"Success"

How do you measure success?

This may be a little long winded, I don't post much but I like the forum and feel like posting here makes more sense since the majority of you guys/gals understand.

My measurement of success is an evolving, turbulent, and sometimes deflating process. This season so far has reaffirmed that I am in fact, very successful. Not because of the deer I've killed but the exact opposite.

I fail more times than I succeed when it comes to killing a deer, this season makes the second straight year that I have missed the bucks that offered me a shot. Some guys are not equipped to miss, and blow chances quite like I am. Last year, a huge 160-170" at 36 yards, this year a spot and stalk on a beautiful 8 with a kicker at 26. As I sat in disbelief again, I started beating myself up for misjudging the yardage, rushing the shot, etc, etc. I Made the normal BS texts, called a buddy and then I just sat in a blowdown and for whatever reason I realized again that my measurement of success differs greatly from some, and maybe the same as others'.

At 40 years old I still run the hills and hollows chasing deer, I work my ass off when I hunt. I put in 38 hours on stand in a 3 day stretch. I saw 4 dandy bucks, got a shot at one and failed but somehow I feel successful. Some guys won't agree and that's fine, we are not all programmed the same.

I have always enjoyed the hunts more than the kill, but after every miss I feel the same self esteem crushing feelings. Somehow I always seem to find the silver lining or humor in it. This miss was no different, I consider myself a decent hunter, I studied wildlife management, I understand deer and can always get on them when I need to. I, like many bowhunters have a little machismo. It only takes a half a second to put that in perspective. I'm not that damn good! The reasons are many, not excuses because there are none to give. I have a beautiful family that I spend the majority of my time with, time that I used to spend shooting my bow, checking cams, scouting, and being "selfish".

I have always been a hunter that likes my shots 25 and in. Just a few years ago I started shooting out to 70yds. It's fun when your shooting at a huge Bullseye and 3D target but I am in no way proficient enough to take a shot at deer at greater than 40. This pre season was rushed due to other commitments and I didn't practice like I should have and that lack of practice sailed an arrow over a bucks back. Thankfully it was not a bad shot/wounded deer situation.

I regrouped, knocked another arrow and finished my game plan of still hunting a hollow that was out of the roaring SW wind. As I worked and glassed my way through the thicket I reached the bottom of the hollow. As I crested the creek bank I looked ahead and saw a beautiful wide and very heavy beamed 10pt. Bedded with a doe. I was shocked he never made a move or tried to get up so I acted like I was supposed to be there. I moved to my left one step at a time, looking for a lane to move forward. I found the lane and closed the distance to within 60yds, as my last step settled another doe, which I didn't see, exploded out of the high grass and ran past the bedded buck and doe finally stopping 20yds behind, and uphill from them. After a tense staredown and the deer finally realizing I was in fact stalking them, the big 10 and doe ran up the hill and out away from me. "I can cut them off" was my thought, so I ran as fast as my slightly overweight ass could, uphill for what seemed like a mile but more like 100yds to a flat that I thought the deer would cross. I met the 2 does almost simultaneously, some snorting and crashing occurred, and then nothing but the howling wind above me. Defeated yet again but as I walked up and out I couldn't help but think how "successful" that days hunt was.
I think that sometimes the younger T.V. generation of hunters loses sight of how successful the whole hunting experience is, measuring by inches and bragging rights is not for me. Measuring my hunts by valuable life experiences and memories are what makes me successful in my little corner of the whitetail hunting community. I lose sight of these types of experiences almost yearly when it comes time to hunt, but it only takes one day, one hour, or one missed opportunity to put it all in perspective for me.

Feel free to share one of your "successful" days or hunts. If it includes killing a deer even better. The best parts of the stories for me are the in between shit. That's what its all about and no matter how you gauge your success we can all understand each others' experiences.

hickslawns said:

This is a loaded topic. Personally? I am a goal oriented person. I do not try to "out do" anyone but myself. Much like yourself, with work and family obligations I entered the season unprepared. My usual goal is a 4yr old or older buck. This year it was to get my son his first deer and to simply enjoy hunting with no "antler goals". Thanks to Brock and Mason. I accomplished goal number 1 in about the first 30 minutes of the season. I passed on two bucks in the 120-125" range in the early season. I believe they were 2.5yr old deer and just couldn't do it. I have zero deer on camera over 3 all summer. I shot the first 3.5yr old I saw because it was just a cool looking rack and a fun hunt. Truthfully, I see myself eating a tag before I shoot a buck this size again but I am okay with what I killed.

