What are you going to change for next year.

[Archerysniper]

Just wondering what everyone is going to do next year to improve their odds for next season.

For me I'm spending more time scouting and trying to new properties to hunt also keeping good relations going with the landowners that allready let me hunt. Let's face it my hunting would be nothing without those landowners.

I also learned this year when I'm not shooting good sometimes it is the bow and not me this cost me a bear of a lifetime. My groups were getting bigger at 40 yards and decided I was tired from shooting all afternoon so I packed up and headed to the stand only to have the biggest bear I have ever seen come into the bait and I couldn't get a good shot till he has 30 yards and ended up giving him a hair cut on his belly turns out the bushing on my trophridge rest wore out and wouldn't sit in the same spot every shot, I still have dreams of that luminock flying.

Here is a pic of it in the bait I couldn't get a good shot till it was leaving.

[deerminator]

Along those lines, I am going to make sure to let a few arrows fly before afternoon hunts early season. A loose sight cost me a nice doe (twice - two shots) and I figured it out after the fact obviously. I am also going to wind down the poundage on my bow a bit. Have been shooting right at 70 and that doesn't work so well late season I have found out. I thought I was going to tear my shoulder out trying to draw back once when I was so cold and stiff.

[HooknHorns]

Im definitly reworking a couple of tree stands that i have that way I dont loose 70 plus days of hunting due to a broken shoulder from falling. Missed the end of Oct to the end of the season. Plus after that I tried to pull back my bow at 73#s and couldnt even budge that so my poundage will be at the lowest setting til july or august. Another is I'd like to try heavier arrows. Shooting 390 gr. want to bump it up to 420 plus. Looking at ACC's or FMJ to get a little more weight. Gotta revamp my rest too. Have an old ripcord just need to order the code red launcher to quiet the noise while im drawing back. Im sure a few other issues will come up by the time season comes around next year. Cant wait.

[sticknstring]

I'm going to focus more on long-range pre-season scouting than I have in the past. I'm also going to hang my portables higher so that the rest of the guys won't hunt my stands. Going to try out some new blends of seeds in the foodplots. I'll be hunting with a new rig as well - can't wait until opening weekend.

[HooknHorns]

Sticknstring what are you getting for a rig

[sticknstring]

All black EZ7. I'm like a kid on Christmas morning.

[Bear55]

More scouting is at the top of my list as well. I've been out a few times since rifle season taking inventory and I found a few tracks that are showing promise for next year. The snow is getting pretty deep so I will probably hold off or at least slow down a little until spring, then really hit the scouting trail hard.

[Wanderer]

Scouting for me as well. Lack of it was my demise this season. Total lack of time didn't help either.

[Rippinlip]

Keep up with the landowners like I always do, cut better shooting lanes in earlier in the season, refresh my mineral stations earlier and more often.

Have more family walks looking for sheds and keep on working on my workouts at home. Noticed as a age I get winded just a little more when hunting and sometimes that keeps me from wanting to go that extra mile to the best spots.

[hockeybc69]

Changing my sight and my arrow rest.

[HooknHorns]

All black EZ7. I'm like a kid on Christmas morning.

Did you have to give a kidney for that one. Ive been looking at the new mathews and that would be the one id get. Still have a sbxt and wouldnt be gaining enough fps to spend that kind of dough. Looks sweet though and id be pumped too, always wanted an all black bow.

[walleyehunter80]

I have a 150 acre piece of family owned land that only I hunt, i am going to hang 4 stands that are for archery only, setting out 4 scouting cams instead of 1, and now own scent lock. I have always played the wind but this next year I will hang to kill!

[sticknstring]

Quote:

Did you have to give a kidney for that one. Ive been looking at the new mathews and that would be the one id get. Still have a sbxt and wouldnt be gaining enough fps to spend that kind of dough. Looks sweet though and id be pumped too, always wanted an all black bow.

I have to give up my Drenalin - that's like losing a kidney isn't it? If you're looking for more speed, check out the Magnum or the MR7. Broad line this year, something for everyone.

[Musky hunter 82]

This year I was given permission to hunt two different pieces of private land. I didn't receive permission to hunt them until right before the season started, so there was very little scouting. I really focused my attention on one of the pieces, and after getting out quite a bit. I have learned a ton about where and how the deer are moving through the woods. So next year I'm moving all of my stands, I'm not moving them alot just getting a different angle on the trails that the deer are using. I also changed my release, my peep sight, and refletched my arrows. Oh and more importantly, be satisfied with shooting a mature doe earlier. I'm eatting tag soup because I passed on does before the gun season (I hunt an area that didn't offer up bonus tags). I saw many deer usially 5-10 everytime I went out and most of them were within 15-20 yards of my stand but they were coming out behind me. I'm also going to check out the other piece more to try and figure out what is moving out there. THe last thing that I didn't get done this year is to get my wife in position to kill her first deer with a bow, she saw some but couldn't get her bow drawn.

[musky hunter]

I'll be looking at a faster smoother bow with a lot more let off. Not that it will improve my success, but it will make me feel better. I am also looking at a better tree stand and also considering more well brushed in ground blinds. And most of all, take more time off to go hunting!

[snoozebutton]

Like a lot of you, I'm going to do a lot more scouting (and I've already started.) Plus there's 3 properties I've targeted to ask permission to hunt.

[matchset]

i will be out scouting. a lot. i found one spot in particular; about three weeks too late.

and i plan to video everything!

[Scoot]

I'll be looking at a faster smoother bow with a lot more let off.

[certified jumbo]

Make some minor stand adjustments and get all our leases taken care of right away after the new year.

