Your thinking huh?
Well, here's the deal. Every year I learn something new while hunting and I'm sure most of you do too so lets share. I'm also sure that all of you have some little tips or advice to pass along to others that have served you well in your own hunting.
"Ism's" are any little rules of thumb you have found to hold true or maybe just got a chuckle out of.
For example, "It's easier to make a shot on a deer than to GET a shot at a deer."
Or, to paraphrase a line from Gene and Barry Wensels book Come November, "In every wood lot, there is ONE tree that more deer walk past than any other tree in the wood lot."
Advice is easy. Basic things like bend at the waist when shooting out of a tree stand. Or maybe always be sure to practice shooting in your hunting gear to ensure you don't have any problems like a pocket flap that the string hits or restrictions in drawing your bow.
Or maybe something more advanced like a special way to sharpen broadheads faster, how to cut up a deer easier, how to make some of your own gear etc. In most of these cases, pictures would be sure to help.
If I can find the time in the next couple of days, I'll show an easy way to camo a tree stand.
So, what have you learned this year?
ttt
when you draw, dont question yourself, feel the shot.
a cheap quiver from the thrift store and 50 feet of braided paracord makes a great GFA style quiver.
a milk crate, a few feet of rope, and some small rope tied into a prusset knot makes a great ground seat and doubles as a backpack to carry my extra clothing layers in.
deer dont seem to fond of snoring
its hard to hit deer you dont shoot at (like winning the lotto without a ticket)
I have learned to take advantage of being an insominac..... i paper tune, work on form, sharpen broadheads, and enjoy the smell of fresh cedar
Charlie Lamb on Chris' computer... If you think the wind is perfect, it won't be as soon as that big buck approaches. (as I witnessed last night.
Don't argue with an idiot, people watching may not be able to tell the difference.
never pass a shot early in the season. You may be begging for that shot at the end of the season.
When I go to the woods, I'm the stupidest one out there!
Scott
A season can be made by one shot, so be ready for it.
Do not believe everything you read on the inter-net.
What can go wrong usually will go wrong. practice doesnt make perfect, PERFECT practice makes perfect. Good form beats bad form 10 times out of 10. Don't miss :thumbsup:
A suddenly shortened brace height could mean a broken string!!!!
Shot placement is more critical than bow weight and arrow weight.
Always wear a saftey harness.
Just because you see elk on your trail cam, doesn't mean they will be there when the season opens.
When trimming arrows for bareshaft tuning, just cut a little at a time, it is amazing how stiff carbons get as you trim.
While walking back to your truck with your bow strapped securely to your backpack, you'll always spook the best (in my case the only) deer of the day/hunt. :banghead:
Watch yer top knot.
If you break your arm in two places. Stay way from those two places.
When hanging a hang on stand, don't just put in enough steps to get to the platform, put about two more on past it so you have good hand and foot holds up to about shoulder level when standing on the platform. I think I've read that about 90% of falls from a tree stand occur when stepping onto or off of the platform and I think it is often because guys are trying to hug the trunk at that point instead of just adding a couple extra steps. I know they sure make me feel a lot safer. Here's a pic of a stand I just took down this morning.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/DaveBulla/fall2008015.jpg)
Also, if you hunt public land like I do and can't use screw in steps, take a look at the steps in the picture. They are Jim Stepp's "Stepp Ladder" steps. Just about the slickest tie on individual steps you'll ever find. Of course, being individual tie on steps, they take longer to install than something like rapid rails or climbing sticks but you can put them in any kind of tree and I love that they have multicolor braided camo rope. They're just plain hard to see on the tree from any distance compared to most that have black nylon web straps. Here's a second pic from farther away that shows how I kinda curved around the tree as I was going up. This is a mild example of folowing a twisted trunk but these steps would work on a corkscrew shaped trunk just fine.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/DaveBulla/fall2008014.jpg)
The steps cam over and lock super solidly to the trunk and best of all you have a handle like a ladder rung and you can put two feet on a single step so no standing on one step screwing or tying on the next one while your calf muscle starts to quiver and jump around like crazy. The only drawback is on thick coarse barked trees like black locust. They don't work quite as well there due to the deep grooves and punky bark.
Benoli, you made me laugh out loud with that one!
