Becoming Better hunters- a survey of prioritization

[stan_wa]

I'm genuinely curious about your thoughts on becoming better hunters. Let's tackle the question: "How would you rank off-season activities from most to least important?" I won't define what makes a "better hunter" - I'll leave that up to you. I've categorized off-season activities into 7 groups and would like you to rank them. I've provided a pole for you to submit you top 3. For the purpose of this discussion, let's focus on western US big game hunting, assuming a decent proficiency in all areas with no glaring weaknesses.

Possible off season activities,

1. Physical training and fitness- ( exercise to make you hunt more effectively)
2. Weapon proficiency –(getting time on the guns or bows to shoot better)
3. Desktop-scouting ( both learning how to use the tool and finding new spots to check out )
4. Macro- planning- (I’m defining this as locating new units, securing private land access, working on getting better tags thru out of state hunts or creative options. Generally finding areas you want to spend time in that your currently not prepared for, This would also include planning and following a tag application strategy)
5. Boots on the ground scouting –(glassing, checking sign, finding camps, placing game cams, this can include observing animals and their habits for your self, this would also naturally be a way to develop woodmans-ship if you scout like your hunt minus the weapon, also learning roads/access points )
6. Education- ( books, podcast, videos and talking to mentors that teach you about hunting )
7. Gear- (learning about it , practicing using it, working extra hours to buy it )

Im hoping that yall will take the poll and reply to this post in the following format

Your top 3 ratings in order : (extra credit if you rank all 7 haha)
Rough Number of lifetime Days in the Field: [Your Estimate]
Main State You Hunt and Brief Explanation: [Your State and Reasoning]

 

[stan_wa]

Survey completed!
Your top 3 ratings in order :

1. Education
2. Desktop scouting
3. Boot on the ground scouting
4. weapons proficiency
5. macro planning
6. physical fitness
7. gear

Rough Number of lifetime Days in the Field: 200
Main State You Hunt and Brief Explanation: this was hard for me but i think I prioritize education because it contributes to improvement across all areas. Desktop scouting helps save time in the field, making boots on the ground scouting more effective. In my opinion, we tend to overemphasize gear and weapon proficiency, which may offer diminishing returns beyond a beginner level. Looking forward to your thoughts

 

[solarshooter]

My top 3 were:
1. Boots on the ground scouting
2. e-scouting
3. Weapons training

Then I would say:
4. macro planning (lump with #2)
5. education
6. fitness
7. gear

I want to sort of lump e-scouting and macro-planning together, but that's definitely one of the most important steps to locating a unit and specific areas, access points, predicting how changing weather will affect the area, etc. Boots on the ground scouting is absolutely the most critical, and if you do a good job on step one above you can come into the season knowing specific access, routes, glassing points, etc first hand. Even knowing specific animals you want to target. And last is weapons training, because executing a precise cold bore shot at range with less than ideal conditions is very difficult. And at the end of the day taking a shot is what separates hunters from hikers and birdwatchers!

 

[Yoder]

1. Boots on the ground
2. Fitness
3. Desktop scouting

Weapon proficiency comes in fourth for me. Hunting thick woods in PA doesn't require 500 yard rifle shots and 70 yard bow shots. I don't shoot at anything past 30 yards with my bow and most deer I've killed with a rifle have been 100 yards or less. Most places I hunt I'm familiar with so boots on the ground info is generally what kills deer for me. When I have free time at work I'm always looking for new places to go.

 

[roadrunner]

1. Boots on the ground
2. Fitness
3. Desktop scouting

Weapon proficiency comes in fourth for me. Hunting thick woods in PA doesn't require 500 yard rifle shots and 70 yard bow shots. I don't shoot at anything past 30 yards with my bow and most deer I've killed with a rifle have been 100 yards or less. Most places I hunt I'm familiar with so boots on the ground info is generally what kills deer for me. When I have free time at work I'm always looking for new places to go.

Same here but in a different order: fitness, desktop, boots.

 

[Elkangle]

Different areas require different skills, idk why hunters are always trying lump any one thing as the "Ultimate" in making one's self a killer... you need to be the complete pie

With just these 7 examples I could do different lists for every different hunt across the country

The hard truth is the better you are at all aspects of life the better hunter you will be...if your sucking at life your gona suck on Your hunts..be a better person and those skills will carry over into the field

Work ethic & discipline is #1

 

[Hackleback]

Probably need to add mental toughness/embarrassing the suck/persistence

Another way to ask the same question- what are the biggest deficiencies/concerns that most guides have with a new client? What are the things that make most guided hunts unsuccessful?

 

[willfrye027]

Live in CA but hunt and scout 2-5 states a year mostly mule deer. 20-40 days on just deer.

1. Boots on the ground. I try to get a week in any new units before I hunt it and it is probably the most valuable thing to having a good hunt

2. Macro scouting—mostly hunting as a NR I try to do a lot of research and have a multi year plan for units and places to hunt. It helps keep me excited and motivated.

3. Weapon proficiency. I try to get a mix of archery and rifle tags and am ready for a muzzy tag should I get one. I don’t know that this is critical to becoming a better hunter..but I enjoy it and probably spend a very good chunk (probably too much) time shooting archery and rifles.

