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Why do hunts fail?

Think like a predator and be sneaky and You will eat. too many people worry about all the high tech equipment, but yet really don't know how to hunt. Experience will eventually help some.Be persistant and patient......Good Luck all............BOB!
What?? I disagree...most hunts fail because folks don't choose the right camo pattern for their $900 sitka clothing "system"....that or their bow doesn't shoot 364.6 fps.
 
Hunting wife had some very good points. Unrealistic expectations will make you quit or give up when you are nowhere near done mentally or physically.

On the other hand, sometimes we aren't prepared when the opportunity to succeed presents itself because we have mentally already talked ourselves out of the possibility of success.

My first weekend backpack hunt for blacktail deer in a wilderness I considered it a success to spot a buck and stalk to 80 yards before I ran out of cover and he ran out of patience.

But I had a series of little successes along the way doing this new style of hunting that I was pretty green at.

Plenty of bucks I've busted because I walked over a ridge thinking "Aw there aren't any deer in this country..." because I'd given up already. Same is true for elk.
 
I don't buy it. You've had to have whiffed at least once with your .637 Binford 2000, maybe that time your Kestrel's battery ran out.....

Well, ok. Maybe some crappy ones, but never failed. The best ones are when I skip work and don't get anything. Its a 1/2 full thing,,,,,,,,,,,,,

BTW I had to google Kestrel, cool looking gadget.
 
If failing to you, is not killing an animal, you're setting a extra low bar for success. Hunts that go to the last second of shooting light on the last day of the season are the ones I remember the most.

There's no shortage of epic fail "hunt of a lifetime" stories with a dead animal at the end.
 
I'd say if you gank a chip shot you've pretty much failed. This is wisdom from extensive experience in this area.
 
First off, everyone has their own definition of a "successful" hunt. Shame on ANYONE that attempts to push THEIR definition of success on someone else. That's the beauty of hunting, for some it's meat, for some its horns, for some its the adventure. To each their own.

I think that hunts fail for 3 reasons.

1. No question, #1 is lack of scouting (this can be mitigated by scheduling a long hunt).
2. Giving up.
3. Mistake of not clearly defining "success" before you go.
 
Regardless of the quarry, not filling a tag in my estimation can be attributed mostly to
1. Lack of time in the field before and during the hunt.
2. Lack of preparation both physically and mentally
3. Not being intimately familiar with your gear
4. Poor shooting

I also concur that a successful hunt does not need to include punching a tag. With few exceptions, my most memorable hunts did end up with me pulling the trigger.
 
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