I'll have to use that some day...
I thought I was the only one who owned a set of those........if ole jim would have only made those steps with 2 legs instead of 1....it would have been the perfect step.IMO
If you think you've seen it all....look again
If you are sitting cross-legged on the ground, then don't store your pack, rattle-bag, etc. on your left side (if you're a rightie) where your lower limb tip is sure to whap into your junk.
As I learned, mistakes like this, cost bucks.
I'm new to the sport but one thing I'm learning and nobody ever told me (bare in mind I hunt super thick places)is keep you eyes UP. It's easy to walk right past prime habitat and not realize it until you are standing in animal trails.
As you're sneaking and peeking keep your eyes up in the canopy. Look for important trees, oaks, persimmons, hickory, etc. Then look for the trails leading into them. If nothing else I look for the woods that aren't pines. Just better habitat. Also look for breaks in the canopy caused by small ponds, or ditches.
I'll pass one on I came across this year, and am kinda proud of..
I hunt a creek, the banks are typically 30-60 feet pretty much straight up and down. If you set up in a tree in the bottom, you are at best eye level with a deer on the top. If you setup on top, you are another 15-20 feet off the bottom, where the deer like to travel all day. The solution is to hang a tree stand at ground level, on the down side, on a tree about 1/3 the way down the bank.. Basically is a ground stand, with a flat surface to stand on for the top and you are still 20' or so off the creek bottom floor. If you can tie that in with a bit of a dead fall in front of you and a good wind, it's a grand deer show, all day long.
The other night I went out to my unheated indoor range with a hooded zip up sweat shirt on to fling a few.
Well that string on the hood about takes your head to the target with the arrow. [When it comes in contact with the string before release]. Keep it tucked in or wear something else. Makes me want to check out my winter hunting gear to make sure it can't happen with the hooded camo coats I sometimes wear.
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
Gene
For life in general...
Dont sweat the small "stuff"
In the grand scheme of things,,,its ALL small "stuff"
When you go to take a pee and it's windy make sure you don't leave your bow down wind, :smileystooges: it's happened
Always never pet a burning dog .... if you happen to see one in the woods. :biglaugh:
"Don't believe everything you think."
The more someone's mouth is open, the more it's usually wrong.
It's not the bow that made you miss; it's the jerk on the string!
When bareshafting don't forget to put a field point on the shaft. It looks pretty cool when it is released but I wouldn't reccomend it.
I have 3 dogs that run out to my back yard range (also known as the garden area) every time I want to shoot.
Before shooting I say, "All doggies must leave the range." Believe it or not when I say that they trot out of the garden area and watch from a safer spot in the backyard. I wonder if they know something that I don't know? Maybe they saw the flight of the bareshaft arrow without a field tip in it.
Opinions are like arm pits, everyone has a couple and they sometimes stink. Also if your going to deer hunt, you should hunt where there is some deer. I still haven't learned that. lol!!! ron w
Whenever you see one deer, stop and take a better look more than likely there are more right around
Pick a spot, pick a spot, pick a spot. (maybe next time I'll remember those words)
When ground hunting, don't bring along a buddy who talks with his hands. You will get busted.
At the end of a morning hunt, let your bow down from the treestand immediately before you climb down, not a moment sooner. Likewise, on a evening hunt, the second you are secured in your stand, pull your bow up. Have a hook or something that you can put your bow on to put it at reach while getting ready. I would almost guarnatee that it will account for a possible kill over the years of use! Dont get caught unarmed:)
In life: "Never miss the chance to tell someone you love, just how much you love them!"
In Bowhunting: When a 190" mule deer is walking right at you, have your bow up and ready to draw...don't wait for him to walk under your stand and into your perfect shooting lane...he may stop and for reasons known only to him, look right up at you...(yeah, it happened to me). Instead be ready to take the first good shot he gives ya!
Peter
I second hunt where the deer (or game animals of choice) live. :knothead:
Leave your knife, game cart, and flashlight at home... you always seem to connect when the necessities are not readily available, but would make the job at hand so much easier...
Forgetting things like the rope for my safety harness prevents me from hunting my favorite stands and find new ambush spots off of the trails the deer use during the day and helps me put a lil meat in the freezer...
