jeffraines
Member
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2016
- Messages
- 94
Surely everyone’s heard about or experienced the fabled “beginners luck” at one point or another.
I was just reading a thread over in the elk forum that got me thinking about it. I’m not one who believes luck. I like to think there’s something logically explainable going on rather than some random hand of fate sweeping through setting an opportunity into motion.
I think it has a lot to do with inherent inexperience, and a willingness to try things that a more experienced person might not bother with or overlook entirely. I think about all the times I’ve been hunting and written off an area - a ridge, overlook, gated road - because I may have went up there once or twice and didn’t see what I wanted to see and wrote it off. I know I’m not alone in this - we all like to think we’re really through when we hunt, trying to do everything we can to make an opportunity that we sometimes overlook the obvious, or write off an area because it appeared to be unproductive.
I bring this up because I think it’s a good reminder for us to keep our eyes(and minds) open. Just because we didn’t see anything in that basin yesterday/last week doesn’t mean that they’re not going to be up there today.
With that said, looking back I’ve had quite a bit of “beginners luck”... although in true beginner fashion(and such is the story of hunting in general) I was unable to capitalize on my opportunities.
Very first hunt - going out for grouse on state lands where honestly, they’re few and far between. I’m driving along checking this area out that I’ve never been and come to a blue grouse just chilling off a side road. It was in a no shooting area(target shooting that is, but I was too dumb to know the difference at the time).
Very first deer hunt - After striking out opening morning trying to hunt a black tail buck I spotted the week previous in a clearcut(facepalm), I ended up switching to a different area that afternoon that allowed any deer to be taken. As I’m busting my way through some sparse timber on my way to a clearing I found on google earth some 200 yards off I stop and take a look around because I feel like I’m being watched. There’s a doe standing broadside 30 yards away staring at me(felt like 30, more accurately it was 15 or less). When I went to reach for my rangefinder she bolted but was around for a good 45 seconds.
My first backcountry bear hunt. I was scared to spend the night alone in the backcountry to be honest. It was about 5 miles 2500 feet in to my spot. 300 feet down to the lake to get water and back up to camp and about 3 days after Labor Day... I didn’t expect much, and to be honest I wasn’t in shape enough. I was zonked after the hike in, barely hungry enough for dinner, didn’t eat much on the hike in. Got in and didnt even hunt the evening - spent it lounging around camp trying to get over being zonked. Woke up and decided that if I spent all that time hiking in, I’m going to at least glass some. Seen a couple high country bucks and a ton of does... when I notice an out of place shadow in some of the thick bushes. After glassing away and coming back it was gone... game on, except the wind was blowing my scent right to it. Blew it out, but made my way over the ridge and got to within 450 yards. I was zonked from the hike in still and still had barely eaten - the thought of dropping a thousand feet of elevation to recover the animal plus the fact that I had never shot over 200 yards stopped me dead in my tracks. This hunt lead to me getting comfortable out to 800 yards(steel, animals less) and also lead to me slamming food constantly while I hike now. I haven’t had this issue since.
What about you guys? What have you learned? Any good beginners luck stories? Surely some of yours are better than all of my missed opportunities!
I was just reading a thread over in the elk forum that got me thinking about it. I’m not one who believes luck. I like to think there’s something logically explainable going on rather than some random hand of fate sweeping through setting an opportunity into motion.
I think it has a lot to do with inherent inexperience, and a willingness to try things that a more experienced person might not bother with or overlook entirely. I think about all the times I’ve been hunting and written off an area - a ridge, overlook, gated road - because I may have went up there once or twice and didn’t see what I wanted to see and wrote it off. I know I’m not alone in this - we all like to think we’re really through when we hunt, trying to do everything we can to make an opportunity that we sometimes overlook the obvious, or write off an area because it appeared to be unproductive.
I bring this up because I think it’s a good reminder for us to keep our eyes(and minds) open. Just because we didn’t see anything in that basin yesterday/last week doesn’t mean that they’re not going to be up there today.
With that said, looking back I’ve had quite a bit of “beginners luck”... although in true beginner fashion(and such is the story of hunting in general) I was unable to capitalize on my opportunities.
Very first hunt - going out for grouse on state lands where honestly, they’re few and far between. I’m driving along checking this area out that I’ve never been and come to a blue grouse just chilling off a side road. It was in a no shooting area(target shooting that is, but I was too dumb to know the difference at the time).
Very first deer hunt - After striking out opening morning trying to hunt a black tail buck I spotted the week previous in a clearcut(facepalm), I ended up switching to a different area that afternoon that allowed any deer to be taken. As I’m busting my way through some sparse timber on my way to a clearing I found on google earth some 200 yards off I stop and take a look around because I feel like I’m being watched. There’s a doe standing broadside 30 yards away staring at me(felt like 30, more accurately it was 15 or less). When I went to reach for my rangefinder she bolted but was around for a good 45 seconds.
My first backcountry bear hunt. I was scared to spend the night alone in the backcountry to be honest. It was about 5 miles 2500 feet in to my spot. 300 feet down to the lake to get water and back up to camp and about 3 days after Labor Day... I didn’t expect much, and to be honest I wasn’t in shape enough. I was zonked after the hike in, barely hungry enough for dinner, didn’t eat much on the hike in. Got in and didnt even hunt the evening - spent it lounging around camp trying to get over being zonked. Woke up and decided that if I spent all that time hiking in, I’m going to at least glass some. Seen a couple high country bucks and a ton of does... when I notice an out of place shadow in some of the thick bushes. After glassing away and coming back it was gone... game on, except the wind was blowing my scent right to it. Blew it out, but made my way over the ridge and got to within 450 yards. I was zonked from the hike in still and still had barely eaten - the thought of dropping a thousand feet of elevation to recover the animal plus the fact that I had never shot over 200 yards stopped me dead in my tracks. This hunt lead to me getting comfortable out to 800 yards(steel, animals less) and also lead to me slamming food constantly while I hike now. I haven’t had this issue since.
What about you guys? What have you learned? Any good beginners luck stories? Surely some of yours are better than all of my missed opportunities!
The first time I really ever went Dove hunting, I'd taken one occasionally before, but after this, I was hooked and was out for Dove every season afterward.
