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Why do hunts fail?

rbaldini

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Folks,

This is my first post. About me: I'm a CO resident planning to hunt for the first time this year. I've decided to go all-out: my 2018 resolution is to kill an ungulate, and I'll be doing everything I can to achieve that. My plan is to go after pronghorn, deer, and elk, taking the best tags I can get with 0 preference points. I am new to hunting, of course, but I've been backpacking and enjoying the outdoors for many years.

I'm trying to gauge the probability of achieving my goal this year. Fortunately CO publishes detailed statistics on harvest for each species, so this helps give me a baseline expectation. But I'm curious about the numbers, and specifically why some hunts fail. For example, as a general rule, *most* hunters going for OTC Bull Elk in a given year will fail (well, they don't fill a tag, anyway - one might not consider that a failure). I'm sure there are many reason why this might occur, so I thought I'd poll y'all to see why.

In particular, I wonder how much grit/determination/sticking-with-it can affect the odds. This will be my first year hunting, which means that, even with as much preparation as I intend to do (shooting, scouting, practice stalking, etc.), I just won't have as much knowledge and experience as someone with many years experience. How much can I overcome my inexperience with pure determination and off-season practice/research? In short, how much control do I have on my chance of success?

To frame this, here are some general reasons why I think hunts might fail, in a sort-of-sequential order:
1. General lack of time on the ground: It might be that many hunters just can't spend much of the season hunting, for very good reasons (like work, family). Do a large proportion of the failed tags come from guys who can only manage to hunt weekends?
2. Never seeing an animal: Perhaps some hunters never manage to find anything? That could perhaps be due to limited time, but also lack of knowledge about where they are likely to be, or not getting out at the right times of day, or maybe they're just lousy spotters/trackers/hikers?
3. Being selective/picky: Lots of youtube hunts end "unsuccessfully" not because the hunter never had an opportunity, but simply because they never found the trophy buck or bull they were looking for.
4. Failing at stalking: If a desirable animal is seen, one might fail at maneuvering to get a shot without spooking the animal. I could imagine this to be quite difficult when the hunting pressure is on.
5. Failing to shoot and kill the animal: Finally, some hunts will probably fail because the hunter couldn't make the shot. Presumably this is the case when hunting more long-range situations.

Here's my guess: I can control factors (1) and (3) very well: my job and family situation allows me to take plenty time off when I need it; and my goal is to fill a tag, not get a trophy. As for marksmanship (5), I intend to put in lots of time at the range - up to 300 yards. For (2) and (4), I plan to do scouting trips well in advance of hunting season, and will spend many weekends in the mountains searching for and stalking up on game (as I did last weekend). But of course chance will stay play a role when the time comes.

Now I put it to you experts: in your experience, which of the above tends to be the biggest barrier to success, especially for a newbie? How much can a rookie overcome the difficulties with lots of research and determination? Where does the good hunter separate himself from the mediocre?
 
I believe if you measure success by the animals you kill you've already failed.

Hunting is about everything other than simply killing an animal first and foremost.

Just go and hunt, it'll happen when it's meant to.
 
Expectations and pressure on themselves is why hunters fail . I believe many take the kill too seriously and forget about the hunt ..
 
There is an end game to hunting. Otherwise we'd we just walk around in the woods in September -January like we do February to August (or whatever the season is where you are). Lord knows I've had more hunts where I've not killed anything than those that I have killed something. They have been good hunts, but the ones where I actually killed an animal are always the most successful in my mind.
But that's not the point of the OP's question.
I do agree with JD, just go hunt. You've clearly put a lot of thought into this and done a lot of research, and that's important, but there's no substitute for going out and getting after it. You'll make errors nobody ever talked about on a forum. You'll have fun making those errors, at least in hindsight, and eventually hopefully you'll connect. It took me two years.
I think all of your options on ways to screw up are valid. I'm sure there are lot more. You know yourself, your abilitites and your time constraints, so should be able to predict which ones will be the most likely to trip you up.
Good luck and I hope you're submitting a grip and grin next year!
 
From my perspective, the hunt fails only if you give up. So, your "grit/determination/sticking-with-it" is the primary factor in success. When I read your post, one hunt from several years ago stood out in my mind as a failure. I gave up on the second day and left. I failed, not the hunt itself.

Maybe my experience will give you more to consider in regard to preparation, as that is the general theme of what made me give up that year. I had scouted, found elk, found a great camp, and thought I was ready. I didn't prepare for the 14 inches of snow that fell right before the hunt. I was solo and sleeping in my truck. On opening day I hiked several miles but saw no elk and very few tracks. I was disappointed by the absence of elk, but enjoyed the day.

I don't know how cold it got that night, but I have a photo of the truck thermometer showing 12 the next morning. Lacking any source of heat, my boots had frozen solid overnight. I struggled a long time to get them on, and eventually hobbled out to hunt. It didn't work. The frozen leather was more than my body heat could thaw. I returned to the truck, the only source of heat.

The second part of my failure to prepare was in identifying at least one backup location if plan A didn't work. I drove around the unit with the heat on high to thaw my boots and warm my feet, while looking for another place that might hold elk. Unfortunately, I was already so worn out from the foot pain that nothing looked huntable. There are very few trails in that unit.

The discouragement set in, and I left. That was the point of failure. Since that year I have hunted the same unit many times, and have found some good elk spots that I drove right past that day.

So, the bottom line of my advice is to be mentally prepared for things to go wrong but stick to it anyway, make sure you can take good care of your feet, and have more than one spot scouted ahead of time.
 
