best decision you ever made hunting?

[ColoradoV]

Pick your friends wisely….

My “inner circle” of friends and ranchers help me hunt world class mulies every year..

Couldn’t do it with out one in particular that’s for sure…

 

[jeg11010]

Hunting with a suppressed rifle instead of continuing to destroy my hearing.

 

[Bachto]

The biggest lesson I have learned the last couple years is to take every opportunity and animal gives you and try and capitalize. The last 3 animals I killed were situations where some guys (one including my own hunting partner) would have waited or said something like "lets wait for a better opportunity or situation" and I said F*** it and went for it and ended up killing. 2 situations were where is was about an hour until dark and another was spotting a buck a long ways away and hoping he was still going to be there almost 5 hours later by the time I got into range. All 3 times I just went for it and ended up killing.

 

[MNGrouser]

Glassing longer and harder. My favorite mulie buck was taken by my nephew, not me. We saw him head into a drainage and played the wind to get into position to glass. Could not find that deer anywhere! My nephew and brother gave up figuring he must have popped out over the back side while we were getting into position. I just felt like he should still be there and leaned into the glass harder. Finally able to catch an ear in the brush. Leaning into the glass even harder revealed the buck. Needed to readjust and reapproach for a shot opportunity but when the time came, my nephew held up his end of the bargain.

I'm not sure how many times I have glassed over the top of deer and moved on because "there's nothing there". I was very close to giving up on this one. Only because I saw him walk in did I have the confidence to "know" there was a deer to be seen. I use that as a reminder to always glass a little harder.

 

[olsont2]

getting a side by side to get to those areas trucks cant go

 

[chasewild]

Putting the rifle down.

 

[Wavehere]

Along the same lines of the "biggest mistake you've made hunting?" thread lets go the complete opposite direction...

I prefer to learn from my, and even better, other folks mistakes but not dwell on them-

so in an effort to change the modd a bit, lets hear about the good stuff!

Dave

Choosing to hunt for the freezer rather than for the wall means prioritizing food over trophies.

 

[Bama67]

I have no knowledge to share, whatever I'm doing ain't working.
Not on elk around here anyway lol

 

[IdahoBeav]

Started buying Swaro binos and using a tripod

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Hunt smarter than your neighbors. Example, the neighbors leasing the farm next to my property in MO typically don't get out until it's light out. By getting out to my stand before first light, I have killed a lot of deer that they push off their property onto mine.

 

[TheGrayRider]

One of the best decisions I’ve made is having a long-range hunting plan which includes “guaranteed” paid, no-draw private hunts and also may include “lucky-I-drew-somekinda-tag” hunts some years.

The draws definitely are not getting easier and are not guaranteed anymore. Tough to plan when you don’t know if or what you will draw.

Happy hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

 

[5MilesBack]

Best hunting decision.........that's easy......switching to archery. I always wanted to bow hunt even as a kid, but being left handed and having a very long draw length just didn't make things easy to start. But when I finally did, it was life-changing.

Second best decision was collecting points for my girls as soon as they turned 12.

 

[jayhawk]

As the person who started “worst mistake made hunting”, I feel personally attacked by this thread

 

[Bearded Bowhunter]

Can't always make this happen on every hunt due to life and work, but even if i've scouted earlier in the year, getting to the unit 2-3 days before the season opens to either blow up your original plan or validate it based on boots on the ground and animal movement that will likely be similar if you can be in position opening day. Has helped me kill several of my best animals.

 

[DawnPatrol]

Putting my binos on a tripod adapter. It’s amazing the difference in what I can actually see at distance in open country and pick out in the thick stuff when hunting blacktails. And I have mediocre (by RS standards) 10x binos.

Not saying I’ve killed more animals because of this, but it’s a lot more fun and looking over the country/observing (rather than merely identifying) animals/birdwatching is part of what I enjoy about the act of hunting.

 

[cacklercrazy]

Along the same lines of the "biggest mistake you've made hunting?" thread lets go the complete opposite direction...

I prefer to learn from my, and even better, other folks mistakes but not dwell on them-

so in an effort to change the modd a bit, lets hear about the good stuff!

Dave

That's easy, I hire a great guide for my once in a lifetime desert bighorn hunt here in California.

 

[rodney482]

switching to shooting LH (I’m right handed but left eye dominant)

 

[Boarmaster]

Best decision I ever made was just going.

In 1985 I was in my early 20s. I was transferred from Chicago to Shreveport LA. I had a college buddy that grew up and lived there. He invited me to go deer hunting. I was beat down from several weeks of traveling to military bases and really just wanted to get a good meal and relax that weekend. I almost cancelled. Then Friday morning I got a bit of second wind. I stopped in Little Rock on my way back from Memphis and bought some boots and camo clothes.

My buddy picked me up early and we headed out to the woods. He gave me a rifle and put me in a ladder stand. I didnt have a dang clue what the heck I was doing. He just said just sit here and and be quiet and if a deer comes by with antlers you can see shoot it. Take note of the tree you shoot it by and watch where it runs off to.

I was pretty much hooked after that.

I grew up on a farm in Ohio but back then there was no deer hunting to speak of. I did hunt rabbits but never any big game.

I did not kill a deer that year but I have hunted every year since. I been fortunate I have been ables create opportunities to hunt in the many places I have lived and travelled.

 

[timberland]

learning to appreciate the process, scouting, planning, meal prep, etc. instead of focusing on the end goal of harvest. going on unique and different adventures instead of grinding it out on familiar hunts or places.

to me its all about the excitement of a new opportunity, some new unfamiliar spot or species. I've declined a great hunt or fishing adventure because I've experienced it in the past and am hungry for something new. I've gone on canoe trips to the same lake in the Quetico where 30" walleyes are common, and this point have no urge to go back, even though it would be a trip of a lifetime for almost everyone I know.

 

[hereinaz]

I quit asking for people to go with me and just started going.

This. I just go now. Diegard guys will find a way to tag along.

The single best decision was running toward the sound of elk fighting, and arrowing my first bull on my first hunt, on the morning of the last day.