When to quit?

[Jpsmith1]

First rule, hunt where the game is.

It’s a hobby for most people, so how much game do you kill in your other hobbies?

However, if you aren’t having fun, I say quite for a while.

Literally all of my hobbies are focused around trying to kill stuff.

If I'm not actively hunting, I'm shooting, Scouting, planning, prepping, training or working to afford it all.

 

[Mt Al]

Never.


IMHO if you enjoy hunting and being outside, change what you're doing and how you're doing it. Since OnX all "my" (they were never mine) spots are ruined, crawling with people who deserve and are glad to be there.

I have to hunt differently, go farther back, change expectations and try new things. None of this increases my success. My "success" is way down from when it was easier, but still enjoying it. I hunt birds, predators and small game more, do more fishing, but still hunt deer and elk going "left" where I used to go "right" and find new ground.

Might have to save up and go guided or pay to lease ground, knock on more doors, etc..

None of this might apply to Pennsylvania, we have it way easier out West.

If it's important to you, you'll find a way. If it's not, then I hope you embrace something new and challenging. Nothing wrong with stopping doing something that's not filling your soul.

 

[gregsky]

Lots of great advice in this thread. My 2c, like others have said I'd think about taking a break instead of outright quitting. Burnout can be a real thing.

It might be helpful to really think about why you're hunting. What do you enjoy about it? The thrill of killing game? Being outdoors? Solitude? This can reset your mindset and take some of the pressure off.

Do you have any interest in other types of hunting? Small game could scratch the hunting itch and help you find success. Predator/coyote hunting is fun too once you get over the learning curve.

 

[Skerhunter]

Sometimes people get lucky and put themselves in the right place at the right time. When they do it on a regular basis they aren’t just lucky they are good hunters.

You said you run cameras - do you see deer on camera on a regular basis? If so that is a slam dunk! If you don’t then I don’t expect to see deer and it’s time to actually find the deer.

Just start asking yourself why and ask successful hunters the same! Why are deer in this area, why did they leave, did I pressure them out, did other hunters push them out, did they move because of food/water/the rut/the weather.

Don’t assume anything - find answers! I have found what I thought was a solid spot - just to blow the game out trying to access it. Or i get in there and the wind constantly swirls and I blow it out. When that happens I don’t just beat my head against the wall - I find a better way.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Lots of great advice in this thread. My 2c, like others have said I'd think about taking a break instead of outright quitting. Burnout can be a real thing.

It might be helpful to really think about why you're hunting. What do you enjoy about it? The thrill of killing game? Being outdoors? Solitude? This can reset your mindset and take some of the pressure off.

Do you have any interest in other types of hunting? Small game could scratch the hunting itch and help you find success. Predator/coyote hunting is fun too once you get over the learning curve.

At this point, I almost feel like success is something I need.

I've placed so much desire, so much time and effort into this that I need to do it.

Suffice it to say I'm not great at losing.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Sometimes people get lucky and put themselves in the right place at the right time. When they do it on a regular basis they aren’t just lucky they are good hunters.

You said you run cameras - do you see deer on camera on a regular basis? If so that is a slam dunk! If you don’t then I don’t expect to see deer and it’s time to actually find the deer.

Just start asking yourself why and ask successful hunters the same! Why are deer in this area, why did they leave, did I pressure them out, did other hunters push them out, did they move because of food/water/the rut/the weather.

Don’t assume anything - find answers! I have found what I thought was a solid spot - just to blow the game out trying to access it. Or i get in there and the wind constantly swirls and I blow it out. When that happens I don’t just beat my head against the wall - I find a better way.

I think i had 6 different bucks on camera this summer. Hard to count the doe without identifying features.

I saw one forked horn that isn't legal to shoot

 

[gregsky]

At this point, I almost feel like success is something I need.

I've placed so much desire, so much time and effort into this that I need to do it.

Suffice it to say I'm not great at losing.

I feel you, it has taken me a long time to find success for every kind of new hunting I've done. I've changed my definition of success as well as I gained experience. From just seeing animals, to putting myself in a position to take a shot, to killing something (this is where I am now), to killing a mature animal. This has helped me keep my head in the game.

Sounds like you're going through 'the valley of despair'.
Valley of Despair Article

Keep at it, you'll get through it. As said before, breaks can help. Changing it up some from what you know is not working can help too.

