When to quit?

[Pharmseller]

What kind of gear, and where is the tree? Asking for a friend.

All joking aside, if what you’re doing isn’t working, change what you’re doing.

Hunt somewhere else. Use a different technique. Practice shooting more so you don’t miss.

Missing is a reality, I get it, but it should be a very, very rare occurrence. What would your success rate look like if you made half the shots you missed? Would you even be posting this question? If you’ve missed more than you care to talk about that’s on you.

I just turned 61 and I can’t imagine not hunting.




P

 

[Jpsmith1]

What kind of gear, and where is the tree? Asking for a friend.

All joking aside, if what you’re doing isn’t working, change what you’re doing.

Hunt somewhere else. Use a different technique. Practice shooting more so you don’t miss.

Missing is a reality, I get it, but it should be a very, very rare occurrence.

I just turned 61 and I can’t imagine not hunting.




P

Re: missing.

I would agree that, under normal circumstances, a miss should be a rarity.

I think that, due to a lack of experience, I come 'unglued' during close encounters. Especially with a bow.

Target photo of a 96 yard novelty shoot. That wasn't a fluke. I repeated it 6 times in a row.

 

[philos]

Hunting is not grocery shopping-it is never guaranteed no matter how much you have in your favor. Luck plays a far greater role than many want to admit. Also, sound like you are putting too much pressure on yourself. Just take a walk in the woods and carry a gun.

Hunt some small game, have fun and if the thrill is gone…time to find a hew hobby.

 

[Pharmseller]

Re: missing.

I would agree that, under normal circumstances, a miss should be a rarity.

I think that, due to a lack of experience, I come 'unglued' during close encounters. Especially with a bow.

Target photo of a 96 yard novelty shoot. That wasn't a fluke. I repeated it 6 times in a row.

Sounds like you have a lot of experience if you have had lots of misses. And you stated you wounded and lost “a few.” With all due respect, that’s simply not acceptable.

Work on the coming unglued part. Relax. Deep breaths. Practice more so it becomes muscle memory. Maybe you’re missing because you have no confidence in your abilities and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You know you’ll miss, so you become unglued, not the other way around.

Become a good shot. So good, in fact, that your mind knows, at the deepest level, that when you hit that release the deer will die. So good that the shot is the easiest part of the hunt. So good that you know the hunt is over when the deer presents a shot.

If you see him and he’s in range, he’s dead. That good of a shot.




P

 

[Jpsmith1]

Sounds like you have a lot of experience if you have had lots of misses. And you stated you wounded and lost “a few.” With all due respect, that’s simply not acceptable.

Work on the coming unglued part. Relax. Deep breaths. Practice more so it becomes muscle memory. Maybe you’re missing because you have no confidence in your abilities and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You know you’ll miss, so you become unglued, not the other way around.

Become a good shot. So good, in fact, that your mind knows, at the deepest level, that when you hit that release the deer will die. So good that the shot is the easiest part of the hunt. So good that you know the hunt is over when the deer presents a shot.

If you see him and he’s in range, he’s dead. That good of a shot.




P

You nailed it

I have no confidence. Sit all day and not seeing deer, it's hard to wake up the next day, let alone sit all day and pay attention.

Miss a couple deer or worse, wound one and watch your confidence drop.

Maybe said differently I am absolutely confident that whatever I do in the deer woods will be the wrong thing.

 

[go_deep]

I'll quit when the good Lord calls me home.

Might want to incorporate some small game hunting into your season, gets you some extra time in the field getting your eyes looking for game, exposes you to new areas that might be worth big game hunting, extra shooting which will only increase your skills and confidence.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Sounds like you have a lot of experience if you have had lots of misses. And you stated you wounded and lost “a few.” With all due respect, that’s simply not acceptable.

Work on the coming unglued part. Relax. Deep breaths. Practice more so it becomes muscle memory. Maybe you’re missing because you have no confidence in your abilities and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You know you’ll miss, so you become unglued, not the other way around.

Become a good shot. So good, in fact, that your mind knows, at the deepest level, that when you hit that release the deer will die. So good that the shot is the easiest part of the hunt. So good that you know the hunt is over when the deer presents a shot.

If you see him and he’s in range, he’s dead. That good of a shot.




P

I had an area i hunted for about 12 years it was AWESOME.

Had a bunch of oaks, great bedding cover nearby.

Bonus, it was right behind my house so I could walk to a stand in like 5 minutes.

Just about the time i was getting that sort of figured out, the loggers came through, took all the oaks and walnut and pretty much anything else that would hold a stand.

