Fighting boredom in all day sits.

[5MilesBack]

How do you guys manage boredom and stay focused during all day sits while whitetail hunting?

There's a reason why I'm not a whitetail hunter. I have no problem with "all day hikes", but "all day sits".....would be torture for me. I try to avoid torture.

 

[Gman12]

Hunting is supposed to be fun. Sitting in a tree stand all day would be torture for me. I guess if I was forced to then I would bring a good book. Between scrolling through my phone and reading hopefully I wouldn't fall asleep or die of boredom. I have been hunting whitetails for 40+ years and have never even considered sitting all day. To each their own.

 

[Huckelfin]

Books, podcasts, forums on phone, Football game F1 race, or other sporting event if its on. Make a point to look up every couple paragraphs though. I only sit all day gun hunting, which I am only going to shoot something with a gun if its VERY mature as opposed to bow. Otherwise I am mostly there for hunting camp and good times!

To be honest I hate sitting all day, this thread has me thinking about changing it up.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

My work schedule and family don't allow for me to sit all day. The most I can do is a half day. On our farm, I'll move to a different stand around 10 am if the action dies off in the initial spot. Have had good success doing that. Cover is so dense that you could be off of the X by 100 yards and not even know it. Our deer density is such, that if I'm not seeing deer, I've done something very wrong and/or dumb.

I read books on my Kindle App, check my Fantasy Football roster, check forums, pod casts if I can remember my head phones.

On public in SC, I get so far back into spots, it's hard to do a quick change. Plus the deer are spookier. I'll do all the same things as above.

 

[copenmechanism]

As others have said, if you’re hunting east coast whitetail in the woods, you’ll probably hear them before you see them. I find reading (mostly on my phone, since it’s easier) with an eye tuned to noise, looking around everyone few pages, is a good way to kill time.

Someone else mentioned watching the birds and other animals and what they’re doing. There’s actually a term for this: bird language. Super fascinating and can actually help you identify when deer are moving (or at least alert you to take your eyes off your phone).

Here’s a pretty interesting article on it: https://deerassociation.com/deer-hunting-tips-from-a-master-naturalist-listen-to-other-wildlife/

 

[LedSled]

My work schedule and family don't allow for me to sit all day. The most I can do is a half day. On our farm, I'll move to a different stand around 10 am if the action dies off in the initial spot. Have had good success doing that. Cover is so dense that you could be off of the X by 100 yards and not even know it. Our deer density is such, that if I'm not seeing deer, I've done something very wrong and/or dumb.

I read books on my Kindle App, check my Fantasy Football roster, check forums, pod casts if I can remember my head phones.

On public in SC, I get so far back into spots, it's hard to do a quick change. Plus the deer are spookier. I'll do all the same things as above.

Our deer density is so high here in north MS that I could easily go sit in a few of my stands and see a dozen doe almost every sit. I've discovered through the years that these spots don't produce big bucks during the day, with the exception of the rut.

My biggest bucks on camera in early and late season are almost always in a secluded spot that doesn't see a lot of doe or human traffic. These spots are not near as entertaining to watch as those with mass quantities of does.

I'm surprised at how many people put headphones in as well. I mostly rely on my ears over my eyes while bowhunting.

 

[CorbLand]

Our deer density is so high here in north MS that I could easily go sit in a few of my stands and see a dozen doe almost every sit. I've discovered through the years that these spots don't produce big bucks during the day, with the exception of the rut.

My biggest bucks on camera in early and late season are almost always in a secluded spot that doesn't see a lot of doe or human traffic. These spots are not near as entertaining to watch as those with mass quantities of does.

I'm surprised at how many people put headphones in as well. I mostly rely on my ears over my eyes while bowhunting.

They make headphones that send the sound wave through your temple. Keeps your ears open and you can hear stuff going on around you pretty well.

 

[LedSled]

As others have said, if you’re hunting east coast whitetail in the woods, you’ll probably hear them before you see them. I find reading (mostly on my phone, since it’s easier) with an eye tuned to noise, looking around everyone few pages, is a good way to kill time.

Someone else mentioned watching the birds and other animals and what they’re doing. There’s actually a term for this: bird language. Super fascinating and can actually help you identify when deer are moving (or at least alert you to take your eyes off your phone).

