Priorities change w/ age.Especailly when you have kids.Nothing wrong w/ spending time w/ your bride.
Your Pike county deer will make some other hunters very happy.POKE,POKE!!!!

Fifteen bucks within twenty yards represents about eight YEARS worth of bowhunting for me...if I`m having good luck.

Jon,
I'll come down and hunt with you- sounds like you may need a hand thinning out a 130 or two....
take your time- theres lots of bucks to encounter in a lifetime- and hopefully only one partner to share life with....  Hunting gets tougher once kids enter the picture, but once they are old enough, they become the focus for awhile, taking them and making them successful is pure pleasure in itself.  The best part about all of it- you are in control, when you need a break, take one, and get back at it with a clear mind.  Good Luck.

Big whitetails will win the game 95% of the time, so a mental strategy is in order...or else the frustration level just takes so much of the fun out of it.

I've convinced myself it's a success everytime I pass a shot at a (approx) 125-class or better buck. That has happened 8 times so far in 2010.

It's a super-success for me every time I see a 150-class or better buck while hunting. Just being in the game is enough for me now. I don't measure success by bloody arrows any more. This outlook won't apply to a guy who's hell-bent on killing deer, however.

I credit my hunting partner for helping me understand these things. He also reminded me that video is fun! To that end, I invested in a one pound Canon digital camcorder which now goes on all my hunts. Most of the bucks I passed shots at are on video, and I can enjoy them any time I want. Having video capabilities in the stand makes waiting on a huge buck considerably more enjoyable. I love watching video of a gorgeous 9 point I passed...so did my buddy. He had a fine 8 point bed under his stand...shot some really nice video...a good trophy in itself.

Finally: Listen to your gut. If it says "be with family", how can you argue? If you're tired take a break. Hunting when your heart isn't in it is a recipe for complete burnout. Better to hunt less and enjoy it more.

I know how you feel! I have to bring home min 2 deer a year to feed the me and the wife plus others! I say everyyear, I'm gonna shot the first thing I get a shot at, (then wait for a big buck) I've always passed it up!! I'm lucky (retired) so I travel alot, (wife still has 2 years before her retirement) so she can't go, often I get in the truck and head out to WY, MT, ID for a month or so. I've gotten to the point where I thought I was burned out, and would turn the truck around and head home....I think, it's maybe just feelin' guilty the the other half can't do the same thing yet!

Your wife is way more important than the deer....

I've been a maniac about bowhunting for 45 years. I hope to continue for another...???  I also find as the season progresses I start considering bowhunting a little like a job. When I catch myself hoping for rain or too-strong winds, I know I need to ease up a bit. But those little demons are always on the shoulder saying, "Can't kill em if you ain't out there."  My wife is also very understanding.  I know when she asks "are you going in the morning or this evening she is probably getting a little tired of it.

Through November 12th I had been bowhunting 33 times this year. Felt good to get 2 antlerless with my recurve.  The next morning a 152 (I measured him green--been a PY measurer since 1979) was killed opening day of rifle season less than 100 yards from my favorite treestand (adjoining property) by nice, elderly rifle hunting neighbor. I was 20 miles away helping my son treat a church friend to his first deer hunt (we don' put rifles on our home spot). My boy and the young man both killed deer within 30 seconds of one another that morning.

I haven't hunted since then.  Mostly I'm supposed to be giving my knee and 5th rib a break (nasty pun). However, I always lose a little steam by the time firearms season arrives. In fact, I'm 4,200 miles from my tree stands at the moment.

I am looking forward to getting back at it next week. I will call the season off though before it goes out. Probably Dec. 31st (goes out 3rd Monday in January). I need to hunt some rabbits and squirrels.

Another thing that keeps me going (and I'll be many here also) is it doesn't take much for me to recall what it is going to be like come June (after turkey season) when I can't wait for deer season and "vow" not to waste any days!

Sounds like you have your priorities in order, good for you.

Wish I was burned out from hunting Pike County and passing on numerous nice bucks. If I were going to be burnt out that's the way I'd want to do it.

all things in moderation.....