Being out of goals I am set out to try to get my son on his first buck. I have helped one buddy drag a deer out. I offered another buddy my property to hunt today. He was in a grind and needed new scenery. My point is: I am having fun. This is success for me.

I have been blessed with big bucks in the past. I have been blessed to kill a good number of deer. I have stayed safe in the woods. I am watching the hunting spirit grow in my son. I have killed deer with shotgun, muzzle loader, bow, and handgun. Those were all goals. I think I might try to take a doe with the hand gun this gun season. Or I might steal Garrett's crossbow to knock that one off the list.

Success is whatever you make it. It surely isn't all about inches of antlers. Some of it is how much satisfaction YOU get out of it. Personally, I will keep finding ways to challenge myself and that will be my success. Man alive, I could type a lot more. Lol

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That's the beauty of it man, the topic IS so loaded it is exactly what you out into. Setting goals has to be one of the best ways to measure success. And thanks for the post!

It is kind of endless as to what goes into gauging yourself and it would be impossible to touch on it all. I cut mine short and was hoping to just give a different perspective.

Kaiser878 said:

I might have a really selfish and misconstrued view in what I measure as success..... I, like phil, set personal goals. I want a 140+ every year.... I don't care if I kill a 170, the next year it's still 140+... I will continue to do this until I have 20 of them on my wall..... I also take a youth out every year and my goal is to get them a deer.

I also like to help friends and family out if I can.... I know what it's like to have a rough year.... I like seeing dead deer, what can I say....

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You're experiencing the same exact feelings of success, whether it be killing your 140", getting your friends on deer, taking youth hunting. It is not selfish, misconstrued or anything in between.

Joel said:

Great post. I hope you continue to have a "successful" season. The highlight of my season so far was this afternoon at the computer when I bought my daughter a youth apprentice license along with a youth deer tag. She'll be hanging out with me for the remainder of the season. I plan to soak it up whether we kill a deer or not.

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Joel, I attribute alot of how I hunt today to the experiences I had with my dad and hunting group as a little kid. Congrats on getting the little one involved, regardless of what happens it will be an amazing ride!

finelyshedded said:

As far as a successful hunt when I never drew blood...

I had a beautiful typical 10 come into my rattling sequence on a ridge top around 10-12 years ago and he locked up at 40 yards but I was able to get all 13 minutes and 17 seconds of video of our lengthy standoff that hunt. It was November 10th. Ron and I looked all over for his sheds and never found them.

The next season found both of us hunting together on this same ridge but Ron was set up in a pinch in the bottom and I set up in close proximity of our encounter the year before. It was November 10th again I believe but if not it was within a day or two from it. Anywho, around 9:45 that morning I see him coming over the ridge top and was able to capture a good 45 seconds to a minute of video of him as he again slipped in and out if my life but this time for good. He slipped by Ron too as he was eating a bite of a breakfast sandwich at the distance of 33 yards down in the bottom.

This buck blew up from a mid 160's typical 10 to a very symmetrical 6x6 with 25" of abnormal points scoring 195 non-typical. He was killed about 3 weeks later by a gun hunter in a deer drive that never knew this deer existed. Just goes to show they don't always fall to the most deserving and how much luck that's involved. Although we were disappointed one of us didn't get him we were happy for the hunter.

That shed season after he was killed Ron found one side of the set he carried the year before when I had the stare down with him. He found it in a swampy slough with cat tails totally unscathed from chews marks and a good mile and a half from where I had the two encounters with him.

To be able to get inside 45 yards of a deer of that caliber is a feat in itself and I considered those two years a success even though I didn't till my buck tags.

Here's a few pics of the left side Ron found.

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That's the shit, the "in between" stuff that is what keeps me going back for more, in a stand for 12-13 hours a day. Great post!!

My youngest daughter made me a heart shaped good luck card before I left for my week vacation. Each of the kids and my wife left a note in it. 15 mins before I shot at that big 8 I ate an apple, 3 beefsticks, read a quote from Leupold and looked at that card. Can't help but think my little good luck card had something to do with my encounter.