Anybody thinking of doing different this year!

**Hutch~n~Son Archery** · 02-03-2013, 03:15 PM

Anybody thinking of doing different this year! I have come up short too many times where I hunt. I truly think I am going to research and change areas. Too much pressure in this area is what I think. Kinda mixed emotions since in the last 2 years a 10 pointer and 9 pointer and many 4 and 6 pointers have come out of here.
What would you guys do!

Hutch

**hawkdriver55** · 02-03-2013, 08:06 PM

We are blessed with having our 15 acres and the farmer's next door 250 acres to hunt. But I find myself looking at the mountains of NC and public land that is cut off by some land that "family" owns. They let me walk across their property to hunt in the public land. Its steep terrain but the saddles on top of the mountains are a gold mine. I am thinking about doing a week up there next year. I was up there the last day of the season with my son and found a trail on the top of the mountain that was worn down to the dirt. Tracks everywhere. It would be a place you could only hunt afternoons. Its an hour hump up the mountain and it is steep. From where we park to the saddle is a 1,500 feet vertical increase in about 1/2 mile. It is serious work getting up there but the pay off could be worth it. I just need to hang a camera and see what showed up. The down side is the bears. I don't want to have my camera turned into a chew toy!!!

Last year I hunted public land that wasn't restricted by private land and it was a ZOO! I will never do that again.

**droppixel** · 02-03-2013, 09:33 PM

There is always something to be learned from each season. My biggest lesson came on my last sit ... DO NOT let your emotions take over. I got caught off guard and let my excitement take over and ended up busting myself with a very nice mature doe within 30 yards. Have to remain cool, calm and collected at all times.

Next season, I need to work on my standing/sitting habits. I've found that I can be a little restless in the stand, part of that has to do with my back and my knees being not so nice for my age - so I'll be looking on ways to improve my physical condition to make the longer sits more comfortable.

My mobile set up is going to be different next year. With the wife picking up on the hints and getting me a new treestand for xmas - I'll have that tuned up and ready to go for run/guns. Didn't utilize my climber much this year, but there are times when looking back at the season it could have paid off looking for a few different spots along some of the hot trails that didn't have stands within range.

I'll come up with more things as the off season progresses

**WildWilt15** · 02-03-2013, 09:37 PM

I'm not changing my hunting habits but will start self filming come October.

**gravedigger** · 02-04-2013, 09:18 AM

insted of just setting up camp on going on day to day hunts and heading back to camp my hunting buddy and i are going to spend 3-5 days tracking down the elk make camp when light falls and start off at the same spot.it will save a lot of walking.

**Ehunter** · 02-04-2013, 04:20 PM

I am seriously thinking about killing something this year. Last year I was skunked, except for the bobcat I lucked into. No turkey, no deer. Going to have to stop relying on old stands, and do ALOT more scouting this year. I plan on pulling all my old stands, and start from scratch this year as far as locations. Nothing was using the old tried and true trails, so it's time to find out where they were moving.

**hawkdriver55** · 02-05-2013, 10:13 AM

Thought I would post a google earth pic of where I am thinking about hunting next year. A picture is worth a thousand words.

**bob cooly** · 02-05-2013, 08:43 PM

I have to deal with migratory (wandering) mule deer. Places that have deer one week wil be vacant the next, cattle, lack of water, ticks, etc. Too old to hunt the ridges anymore so I have to rely on what my trail camers tell me. I usually start scouting for real in late may which gives me 3 months to try and find a place to hunt, it usually depends on a known water source. My best bet is to find a batch of bucks hanging to.gether that I can kinda, sorta, pattern. Tree stands are out anymore so I will be hunting out of a ground blind. My new Bengal should be great in or out of the blind. I do have a like new summit climber, but 10' is about my limit anymore, which is really funny for a guy that spent 30+ years working way above terra firma.