Our biggest change we will be working on is morning hunts. We are looking at not hunting in the morning as much. We feel we are doing more damage than good. My guess is few hunts in the morning until the rut is on. All we did was educate and spook deer.

Overall though, we have things pretty dialed.

[engfish]

The first thing I'm going to do is to get more stands up so that I can play the wind more effectively. I'm adding at least one more trail camera for next season; I learned a lot from this past year and also noticed that many of you put out a mineral/salt block to get an idea of what's on the property. I have two good spots picked for that next year. And finally, I've convinced my uncle that we need to add a food plot next season to put the odds a little more in my favor for late season hunting. He's not a hunter, but he's been very helpful when it comes to hanging stands and getting information from some of the other hunters in the area. I'm working on one local property for mid-week hunting which is going to involve some golf lessons! Happy New Year everyone, and thanks for another great season on the forum. Just waiting to hear back on the turkey tag application.

[ANYFISH2]

first off I plan to hunt more than 3 weekends this year, should up the odds! More trail cams and planting of crops for my landowner friend. not much for high quality food around so we feel it should help. Also do alot of shooting with my new (to me) bow, I am real excited for the upcoming season as this past was kind of a wash.

[DonBo]

I will definitely have more tree stands up for different wind directions. I'm also going to prune the apple trees on the property.

[BigJakeL]

I am going to try to get on some new land! I have too much competition on the pieces i hunt. Going to try to talk to some local farmers about hunting on there properties. Also, I need to Shoot shoot shoot. Keeping up on my accuracy was my biggest problem early in the season so I am going to try to target practice as often as possible from now on!

[Dark Cloud]

I will definitely have more tree stands up for different wind directions. I'm also going to prune the apple trees on the property.

Donbo - My dads a bit of a tree nut, he's got 2 orchards with a ton of diff kinds. Plus he prunes and grafts on all the wild trees on his property. A heavy pruning will help the trees but it is also important to clear a bunch of the canopy around them - the more light the better. Also weed and fertiliz the bases...

Changes for me next year aren't much. We have a ton of stands for diff winds and am/pm areas but I have one new stand location picked out.

Besides that i'll be practicing alot with the new recurve and will be looking to take my first deer with it...

[mrklean]

i hunted more out of state this year then instate next year i wanna get out more, around home or getting up north more. I didnt shoot as much in the off season as i did in past years also but hopefully next year my gf will be in the woods with me more also

[bottom-bouncer]

The biggest thing I am going to change is me! I am very fortunate to have some great propertys to hunt and alot of time to hunt. I have been chasing whitetails with a bow for over 25 years. And I think I lost site of why it is that I love bowhunting. Two seasons ago I spotted a monster buck across the road from one of my propertys And since that day he has become an obsession of mine Yes I still make sure to take the time to hunt with my wife and kids. But I have spent an obsurd amount of time and energy trying to kill this one deer. There are some people who call this type of hunting the ultimate goal pick one deer and do what it takes to harvest him.(legally) But I believe for me it ruined my own enjoyment of why I bowhunt. And has caused me to do some stupid things trying to harvest this one buck like walking down the root river at the end of october in waist deep water without the aid of waders. Hunting through wind storms that would scare a windmill. Losing sleep over my next move. Getting out into the woods 2 hours before sunrise only to panic when I get there over wich stand I need to sit. And the absoulute biggest no no a bowhunter can make burning out an area to the point that no deer are using that piece of property at all anymore. I have not hunted that piece since the second weekend of the firearms season I just checked it out a few days ago and there is not a single track to be found. Nobodys fault but my own. I also passed on some very respectable bucks in the 150" range. Thats not why I love bowhunting I love bowhunting because of the solitude in the stand but yet the commoradity after the hunt, or when you have deer so close that you can hear them breathing yet they havent a clue you are there. I love watching the sunrise and set there is nothing better than watching the woods come alive in the morning. And those are the things that I need to get back to the simple joys of bowhunting. If the oppurtunity is given next season I will try my best to stick the first mature buck that presents a shot. And if no shot presents itself or even if I see no deer at all I think I will be a better bowhunter because of my new outlook on why I choose to hunt. P.S the deer that caused me to lose sight of the reasons I hunt grosses over 200" so my advise to all who bowhunt both newbies and those that have been around awhile is never let any deer interfear with the reall reason we hunt.

[BLACKJACK]

Good post bottom bouncer!!

Changes for next year:

1) More archery stands on the 2nd property that I hunt.

2) Tweek stand placement/add a couple more stands to my home place.

3) Get permission to hunt a couple more farms so I don't burn out my home place by hunting it too often.

4) Scout out a couple of public hunting spots and hunt early in the season - so I don't burn out my home place.

5) Hunt more early season. Last year I didn't want to use up my bow tag too early, so I didn't hunt much in Sept/early Oct, waiting for that prime rut time in early Nov.

6) Don't get caught up on shooting only one of the big bucks that I saw on my trail cams, I will hunt them early (see #5) but come early November, I will harvest a deer.

7) More practice, will be setting up an indoor range this winter, plan on doing more practice at longer ranges this summer, also practice more with broad-heads.

[Bear55]

Good post BB. Maybe with your new outlook you will connect with the big guy next year. Or one of those baby 150's.

[HooknHorns]

BB Ive not shot a deer with a bow in over two years and your right about one deer dictating how you season ends. Just curious, the property I hunt is divided by the root river, what area do you hunt? Dont have to be specific.

[bottom-bouncer]

HH between lanesboro and rushford. Its not the not shooting a buck that bothers me its been a few years for me in that department as well. And as far as letting the 150 class bucks walk. Both nights I sat in the truck afterwards and thought to my self what in the h$ll am I thinking. Oh well maybe next year I will get the priveledge of holding some horns in my hands.