What are you doing?

J

JohnFitzgerald

New member
Mar 31, 2014
1,108
Every night I workout with my son, twice a week we have calling practice, and once a week I spend time lounge chair scouting. At least twice a day I check this forum. What are you doing right now to help improve your odds next year? This question is not just an empty question to solicit responses. I really want to know what else I can do to improve!

p.s. Way too cold to shoot my bow! Anybody shoot inside their house?

jf
 
John,

I shoot my bow in my garage. It\'s mainly for keeping myself loose and keeping the muscle memory, but I also have seen a lot of people miss shots within 10 yards because no one practices.
 
No shooting here. I just scout on G.E. and the internet. The Oregon Big Game Regulations for 2015 are out now, so I am thinking about what to apply for. I am planning two scouting trips for next summer.
BTW: This morning I mowed the lawn for the last time this year while it was still frosty. How about you Colorado folks. Are you still mowing?
 
Workout daily
Spend a few hours a week on google maps
Shoot twice a week with my bow
Breeze through a few forums
Review game camera picture
Read hunting books
Plan hunts for the next year and review my notes from this year, that way I am actually learning from my mistakes so they don\'t happen again next year.

But mostly I am just spoiling my fianc? every other second so I can get away with all of my hunting :wave:
 
At my old house, I did close shots (<7 feet) in my basement to work on form, release and increasing DW. At my next house, I will have a 10 yard indoor \"range\" in my basement. I measured the basement before I put an offer on the house :D . Year round, I shoot at my club\'s outdoor range at least on weekends because I prefer to be outside using the walking ranges.

For exercise: I am doing my shoulder PT exercises 5-7 days/week, hiking or snowshoeing on weekends, and hitting the Y to use the weight machines and the treadmill with incline. On Sunday, I hope to snowshoe to a 10th Mtn Division Hut for a day trip. I just finished replacing my 15 year old winter gear where some of it may be used for hunting if CO has a blizzard in September. :eh:

Reviewing my hunting area for my switch to mostly ambush hunting. Waypoints still need to be marked for summer scouting trips. Reviewing trail cams for purchasing a trail cam with a wider field than my current trail cams. Searching for a women\'s hunting pack that fits. My regular day pack is noisy.

After my move to the house from an apartment, I will learn calf chirps and lost calf sounds. These are the sounds that hunters are reporting success for my hunting area. Apartment living is not a friendly elk calling environment. The dog next door starts to bark when I practice.
 
Reading forums, staring at topos, and glancing at aerial websites like google earth, flash earth, etc. Basically just wishing I could get some boots on the ground to study the area I am planning on hunting next year. I am really excited to go back to a newer area I hunted a couple years back and the more I stare at maps, the more ideas I have for areas to check out. Boots on the ground is about the only cure for that! Only issue is the three kiddos under three years old...thinking of trying to get my wife to go on a \'weekend getaway\' this summer for a scouting/camping weekend. We\'ll see how that plays out :think:
 
\"cohunter14\" said:
Reading forums, staring at topos, and glancing at aerial websites like google earth, flash earth, etc. Basically just wishing I could get some boots on the ground to study the area I am planning on hunting next year. I am really excited to go back to a newer area I hunted a couple years back and the more I stare at maps, the more ideas I have for areas to check out. Boots on the ground is about the only cure for that! Only issue is the three kiddos under three years old...thinking of trying to get my wife to go on a \'weekend getaway\' this summer for a scouting/camping weekend. We\'ll see how that plays out :think:
Click to expand...

Be sure to mention the \"picnic lunches\" and \"peace and quiet in nature\"

Then it won\'t sound so much like it\'s for us :D


We actually have a countdown until Feb 14th. Thats most likely when we will start our shed hunting adventures with our puppies.
 
Swede that\'s a good one. Mowing in December. :haha: We are starting to drive on the lakes here all ready.
 
still working out. running trails. got caught in the rain yesterday. my shoes were like 10 lbs with mud.

shooting? i\'m blessed with great weather usually. and a great bow. i pick it up and it is business as usual. it just fits.

a new friend just texted me:

\"bitteroot wilderness? drop camp?\"

things could be looking up!!!!!
 
For the second November in a row I\'m gettin over the loss of a dear friend...the whitetails once again catch a break. Oh well...there\'s alwyas NEXT year...AND...

I now have two new sons-in-law - one is going to SW Colorado with me next September on his first elk hunt and MY first BIVY hunt...So it\'s daily checks of the forums, Google Earth, every vendor imaginable...getting my list refined...Santa needs to KNOW what I NEED, right?! We\'re heading to the bow club this weekend to cut wood and do some shooting...might even introduce him to my Power Bugle so I won\'t have to do ALL the calling...I\'ll just have to add a Buggling Bull to my wish list. (you have heard the joke about the cross-eyed mule, right?)

With two endings (my passed friends) and two beginnings (two daughters getting married)...I am FOCUSED on next Fall...it feels kind\'a good...oh yeah, the Stairmaster needs a new gear!
 
