tough decisions

[deerhunter10]

had yal ever just over thought every little detail of a spot you want to hunt. that by the end of it you don't even think you should go in there any more. I hate over thinking it, these big deer get to me! lol I got to learn to go with my gut and go with it. its just tough for me to do trying to out smart mature deer. sorry for the rant, carry on just frustrated right now.

 

[TN RDG RNR]

Done that. It can take the fun out of hunting especially when you are wrong for a long stretch of hunting season. When that starts happening to me, just lay a topo map out on the hood of my truck, close my eyes, point to a spot and hunt it no matter what. Sounds dumb but it takes a lot of pressure off you. Sadly I've have probably had just as good of luck doing that as I have analyzing everything.

 

[deerhunter10]

that's about what im about to do. its frustrating, but its all part of it. season hasn't even started and cant decide were to put a couple of stands. lol ill get it figured out or just ask my dad, and uncle and see what they say.

 

[catman529]

one of my things about hunting is to try and not over think the setup. It's too easy to do that... going by gut feeling aint bad at all. You will probably just get lucky when you do kill the big one anyway.

 

[MUP]

Scout the sign in the area, set up stands according to predominant wind directions, and maybe a stand or two for the odd prevailing wind for back up, then hunt. Good luck!

 

[Bow Hunter]

one of my things about hunting is to try and not over think the setup. It's too easy to do that... going by gut feeling aint bad at all. You will probably just get lucky when you do kill the big one anyway.

X 2

 

[MattR]

I'm doing the same thing right now DH10. Over thinking. But over thinking it is fun to me, lol its almost part of the hunt. Mature deer will make you over think something real quick. They make me over think anyways. It doesn't have to be a bad thing, it can play in your favor but you have to know when to feel comfortable with how much thought you have put in it. IMO

 

[BSK]

I think a lot of serious deer hunters fall to strategy "panic" from time to time. They formulate a new or modified hunting strategy in their head long before season starts, but if that new strategy doesn't pay off fairly quickly once season starts, they begin second-guessing that new strategy and sort of "strategically panic." Once that happens they dump their new idea and fall back on the comfort of their old, and often unproductive, strategies. I often found that if a new idea hadn't panned out by mid-season, I would strategically panic and just go back to all my favorite old stands without any logical reason or strategic plan involved. Rarely does that work out well.

Perhaps the new idea was a failure, but often we really don't give the new idea a thorough evaluation. As the drive to be successful ratchets up self-imposed pressure, we tend to abandon new ideas far too quickly.

I believe at least a full season is required to evaluate a new idea (and really, several seasons). In an attempt to force myself to give a new idea a full evaluation, I've gone to formalizing the plan in writing, as well as all of the reasoning behind the plan. I then force myself to read through the plan regularly throughout the season to keep my (hopefully) sound reasoning fresh in my mind. If I don't have it written down, my mind will immediately start second-guessing the original ideas, selectively forgetting the reasoning behind the ideas, and making excuses as to why I should abandon the plan.

 

[easy45]

all the time

 

[muddyboots]

I have learned that what I think will work now will not work in November. I let the deer tell me where to hunt.

 

[BSK]

When you make a decision about when, where and how to hunt, commit to it 100%, be content with your decisions and if it turns out to be the wrong decision, accept that as part of the learning process and take that into consideration next time you make a decision.

As long as you think about why you made that particular decision. Is it well thought out, or is it a decision made in desperation? "Intuition" or "gut feelings" are thought-through ideas that were thought through in the subconscious. We have no "innate" knowledge of anything, let alone hunting knowledge. What appears to an experienced and successful hunter as "intuition" is just their years of experience being worked out in the background of their mind. Suggesting the less experienced "rely on their gut" is a recipe for failure, as they don't have the background information to work from.

 

[MattR]

Agree BSK. Also I think deer hunting involves a lot of chance or luck. Just because your plan didn't work the one day you were able to go hunting that week doesn't mean it didn't work any of the other 6 days. It is easy to give up when things don't go your way but I think a lot of people fail to realize how many different things could be to blame for a plan "not working".

