How do you deal with poor harvest rate in the field?

[Amos Keeto]

This^ I think people get way too wrapped up with how others are doing via social media, sometimes on hunting forums and remember comparison is the thief of joy. If it’s about killing. This go kill. If it’s about time spent out there then enjoy. If it’s about big racks then hunt animals that have them. I have 2 kiddos under 3 years old right now to say my hunting seasons have changed a bit in the last 3 years is a giant understatement. Went from 100+ days in the field to about 10 if im lucky… I do feel a little guilt when im away but not that much honestly. I have almost completely stopped waterfowl, upland, and predator hunting for the time being so I can big game hunt, remember it will get easier as the kids get older they can tag along some and make it a family adventure

LMBO!
First, let me explain.
I am an only "son".
I am also an only "grandson"!
So to say I got all the outdoor attentions would be kinda moot!

First time I can remember going hunting with my dad, I was 3 years old!
He would piggyback me up into the tree, wrap me in a blanket and tie me to the tree so I wouldn't go to sleep and fall! LOL!
I am coming up on my 74th birthday. So basically, I may not have actually "hunted", but hunting has been a part of my life for over 70 years!
Grampa retired when I was 8 years old.
When dad couldn't take me, grampa would.

I didn't kill my first deer until I was 16. I know all about the frustration of "poor harvest rate"!

Hnthrdr: another thing, start your kids on keeping a hunting journal NOW. If you haven't started your own, I can't think of a better time to start!

Take your kids hunting and you won't have to hunt your kids!

 

[Bwhntr]

I was more worried about crayons and recess in the early 90's

The posts regardless how they are worded... They all seem to go the way of " I did the work so wtf"..They just kinda bug me. Might even bug me more than the use of the word "harvest". Yall are killing shit for sport. Yea yea you're goona eat it. But dont tell me you spent that much time and money on that lil meat just to feed your family! Nobody is buying that line of crap

I’m sorry the wording offended you. I don’t expect to “kill” every year nor every hunt.

Fortunately I didn’t receive any participation trophies either. Killing for sport is 100% a part of hunting. I never argued that. Apparently harvest is not an acceptable term in your book. Anyway, hence the reason for the post. Hunting is fun but taking an animal is an integral part imo.

Simply just seeing if others have experienced the same cross roads when it comes to hunting.

Family life, life changes, and a lack of success, kills whatever you want to call it, over several years has me reevaluating my overall desire to hunt.

But it sounds like you have all the answers so I’ll let you keep yapping about something that “bugs” you.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Dangit yall ruined my joke. I was gonna say when I'm having trouble harvesting I switch to kill mode.

 

[Beendare]

If a guy does a tiny bit of research, he would see that the success rate on archery elk in areas like OTC Co is about 6-7%.

Its silly to think you are going to stroll in there without many miles of boots on the ground research and kill a bull.

 

[Bwhntr]

If a guy does a tiny bit of research, he would see that the success rate on archery elk in areas like OTC Co is about 6-7%.

Its silly to think you are going to stroll in there without many miles of boots on the ground research and kill a bull.

Totally understand that

When did I say I hadn’t put many miles on the ground and plenty of research? I agree with you. That’s completely silly.

 

[timekiller13]

I think sometimes we expect too much of ourselves and set our expectations too high.

I can remember when I got really into bow hunting whitetail deer. I hunted a ton. First few years I was pretty successful and then I started pushing harder. Despite the fact that I was hunting 20-25% more, my success rate and overall enjoyment was plummeting. It seemed that everything that could possibly go wrong would go wrong in the moment of truth. I got stuck in my head. I was miserable. Taking bad/questionable shots because “I had to kill something.” Hunting in absolute miserable conditions. I got to the point where I didn’t even want to go.

So, I took a step back reevaluated why I hunted. Was it solely just to kill something? Or was it more for the enjoyment of being outdoors and enjoying the experience, with a kill just being the cherry on top?

I dialed back my hunting efforts. Decided not to push so hard. Would time my hunts during better conditions and prime hunting times (the rut). Sometimes I would just take a couple weeks off and not even hunt. Just recharge the batteries, catch up on home projects and family time. And then when I started to get the itch to get back in the woods, I would head out.

My success rates have drastically improved. I hunt probably 50% less now than I did at my peak. But I kill just as many deer and I kill bigger deer.

 

[Bwhntr]

I think sometimes we expect too much of ourselves and set our expectations too high.

I can remember when I got really into bow hunting whitetail deer. I hunted a ton. First few years I was pretty successful and then I started pushing harder. Despite the fact that I was hunting 20-25% more, my success rate and overall enjoyment was plummeting. It seemed that everything that could possibly go wrong would go wrong in the moment of truth. I got stuck in my head. I was miserable. Taking bad/questionable shots because “I had to kill something.” Hunting in absolute miserable conditions. I got to the point where I didn’t even want to go.

So, I took a step back reevaluated why I hunted. Was it solely just to kill something? Or was it more for the enjoyment of being outdoors and enjoying the experience, with a kill just being the cherry on top?

