I was thinking today how I hunt.I scout and find new areas in the spring and set up for the season. The tree stands are all in place and I methodically go to the area and walk to the stand and sit for the evening or morning hunt and do it as much as possible.I have three kids, wife and a job and time is hard to come by. But the whole method almost seems to not be hunting. I think with the lack of deer numbers and area to hunt has caused this robotic hunting for me.Gotta change it,Need to get with friends and start a more active way of hunting than the walk and perch method.

Anyone else ever feel this way(I do hunt smaller animals for a little excitement)?  

Get a climber. When you see something that's changed or new sign while walking in climb and hunt there. If you're not seeing deer use the climber in a spot you've never hunted before and see what happens.

John I do see deer (not as many as I would like) it's just with the limited time during good hunting hours seems like a methodical rat race.

I find when spring scouting is to use a climber and sit for a few hours. Take notes at what I do & Don't see. The next time/day I'll be in the same area but about 50 yards or so away from the other spot.

Once I find/see deer I wait about a week or so and go back and climb a tree again. This time I'm away from the tree I used but still able to see the trails I was scouting. When I'm a week from opening day I don't go in. This gives a week of No scent.. Opening day Tag out a Deer/DOE ( I love EAB).

lpcjon2,  I too have kids, a job and other responsibilties that put a serious hurting on hunting time.  I have a spot only 15 minutes from home so I try to get in a hunt whenever possible even if it's only for 2 hours.  Also, I pick vacation days during the rut as well as mid/late October specifically for hunting or surf fishing.

  Luckily we now have Sundays to bowhunt in NJ so that adds more days for us!

FWIW,  chances are the deer and sign you see in the spring could serioulsy alter by late fall depending on your property so don't hesitate to move a stand from where you placed it early on.

Take your kids shed hunting in the spring.I take my son all the time.Great way to check out new spots and get a jump on next season.My wife never minds when i do stuff with my kid            

Mitch

I do take the kids shooting and hunting. I think what I am trying to describe is that I need to get out of the normal pattern of tree stand hunting and find a more exciting method of hunting( once I set up pre season after that its just the go sit in the stand). I have multiple stand and ground blinds around and deer are in the area. I think I need to do a camp and hunt trip, you know something out of the ordinary from the way I usually hunt.Don't get me wrong I love to hunt even the T-stand but I'm in need of a change of sorts more excitement!.

Ahhh, I misunderstood ya.

I think I didnt explain it the right way.

I spend a lot of time in the woods with my grandson. He'll be 3 in Feb., also have a 15 year old grandson that comes along on occasion. Great excuse to get away from the rat race of work and family troubles.
I look at it as OJT for them and scouting for me. Unfortunately the areas close by which I can take them to are Quota only hunt areas, and I haven't drawn a hunt in the last 2 years for these areas.

I've never used a climber, but have always used a light weight hang on type stand. Also use a tree suit, and a sneaky sak. These type stands keep me very mobile and are a lot quieter than climbers. Make it easy to change locations from morning to afternoon or when having a change of plan when leaving the truck. I seldom place a stand before the morning I plan to hunt an area. Just don't trust Joe Public Hunter these days. I like to ride herd on my equipment, will only leave it on a site if I intend to hunt it again that evening.
Otherwise it goes up when I go up, and down when I go down.

Tim, remember plans are designed to be changed. Keep yourself mobile and don't be tied to any specific location. You may even consider a weekend survival type hunt, just minimum shelter, water, weapon, live off the land. I've done this a few times and it certainly breaks the routine of normal local hunts. Helps bring things back in to perspective.

I missunderstood also  :cool:  Try going on an out of state hunt.I hunted Pa. last year for a week.I enjoyed the planning and scouting an area that I had never been to before.It was n't as much fun as going out west on an elk hunt but in this economy thats not an option for me at the moment.

Mitch

I like the Idea of the survival hunt,did it in the corps (JEST)Jungle environmental survival training.I think its time to do an out of state hunt/camp for cheap.
John where did you go in PA,was it expensive?

I hunted up in Potter County.Some Trad.friends an I rented a cabin and hunted the state forest.There is a ton of property to hunt.Cost wasn't bad as we split it up.The cabin was about $100.00 apiece and then the food was about $100 apiece.Out of state lisence was about $125.Only other cost was travel.We had a great time.Since I had never hunted there before I really enjoyed checking out the area,studying the topo maps and planing what I was going to do each day.At home I am a tree stand hunter also and hunt the same spots every year because they produce.This was a chance to try some stalking and ground blind hunting.
We certainly didn't rough it by staying in the cabin But I'm sure there are places there to camp if thats what you have in mind.

Mitch

sorry double post!!