Thread: What am I doing wrong???

Originally Posted by DCN808T

The more I get out, the more confident i get with heading further off the beaten track, and the fitter I become. I think Ive been smelling and hearing animals more often, but i do have the handicap of having my dog with me, and big game indicator, she certainly is NOT.

My first and only successful trip out was with an older fella named Pete who bounced up knife edges and climbed vertical cliffs while I clung to scrub wishing my mommy was with me. So, no deer aside, I think I have improved somewhat!

It's possible to hunt areas that get heavy pressure and still be successful, the 2 key things that you need to learn:
1- Weather conditions prior to and during your hunt and how it dictates deer behavior
2- What they will eat at any given time in the season and where to find it
3- Timing.

Most people without someone to coach them learn by osmosis over a long period of time, shortcut the learning by getting the right books and study like you are at school with an exam coming. Clue: Saxon and Lentle ( or Lentle and Saxon?) write books........

Example that might give you an idea what I'm on about: a few weeks ago it rained and blew nasty for a couple of days prior to the weekend suppressing deer activity, forecast had specific wind direction, deer hate wind, but needed to be eating , the entire catchment area I wanted to hunt was exposed to the wind and rain, had been for two days - but due to clear the rain around dawn but keep being gusty, within that area were a couple of wee gullies that held good feed and were protected from the wind direction that morning, got my arse there to be on the spot as the light got useable, instead of searching and trying to hunt 20 square kilometers, my whole aim was to hunt about 1 square km. Was home in time for lunch because I knew where to be before I left the house.

A few others might weigh in here, no harm in sharing your intellectual property and how you think...... we all have our own bits of the whole picture.