4. Desktop scouting. This is helpful to identify areas to scout, but even more helpful after I’ve done boots on the ground to identify new areas and dig deeper into the unit/areas

5. Gear, education, fitness. Gear I am pretty set on. Education..I’ve read everything I can get my hands on already but do listen to podcasts and read stuff as it comes up. Fitness..I should probably do more but I’m pretty young and healthy. I might train a little before season but backpacking and scouting pretty much get me ready.

 

[5MilesBack]

About the only thing I regularly do in the winter off-season is fine tune my gear. Repair, replace, get rid of, get more of........maybe try some different stuff. Then in the spring and summer it's all about shooting my bow and staying active. So I guess my top three would be:

1. Weapon proficiency.
2. Staying fit.
3. Gear.

To me, shooting my bow is like riding a bike. I can pick it up anytime year round and shoot well with it. But it's more about locking everything in with the right pins, distances, etc, without having to really think about it that much while hunting. It should just be 2nd nature to me by September, so when I'm drawing back I've already got my distance and pin locked in, all I have to do is settle the correct pin and release.

I mostly hunt CO, and can't even begin to come up with a number of "lifetime days" in the field. I grew up in a place where I was "out in the field" just about every day, whether I was hunting, just hiking, or exploring. I'm 58 and these days I probably average maybe only 50 days in the field a year.

 

[stan_wa]

Probably need to add mental toughness/embarrassing the suck/persistence

Another way to ask the same question- what are the biggest deficiencies/concerns that most guides have with a new client? What are the things that make most guided hunts unsuccessful?

I ageee but I was mostly thinking of off seasons activities and working on becoming more tough is kinda tricky, I think you just have to do it and then get more comfortable with hard stuff. So maybe the off season activity for that would be “ boots on the ground scouting like you would hunt “

 

[Hackleback]

Doing big outdoor adventures/death hikes would check multiple boxes for most.

-getting fit (both physically and mental)
-understanding what gear works best for you
-comfortable in the dark/cold/wet/hot...
-what food and how much works best
-creating an efficient routine for "daily camp chores" while in the back country
-others

Things like e-/desktop scouting, one could argue provide opportunities, but don't make you a better hunter (maybe semantics).

Maybe setting a year goal of spending XX nights in hunting like conditions (we all hunt a bit differently as in base camp/BP tent /bivy...) would be one way to do this.

 

[MuleyFever]

Its funny because it all depends. Some tags may require you to prioritize fitness or you wont get to the animals. Other tags may require more scouting, literally from a road because the area has so many roads. Another tag may have terrain that will almost guarantee a 500+ yard shot so you better be practicing.

I think overall though, time spent in an area is #1.

 

[bpurtz]

Wow. My 3 votes landed on the top three survey options, but I sure love shopping for new gear. LOL.

 

[diamond10x]

Education would be number 1 for me no matter what or where you're hunting. The less you know about your quarry the less likely you are to even have an opportunity to be successful. When you look at the guys who are killers and are constantly successful, they're knowledge and understanding of their quarry is what sets them apart.

 

[Yoder]

I ageee but I was mostly thinking of off seasons activities and working on becoming more tough is kinda tricky, I think you just have to do it and then get more comfortable with hard stuff. So maybe the off season activity for that would be “ boots on the ground scouting like you would hunt “

Buy yourself a copy of Goggins book Can't Hurt Me if you don't have one already. Audio book is the best. It's the best thing I've ever heard about mental toughness. I am a better person and way less of a wussy because of that book.

 

[207-12A]

Alaska, try to spend 30 nights afield each year.

1. Physical fitness
2. Weapon
3. Desktop scouting

Gear is #4, and "boots on ground" scouting in Alaska is usually out due to distance and difficulty of access, hence quality desktop scouting making the top 3. Books and other studying is underrated for finding new spots and types of access that may be overlooked by others.

 

[S.Clancy]

For me, education is huge. It cuts down the amount of boots on the ground scouting and e-scouting you have to do. Knowing the ecology of the animals and the ability to identify different habitats and their quality via remote sensing or even rapidly in the field has no equal, as far as success goes

 

[roadrunner]

Different areas require different skills, idk why hunters are always trying lump any one thing as the "Ultimate" in making one's self a killer... you need to be the complete pie

With just these 7 examples I could do different lists for every different hunt across the country

The hard truth is the better you are at all aspects of life the better hunter you will be...if your sucking at life your gona suck on Your hunts..be a better person and those skills will carry over into the field

Work ethic & discipline is #1

If you're "sucking" at life, you'll be disinterested in hunting. It won't matter and you'll see it as a more a nuisance more than an opportunity.

Simple fact really.

 

[Alder_]

Not on the list but hunting solo I think I would be more successful.

Less bullshit to wade through with scheduling a hunt with someone, hunting tactics might greatly differ, so does having different expectations on a hunt. Those have all soured it for me in the past.

 

[Ross]

Fitness
Boots on the ground
Weapon proficiency

Lifetime days afield a good guess had 15 plus years with 3 elk tags and deer and elk hunted every year since 1980…..700