Question for the veteran public hunters

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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby heartdart » Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:18 pm

Enjoy the journey man, that's what it is truly about.

I am having a blast! You are right!


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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby Thaellar » Sat Jan 18, 2020 11:42 am

Find a spot that makes you think "Damn, if I shot a buck in there I'd never be able to haul it out". That's where the big bucks are hunkered down during daylight hours and 99.9% of other hunters won't even try it.
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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby heartdart » Sat Jan 18, 2020 1:18 pm

I totally agree Thaellar. That's where I'm seeing a lot of the bucks. I don't hunt with anyone so I put together this pack. Used it once this year after I killed a doe. Molle system with a Tarp, WE steps to hang my gambrel hoist, knives, saw, gloves, bags, etc. This way I don't have to drag. It was nice to have after I killed my doe. I put this together after I had a few long drags in the past.
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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby Derbooze » Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:45 am

Sounds to me like you are having a lot of success. If you are seeing deer, you are doing it right. I put myself in hard to reach places to, and more than once I have sworn to myself that I would never hunt there again because the haul out was so tough. I love the pack you put together - may have to steal that idea! My longest drag was a full two miles over two glacial drumlins.

I won't repeat what everyone else is saying, but one thing I like about hunting the same public properties is getting to know the deer. I recognize some of the bucks I passed on when they were spikes, and it is amazing to watch them grow up. It's fun to see how they pick different spots each year. And after the season is over, I love setting up my trail cams to figure out which bruisers made it so I can start planning again for next year.
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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby westbound » Sat Feb 29, 2020 5:44 pm

This was also my third year of hunting public and using beast tactics. I killed my first public land buck, a decent 8-pointer, with my rifle at 25 yards. It was 1.5 miles off the road and it was a pain getting him packed out, but I was the only one back there on the opening morning of gun season. I'm not gonna lie - it felt really good, only wish I could have done it with the bow. Later in the season, I had another shooter at 30 yards with the bow but couldn't get a shot. I'm definitely starting to figure some things out, but I know in my heart that I still needed a lot of luck to get it done.

I wanted to share my experiences to show that, even though I got my buck, you are actually having considerably more quality encounters than I am. A rack on the wall shouldn't be the only measure of success. It sounds like you're ahead of me on the learning curve, which in the long run will pay dividends. If you keep doing what you've been doing and keep learning, you are going to put a nice buck on the ground sooner rather than later.
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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby dan » Sun Mar 01, 2020 12:25 am

Sounds like your doing really well getting on bucks... The next step is getting your set ups correct so that every time you see a big buck, you have a good shot opportunity... Thats a huge part of the learning curve. I can say well over 90% of the big bucks I see come out of bebbing offer me a shot... Main reason is how much I put into being in the exact right tree.
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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby heartdart » Sun Mar 01, 2020 10:57 am

. A rack on the wall shouldn't be the only measure of success.

Thanks. You are right. Good job on the buck!!

Sounds like your doing really well getting on bucks... The next step is getting your set ups correct so that every time you see a big buck, you have a good shot opportunity... Thats a huge part of the learning curve. I can say well over 90% of the big bucks I see come out of bebbing offer me a shot... Main reason is how much I put into being in the exact right tree.


I agree. I remember you talking about how long you take to set up sometimes. I went back to each place where I saw bucks. There was definitely a reason they were in those exact spots. Thanks! I will definitely be thinking more about my set ups from now on.
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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby Dhoff » Sun Mar 01, 2020 4:46 pm

Keep after it. Sounds like its just a matter of time to me. Pretty impressive numbers.
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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby JakeB » Sun Mar 01, 2020 6:59 pm

All I can think about reading this post is how sweet it's gonna be when you finally slip an arrow through some lungs!
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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby country_gbrony » Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:02 am

I can relate to a lot of what your saying and feeling. When you get close and can't seem to seal the deal for numerous reasons you get frustrated. I used to get so pissed at missed opportunities at deer or nice bucks but then I had a friend tell me that at least I got a shot at a nice buck or saw one. I realized that just getting on deer and nice bucks is doing better than most of the hunters. Missing a buck or a blown opportunity teaches you something every time. Every time you screw up you are getting better and sealing the deal happens more and more. Dan said you learn more from failures than successes. So true. You also learn more the more you pass on deer. I can remember shooting the first deer I saw every sit. I never learned much about deer behavior because I killed every deer I saw! I am not a big buck killer although I've killed a couple by shear luck. I think Dan said once that the more you scout, hunt and learn, the "luckier" you get. I have a friend that has hunted public land his whole life and kills big bucks. I asked what his secret is and he said "scout for sign, pass on small bucks and be willing to go home empty-handed." Some years he eats his tags and some years he knocks down a whopper. Best advice I try to follow is to keep hunting fun, no one except ourselves puts pressure on us to kill a nice buck. I find that once i started relaxing about my expectations that I killed more deer. I used to think if I couldn't get out of bed the whole day of hunting was shot. Sleep in some days, wake up late and hunt 9-3. There are no rules except what the state and you impose on yourself. Think about it though. I've killed deer at 10:00. Did I really need to be there before sunrise? I could have easily slipped in at 8 and been there to killed that deer had I not crossed its path on the way to the stand. I talked to a seasoned public land hunter one day who I told that I can kill deer consistently on my private land but I suck on public. He said its because I've learned how the deer use my land therefore its easier. I just needed to spend more time on public in order to learn how the deer use it.
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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby heartdart » Thu Mar 19, 2020 2:55 am