I can't imagine being burned out after seeing bucks of that caliber. I get pumped just seeing deer, even a doe. Relax, don't make a job out of hunting. What do you have to prove? Is there somebody that you need to impress with a huge buck? If so, you are hunting for the wrong reasons.

Jon, A very wise man told me years ago,no matter what your sport, don't do so much of it you get tired of it. Go when the spark is there, its not a job,don't make it one.

Ha!  Lot's of good responses guys thanks.  But I got over it pretty quickly.  Going to spend the rest of the day today with my wife, and then I'm hitting the road. It's been a great season, and I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining.  But a break for a few days with family has been good.  Good luck guys!

Sounds like hunting - if it were a slam dunk all of the time, it wouldn't be fun.

My year so far has been one of disappointments too. Did not pull back on a buck at all, saw only three bucks despite seeing many bucks on the trail cams all year long. Too warm, too dry, farmers pulling in to work fields adjacent to my stands when I was sitting in them, neighbor dogs running deer, wind switching, etc. Ugh - worse year ever - BUT there is second season here in WI after this weekends gun hunt closes. Then another month of bow hunting before the long, punishing wait for next season.

So, as they say, it ain't over until the fat lady sings. Heading out with the bow once the season reopens - head up, think glass half full. What else can you do?

Hunt, sit around the campfire, tell a few lies, have a few beers, have a good time, enjoy what the outdoors has to offer.  But don't take the "hunt" too seriously.  If you are a serious hunter you  will  get "burned out".  Just a matter of time     Good luck ...Van

Good thread for this time of the year.

I know I need a break when I start getting pessimistic about my chances.  It's a self fulfilling prophesy because inevitably I get careless and before I know it something comes in on me and I'm not paying attention until it blows out.  
I think fatigue, albeit mental or physical, is one of the quickest ways to mess up an encounter with an animal. I don't always heed that warning enough myself but I've been burned enough to know that its true.  

The other thing about hunting hard for several weeks is that it can lead to some very obsessive compulsive-type behaviors.  I'm not talking clinical stuff but rather just taking the whole thing so seriously that it starts getting away from recreation and stress relief . I know when I'm at work and I can't concentrate on anything but hunting I need to step back for a while.
Interestingly enough thats where I'm at right now so I'm hanging things up for at least a week or so and then I'll get back after it in December.

Chris

What Chris just said...100%.

I don't think any of us have to hunt to survive anymore.  It is supposed to be fun and relaxing.  If it isn't, take a break, and then get back to it.

I think it happens to us all at one time or another. This year I didn't have big chuncks of time off but I hunted deer and elk nearly every day of the hunt. I work a swing shift so I could hunt almost everyday. I started hunting august 21 and hunted through september 17. My days would start betwen 4am to 5am depending on how long of a hike it was and then go to work a at a 4pm to 1 am shift. That meant I really didn't get much sleep but a few cat naps a day instead. Then I had a bright idea to buy another cow elk tag that went through the month of october. It's a real tough unit(low elk #) and everyone else had firearms. I got discouraged pretty easy after lots of bad weather and not seeing many animals. I was so burned out the last week end of the hunt that only thing that sounded good was hanging out with my wife and daughter. My wife was even egging me on to go hunt but that last weekend was spent shopping and touring a college campus with my girl. It was the best thing I could have done and I had a great time. Sometimes you just need to take time and recharge the mind and soul.

QuoteOriginally posted by jonsimoneau:
I have had the good fortune to be able to hunt in Pike County Illinois this season, an area obviously known for big bucks.  I was also able to hunt for over two weeks in November so far.  Because of this...I raised my standards fairly high, as far as what size buck I wanted to shoot, but also kept my goal realistic.  I decided I was not going to shoot a buck that was under 140 inches net.  

I can't even BEGIN to fathom such hunting grounds/opportunities! WOW!    :eek:    Here in PA, if he's got 3 points on one side, I'm takin' him!