 

[dusky]

I appreciate your honest post. For me, hunting is just as much about the meat as the time outdoors, so going home empty handed after the season despite tremendous effort, I feel thoroughly miserable. More than once I've said, "I hate hunting. Why do I do this?" Then I'm back at the research, skill building, etc. before long after the season ends. People like us, who hunt tough areas and who go home empty handed a lot, have to dig deeper than guys who are more natural killers or who were taught or handed down special wisdom or hunt areas. Are you still hunting for yourself or for the tradition from which you come? It takes a ridiculous amount of positive mental attitude to stay in the game,like you said. Hope seems to sharpen skill. It sucks sitting on a spot in which you have little confidence. But that lack of confidence will make me not pay attention and more than once I've had a window of opportunity literally just seconds long. It's exhausting, maintaining non-stop focus. I can't hunt from the stand. Too much energy in me. Living in Colorado,I fortunately don't have to; I can move more than Eastern whitetail hunters. The taste of that meat is what keeps me coming back. And the challenge. I also hate to lose, perhaps to a fault. I've let go when I've had to, but the pain has to be high. Only you know your own threshold.
My brother has been an encouragement. He whitetail hunts public land in Indiana and it took him 10 years of failing to become a regular killer. He says you usually gotta have many encounters each season before you actually get a good shot opportunity. He would frequently miss a kill simply because he was set up one tree over in the wrong spot. Next year he'd be in that next tree over and get it done. He's found that he can't just hunt a crop field edge on a bedding thicket. He has to go in "deep" where he doesn't find other hunters. And he has stands placed specifically for the expected prevailing wind that day.
I'll add that you've ******* killed deer dude. A lot of deer. More than the majority of the population. And you're doing something (hunting) that almost no one these days has the nerve for. Stop comparing yourself to the best killers? I'll never be a Remi Warren or a Ryan Lampers. Some guys have the instincts PLUS the accumulation of decades of ancestral knowledge and personally earned experience on the land.
Why have you kept hunting all this time? Has that changed? Are you questioning things about your life in general, ie. a midlife crisis?
Keeping going when others near you are killing but you're not is SOOOO hard sometimes. Makes ya feel stupid or unworthy or something. Maybe that's just me though.
Barring luck or changing hunting areas, If there's a shift in your success rate to be had, I'm guessing it's going to come down to either skill building or a shift in your mental space.
And in case you need to hear this, it's ok to walk away from hunting. But if you keep on keeping on, may the hunting gods show you grace

 

[Jason Snyder]

If you have to be tuned into your phone to endure the sit, you aren’t tuned into what’s around you and you’re likely missing stuff. It sounds to me like you don’t honestly enjoy the time in the stand.

 

[Jpsmith1]

If you have to be tuned into your phone to endure the sit, you aren’t tuned into what’s around you and you’re likely missing stuff. It sounds to me like you don’t honestly enjoy the time in the stand.

I would prefer other methods of hunting to be sure.

They're not very effective in this part of the country.

 

[Jpsmith1]

If you have to be tuned into your phone to endure the sit, you aren’t tuned into what’s around you and you’re likely missing stuff. It sounds to me like you don’t honestly enjoy the time in the stand.

Most of the hunting when I was younger was drive hunting or still hunting/stalking.

Everyone from the hunting camp I grew up in is dead except for me.
There's nobody left to drive for or to.

My adult children don't care to hunt, probably in part because I wasn't able to show them any success when they were kids so it never became a part of their lives.

 

[LongWayAround]

Do you hunt things other than deer?

I haven't read all of the posts here but, to me, it sounds like you're probably missing some of the basics.

Go hunt some squirrels or rabbits, game birds, turkeys... Guys who are consistently successful on large game usually started out with small game.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Do you hunt things other than deer?

I haven't read all of the posts here but, to me, it sounds like you're probably missing some of the basics.

Go hunt some squirrels or rabbits, game birds, turkeys... Guys who are consistently successful on large game usually started out with small game.

I have been trying to do this.

I've been hunting ducks a little in the earlier part of the season. No dog, no decoys, just a walk up and shoot type hunt. Haven't had any success but I've been.having a ton of fun.

I took my pistol for a walk squirrel and rabbit hunting this fall. Got a fair bit of shooting in but squirrels are small and fast little guys.

I have been generally successful on small game

I have a bear hunt planned for next weekend.

 

[LaHunter]

You most likely are making mistakes due to not paying attention to the basics of whitetail hunting.
Rule #1: It's always about the wind
Rule #2: It's never not about the wind

Also, I am guessing that you may be moving too much while in the tree. Whitetails pick up movement incredibly well. Seeing & killing mature bucks is not easy.

 

[JeffRaines]

As others have mentioned, keep in mind those 10 minute YouTube videos or 30 minute episodes of a show typically include 7-10-14 days worth of hunting condensed down... and in a LOT(if not most) of those cases they're on OIL hunts or private lands, and a lot have the budget to buy into much better spots than the average Joe can afford. Even if they're all about "PUBLIC LAND OWNER" I know of at least one episode on Randy Newbergs channel that features their crew talking about how its a hunt anyone can do while standing on private land(wasn't BMA either). The only public part was the cabin they were staying in... maybe that's how they rationalized it.

