I've been doing some serious thinking about this as I ponder all the pending applications sitting on my desk. Where did I fall short on last years hunts? What can I do better this year? I'll start this with some of my thoughts on the subject. (Hey, it's the offseason, what else should we be doing but planning for this year's hunts!) I'd like to know what everyone else thinks are the most important things in having a succesful hunt on public land. (Private land and locked gates are something I'm not used to.) What things do you guys think are most important!
1. Physical and mental toughness: I think this is #1. We should be in good enough shape to hunt hard all day and be mentally tough enough to keep doing it, all the way to the last day of the season if necessary. Of all the things that influence our hunts this is one thing we CAN control and probably the one thing we all let slip more than we should. I know as I get older, this part gets a little tougher each year.
2. Scouting: Being familiar with our hunting unit and understanding the animals we are huntng. Read this, scouting, scouting, scouting and spending more time outdoors.
3. Luck of the draw: Sometimes we get "good unit" tags, sometimes we don't. Putting time into #1 & #2 above will usually allow you take a respectable animal from most any unit and have a good hunt to boot. I think big boys are where you find them. If somebody else has found them, they're probably gone already!
4. Good equipment: I'll bet we all put a little to much time and money into this part of the puzzle. Sure it's important, we have to have the right clothes for the season and good enough equipment to get by. And having new toys adds to our enjoyment of the hunt and we all try to have the best equipment we can afford. But what good are $1500 binoculars, $300 rain suits, $2500 guns, etc etc, if you don't know how and where to hunt and can't, or won't try, to get to where you know you should go?
5. The weather: We can't control it or change it, we just have to deal with it. (Cussin' helps!) But being in good shape, understanding the game, the area you're hunting in and having the right equipment sure helps to deal with nasty weather.
Steve
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If opportunity doesn't knock,, take the wall down!
1. Physical and mental toughness: I think this is #1. We should be in good enough shape to hunt hard all day and be mentally tough enough to keep doing it, all the way to the last day of the season if necessary. Of all the things that influence our hunts this is one thing we CAN control and probably the one thing we all let slip more than we should. I know as I get older, this part gets a little tougher each year.
2. Scouting: Being familiar with our hunting unit and understanding the animals we are huntng. Read this, scouting, scouting, scouting and spending more time outdoors.
3. Luck of the draw: Sometimes we get "good unit" tags, sometimes we don't. Putting time into #1 & #2 above will usually allow you take a respectable animal from most any unit and have a good hunt to boot. I think big boys are where you find them. If somebody else has found them, they're probably gone already!
4. Good equipment: I'll bet we all put a little to much time and money into this part of the puzzle. Sure it's important, we have to have the right clothes for the season and good enough equipment to get by. And having new toys adds to our enjoyment of the hunt and we all try to have the best equipment we can afford. But what good are $1500 binoculars, $300 rain suits, $2500 guns, etc etc, if you don't know how and where to hunt and can't, or won't try, to get to where you know you should go?
5. The weather: We can't control it or change it, we just have to deal with it. (Cussin' helps!) But being in good shape, understanding the game, the area you're hunting in and having the right equipment sure helps to deal with nasty weather.
Steve
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If opportunity doesn't knock,, take the wall down!