When I am on GE scouting my area (that I have looked at countless times) I try to look at it from a new perspective. Taking notes certainly helps. Placing tacks down and reminding myself what,when,where. Adding that with pictures that I had taken in the field to help me better understand where the elk go when pressured. Scouting several times with boots on the ground told me where elk were feeding in the open with no pressure from hunters. That changed the night before opening day, so how can I look at this area and connect the dots to where the elk move to?
Also, I have stated this on the forum before, that I like to look for \"like areas\" on google earth and topos to add back up plans. Taking note of where hunters are is just as important IMO.

Calling practice. I have been slacking on this since the season ended for me but one thing that helps instead of just blowing the calls is to record yourself. Have someone help you and compare it to you tube or videos. really listen on how to break down your own calls and give that bull what he wants. Emotion in your calling to match the situation. Something I had a hard time breaking down but feel I am getting better at. Hopefully talk to Troy before too long and get a list of calls I would like to practice with in the off season. Very helpful in calling techniques and getting the calls you like.

As far as shooting goes, hunting with a bow until the end of December for WT helps keep me practicing. I also take a few shots at pheasants when the opportunity presents it self. That along with spring time turkeys. Concentrating on game helps me focus on it instead of going through the motions. Its also a nice break from calling elk and practicing turkey diaphragms. Practicing different air and tongue pressures on the reed.

As far as working out goes. I am not gearing the workouts for \"mountain shape\". I feel I would get burned out too soon and lose motivation. So I simply work on a diet plan and a specific goal 12 weeks at a time. All while maintaining a certain level of cardio. That way I am ready to jump in head first to hill sprints and doing levels of HIIT training come early summer. Muscle mass? Body fat? ect.... anything you could improve on is the way I look at it. Eating Venison and Elk always help with a healthy diet!
 
Shooting, hunting other stuff (always), researching future hunts, PP\'s , units, states, draw odds, helping others plan hunts, staying in shape year round, shooting, hunting other stuff, and shooting ;)
 
I decided instead of putting the pack on in late Summer, that I would leave it on all Year for my Daily Treadmill Workout. It\'s a daypack with a 30 pound lead brick in it. It was easy to just \"keep going\" after I got back in September.

I\'m still doing my 200 pushups, 200 tricep lifts, and 200 bicycle crunches daily.

I need to start shooting year round as well. It took me a good 2 months to get my groupings together last Season (I started shooting in the Spring).

Reading the forum posts is certainly helping as well.
 
\"JohnFitzgerald\" said:
This question is not just an empty question to solicit responses. I really want to know what else I can do to improve!
Click to expand...

Killjoy. Isn\'t that part of what we do around the hunting camp fire? I don\'t want to always be serious. Hopefully if anyone is paying attention to what I write, they know what is serious and is not. :lol: Now I need to go for my morning walk. Seriously.
 
Well, things have been plenty busy around here ... but I\'m maintaining a reasonable plateau of fitness with P90X3 done 5x per week. I\'m not working on improvements in fitness right now ... I\'ve plateaued and I\'m fine with that, for now.

Shooting? No, not shooting now. I did purchase a recurve a couple weeks ago, and I plan on setting up an indoor short-range in January to work on form using both my compound and my new stickbow.

But, like PuttncuT, there\'ve been disruptions in life this year that make you sit back and think.

So ... I will spend the winter doing just that ... sitting back and thinking!

In reality, this is the time of year that I practice my real hobby -- planning for next year.

I love planning ... looking at Google Earth, reloading, organizing camping, hunting, and shooting stuff, and making marks on 2015 calendars.

(Oh, and I do still have that rifle cow tag ...)
 
I like to use the whole year to hunt and fish.
Leaving for NEB tomorrow to hunt some WT, when I get back Ill get out the ice fishing gear and 2 snowmobiles and get stuff ready for the hard water.

Been up coyote hunting once, but not enough snow up in the timber yet to bring the doggies out in the sage.
So, there is that to to do too.

Went to the archery range (gannett ridge) last Saturday and watched my daughter shoot her bow.

My bows are hung up for a bit yet. So is my exercising, but staying active enough to not gain weight during the holiday season!

Always looking at GE and looking at next year\'s options.
I\'m thinking there is a very good chance I will be hunting out of state next fall.

Learning my new GPS that just arrived

Reading this forum and keeping you yahoos in line... :)

That\'s what I\'ve been doing
 
It\'s been a heck of a fall. I moved back in with my family the first weekend in Oct. We had been separated for 6 months. Because we had sold the house in June we had to prepare for our lease running out in November. We moved to a new house in early Nov and have been busy getting it set up.

I lost my Grandfather Nov 9. Went for a walk with his dog, came home and fell asleep in his recliner and never woke up. Because it was a Military funeral, and he was cremated we held off with the service until last week. My brother and his family came and stayed with us for a few nights.

We survived the Thanksgiving food coma last week.

Somewhere in there my responsibilities at work doubled so there have been a lot of long days involved. My stress levels have been through the roof with no relief in sight.

I rarely have the time to get online lately and miss reading up on this new-found passion.

I have been enjoying a lot of deer meat though. I made a meal for my brother and his family while they visited. Everyone really enjoyed it. I had enough meat for leftovers and my niece and nephew thought making a snack out of steak strips was pretty cool.

Otherwise, I\'m trying to keep my head attached lately...stress does funny things to me...hell, I forgot to pick up my son from B-ball practice one night recently and another night, I drove to my old house. :oops:

I look forward to things slowing down at work so I can get back to researching for hunting next year.
 
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