I dialed back my hunting efforts. Decided not to push so hard. Would time my hunts during better conditions and prime hunting times (the rut). Sometimes I would just take a couple weeks off and not even hunt. Just recharge the batteries, catch up on home projects and family time. And then when I started to get the itch to get back in the woods, I would head out.

My success rates have drastically improved. I hunt probably 50% less now than I did at my peak. But I kill just as many deer and I kill bigger deer.

Great insight. Thank you for sharing

 

[Amos Keeto]

"... I dialed back my hunting efforts. Decided not to push so hard. Would time my hunts during better conditions and prime hunting times (the rut). Sometimes I would just take a couple weeks off and not even hunt. Just recharge the batteries, catch up on home projects and family time. And then when I started to get the itch to get back in the woods, I would head out. ..."

I wrecked my left elbow playing high school football in 1965. It's bone-on-bone! Right shoulder is prosthetic. Can't draw the bow I have. Can't afford to reoutfit myself with a crossbow.
I'm a rifle hunter only.

Your premise sounds good, but in OK, "Deer - Gun" opens the Saturday before Thanksgiving and closes the first Sunday in December. Two weeks. If you only got gun season, your time is extremely limited.

 

[JackButler]

I don’t know if you’re a guide , that would change things if it’s your profession. When I got married and especially after kids, I simply had to dial it back. My wife is super cool but if I’m mid September I told her no dates until January, that I couldn’t even miss a couple days of hunting here and there, I assume she’d tell me she’s going on dates regardless lol.

There is an element of selfishness to hunting, especially with guys who have spouses that don't hunt. Dealing with the amount of time spent away from family can create issues for sure. This weekend coming up will be the last weekend that I will be home until Thanksgiving. Then I'm out again until the end of December. Most of the times, I'll be home at night but date nights are certainly on hold until January.

 

[Westernduck]

Simple. I don’t hunt for the meat. I love it and eat it all when I get it, but if I don’t it doesn’t change anything. I’m out there for the adventure

 

[Customweld]

I don’t know if you’re a guide , that would change things if it’s your profession. When I got married and especially after kids, I simply had to dial it back. My wife is super cool but if I’m mid September I told her no dates until January, that I couldn’t even miss a couple days of hunting here and there, I assume she’d tell me she’s going on dates regardless lol.

I'm not a guide, but we did fairly well in draws this year. One of the hunts is with my wife for a November cow .

 

[timekiller13]

"... I dialed back my hunting efforts. Decided not to push so hard. Would time my hunts during better conditions and prime hunting times (the rut). Sometimes I would just take a couple weeks off and not even hunt. Just recharge the batteries, catch up on home projects and family time. And then when I started to get the itch to get back in the woods, I would head out. ..."

I wrecked my left elbow playing high school football in 1965. It's bone-on-bone! Right shoulder is prosthetic. Can't draw the bow I have. Can't afford to reoutfit myself with a crossbow.
I'm a rifle hunter only.

Your premise sounds good, but in OK, "Deer - Gun" opens the Saturday before Thanksgiving and closes the first Sunday in December. Two weeks. If you only got gun season, your time is extremely limited.

If I only had 2 weeks a year to hunt, then I could hunt those 2 weeks non stop and not burnout.

I’m talking about hunting 60-70 days in a season, 4-5 days a week, week in week out. 4 solid months of your life doing nothing but hunting. That’s what I mean when I talk about dialing it back.

And again, it’s all about perspective. Do you HAVE to kill something for a hunt to be successful? When I go elk hunting I bust my butt for 7-8 straight days. Sleep 3-4 hours a night, burn the boot leather. I work hard to try and kill something, but I don’t consider an elk hunt a waste or a failure if I come home empty handed. I go out and enjoy my time on the mountain, I want to kill something, but if I don’t, then I don’t. I don’t make excuses or feel like I’ve failed. And I don’t have to justify a hunt to my wife/family with a kill. Every year, when I head out an out of state hunt, I tell my wife that there is a good chance that I will come home empty handed. She always says “this is your time, go out and enjoy yourself, you don’t need to explain anything to me.”

 

[Mojave]

Just because you don't see the animals in front of you and can't find them doesn't mean they are not there.

Thermal handhelds are legal in Europe. I am blown away by what hours of glassing doesn't reveal with my Swarovskis that the Thermal handheld picks up during the day time.

Also for safety, I have found people walking behind wildlife here in the forest that I never would have seen.

 

[Boarmaster]

It happened to me. After 7 years of filling tags I had 3 years strait of tag soup. Honestly I was a bit stunned after the 3rd year. It happens. If there is game where you are hunting then you need to suck it up and keep hunting. I love to hunt as much as anyone but I would be a liar if I said harvesting didn't make its better hunt for me. If the kids aren't going hungry and the bills are getting paid I don't see were you should be feeling guilty. Good luck

 

[Amos Keeto]

"... If I only had 2 weeks a year to hunt, then I could hunt those 2 weeks non stop and not burnout. ..."

I prolly could too! LOL!

Also, we have a "Primitive Arms" season that ends the weekend before "Gun Season" starts.
There is a "Fall Turkey" season that runs that week.
If you like archery, "Archery Deer" runs Oct 1- to sometime in January.
....and also a two week "Bonus Antlerless" season the end of Dec.

