than what I'm comfortable with. I'm happy with my season though, I knew when I started this would be a journey. I made some mistakes this year, but I learned from them and hopefully next year will be my year.
QuoteOriginally posted by kennym:
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2. Be more adaptable,too easy to hunt the same ol same ol. Deer pattern us no matter how sneaky we are.
..........
THIS X 2!
I'm going to finally kill something with a bow!!!
:o
Ever since I started hunting the hard way, I've eaten a lot less game. LOL.
Dave.
No expert since it generally takes me three years to be attain moderate competency in setting up on a property.
Passed up 22 separate solid shot opportunities on bucks from the ground last season...did pass on an approximate 135 class at 15 yards....Saw two beasts at 35 yards
Passed up 46 separate solid shot opportunities on bucks from the ground, thus far...Have had two close encounters on true beasts and have had 4 biggins from 35 to 50 yards...did pass on a 145+ class at 10 yards
Have now isolated three locations with a concentration of mature animals. One in particular has 5 different large bucks routinely being photo'd emerging from a 40 yard wide section...the smallest near 150 class...oddly, no pics of does....None of the aforementioned three locations are being hunted.
Looking forward to the end of Jan thru March to strategize, identify optimum setup locations and to effectively concentrate trails...much prep work to be accomplished.
Plan to be spending much more time hunting areas that potentially have much more mature buck activity.
Still may only turn out to be a dream, yet an inspiring and motivational one.
Shoot less deer,be more selective.
I learned that no matter how hard you hunt or how good you are, you are limited by the quality of the ground and herd you are hunting. I'm glad I gave it hell for two seasons here but it's time to move to better ground. I am definitely a tougher and wiser hunter for the hardship but my freezers been empty through 2 seasons.
Going to spend more time scouting. Also committing to shooting my bow more.
1. Don't forget to thank the good LORD for every day you are healthy enough and have the strength to go hunting! I'm in my mid 60's and I see lots of men my age that aren't able to!
2. Don't forget to thank the good LORD for a place to go hunting! Things can change from one hunting season to the next so don't take a hunting area for granted.
3. Use heavy arrows. Not only do they make your bow quieter, they really do penetrate better. You can never get your bow too quiet. I gave up carbon and have gone back to wooden arrows. Plus wooden arrows seem to be more forgiving of bad releases.
4. If setting up ground blinds, be careful that you don't get a glare off the shoot-thru screens when the sun sets or rises.
5. If setting up ground blinds, make sure you don't have any small saplings in your field of fire. I had a nice buck come in right at last legal light and I couldn't tell if he was in front or behind of a small sapling 12 or so steps from me. (also see point #4)
6. Do everything humanly possible to keep from developing target panic. Because most folks do sooner or later, find out ahead of time what it is and how to cure it. It has been a tough battle but I think I'm getting through it!
7. I bought a Lansky sharpener and next year (Good LORD willing) I hope to see if I can tell a difference in blood trails from file sharpened or honed broadheads.
First will be to scout more this winter and spring. Will be semi retiring in June so that will bring in many more possibilities.
1. More practice if that's possible.
2. Practice more from a treestand
3. Shoot a bear bigger than 6'.
I got a big dose of humbling experiences this season. This was the first year since I've started hunting that I haven't killed a deer with some sort of weapon. I knew that my luck couldn't hold, but it was still a bit disappointing. Still, I totaled it up today and I got out exactly 50 times and spent over 120 hours in the woods and had a blast doing it. It's not all about shooting a deer, and I still had a lot of awesome experiences in the woods this year. In 2017, I want to continue to put in as much time as possible. Gonna be tougher since I will have to start college, but I'm still going to try and get out as much as possible. I also want to expand my hunting range a bit. I've been hunting the same 3-4 pieces of public since I started hunting, but I'd like to look for a few more spots. Also, I want to continue to improve my shooting skills. Shooting as much as possible is also up at the top of the list, which shouldn't be to hard to accomplish. My final wish for 2017 is to try and get my dad into trad archery. He shoots compound and seems to have lost the spark for bowhunting. I hope that maybe shooting a recurve will give him a new challenge and reignite the flame.
My #1 goal for 2017 is to find a good lease to hunt on. Been without a good place to hunt for 3 seasons now after 15yrs on a great place ended in 2013. I'm ready, just have to find the right place!
