What are you going to do differently?

[BSK]

I don't know if any of you are as analytical about their hunting as I am, but I always find--after a less than successful season--that I go over and over the season in my head, trying to decipher what I did wrong. I usually end up with some sort of "plan" to hunt differently the following, hoping to correct the mistakes of the previous year.

So who has decided they will do "something different" in their hunting next deer season, and what is that difference?

[Lost Lake]

I had gotten lazy and a little too comfortable hunting the family farm for the last fifteen years or so, and after it was heavily timbered two years ago, I knew I had to change some things.

I used most of the season last year to hunt-scout, and the last couple of weeks of season, we went in and cut and chopped new trails for multiple access points, placed ladder stands (which I've never used very much), hang ons, and cleared a couple areas for ground blinds. A lot of these spots are new to us because what few trees that are left dictated where we could place those stands.

I'm hoping the changes will do us some good.

[BirdDog525]

I had gotten lazy and a little too comfortable hunting the family farm for the last fifteen years or so, and after it was heavily timbered two years ago, I knew I had to change some things.

I used most of the season last year to hunt-scout, and the last couple of weeks of season, we went in and cut and chopped new trails for multiple access points, placed ladder stands (which I've never used very much), hang ons, and cleared a couple areas for ground blinds. A lot of these spots are new to us because what few trees that are left dictated where we could place those stands.

I'm hoping the changes will do us some good.

Hey don't underestimate a good timber wacking!! A year or two after a clearing there will be tons of brand new browse for deer. Even better if you ran a fire through it here in another year or so. You'd be surprised in the response you'll get with a little management. It might suck to drag a deer out of for a little while cause it'll be thick as crap but it may be worth it! Good luck to ya!

[MUP]

As usual, I will try to let the areas that I hunted last season rest some, and hit the places that I didn't hunt much, or at all, more this coming season. But that could still go out the window if the same places are hot with sign again this year. I really want to concentrate on getting my daughter her first buck this year tho, and I've got all the stands up in all the "good" spots that I've always hunted now, just for her to be able to hunt just like Dad.

[JCodd]

Not gonna change much. Gonna hunt the same 18 acres I have for the last few years. Only difference is I won't concentrate on the food plot as much until later on the season. Wanting to hang a stand and watch the overgrown field


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[sdw]

The main thing I hope to change is hunting with my daughter a lot more this year. We only hunted 2 or 3 times together last year. I need to get all the time in the woods with her I can before she gets too grown up.

[JCodd]

Not gonna change much. Gonna hunt the same 18 acres I have for the last few years. Only difference is I won't concentrate on the food plot as much until later on the season. Wanting to hang a stand and watch the overgrown field


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[Lost Lake]

I had gotten lazy and a little too comfortable hunting the family farm for the last fifteen years or so, and after it was heavily timbered two years ago, I knew I had to change some things.

I used most of the season last year to hunt-scout, and the last couple of weeks of season, we went in and cut and chopped new trails for multiple access points, placed ladder stands (which I've never used very much), hang ons, and cleared a couple areas for ground blinds. A lot of these spots are new to us because what few trees that are left dictated where we could place those stands.

I'm hoping the changes will do us some good.

Hey don't underestimate a good timber wacking!! A year or two after a clearing there will be tons of brand new browse for deer. Even better if you ran a fire through it here in another year or so. You'd be surprised in the response you'll get with a little management. It might suck to drag a deer out of for a little while cause it'll be thick as crap but it may be worth it! Good luck to ya!

Thanks BirdDog !! One new thing I did was set up on high ridges with a spotting scope and watch for activity that first depressing year after the bombing....err...cutting. As bare as it was, it was easy to see deer a long ways off.

This will be the third season since the cutting, and the browse has really popped up big time. General travel patterns didn't seem to change much, but I've noticed new to me spots that were either there the whole time and I didn't see them, or popped up because of the new food.

What bow hunting I'll do there will be limited to one small section, and then I'll leave it all alone till mid November. I doubt I'll hunt it much in December until the week between Christmas and New Year.

[MUP]

The back of my property is on the 3rd year after a clear cut operation on the adjacent property. I now have a woodline on my place thanks to this clear cut. It paid off last ML season already, and I hope it pays off for my daughter this year!

[Tru-Talker]

Ain't changing nothing.... It's been working for 25 years....ain't gonna change now.... Sometimes you just have those kind of seasons.... I had a great year two years ago and this last year just average... Just the way it goes... I've lived by this acronym for years... K.I.S.S. Sometimes you overthink things and do more harm than good....

[bowhunter5.901]

I don't know if any of you are as analytical about their hunting as I am, but I always find--after a less than successful season--that I go over and over the season in my head, trying to decipher what I did wrong. I usually end up with some sort of "plan" to hunt differently the following, hoping to correct the mistakes of the previous year.

So who has decided they will do "something different" in their hunting next deer season, and what is that difference?

The thing that I'm going to do different this year is spend more time on stand in different areas. Last year was a scouting year for me. Found new areas that will produce if I just put more time on stand and less walking.

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[Beefydeer]

I am doing something different. I am challenging myself to kill a good buck on state land. I have a small parcel of state land I am focusing on. I have put out 2 cameras and have pics of half a dozen good deer. Even more challenging is this wma is archery only except for one week of muzzleloader. We shall see. I saw a bachelor group with 5 bucks last weekend when I checked my cams and all 5 were archery shooters for me.

[caretaker]

Went a season or two with a dry spell. More or less blamed it on lack of acorns or pea sized acorns. Changed some things up before last season. Moved some stands and added a shack. Also put in some feeders. Dont know how much this helped or hurt as we had a bumper crop of acorns. Do have one stand that we will move because it`s either move the stand or kill the neighbors dog that likes to run laps around it and bark at who ever is in it. We basically abandoned that stand after a couple of sits. Have an idea of where we would like to move this stand to and it`s all the way over on the complete opposite end of the property.

[snakester50]

Have to change alot I'll be hunting property that was secondary because I've lost my primary lease . Kinda excited and tired of the drive I drove for about 25 years .

[in the dog house!]

I am doing something different. I am challenging myself to kill a good buck on state land. I have a small parcel of state land I am focusing on. I have put out 2 cameras and have pics of half a dozen good deer. Even more challenging is this wma is archery only except for one week of muzzleloader. We shall see. I saw a bachelor group with 5 bucks last weekend when I checked my cams and all 5 were archery shooters for me.

Always wanted to hunt that wma but never have. I pretty sure I know the one your talking about.