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Do you consider "Luck" to be a big factor in deer hunting?


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After deer hunting for over 45 years, I strongly believe that luck is a huge factor in deer hunting. I am not talking about you guys that hunt over corn piles, agriculture, or deer drives. Just regular woods hunting.

Here is an example- Even with all of the scouting and trail cameras, lets say three experienced hunters are all hunting the same ridge for the massive 12 point that they know is in the area. All three set up good stands on three different deer trails. About an hour later the 12 point comes down the trail that the hunter in the middle is watching and he makes good on his shot. 

Does this make him a better hunter than his two buddies? Of course not. It was all dependent on which trail the buck decided to use that day. And it was just luck that the hunter was on that trail and not one of the other two. Had the hunter swapped stand location with one of his buddies, he would not have taken the buck. 

So you see where luck is a factor here. It all depends on where the deer are that day and ultimately where they are going. I don't care how good you are! Deer are not "Slot Cars". They can go anywhere they want anytime they want!

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Luck plays a major role in everything 

I play the lottery daily, I never won big

True story, only played once in a while local guy here in town got divorced,  was down on his lucky played power ball or mega millions, left the ticket on the counter at quick check,  returned the next day and young kid behind the counter held the ticket for him cause the guy is regular,  he won that night in the sum of $338 MILLION.....

Yes he was lucky!!!

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5 minutes ago, trapoholic said:

After deer hunting for over 45 years, I strongly believe that luck is a huge factor in deer hunting. I am not talking about you guys that hunt over corn piles, agriculture, or deer drives. Just regular woods hunting.

 

 Deer are not "Slot Cars". They can go anywhere they want anytime they want!

Deer live on a whim.

while they can be somewhat patterned , watch how a buck deliberate on getting somewhere during the rut .

you grunt to him , he turns comes in and almost always goes off in a different direction than he had been going .

in order to be successful you need to play the areas that have the greatest odds of success .

.

Captain Dan Bias

REELMUSIC SPORTFISHING

50# Striper live release club.

 

http://reelmusicsportfishing.blogspot.com/

 

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They can go anywhere at anytime but they usually dont.  They can be very predictable if you scout them correctly and hunt them on the right day.  Not saying i never have a little luck on my side on some days but a large majority of my bigger bucks were killed on days when i felt like i knew it would happen.  I never ever hunt a spot where im not thinking “today is the day”.  If i dont kill a target buck within 3 days i felt like i did something wrong and he figured me out.  I will average 10 scout days for one stand day.  This goes for targeted bucks only.  I would have to say hunting the rut for a buck (especially a target buck) has a lot to do with luck especially when they are chasing does in any direction.  

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Yes, I believe pure luck alone is a key factor in killing a big buck on rare occasions. But you can greatly increase your odds for success by playing the wind, hiding your entrance and exit from the deer by using brush to screen your presence and hunting from an elevated position or using a ground blind. In short make your own luck.

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1 hour ago, trapoholic said:

After deer hunting for over 45 years, I strongly believe that luck is a huge factor in deer hunting. I am not talking about you guys that hunt over corn piles, agriculture, or deer drives. Just regular woods hunting.

Here is an example- Even with all of the scouting and trail cameras, lets say three experienced hunters are all hunting the same ridge for the massive 12 point that they know is in the area. All three set up good stands on three different deer trails. About an hour later the 12 point comes down the trail that the hunter in the middle is watching and he makes good on his shot. 

Does this make him a better hunter than his two buddies? Of course not. It was all dependent on which trail the buck decided to use that day. And it was just luck that the hunter was on that trail and not one of the other two. Had the hunter swapped stand location with one of his buddies, he would not have taken the buck. 

So you see where luck is a factor here. It all depends on where the deer are that day and ultimately where they are going. I don't care how good you are! Deer are not "Slot Cars". They can go anywhere they want anytime they want!

Buddy #1 would have been fast asleep when the buck went by and Buddy #2 couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.

Edited by Nomad
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Luck is indeed a part of scoring during deer season-without a doubt. 

However, I have friends who do not put a fraction of the time that I and others put into preparing, scouting, shooting, or overall spending time in the woods putting boots on the ground. 

Many times they are disappointed with what they see, encounter, and having zero opportunities to score in the woods.

I have always said that this is why 10% of the hunters get 90% of the deer.

Edited by LPJR
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You can do all the preparation and scouting in the world but you can’t control pressured deer or what people do in the woods

 

Gun season isn’t what it used to be hunters wise in New Jersey thinking back 40 or 50 years ago then lots of luck involved. Even back then we didn’t have the technical we have today.  Luck might be playing less and less a role as time passes 

 

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4 hours ago, Gobblengrunt said:

They can go anywhere at anytime but they usually dont.  They can be very predictable if you scout them correctly and hunt them on the right day.  Not saying i never have a little luck on my side on some days but a large majority of my bigger bucks were killed on days when i felt like i knew it would happen.  I never ever hunt a spot where im not thinking “today is the day”.  If i dont kill a target buck within 3 days i felt like i did something wrong and he figured me out.  I will average 10 scout days for one stand day.  This goes for targeted bucks only.  I would have to say hunting the rut for a buck (especially a target buck) has a lot to do with luck especially when they are chasing does in any direction.  

To this end, how do you effectively scout 10 days without impacting the area you will hunt that target buck?  Or are you on average spending 10 days to locate one and then hunting him immediately (i.e. the 9 other days you might be messing up an area a little with scent/impact but you aren't hunting there anyway)?

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I believe luck plays a big role in successes. This year is a prime example for me. I have not shot a buck in 3 years. Due to sports and what not I did not have a single camera out. Finally get a chance to get in a tree. Of the few stands I have as an option I pick the oak tree stand out of the knowledge of acorns this year. Now I have 3 stands on 2 different properties that are in oak trees. Due to warm weather and what not I pick the one with the shortest walk. As first light starts to illuminate the woods I notice 3 shooters bucks coming across the field into that tree stand. And fortunately I was able to get a shot opportunity on a great buck. 
 

I have been hunting this property for 20 years. It in an 11 acre piece, 8 acres is hay field. So take away the skill factor of how I shoot my bow. I would say that buck walking into that tree right at the start of good shooting light was more luck than anything else. 

I am the Lorax - I speak for the trees. 

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