Bisch
I was just telling my neighbor today that 2016 was my worst hunting season to date. Due to work the days I did hunt ended in some poor shooting when opportunities were presented. So for 2017:
1 find more places to hunt, having more stands or ground blind options
2 shoot in the field more, stump shooting, from my blind, etc
3 hunt out of state
4 NOT eat tag soup
I just want more time to hunt.
Don't have cancer surgery the second week of bow season and be on a no weight restriction for two months. It all came out good I'm back to shooting but season closed on Jan. 1. There is always next year.
QuoteOriginally posted by Crittergetter:
For 2017 I will spend less time hunting public ground in east Texas.
My only mistake this season was spending to much time hunting public ground in east Texas!!
FAR better hunting within 4-5 hours from home. I'll still hunt some of my more proven spots from time to time.
Randy, please explain. Are you going to hunt other public land with 4-5 hours in Texas because East Texas did not produce or private land hunts elsewhere?
I still plan on hunting public ground, just not as much in east .
Texas. And before any says I just need to work harder or put in more time scouting let me say that I've scouted a ton this spring and have hunted harder than anyone I personally know. ( ask Michael Arnette, he got to listen to all my whining) lol
I'll try to explain. I sat over 240 hours on stand in many different locations and only saw 5 deer this season. Only 1 legal deer which I killed. I've been hunting several different wma's that are between 3,000and 25,000 acres . They are mostly hardwood bottoms. Sounds good doesn't it?!? Well the problem is when you have that many acres of nothing but the same thing for miles and miles and low deer numbers it is extremely difficult to locate deer. There are no definitive land features ( ridges, open pastures, ect... ) that make the deer want to go any where in particular. One area is 3500 acres that stretches for several miles and there isn't more than a 10' elevation change from one end to the other.
On the 25,000 acre place I found a "pinch point" where the fence line and a bordering creek came within 60 yards of each other. The only access is to walk about 3.5-4 miles one way or drive a boat up the creek. And then walk another half a mile because the creek is blocked by downed trees. Or by 4 wheeler if you are disabled.
The first day I hunted it I had a family joy riding on atvs (which is illegal) come by me twice. Called the game warden and nothing was done. I found another similar spot that requir d a 2.5- 3 mile walk one way late in the season. And had 2 guys running hog dogs (which is illegal) right past me while deer hunting. And 1 was carrying a rifle (bow only wma) called game warden and nothing was done.
Anyways.. I could go on and on with similar situations but you get the idea. I'll be doing a lot more hunting public ground in central Texas where there are a lot better deer numbers and looking for a private lease outside of east Tx.
Not buy any more bows.
Have plenty of backups and enough old recurves to shoot for the next few years.
Randy, totally understand. I learned that lesson the hard way too.
No regrets about 2016's hunting season here. I hunted deer hard and had, probably, my best season ever. I did hit a doe bad and lost her...I beat myself up over it enough already. But it happens...it sucks when it does...but I learned from it and am remorseful.
Only thing I plan to do different for 2017...devote more time to turkeys! I only went one time in 2016. My best friend passed away right before turkey season and I had zero drive to get up early and go hunting. Which is really unlike me. First year since I was 11 that I didn't kill a bird.
Not sure yet.
Ive thought about forgoing whitetail and focus on small game only.
For the last two years I haven't hunted like I normally would.
I just seem to have more fun exploring the woods and being in nature ...than shooting a deer.
Of course that may change in the next few months.
Think I may reduce bow weight and go back to wooden shafts also.
I will make sure I'll be on time to get to my treestand!
I'm going to be parting with my 16" Talltines riser for an 18". With my monkey arms I think a 64" bow will suit me better. Not to mention the couple lbs of lost draw weight will only help my shooting.
Hunt with a brand new Toelke whip!
Practice shooting more and make sure the ol lady doesn't schedule her vacation during the rut.
I set out the 2016 bow season... I thought I wanted to try something different ( like bass fishing late into fall ) I'll never do that again! I love bass fishing, but that was a mistake!
#1 Scout
#2 practice
#3 prepare, stand locations, ground blinds, etc...
Traditional bowhunting has had my heart since the first time I picked up the first recurve, I will never lay it down or set out another deer season again! Did I say that already?
One more week to hunt and quite optimistic.
May be introduced to some other ideas to contemplate.