Losing the passion

[Ac338]

Maybe try mixing up your tactics or methods to respark interest. If you rifle hunt try bowhunting.. etc.

 

[mcseal2]

I still like whitetail hunting but I really love hunting the west and this year Alaska. I like applying tactics learned out west to whitetail hunting big bucks at home. I do a lot of scouting whitetail from far enough to not pressure them with 15x binos on a tripod now for example. It makes me a better glasser getting the extra practice and helps me pattern bucks. I have found success using tactics by hunting different than the majority of other hunters both places. I love hunting no matter what or how I'm hunting and try to learn from it all.

I haven't hunted from a treestand in over 20 years for anything, and I've never killed a deer from a tree. I guess I like mobility to much even when whitetail hunting. I know they have their place but even when I bow hunted I preferred to be on the ground. I've taken several of my best rifle bucks by spot and stalk, pushing timber, or the chance encounters that come with a lot of time afield.

 

[*zap*]

Thats why i hunt large tracts of public land, theres adventure, land to roam and every deer is earned


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X2. Go to a new area and challenge yourself to find the sign and set up in the right place....it takes time and effort thou...but worth it.

 

[JakeC]

I go through this cycle every 4 or 5 years myself. About 4 years ago I started reading and watching a lot of videos from Dan Infalt and got into trying to get right on top of bedded bucks. That really got me excited about it again but it's starting to fade off now. I've accepted that i enjoy the scouting miles and tactics of picking setups WAY more than I enjoy the sitting in a stand all day and even the kill. Most years if I have a good scouting season I'm not terribly upset if work doesnt let me get out on stand much.
I have been thinking about swapping over to ground hunting to break up the monotony for a while. A relative of mine did recently and says that having even a young doe 10 yards in front of you on the ground will really get the heart pumping.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

It is quite different on the ground. I haven't used a tree stand for whitetail in quite a long while, still have a Lone Wolf Assault with sticks but usually the backpack gets the nod.
If you get burnt out just quit for a while, if you decide you don't want to do it anymore don't......it's just hunting.

Esse quam videri

 

[*zap*]

I go through this cycle every 4 or 5 years myself. About 4 years ago I started reading and watching a lot of videos from Dan Infalt and got into trying to get right on top of bedded bucks. That really got me excited about it again but it's starting to fade off now. I've accepted that i enjoy the scouting miles and tactics of picking setups WAY more than I enjoy the sitting in a stand all day and even the kill. Most years if I have a good scouting season I'm not terribly upset if work doesnt let me get out on stand much.
I have been thinking about swapping over to ground hunting to break up the monotony for a while. A relative of mine did recently and says that having even a young doe 10 yards in front of you on the ground will really get the heart pumping.

Ground hunting is a challenge. One good tactic is to hunt up a ridge a bit where the deer pass thru below you. If you sit still cover to draw is all you need, you can be sitting next to a tree and as long as you have a spot where the deers head is going to be blocked from being able to see you you can draw. Small cedars work well for me.

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Most years if I have a good scouting season I'm not terribly upset if work doesnt let me get out on stand much.

I agree, time in the woods is the most important part but venison is also very good.....

 

[Bambeklr]

I have had that fight with myself with weapons... I never really dreaded going but I found myself making things harder on purpose.

 

[FURMAN]

I've grown up a whitetail hunter as that's only big game my state has to offer. After being stationed in Colorado and going on a few hunts out of my home state I've lost my drive for whitetail hunting I prep in off season and get excited for the season but once its here it's like i dread going, I love going out west to hunt maybe that's got my attention right now

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I live in the heart of big whitetail country and can not sit in a stand to save my life. After spot and stalk in the west I just can't do it.

 

[Neil87]

I try to mix it up, getting the family involved helps keep the spirit

 

[rpri5684]

In the same boat. Heading west!

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[16Bore]

Take a kid
Use different gear or a lighter caliber
Get closer
Make gourmet cooking the final measure of success
Find new areas or pocket hunts

 

[NWHunter84]

I go back to Illinois for family and I love fresh deer meat. It can seem like a pain but I use all aspects of the trip to justify doing it.