His enormous body dwarfed his massive main-frame 5x5 rack (with a split G-2). I never had the opportunity to weigh the old buck, but I believe he was one of my heaviest ever. When I put a tape around his chest just behind his front legs he measured 52 inches. His neck measurement behind his ears taped 25 1/2 inches!

I never would have shot that huge buck if I had left my stand earlier in the morning. Neither would I have shot the buck in 2005 mentioned above if I had not been in my stand at 12:35. Surely, these two hunts point out the importance of remaining in your stand every hour possible.

GOOD LUCK OR BAD LUCK?
Another factor you should look at when considering the benefits of spending a lot of time in a tree stand is the luck factor. Everything must happen just right for you to get an arrow into a buck's chest. He may unexpectedly take a detour around your tree that leads him out of bow range. The wind may swirl in his favor at just the wrong time. He may move by you too fast for a shot. He may not turn broadside for you in an open shooting lane. A doe may lead him off just before he gets within bow range. These and other factors that are out of your control can cause you to miss a shot at a once in a lifetime buck. Some call it "bad luck." Whatever you call it, it does happen.

How can you turn the tables and put the odds in your favor so that you'll have good luck instead of bad? There is only one way I know to have more favorable luck: spend more time in the woods. A mature buck may be traveling just out of range and for some unknown reason he may turn and move by your tree stand. The wind may change in your favor as he approaches. He may stop with his head behind a tree at just the right time for you to draw and shoot. A doe might change his course and lead him by your stand.

I realize that sometimes it seems as though all the breaks go in the buck's favor. However, this doesn't have to be the case all the time. If you hunt long enough, some of the breaks will go your way. I spend a lot of time in the woods and I experience plenty of bad luck. But I also hunt long enough to experience good luck. In fact, the old saying "The more you hunt, the luckier you get" has a lot of truth to it. If you are at home sitting on the couch, good things will never happen to you in the woods!

Working hard, hunting during the rut, choosing the right stand locations in funnels, and putting in as many hours as your schedule permits will put the odds in your flavor like nothing else can ever do! And when you consider the rarity of the animal that you are hunting -- a mature whitetail buck -- you must realize that it takes a combination of all four of these important points to give you a reasonable chance to succeed.

page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5