So yeah, there is more than just the two weeks, depending on your bent and desires.
But your best opportunity to take a buck is the 2 week "Gun" season.

Also, where I hunt, everybody hunts from a stand. A few do "spot & stalk", but there aren't vast expanses of public land to roam. This flat land doesn't offer much to glass and spot.

At my age, I still have the drive to "get out there", but pulling the trigger is getting harder and harder! (Do I  really want to dress a deer, or just go home, relax and go to bed?)

Too many times, the latter wins out!

 

[Macintosh]

Is this a question about hunting tactics and plans dealing with changes to game populations or habits that may or may not be out of your control? Hunting pressured public is a LOT less predictable than hunting private, at least in my experience. Maybe hunt less so you can get access to some good private??
Or is this a question about what it takes to be happy as something you define yourself around becomes harder or unattainable due to age, location and your other life choices? Or is this a question about balancing time for yourself while maintaining a healthy marriage and family?

The original post seems ambiguous enough to answer it from any of these perspectives. All of the below is assuming your time away from family has been discussed with your wife, and everyone is happy with the amount of time away, regardless of whether you kill anything.

Regarding an activity you define yourself around changing for you—yes, this is totally normal. In fact, I think people need to expect it. Take a break. Hunt something new (ducks, birds, etc) so you are forced to learn new things. Hunt with a gun, dont handicap yourself if killing an animal is whats missing. But ultimately, do something else, anything from backpacking without a bow/gun, to golf. You cannot control the animals or guarantee a kill, so if it isnt working as-is, you have no choice except to change something, its up to you to be happy with what youre doing. Change is the only constant, don't for a minute think it’ll always be the same, so dont force it to be because you cant. Your job is to figure out what makes you happy. If hunting loses its “thing” for you, who cares, change the way you are doing it or do something else that does it for you. Honestly, I think it really is that simple.
Ime if you let ego get the better of you (only hunting with a bow or a particular way, only shooting a stud, etc) you may be setting yourself up for failure if killing an animal is really the only thing missing for you.

 

[Felix40]

I was feeling a little burned out this year. Not really excited about butchering big animals. I did a lot more fishing with my family. I think we spent a dozen weekends at the lake. We found a lake that’s clear enough to spearfish and that was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. You have to be ok with doing things you enjoy more than things people promote on social media.

I don’t know where you are but if I had to hunt in some of these states where things have gotten really bad (CO), I probably wouldn’t do it much. I see more elk taking my kid to school than I do on a week long camping trip in Colorado. Decades of unlimited hunting pressure, recreation pressure, and low predator harvest have caught up. With all the social media bs now, people are loving the forest to death. Hunting wasn’t always such a “go harder, deeper, be a badass and take photos” thing. We used to just do it because it was fun.

 

[Cheddar]

Hey all. Wanted to put this out there to see if I could lean on anyone else’s experiences.

I have hunted my whole life. Up until recently I never seemed to have a problem harvesting animals. We hunted, found animals, had some luck on our side, and harvested. I live out west and have hunted some private land and now, mostly public otc hunts with 1 private land hunt every other year.

My work and a gracious wife allow me to spend a lot of time in the woods.

About 5 years ago, for whatever reason, animal harvests just seemed to disappear. This includes 4 out of state hunts, and several more in state hunts. Both on foot and on horseback. Close to roads and as far as 14 miles in from a trailhead. I live 4-6 hours from my hunting spots so every hunt turns into a lot of travel.

I hike. More than most. Typically finding myself in areas away from people. Some hunts have had close calls. And some have seen nothing. I feel like I have put in the work, but for whatever reason lacking that last bit of luck to harvest.

Where I’m going with this.

This have challenged my love for hunting. Guilt has crept in now with a wife and two young kids. Many days and nights away, putting the burden on my wife, to come home empty handed time and time again. Its affected my confidence in the field and overall attitude towards hunting. I have found myself in some beautiful places, but it is beginning to feel like the juice is not worth the squeeze.

I do enjoy the hunts and the time spent with buddies. But I do consider a harvest an important part. I don’t expect to harvest on every hunt. But like I said, 5 years, 4 out of state hunts and many in state hunts leaving me frustrated with the time, effort and money spent.

Maybe I sound like a total jackass but any insight would be appreciated. Has anyone else experienced something similar? Would love to hear some thoughts.

hunt in your area and hammer those units, you can consistently go out after no harvest because you have all season and its near by. dont be picky about what you shoot, youll harvest plenty this way and still be near home.

 

[lintond]

- Get a wife that laughs at you when you say “I’ll get one and be home early from my trip”
- Make sure your coworkers are equally confident in your abilities and say things like “you never get anything”

Those type of confidence boosters will make sure your expectations are low and you skin is thick.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[magtech]

Could t harvest an elk on my archery elk hunt this year so im going to smoke 4 deer off the property to make up for it.

May not have gotten the meat from elk hunting but it was a positive experience nonetheless.

Watch out tiny whitetails... your days are numbered.