Keep at it ! The more time you spend in the woods the more you learn ! You’ll come to appreciate and respect or appreciate and respect more the the harsh environment they live in and traverse , the pure strength and survival instinct of ALL the animals in the woods .
Like with drumming it’s in the doing and time spent working at it and learning . You’ll come to understand your particular piece of property and how the wind works in relation to your land and terrain and stand location, the deers travel routes , how thermals ( not wind ) carry your scent up a slope in the am and down in the late afternoon and evening, where doe’s and bucks spend their time during the different seasons and during pre rut , seeking, chasing and actual rut( mating) times. How to look at and decipher sign ( prints, scrapes, rubs and beds ) . There’s so much to know and at the same time you don’t need to know it all to just do it .
I’ve been at it since going with my father before I was yet 12 and I’m still enjoying and maybe more importantly learning . I love when I have an ah ha moment in the woods from putting things together I’ve learned .
And although I’d love to fill the freezer every year , it’s not my main objective . It’s to get out there , decompress, relax , and be an actual part of and connecting with the land . Plus it’s impossible , for me anyway, to be successful 8 hours away from home in the north woods of Maine. Very limited scouting time if any , so I’ll still hunt likely areas to look for promising sign and set up a stand as quiet as I can and get out of there . This usually occurs on a Sunday ( the scout and set up ) as there’s no Sunday hunting in Maine 🙄. Plus the deer and sign are difficult to find . Not a lot of deer up there but a lot of them are old and big !!!! The deer change their locations up there from year to year depending on logging operations and available food sources . So it’s all gotta come together quick for me up there to be successful. I could hunt an hour from home and shoot doe’s all day and have plenty of meat but I don’t wanna hear planes, trucks, sirens , barking dogs , alarms etc…. Etc…. .
I went up there in 2005 with friends and fell in love with the beauty of the big woods, the silence and the chance to maybe tag out in a 250-300 lb dressed out big boy !!!! It happens up there for some each year .
You never know when that big boy will step out up there . You could also never see a deer in a week or even 4 of hunting .
If you’re in the big woods of Michigan ( or even not really) this was a book that I enjoyed and helped me with a completely different hunting environment than I had in upstate NY.
Good and applicable stuff in here though even if ya don’t hunt the “ big woods “
You ever have any questions on anything just shoot me a pm and ask . I’m by no means an expert but I’ll answer and help if able .
Edit: oooops , here’s the book .