That's where I had most of my experience.

I'm now working on a new area. I've got about 3 years in to figuring out 3000ish acres

 

[Pharmseller]

You nailed it

I have no confidence. Sit all day and not seeing deer, it's hard to wake up the next day, let alone sit all day and pay attention.

Miss a couple deer or worse, wound one and watch your confidence drop.

Maybe said differently I am absolutely confident that whatever I do in the deer woods will be the wrong thing.

If every instinct you have is wrong, the opposite has to be right.

Become confident. Practice. It’s fun, as well. Become a killer in your head.

It works. I know.





P

 

[Szwampdonkey]

I have exactly the same number of years on stand as you. I’m 49 started at 12. I’ve killed 2-3 deer on average per year over that span hunting almost exclusively public and primarily with a bow.

If you have seriously only killed 10 deer in almost 40 years of hunting i find that to be astounding! Are you being super selective? As i have about a dozen mature bucks only out of that span. But i kill PLENTY of does for the freezer. But if i only shot mature bucks during my entire deer hunting career my numbers would be similar to yours.

If you are targeting only mature deer and never killing anything and are no longer happy eating tag soup STOP. Just lower your standards and kill whatever comes by and be happy with your venison and memories. Trust me, you’ll enjoy hunting again.

If its not that then you need to hunt somewhere else because if you’re looking to just kill deer and have only managed to kill 10 in 35+ years you cant be in a very target rich environment. I’d suggest you start hunting somewhere else that is a target rich environment.

Other than those two suggestions i got nothing. I’ve never found deer to be very hard to find or kill. I have found mature bucks to be harder to find and kill though. Thats why i’m a deer hunter first, big buck killer second. I’ll never quit hunting but that’s probably because i just hunt the way i want and ki what i feel like which leads to lots of successful hunts and venison steaks.

 

[Schmo]

@Jpsmith1,
Thanks for your honest post. As I read it, in my mind I’m saying don’t quit! Only you can make that decision though. This year is my second year to be hunting in the West. I grew up hunting whitetail in Arkansas where I live. I had marginal success as relating to bucks, but only got once chance on one as big as an 8 point. In the West, I hunt DIY. The post above about practicing not coming unglued when game is around is something that I have been working on. I’m not there yet, but I’m getting better. Take those deep breaths. Count down to 0 from 50 when you first see the animal. Having to focus on counting in reverse will make your mind occupied with that. Maybe hunt small game and coyotes? A 17HMR or 22 are a pile of fun on squirrels. Having a few different spots where you can hunt coyotes with some mouth calls is a lot of fun. 30-45 minutes per spot gets you back on the move before you’ve sat too long. It’s awesome to know that the coyote will be looking for you when they come in. Hopefully I’ve said something that will help.

 

[Jpsmith1]

I have exactly the same number of years on stand as you. I’m 49 started at 12. I’ve killed 2-3 deer on average per year over that span hunting almost exclusively public and primarily with a bow.

If you have seriously only killed 10 deer in almost 40 years of hunting i find that to be astounding! Are you being super selective? As i have about a dozen mature bucks only out of that span. But i kill PLENTY of does for the freezer. But if i only shot mature bucks during my entire deer hunting career my numbers would be similar to yours.

If you are targeting only mature deer and never killing anything and are no longer happy eating tag soup STOP. Just lower your standards and kill whatever comes by and be happy with your venison and memories. Trust me, you’ll enjoy hunting again.

If its not that then you need to hunt somewhere else because if you’re looking to just kill deer and have only managed to kill 10 in 35+ years you cant be in a very target rich environment. I’d suggest you start hunting somewhere else that is a target rich environment.

Other than those two suggestions i got nothing. I’ve never found deer to be very hard to find or kill. I have found mature bucks to be harder to find and kill though. Thats why i’m a deer hunter first, big buck killer second. I’ll never quit hunting but that’s probably because i just hunt the way i want and ki what i feel like which leads to lots of successful hunts and venison

I'm not selective at all.

I'd be less selective if the laws would permit it but Pennsylvania has a 3 point minimum now.

