The Allure Of Switching Spots; Pre-Season Uncertainty
Is anyone else getting massive anxiety about the spot they chose? I’m headed to an area I’ve done some scouting in Region 3 for rifle opener. It was the most promising of the areas I scouted, but I wouldn’t say it was full of sign.
I still have not managed to see a deer while attempting to see one; this is my second year and I think that it’s getting into my head. Every ungulate I have come across has been when I am not actively looking.
Now I can’t stop worrying that I should be going to a different area for opener. I want an epic hike where I see at least one animal! I’d even settle for getting eyes on a single doe.
What if I choose the wrong ridge? What if all my efforts this summer leave me empty handed? What if I only manage to glass down cattle because I’m too close to a ranch? What if there are actually no deer in Canada and this whole thing is a massive conspiracy designed to undermine my computer skills?
How do I rationalize one spot over the other if I didn’t find one that said “Deer are here, right now”?
Re: The Allure Of Switching Spots; Pre-Season Uncertainty
I hunt bears more so than deer, I know a spot where I saw 7 in an hour this spring. The next trip not one in 3 days. Sometimes it's not about being in the right spot, but being there at the right time. If you have a spot you like, go back, keep going back. Learn it and the things there, one day your timing will be right!
Good luck, take pictures !!!
Take a kid hunting its more rewarding than shooting an animal yourself!!
Re: The Allure Of Switching Spots; Pre-Season Uncertainty
You don't rationalize one spot over another. You go learn spots and look for where the deer are. There is no rationalization needed if the animals are there. Seeing animals and finding fresh sign all tell you that animals are there. The more and fresher the sign the better. Scouting and really learning an area will tell you where and when to hunt. The rest is hopefully bumping into the animals at the right time and place.
Its really easy to fall into the trap of thinking, if I was just in another area I would have much more luck. This exact mindset hinders a hunter when they take a stand somewhere. "I bet you deer are moving just over the other side of the ridge, I bet I would have better shooting lanes if I move stands, I bet there is a better vantage point on that ledge etc etc etc". Second guessing is the name of the game sometimes. The truth is hunting is about learning habitat to find and kill animals. If you jump to another area, you're likely going to be in the same bind you are in now. You will be trying to learn it and wondering where the animals really are. Then you will dream about other spots which are full of deer, if you were only on another ridge in another area. Most areas hold animals, but they won't use it all equally. There will be pockets of high use and sometimes large areas of minimal use. Learning an area is all about finding and exploiting these pockets of high use, or the travel corridors between them. If you have time to explore new areas, then do it when the weather sucks for hunting or on another scouting trip. You can also use downtime to scout out new spots in the area you are currently hunting. Go where you haven't thought of going and see what is there.To sum it up, learn an area well and hunt it with confidence. Good luck out there!
Haney,BC and anywhere you can hunt in BC out of the rain !
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Re: The Allure Of Switching Spots; Pre-Season Uncertainty
Dont stress, just go and enjoy the hunt, don't think you have to kill something everytime out or you will end up disappointed more often than not, Ive been on several multiday backpack hunts where we've never seen a buck, sometimes you see many in one day.
Two years ago I stayed at our cabin in area 3 for the month of November, I seen about 15 4 points for the month, some days I never seen a deer but I still went out every day, Nov 15/16/17 were the most active days for deer, bucks and does, seen three 4 points on the 17th chasing does, on the 18th in the same area not one deer ? Ive hunted this spot for 40 years and its always been that way.
So again go and enjoy the hunt, learn what you can and don't get stressed out over what you can't control, its like worrying about the weather, yeh sometimes it sucks but nothing you can do to change it.....other than maybe stay home !
7-6.5 PRCW the best cartridge since the 280 Ackley 👍
Re: The Allure Of Switching Spots; Pre-Season Uncertainty
Haha I appreciate that you’re straight to the point. If I understand correctly, you’re saying “keep looking”. At least I know some of the ridges and the general area of this one area; I’ll try to build on that knowledge of the area rather than abandoning it in the hopes of a lottery victory that is more likely just a return to step 1. Thanks.
Re: The Allure Of Switching Spots; Pre-Season Uncertainty
I don't worry about if my spots going to hold deer but I do worry about another hunter finding my lil honey hole. I have a couple trail cams set up and a shooting lanes set up... It took me a lot of years to find this spot.
Re: The Allure Of Switching Spots; Pre-Season Uncertainty
Originally Posted by Gateholio
Massive anxiety?
Hunting is optional. If a Recreational activity was causing me undue stress I would choose another hobby.
This isn’t the bad kind of anxiety, the “I don’t want to do this” feeling. It’s excitement that is mixed with a real desire to see results from the effort I put in. I get this with everything I love, especially while learning.