country_gbrony wrote:I can relate to a lot of what your saying and feeling. When you get close and can't seem to seal the deal for numerous reasons you get frustrated. I used to get so pissed at missed opportunities at deer or nice bucks but then I had a friend tell me that at least I got a shot at a nice buck or saw one. I realized that just getting on deer and nice bucks is doing better than most of the hunters. Missing a buck or a blown opportunity teaches you something every time. Every time you screw up you are getting better and sealing the deal happens more and more. Dan said you learn more from failures than successes. So true. You also learn more the more you pass on deer. I can remember shooting the first deer I saw every sit. I never learned much about deer behavior because I killed every deer I saw! I am not a big buck killer although I've killed a couple by shear luck. I think Dan said once that the more you scout, hunt and learn, the "luckier" you get. I have a friend that has hunted public land his whole life and kills big bucks. I asked what his secret is and he said "scout for sign, pass on small bucks and be willing to go home empty-handed." Some years he eats his tags and some years he knocks down a whopper. Best advice I try to follow is to keep hunting fun, no one except ourselves puts pressure on us to kill a nice buck. I find that once i started relaxing about my expectations that I killed more deer. I used to think if I couldn't get out of bed the whole day of hunting was shot. Sleep in some days, wake up late and hunt 9-3. There are no rules except what the state and you impose on yourself. Think about it though. I've killed deer at 10:00. Did I really need to be there before sunrise? I could have easily slipped in at 8 and been there to killed that deer had I not crossed its path on the way to the stand. I talked to a seasoned public land hunter one day who I told that I can kill deer consistently on my private land but I suck on public. He said its because I've learned how the deer use my land therefore its easier. I just needed to spend more time on public in order to learn how the deer use it.



Thanks! So true! Thank you all for your replies. It really put things in perspective.
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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby tundra@1 » Fri Mar 20, 2020 1:27 am

Depends on the public land. I agree with a few things after 40 years of bowhunting. 1 - It is not so much how you hunt, at many times but WHERE you hunt.

2 - I scout to find the right tree or ground spot, for the shot. That is what I like about the spring scouting, even though I scout all year. Observation during the hunt, will confirm or make you tweak your spots.

3 - As posted above on public I hunt either, where someone will not go, because they will ask, "how do I get it out?", or sometimes not too far off the road, and I shot some nice bucks, while watching traffic go by. Its not always an peaceful spot but it is the spot to get it done...........

4 - I have no interest in cameras. More wasted time for me and intrusion in some of my spots. There are a lot of areas, especially in the western UP, that have few deer. but you can get on them. However they do not tolerate too much human activity. So know your areas.

Public or Private, I do not care, I hunt where I can, for the sign I find. What I like is the surprise you find sometimes, when some slob steps out, that you had no idea was there................ that is what keeps me coming back
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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby NBK438 » Tue Apr 07, 2020 11:36 pm

This year was my first year connecting on a solid MI public land buck with my bow after years of beast hunting. I've had everything from bad hits, to jumping them while setting up, having them walk out of bedding 3 hours before sunset while I'm setting up and watch them walk away with the bow on the ground, to not seeing anything at all and trying to put the pieces together on where it went wrong. What you end up realizing is that all of those failed hunts are what teach you and make you a better hunter as long as you break them down each and everytime and ask WHY? For years, even earlier on in my beast style hunts, I would find what I would consider and still consider good "bedding areas" only to find a smaller buck or nothing at all would come out during season. This stumped me for years. This would drive me to scout so hard in the offseason thinking there has got to be better deer and bedding and I'm just overlooking something here. That carried on for seriously 5 seasons of me just working my off and coming in and out of the swamps with very little to show for the amount of work I was putting in. The last couple years though made all those years worth it and I see myself getting incrementally better on almost every hunt and that was because of a mind set change. I was the guy who would jump straight to the throat on every hunt and needed to be super tight on deer to feel like I had a chance and while I believe being tight on deer is the answer in most situations, you must know what is going on first. A scout/glass first and then hunt mentality was adopted and I have seen my success jump dramatically on better animals. The good thing is, all those years of going straight for the throat have benefited me big time as well because now when the situation calls for it, I know I have what it takes to get close and set that stand up whisper quiet. Another thing for years I was overlooking more than I should have was ACCESS. It dosent matter how good that bedding area is, if you cant get to him without alerting him, dont waste your time. Either wait for the conditions that allow you to get close or sit back and look for a weakness that allows for a different approach. A lot of areas I was hunting that I use to think were not that good are now some of my favorite since I sit back first and really see what is in there before just hopping in and assuming. Good luck, you dont sound like you're to far off!
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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby NBK438 » Tue Apr 07, 2020 11:48 pm

Enjoy the evolution of becoming a "Beast" my friend. I know a lot of people here in MI who are clueless without a bait pile and they're hurting with these bait bans.
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Re: Question for the veteran public hunters

Unread postby Twenty Up » Thu Apr 09, 2020 7:28 am

Slow down. Read the sign; anticipate-predict-ambush.

When I’m hunting a spot that looks and “feels” good, I won’t even check my phone. Head should be on a swivel, constantly looking.

You don’t have years of experience hunting most of these spots, so it’s possible that you’re off by 30-200 yards.. Pay attention and see what’s going on around you. Be prepared to make a quick adjustment if necessary.

Learn to setup with the sun at your back. Height up a tree doesn’t matter but the surrounding foliage around you, does.
Trust the Process~~ Lost Boys Outdoors ~~

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