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Some of my greatest hunts never resulted in a arrow flung or shot fired. I like to be out in nature. I rarely scout and rarely hunt within 10 miles of the same place more than a single hunt. I study the history of where I am going to hunt. How did the region form geologically? How was the area settled over the eons by various groups. What are the current day industries? What animals, plants and trees are in the area today? What is the recent harvest rate for the tag I have? Average age of the harvested animals? Measurements of a typical harvest critter? I jot this information into a format in a journal (am on 4th one so get about a decade per journal). I try to contact recent hunters for the same tag.

I write out a plan for where I expect to be at sunrise on Day 1 and on Day 2. I note legal shooting hours as well as sunrise and sunset to the minute where I will be hunting. I will have several potential interesting areas circled on the map and loaded in my GPS. I get physically prepared, get gear ready and as head to the hunt I am ready to have a great adventure. I try to locate the closest place to head for fuel and grub if need to head towards civilization. I map out the route to get to the hunt and how many hours of driving this will take.

I then hunt. I give a way a lot more meat than I eat these days so am never on a killing mission. I am hunting. I take a few pictures. Jot a few notes. Then, after the hunt is over I write in a journal a day by day recap and "lessons learned" which I always learn a few things. I always fall short of optimal. I let myself down sometimes when the mental focus ebbs such as when wet and cold crawling into a tent on the 3rd night. I rarely hunt for big game with anyone else so is a mostly solitary event where can measure myself against the mountain or wherever I am for the hunt.

So, no failed hunts. Failed moments, yes. Fantastic snippets of memories from every big game hunt. Every couple of years i will pull one of the journals out and read about a series of hunts. The temperatures, elevations, weather, what critters I saw each day, etc. I find myself 25 again or maybe 50. I can feel the brisk winds as glassed at sunrise on Day 1. Smell the smoke from the lingering fires still smoldering after a summer of wildfires in the unit. Taste the Mountain House meal as watched the stars above after a long day. The smell of the gun oil. A success even if never hear the metal on metal cadence as work the bolt to load a round. The click of the safety.
 
I had a hunt fail once because I packed a Shepherds Pie freeze dried meal from Backpacker’s Pantry.
 
Some of my best hunts were nothing more than long walks with my weapon.

Wish I could do it every day.
 
I think you have many good reasons why they fail. Staying positive and just grinding it out have led me to success many times. It sounds easy, but just pushing forward after several days of failure when you’re cold and tired is a challenge. It’s easy to call it a day and go home a couple hours early. I think lack of planning and research is why many out of state hunts fail. If you’re hunting mature animals the ballgame changes. There aren’t very many big ones so they are hard to find. They are big for a reason. They are smart and it will take some skill, experience and luck to consistently kill big ones.
 
Why do hunts fail. The only thing I can think of is YOU DID'NT GO ON THE HUNT !!!!!!!
 
As far as you getting your first game animal and odds I would say this. I think low trophy expectations and sheer determination can make up for some lack of experience With some effort I woukd think you gave a great chance at a pronghorn but you may want to consider WY rather than CO. That is assuming you are proficient at shooting out to 200+ yds. For mule deer and limited experience, I would say you may be at or below the general success rates in an area. I fear elk may be the same or slightly worse. If I were in your shoes I would check into doe and cow tags for sure.

To clarify on some of your questions, yes lazy hunters and guys looking for a trophy both play into the success rates and make them look lower than they are. If you stay at it and put in some miles I'd say you should tag something. Since this is in the west, you can help yourself out by getting a great pair of binoculars. In the west it is more about seeing the game first. Its not as much about hunting over sign which would be harder with limited experience.

This is a great first post, and I hope you keep us updated.
 
Go into the hunt with the right attitude, and fight to keep the right attitude when things invariable don't go the way you planned. To paraphrase the modern poet and pugilist Michael Tyson, "every one has a plan until they get punched in the suck". Hunting public land you need to have plans A through G, and when the first few are busts you will eventually find what you are looking for.

Have a great time!
 
Here is how I would suggest you approach the season given your goal. I would put in for RFW tags for does (pronghorn and deer). This will give you 2 separate hunts with good chances of filling the freezer. Then pick up an OTC bull tag and chase the big guy. PM me if you have any RFW questions.
 
For me it's anything except #3. Try going to WY with zero research. You might get lucky and pick the right unit and get an animal and maybe not. Example: I thought the unit I was hunting last year would be good, but alas, less public land than I thought(and some access issues), less animals on that public land and hunting pressure. I was in my mind unsuccessful last year because I do measure a hunt on killing an animal. Now did I have a great time hunting, absolutely.

I believe the word successful means something totally different to today's hunter and that is why you have people saying killing an animal does not make the success of a hunt. Think of it this way, if I were hunting to actually feed my family 100% from the things I hunt(kill), then I would say I was unsuccessful I guess. I would not go home to my family and say I had a successful hunt, I just did not kill anything. It's really just a play on words I guess :) In my mind a hunt can be fun even if I don't kill something, but since I'm out in the field trying to kill something, the word success means did I successfully or unsuccessfully kill something.
 
some people have touched on this, but the word I think is important is adaptability. Every hunt you will need to adapt to overcome something. Having a positive mental outlook and figuring out a way to overcome hot, cold, snow, rain, mud, hunting pressure, no animals, wind, private land, etc. is critical. Think more than react. I applaud the way you are going about this as any animal you harvest will be a trophy as you did it yourself!
 
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