 

[MattR]

I am not able to rely on my gut. Experience isn't there. So I will keep thinking things through, observing,taking my notes, and trying to make my gut a succcessful deer hunter.

 

[Bone Collector]

I was thinking along the same lines Matt when i was reading through this. a lot of hunting is luck and being in the right place at the right time. If you came up with a plan and could sit in that area all day 7 days a week, without boogering it, you may find your plan was spot on and the deer you were hunting does indeed use that area, but too often we are not there when he is, so we think our plan is bad and give up.

The reality is you should use your knowledge of the land, your knowledge of hunting, and deer to pick spots, but you have to get lucky and be there when the deer you are looking for comes through.

 

[Urban_Hunter]

I hunt with my cousin on shared land. We both have a spot each that is "ours", like we have dibs because I hunt this spot alot or vice versa, which leaves a LOT of land unhunted. As season progresses we tend to venture from our "honey holes" but it comes at a risk, because once we declare we are leaving, it opens it up for the other one to hunt it. We are like best friends so we don't lie about what we see and we have cams, so we both know the other's spot is a good one. It makes decision time extra tough, because venturing can come with a consequence... especially if you have seen a good one. I will develop an ulcer one day....

 

[MattR]

I was thinking along the same lines Matt when i was reading through this. a lot of hunting is luck and being in the right place at the right time. If you came up with a plan and could sit in that area all day 7 days a week, without boogering it, you may find your plan was spot on and the deer you were hunting does indeed use that area, but too often we are not there when he is, so we think our plan is bad and give up.

The reality is you should use your knowledge of the land, your knowledge of hunting, and deer to pick spots, but you have to get lucky and be there when the deer you are looking for comes through.

Bingo! You made it sound a lot better than I did.

 

[BSK]

a lot of hunting is luck and being in the right place at the right time.

The reality is you should use your knowledge of the land, your knowledge of hunting, and deer to pick spots, but you have to get lucky and be there when the deer you are looking for comes through.

Without question, you have to be in the right place at the right time. And that CAN occur by simple dumb luck. However, consistently successful hunters know they are playing an "odds" game. They "make their luck" by hunting the highest odds locations. Play the high odds and you will be successful far more than someone who does not understand the odds or how to play them.

Card-counters consistently beat Vegas not because they are lucky, but because they understand probabilities. Winning any one particular hand is still a dice-roll probability, but consistently winning more often than losing is an application of knowledge.

 

[BSK]

The first several years that I hunted, I planned things in great detail and tried to make extremely selective and informed decisions. As my hunting as matured, I've become less and less concerned with that process of decision making. Having the field experience of both failed and successful decisions in different settings can, overtime, free you of methodology.

That I agree with. Well said.

 

[Winchester]

a lot of hunting is luck and being in the right place at the right time.

The reality is you should use your knowledge of the land, your knowledge of hunting, and deer to pick spots, but you have to get lucky and be there when the deer you are looking for comes through.

Without question, you have to be in the right place at the right time. And that CAN occur by simple dumb luck. However, consistently successful hunters know they are playing an "odds" game. They "make their luck" by hunting the highest odds locations. Play the high odds and you will be successful far more than someone who does not understand the odds or how to play them.

Card-counters consistently beat Vegas not because they are lucky, but because they understand probabilities. Winning any one particular hand is still a dice-roll probability, but consistently winning more often than losing is an application of knowledge.

There you have it.

 

[deerhunter10]

a lot of hunting is luck and being in the right place at the right time.

The reality is you should use your knowledge of the land, your knowledge of hunting, and deer to pick spots, but you have to get lucky and be there when the deer you are looking for comes through.

Without question, you have to be in the right place at the right time. And that CAN occur by simple dumb luck. However, consistently successful hunters know they are playing an "odds" game. They "make their luck" by hunting the highest odds locations. Play the high odds and you will be successful far more than someone who does not understand the odds or how to play them.

Card-counters consistently beat Vegas not because they are lucky, but because they understand probabilities. Winning any one particular hand is still a dice-roll probability, but consistently winning more often than losing is an application of knowledge.

completely agree bsk.