Best advice I’ve seen on this thread. Or a similar saying “keep the Main thing, the main thing. “

I just havent figured out what is more imoirtant.

"Find a better place to hunt"

My biggest pieces of advice for my kids were/are, always hunt the wind and stay in the stand until you can’t see (especially with a bow).

Growing up not being taken hunting once these types of threads are what I clinged to for years hoping I would find that one thing that I’m not doing. Everyone knows to hunt the wind, hunt as often as you can, sit still etc. For years I would get so frustrated because I would read magazines about the big deer killers and talk to them and do everything they said as well as work 4 times as much as anyone else looking for that edge and never have a big buck to show for it. I’m roughly 15 years in what I consider hard hunting now and I’ve still never killed a big buck, probably never will and I just have to be ok with that. If a person hunts just to kill big bucks that’s fine, nothing wrong with that at all but in this state it’s a long row to hoe. It’s one thing to create a deer factory on private but the guys like Michael Perry, who consistently take big bucks from Alabama public land, are just phenomenal woodsman. They deserve all the respect you can give them.

I guess I say all that to say this. Hunting advice has nothing to do with the woods and skills but everything to do with your outlook and appreciation.

If I had to guess, I'd bet that Michael Perry does most of his serious scouting between the end of deer season and the end of turkey season. He prob goes in and hangs his stands or identifies his stand locations, cut his shooting lanes, and puts out his cell cameras (if he even uses cameras) in mid-late summer. Then, Id be willing to bet that he does not go back into those areas at all, until he is ready to hunt it, and then he only hunts it when conditions are perfect. Reading what you wrote, I honestly think the most detrimental reason for you not killing a big buck in 15 yrs is most likely "the hunt as often as you can" part of what you are doing. I probably hunt 1/5 the the total number of days that I used to hunt in a year and I probably see and kill 4-5 times as many mature bucks as I used to. It takes discipline, but when it comes to killing big bucks, less is always more, when it comes to pressure. They simply will not tolerate it and will go nocturnal the first time they catch your scent.

If you love the woods and love sitting in a tree and love just shooting any legal deer, then definitely go as often as you can, and enjoy yourself. If you want to kill big bucks, find one, and dont hunt him or go anywhere near him at all, until conditions are perfect. Best hunting advice I ever got was, "your best chance to kill a really big buck is always the first time you hunt his home area".

*listen to mbrock

Get a good paying job, save your money, buy your own land. Do as you please from there. Definitely, do not hunt as much as possible and wind is key. However, if you’re only making $100k a year or so, pray like hell to find a good lease and use trigger control.

"your best chance to kill a really big buck is always the first time you hunt his home area"


Good stuff Abolt.

You can't kill one sitting on the couch

Never really got any advice from anyone but I would tell anyone who asks to just have fun.

First time sits are my favorite

Here another tip that burned me more than once for not doing it - loose lips sink ships - if u got a good spot - keep your mouth shut about it

Best advice I ever got I got at 13. I had just seen a good buck and couldnt wait to tell the older guy I was hunting with about it. He was a Big buck killing man for sure and had a wall full of big mature bucks even back then.

When I did he said...."Ok..well what was he doing? Where was he going? Why was he doing it? Dont just look at them, watch them. See where theyre going, what he was doing and why do you think he was doing it? Dont just watch them..LEARN from them. If you get to see a Big buck and you dont get to shoot him then you need to Learn from him. Dont just get caught up looking at him Son!"

And I never have again and that alone has taught me more about big bucks than anything. Studying them..seeing where they went..looking to see where and why.

The one thing it really taught me is they sure are different from ALL the other bucks and deer for that matter. Much more reclusive. Much more sticking to cover and lower areas where they can sneak.

Counting my blessings by seeing everyone Ive ever seen and studying them. I have spent a lifetime doing that ever since and it has led to me being very successful at harvesting mature big bucks for sure. One or two a year every year for a couple decades at least.

Wise old man and taught me a ton about big bucks for sure. Thankful for every lesson he gave me on them.

Good stuff

To consistently kill big bucks, you gotta consistently have big bucks.

Okatuppa and Abolt dead on

Turkeys- call less sit longer.
Deer- they don’t have a watch or calendar, hunt when you can.

Don't go to them, make them come to you!

If you want to hunt the place, get your checkbook out and buy it.

Can’t kill what you don’t have. If you wanna kill big deer, then hunt them where they are. Not where they aren’t