Whats wrong with me

[huntinbuddy]

I am just wondering this is my first year hunting in missouri and we cant seem to find the deer when we are hunting them, we thought we were doin everything right such as cover sent, setting up on trails and as many tracks as we can find but so far no luck and we are getting very discouraged we have seen the deer where we have been hunting but never have been able to get a good shot on them??? Congratulations to anybody who had succesful hunts this year

[Steverino]

Without knowing all of the specifics about your particular hunting grounds and practices, it's sure hard to offer general advice to you other than to "keep on keeping on!"

I live in Northern Illinois (right above you) and the up and down warm weather seemed to wreak havoc with alot of the bowhunters in my neck of the woods-especially during the rut. It seemed that either you saw alot of deer or had little to no activity during the daylight hours.

I began bowhunting a few years ago (largely in part to alot of knowledgeable folks on this website that helped get me set-up and shared their knowledge and wisdom from experience) after rifle hunting whitetails for a number of years. I wanted to experience the challenge of bowhunting.

Well...I got it!

I learned more about deer and deer behavior in one season of bowhunting than a decade and a half of rifle hunting. I made alot of mistakes but learned from them (mostly1 ) along the way.

There are many ways to position both treestand and groundblinds in areas that will allow for reasonable distance shooting and I have gleaned quite a bit from books and then experimenting with them myself in the field. Creating natural funnels to and from food sources and bedding areas is a science.

The trial and error is part of what got me hooked. I've made more bone-headed mistakes than I care to remember but have seen things work in the field that I would have never thought possible previously. Let me tell you-when it all comes together, it's a feeling like no other.

Welcome to HC! Stick around and be like a sponge and absorb everything you can but more importantly, besides reading and educating yourself on your quarry-get out there now after the season and scout the heck out of your hunting property. You'll see clues that will help you put it all together.

I took the below deer this past Fall, my first archery buck after passing up smaller bucks over the past three hunting seasons. Hang in there buddy! It'll happen!

[Rustywreck]

what fun would it be if your first year you shot a monster? Give it time.

[gmherps]

Very nice buck!!

[fabsroman]

I remember my first year bow hunting. The deer were running all around me and I couldn't get close. Then, while hunting the beginning of the rut, a nice 8 point was about to mount a doe about 25 yards in front of me. I was hunting from the ground and started to bring my bow up when a doe behind me spooked and alerted the doe and buck in front of me. To think that I might have took my first antlered buck with a bow when I had been rifle hunting for several years was insane. Actually took another 2 years before I even got my first shot at a deer with the bow. During those three years, I made sure that I practiced plenty.

Keep up the hard work and it will eventually pay off.