Also keep in mind your buddies may not be letting you into their stands when they really expect something to be coming in or they've already killed the nice one. Even if they haven't, sometimes it really is luck. If you place yourself somewhere where deer congregate or travel often you're eventually going to have an opportunity. Even if you're just bumbling around the woods every season you can get an opportunity. Hell guys fill tags here every year just driving the roads all day.

One thing that really helped my success rates was making sure I'm either out there before first light or until after last light. Sometimes it's literally minutes on either side(usually evening for me). I filled my deer tag this year on the second to last day of the season 10 minutes prior to end of shooting light. If I can't hunt all day(often can't because homeowner, husband, father, work) I will typically pick one half or the other, and use the other half of the day to do what needs to be done.

Point I'm trying to make - just enjoy spending time in the woods and the success will come.

edit to add:

I also agree with others mentioning taking a break and focusing on other stuff. I didn't hunt at all in 2023. I spent my time off camping and fly fishing with my family in tow. It was a great year for recreation and I have no regrets at all. I came back this year and filled one of my tags... will likely do some hunting next year but I'm probably going to focus on salmon, steelhead, and some other water-type critters since we just bought a sled and I have to justify buying this over buying guided trips. Will I regret it? Probably not. I'll drag my family along and we'll make some awesome memories.

 

[Jpsmith1]

You most likely are making mistakes due to not paying attention to the basics of whitetail hunting.
Rule #1: It's always about the wind
Rule #2: It's never not about the wind

Also, I am guessing that you may be moving too much while in the tree. Whitetails pick up movement incredibly well. Seeing & killing mature bucks is not easy.

Please understand that this is a sincere question

Why do you think I care about a "mature" buck? What about anything I have said makes you think I wouldn't be perfectly happy with a spike?

It's ALWAYS about "mature" this or that to some folks, and not everyone cares.

A legal deer must have 3 points not counting a brow tine. For me it's 1, 2, 3, bang no other criteria needed

 

[Jpsmith1]

As others have mentioned, keep in mind those 10 minute YouTube videos or 30 minute episodes of a show typically include 7-10-14 days worth of hunting condensed down... and in a LOT(if not most) of those cases they're on OIL hunts or private lands, and a lot have the budget to buy into much better spots than the average Joe can afford. Even if they're all about "PUBLIC LAND OWNER" I know of at least one episode on Randy Newbergs channel that features their crew talking about how its a hunt anyone can do while standing on private land(wasn't BMA either). The only public part was the cabin they were staying in... maybe that's how they rationalized it.

Also keep in mind your buddies may not be letting you into their stands when they really expect something to be coming in or they've already killed the nice one. Even if they haven't, sometimes it really is luck. If you place yourself somewhere where deer congregate or travel often you're eventually going to have an opportunity. Even if you're just bumbling around the woods every season you can get an opportunity. Hell guys fill tags here every year just driving the roads all day.

One thing that really helped my success rates was making sure I'm either out there before first light or until after last light. Sometimes it's literally minutes on either side(usually evening for me). I filled my deer tag this year on the second to last day of the season 10 minutes prior to end of shooting light. If I can't hunt all day(often can't because homeowner, husband, father, work) I will typically pick one half or the other, and use the other half of the day to do what needs to be done.

Point I'm trying to make - just enjoy spending time in the woods and the success will come.

I watch very little YouTube. Between work, life and time in the woods, it's not something I make time for.

I bumbled around the woods for 25 years before I started having real opportunities. That's no BS.

 

[007hunter]

I’m raising the BS flag here. After 37 years you should have it figured out, especially if you are as dedicated to scouting as you say you are.

Give it up.

What part of PA?

 

[Jpsmith1]

I’m raising the BS flag here. After 37 years you should have it figured out, especially if you are as dedicated to scouting as you say you are.

Give it up.

What part of PA?

Call BS all you want, but every word is true

I was born in Coudersport, grew up in Austin, then Wharton. We moved to New Brighton and I've settled in New Castle.

To be perfectly honest, I've only really started scouting the past 10-15 years but, still.

 

[LaHunter]

Please understand that this is a sincere question

Why do you think I care about a "mature" buck? What about anything I have said makes you think I wouldn't be perfectly happy with a spike?

It's ALWAYS about "mature" this or that to some folks, and not everyone cares.

A legal deer must have 3 points not counting a brow tine. For me it's 1, 2, 3, bang no other criteria needed

Well, disregard the last sentence. You are either making too many fundamental mistakes or you are hunting where there is a very low density of deer. Quit or not.