Here’s a pretty interesting article on it: https://deerassociation.com/deer-hunting-tips-from-a-master-naturalist-listen-to-other-wildlife/

That's interesting. I'll give it a read.

 

[Cactus kid]

Save your energy for when it makes sense to hunt all day. Early and late seasons are a no go for me. Peak rut only.

I set up full day sits like most use marathon running or meditation some other mentally tough endevour. I know its not easy, embrace the bordom.

Coffee. Or adderall.

Break the day up into three periods. Morning is the first four hours. Mid day is the next four. Evening last four.

Schedule snack breaks and stick to them. Gives me something to look forward to.

Practice drawing bow/dryfiring rifle. I do this a lot mid day.

As said before, podcasts and audio books if the area allows.

its gotten easier as i have gotten older. I look forward to a full day of nothing to do but think.

 

[rclouse79]

How do you guys manage boredom and stay focused during all day sits while whitetail hunting? My job is very fast paced and in a stressful environment. Therefore, my brain is accustomed to constantly running from one thought to the next, and my attention span has suffered as well. I find it very hard to stay off my phone during slower hunts. I absolutely cannot stand it. If it wasn't for the safety factor, I would just leave the thing at home.

What other ways do you find helps to pass slower moments during longer hunts when not seeing deer for several hours?

I have found it takes me some time in the field to “slow down” from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I usually don’t find myself getting bored when I am actively hunting. When sitting in a ground blind for antelope I am good for most of the morning, maybe longer if I am seeing animals. I usually have a book on tape or podcast to listen to with one earbud if I get sleepy.
My 14 year old has a little shorter attention span. When I go with him we usually each wear and earbud and listen to a podcast while glassing. Radio Rental and Lore are both on the spooky side, and keep him entertained. Between that and snacks I can keep him out all day.

 

[stevevan]

Save your energy for when it makes sense to hunt all day. Early and late seasons are a no go for me. Peak rut only.

I set up full day sits like most use marathon running or meditation some other mentally tough endevour. I know its not easy, embrace the bordom.

Coffee. Or adderall.

Break the day up into three periods. Morning is the first four hours. Mid day is the next four. Evening last four.

Schedule snack breaks and stick to them. Gives me something to look forward to.

Practice drawing bow/dryfiring rifle. I do this a lot mid day.

As said before, podcasts and audio books if the area allows.

its gotten easier as i have gotten older. I look forward to a full day of nothing to do but think.

I'm lucky as I have acreage where I live. I'm a bit of a gentleman hunter as such by hunting a couple hours in the morning and then heading back to the house for my normal living routine before heading back to stand for the last 2 hours of daylight. Sit all day? I just can't do it.

 

[TxLite]

Read angry texts from my wife about being stuck at home with the kids while I’m out playing

 

[mthayr]

Listen to Audiobooks/Podcasts on bone-conducting bluetooth headphones at a low volume (nothing blocking my hearing whatsoever).

 

[timekiller13]

I work in a very fast paced environment as well.

Sitting for long periods of time is tough.

But I love to read. So bring a book or two and then I can sit all day. I do take the occasional break and get down and just walk around the base of my stand and stretch my legs.

 

[LostArra]

I limit all-day sits to the rut (November around here). I do read a little and someone suggested handling an all-day sit like sentry duty. No deer is sneaking into my space.

If you have ever had a big buck encounter at non-peak times it makes it a little easier to sit thru those middle 3 hours. It only takes about 60 seconds or less to change an entire deer season. If the memory of that rush doesn't keep you in the stand then just go back to camp and hope for the best at dawn and dusk. It is supposed to be fun.

Listening for deer is tough around here. Armadillos, squirrels and towhees will drive you crazy especially right behind your stand. ("I will not turn around it's an armadillo, I will not turn around. I will not turn around." Forget it. I turn around to stomping and blowing.)

My largest deer was shot at 4 pm during an all-day sit. I had moved over to a different tree at noon because it was more comfortable to eat lunch and just decided to stay there. That cruising buck was the only deer I saw that day and the whole encounter lasted less than 20 seconds from the time I saw him coming towards me, grabbing my bow, shooting and watching him fall. If I had been reading he would have cruised right by me before I could do anything but wave.