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Biggest changes you're making - last year to this year??

Sligh1

Sligh1

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Random examples could be:
time of year you hunt
major equipment changed.
MAJOR LESSONS LEARNED - good or bad from last year?
Standards of what you're shooting or maybe a change in your doe harvest.
Type of hunting spots you or changes to your hunting method.
Etc, etc, etc.


I'll list a few....

I am hunting some smaller properties this year... I have limited time on the scouting or stands so I am hunting the "OUTSIDE" of these farms - the outskirts where I can leave about 65-70% undisturbed.

I changed my vacation schedule this year. Have some family stuff/trips but - I am hunting late Oct, then giving a little rest, typical times after that and then late Nov. Little more emphasis on seeing if I notice a bigger one on a pattern early Oct.

Multiple farms and different deer herds. Last year concentrated on 2 farms- one farm had one shooter- got him early Oct & I sorta felt like I knew what I could expect for the rest of the year and very limited options. Lots more farms even though smaller.

Working on being a little slower and patient on the shot. I feel like I'm pretty good about this, no issue or wounded deer in years but still making conscious decision to slow down some.

That's a few of mine, want to hear yours and I really like hearing "LESSONS LEARNED FROM OTHERS" so others can learn from it and even save some time or a season of going thru same things.
 
Biggest change I'm going to make is more than likely I'm going to concentrate on a few different properties this year. We have one mature buck on trail camera on our home farm, so I am going to be hunting some public land and other farms more than I have in the past.
Another big change is that more than likely I will have the woods mainly to myself this year. One brother's work schedule won't allow him much time in the woods and the other just welcomed his first child so I'm sure he'll be kept on a pretty tight leash
 
The biggest thing I am really going to try and do is be more mobile this year and honestly, be more aggressive. I feel like have been more cautious the last 3 years and subsequently, haven't taken any target bucks (did pass one in 2011). So, this year I am of course going to try and be as scent free and always hunt the proper wind, but really move in when I see a deer and have the opportunity.

Lastly, I am really going to try and put a dent in the doe numbers! If anyone is in SW Iowa and wants to shoot a doe just let me know!
 
Gonna try a decoy this year I have a few open sets that I believe it will work, and I won a new Heli-m last year so I've been practiceing a lot and increased my range out to 50 yards with confidence. Might sink my life savings into one of those Ozone machines I hear they are the only way you can kill a big buck now-a-days. YEAH RIGHT! I dont even own a grunt call.
I am also gonna take a bit of a backseat this year and concentrate on getting my family members nice deer my mom and daughter are at the top of the list with my good buddy Jeremy next. I've been fortunate and its time to start paying it forward.
 
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1. This will be my first season as a landowner!!
2. Ran 3 cameras this year so i have a good idea of what bucks are on my hunting grounds.
3. Getting the lone wolf hunt comfort padded seat.
 
1.Changed bows upgraded from a 07 Bear Element to a Mathews Heli-m.
2. Shoot a doe first to fill the freezer then pursue a buck
3. Hunt more than one property even if you are seeing mature bucks every where on that property
4. Call more( didn't try it until late in the season and it worked well)
5. Try to get 3 does this year(WAY to many of them.
 
Honestly i feel more stress coming into this season than any other season! I am trying to film everything and possibly make a Youtube hunting show. We have had pretty good luck so far, I have sat in the tree 2 times and recorded 2 kills. But I am really anxious to put a mature deer down on film. So my big changes would be, hanging every set with 2 stands. Shooting more deer, trying to kill 4 does this year. And last but not least, teaching a few of my buddies to run the camera so i get to hunt!
 
I don't plan on doing anything much different than last year other than a couple of bucks that drew a pass last year might not get the same courtesy this year. :D Hope to kill a couple does to continue the tradition of exporting a few boxes of Christmas jerky to our special forces guys in Afghanistan. All in all last year was a pretty good one for me & I can only hope for a repeat performance... :way:
 
We are leaving more sanctuary...trying not to disturb the property, hunt edges.

More food plots in Iowa, thanks to a very skilled food plot guru from Iowawhitetail.com

Probably more ground blind hunts, getting use to them and I like the comfort and shooting options
 
muddy said:
Relax, have more fun. Enjoy the solitude.
Click to expand...

This is my plan as well. I have put too much presure on myself the last couple of years. Last year i hunted too many different farms and never focused on one or two areas. That's what i am going to do this year!:way:
 
Not changing a whole lot this year except I will be hunting the earlier part of the season quite a bit harder. Don't like to do that but a baby coming early November doesn't give me much of a choice.
I am going to do more ground hunting this year. I've done a little in the past and man is it fun when deer are close. I will be utilizing a ghillie suit this year so I am super pumped about having fun with that!
 
I've been watching a lot of hunting shows on tv. The running theme is that if I buy a new bow, use scent blocker clothes, practice on a Morell target, use ozonics and carry a thermacell I can "see what happens". I think that's code for killing a 180 class deer.
So, I got a new bow last weekend. I'm looking at scent blocker clothes but should probably save my money for the divorce lawyer since I know that's coming if I drop that kind of money on hunting clothes.
I guess I'll have to stick with my same tactics and hunt the same areas as I did last year. And maybe....I'll see what happens.
 
For me...maybe not focus so much on one deer (helps that I don't have many on camera this year). When I see a shooter, go for it, no matter how early. Moving stands to better locations, even if only 20 yards (missed a chance at my #1 deer last year due to being in the "wrong" tree). More pre-season prep work. Fewer food plots (thanks Mother Nature). Midseason scouting to see changes in patterns/sign and change with them.
 
I intend to also relax and enjoy my time hunting this year, but then I do that most of the time any way. I don't hunt trophies any way so no pressure there. I will be making one huge change however, I will be using an Equinox crossbow for the first time. I am looking forward to that.
 
I guess im going the other direction than some of you this year. In the last several years I have cut down on the numbers of farms I hunt, and my sucess has increased as well. I always figured the more places I had to hunt the better, but there seems to be a point of diminishing returns.

As I have learned to hunt certain properties I found less need to hit other farms, I always seem to have a couple mature deer running around(not on each farm, spread across different farms), so as I learned the property and adjusted stands, my sightings and encounters continued to improve.
 
Just had a baby so my time will be very careful on when I can use my very limited hunting time. I've also been pretty heavily relying on my brother to run cams and figure out possible new stand spots as normally I would do these things myself.
 
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