Typically, I have lots of luck when I just take it as it goes... when I plan to hunt a hot area on Saturday a.m. I usually find I push my luck when things aren't all on my side...
The less I take into the woods, the better I seem todo! When I pack in a day pack full of stuff, I am fiddling around playing with junk I don't really need... If it isn't a bow, glove, or arrow, it needs to fit in my pocket- or I can leave it in the truck and go get it when I need it...
Always go for quick hunts when you have plans (like a dinner with friends...) and not much time! Flowers and apologies come easier and are more heart felt after driving home from the deer cooler...
And you single guys, don't even date a gal whose birthday falls any where near the rut of your favorite game animal... My wife's Birthday is in early November,(the time to be hunting here in GA) and I end up missing some real good deer hunting as earning kitchen passes takes up a lot of time and energy... :bigsmyl:
Don't listen to me, Cuz only The Good Lord knows, how I survived this long with some of the stupid things I have done... But hey it sounded like a good Idea at the time... :archer:
for those wanting to walk and stalk pay a lot of attention to your shoes! they are one of the most important factors to walking quietly!
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. You can never unsay a cruel word.
A cat does not feel comfortable on a moving motorcycle. No matter how much duct tape you use. :D
never assume your tow rope is still in your pack from last season.
Advice given; advice taken - it's only as good as it proves to be.
When all else fails, stand still ...
beware the 'Champagne taste, beer budget' syndrome
watch,listen,learn...try,succeed...pass it on
Be grateful of your mentors; they already kicked the rocks.
have a spare key made to put in your wallet that way if you are out in middle now where can still get in your car. As soon as you see a deer coming and have the chance sand up, makes you mobile. If you think you will out smart a flock of turkey's you are already wrong, when stalking them.
Learned this year...
Practice shooting from kneeling, sqwating, cross body shots, from below a target on a hill, from a tree stand hanging sideways. But when you set down for lunch with your butt on the ground and your back against the tree. That Buck will remind you, you never practiced one from that position.
No matter how good the shot was, Wait, Wait, Wait before tracking. Bucks are strong Critters when they feel chased.
When you be waiting for that buck to take the one step that is needed for the shot you are very vulnerable to the does sneaking up 10' behind you. At the sound of the snort I don't know who jumped farthest, me or the buck. I sure was in deep concentration on that shot to be. So I guess, one needs to use the eyes in the back of one's head too. :biglaugh:
"stretch and drink lots of water..."
Kurt Vonnegut
Snoring is my best turkey call.
Never leave your bow in the tree when you get down to answer the call of nature (peeing in a creek seems to be a good deer call.)
Never use old wooden permanent stands, even when someone tells you there fine.
Just about the time you think the lightning storm will pass, it hits.
GPS do not work well in lightning storms.
Have good rain gear when hunting the mountains.
Never forget TP and never give all of yours to someone else. That's when your body decides it did not like the food you ate.
If you hunt with a 3 piece recurve or longbow,use mink oil, camp dry,or some sort of waterproofing on the felt between your limbs and riser to help keep out the water.
Probably the best advice I have ever gotten came form my grandfather, when I was a little guy. NEVER pee into the wind! Still just as relavent today.
Bill
There's no such thing as luck. Luck is the point in time where preparation meets opportunity.
Also I like to tie a 4" piece of white thread onto the front center part of the platform on my treestand. With a quick glance you will always know the wind direction.
Dont pass up an animal on the first day of the hunt that you'd be happy with on the last day.
It took me years to get that into my goldfish brain.
AK.
Trim the bowarm on your ghillie suit AND any parts that hang down near your crotch!
Human urine on a ghillie suit IS NOT a cover scent.
I learned this this year.
For a right handed archer - if you hunt sitting cross-legged on the ground, don't put your pack / rattle bag / etc. on your left side. Lower limb intersecting gear = missed buck.
QuoteOriginally posted by Dave Bulla:
Your thinking huh?
Or, to paraphrase a line from Gene and Barry Wensels book Come November, "In every wood lot, there is ONE tree that more deer walk past than any other tree in the wood lot."
That pretty much sums it up.I will never forget that one. :clapper: :clapper:
QuoteOriginally posted by TimRadke:
The more someone's mouth is open, the more it's usually wrong.
I like that advise!