By Alex Comstock
In so many circumstances, it appears to me that deer hunters can easily fall into a pattern that leads them down the same road each and every season. You find yourself doing the same exact thing, putting trail cameras on the same tree, hunting the same stand, walking in footsteps from last year, and the cycle goes on. My challenge to you is this: Do something new this year!
It doesn't matter what it is, but give something a try this year that you haven't in the past. Maybe that means you finally scout and hunt that public parcel you always drive by, or you hunt from the ground for the first time. Either way, I think giving something new a try might lead you down a successful path that you otherwise would have never gone down.
A quick example - I've hunted North Dakota for two seasons now. There's pretty much two types of terrain around my general area. One is river bottoms and secluded woodlots and the other is the classic flat lands filled with cattail sloughs that you would normally think of when you think of North Dakota. Ever since moving here, I've focused on hunting the river bottom areas and areas where there are actually trees because that's how I've always hunted. This season, I'm still going to do that, but at times I'll switch it up and venture out to the flat lands and attempt hunting from the ground, or some spot and stalking. It may not work, but I'm going to give it a shot.
It doesn't have to be something crazy, I just urge you to pick ONE thing to try this season that you've never given a shot before. It could be something that you end up doing more and more in the future, and it just might help you bag a mature buck this season.