 

[Pharmseller]

@Jpsmith1,
Thanks for your honest post. As I read it, in my mind I’m saying don’t quit! Only you can make that decision though. This year is my second year to be hunting in the West. I grew up hunting whitetail in Arkansas where I live. I had marginal success as relating to bucks, but only got once chance on one as big as an 8 point. In the West, I hunt DIY. The post above about practicing not coming unglued when game is around is something that I have been working on. I’m not there yet, but I’m getting better. Take those deep breaths. Count down to 0 from 50 when you first see the animal. Having to focus on counting in reverse will make your mind occupied with that. Maybe hunt small game and coyotes? A 17HMR or 22 are a pile of fun on squirrels. Having a few different spots where you can hunt coyotes with some mouth calls is a lot of fun. 30-45 minutes per spot gets you back on the move before you’ve sat too long. It’s awesome to know that the coyote will be looking for you when they come in. Hopefully I’ve said something that will help.

From your avatar the country looks pretty open. If you have time (and distance) I have found a couple dry fires really calms the nerves before I send the real deal.



600 yard overwatch lets me take my time.





P

 

[Jpsmith1]

From your avatar the country looks pretty open. If you have time (and distance) I have found a couple dry fires really calms the nerves before I send the real deal.




P

My one and only buck came in 2020 when some friends invited me to hunt with them with the express intent of getting my first buck

It was rifle season and they were pushing deer.

My buck came out of the thicket and stopped behind a tree. I quickly counted points and settled the cross hairs. He took the step that I needed to clear his vitals from behind a tree and I shot.

I was, strangely enough, very calm. Running the whole process like a checklist.

The next year when a buck came out during archery, I forgot my name for a few minutes.

 

[Gobbler36]

I love being in the woods. I'd just like to SEE something, ya know.

Scout harder!
And get off your phone while on stand

All the best

 

[Ringbill27]

Your story sounds a lot like the northern 2/3s of Minnesota and my story, except your seeing deer to wound or miss.

I think about quitting but then I think about what I’d do if I didn’t hunt. I draw alot of blanks thinking about it. So I keep doing it.

 

[johnnycake]

Hunting isn't for everybody.

 

[FAAFO]

I am a 49 year old man. I have missed one year of hunting since I was 12 and that was due to an injury that laid me flat for the season.

I have invested thousands of hours in scouting, map study, hanging and checking cameras and, of course hunting. Bow, gun, muzzleloader you name it, I'll use it.

In those years, I've taken 10 deer, one of which was a buck. I've spent so many hours on stand with nothing but a few squirrels to break up the boredom. I've wounded and lost a few and missed more than I care to talk about. The wounding and missing, IMO, dovetail with rarely seeing game hence a lack of experience, leading to a lack of confidence which leads to a bad mental state and more difficulty staying 'in the hunt'


Every year, the thought occurs to me to just walk away. Just leave a big pile of high dollar gear at the bottom of a tree as a gift to the next guy and quit.

As if to add insult to injury as I'm composing this, 3 doe came trotting in, clearly spooked by another hunter, hit some invisible line and SCATTERED. They winded me, obviously, even though I'm down wind, the wind is shifty and probably blew that way for a split second. Which is the story of my life.

If you suck at something and can’t have fun doing it then it’s time to move on.

 

[copenmechanism]

I think you hit the nail on the head in an earlier post. You’re bringing the wrong energy into the woods. “That which you manifest is before you.” Take some time off, pick up a new hobby (that you’re successful at). Come back to the woods when you’re ready to be in them.

 

[onlybrody]

Sounds like you have a lot of experience if you have had lots of misses. And you stated you wounded and lost “a few.” With all due respect, that’s simply not acceptable.

Work on the coming unglued part. Relax. Deep breaths. Practice more so it becomes muscle memory. Maybe you’re missing because you have no confidence in your abilities and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You know you’ll miss, so you become unglued, not the other way around.

Become a good shot. So good, in fact, that your mind knows, at the deepest level, that when you hit that release the deer will die. So good that the shot is the easiest part of the hunt. So good that you know the hunt is over when the deer presents a shot.

If you see him and he’s in range, he’s dead. That good of a shot.




P

I have years less experience than my dad hunting but he still gets the nervous shakes and is all around not calm when a shot presents itself. The cold fact is that my dad shoots his rifle once or twice a year before season. I was this exact thing when I was younger.

These days I spend a ton of time behind rifles I own. I practice basically like a competitive shooter. I am confident in building a solid position and my ability to stay calm under pressure or time. These past four or so year I have never been so calm when it’s go time.

Know we’re talking about archery but same premise…. Practice how you hunt to where things are just second nature.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

You are in one of the best, if not the best states for deer in the country. Do two things, start looking into moving location and put in more time target practicing. Maybe do a lot of varmint hunting. You said you wounded and missed more than you care to mention. Unless you are set on trophy deer, I would bag some does. that will give you experience along with putting meat on the table.