I would have to agree with this post. After hunting out East(PA/WV/VA) on public land most of my adult life some 30 yrs. The hunting methods are way!!!! different. Hunting out east you have to understand deer, what makes them tick, what makes them tick one hour to the next. A food plot is just that a plot. You put it somewhere, the trick is not the food plot the trick is where to put the food plot. Now I have never hunted over a food plot out east, but I understand the why's of it. After moving back here from being raised out here. Still love the hunting, but do not get anywhere near excited as I did out east. Let me tell you why. First year I move back I don't draw my area. The draw is another story in itself. I get a leftover 36a tag so I start asking so whats the strategy out here. out of 30 people I would say 95% off them said the same thing SCOUT awesome I love getting out. The second was get way up and glass/glass/glass/glass, then glass some more. So I say are you kidding they all say nope. So I follow the advice, and what do you know 1st year success a spike. So I go gut all of I don't know the 17lbs he weighed, threw him over my shoulder, took to the butcher got my 8lbs of meat. Wow awesome Coues my first year. So now for the next whole year I am thinking. Wow I don't have to figure out much, like travel routs, travel routes on the way to bedding areas, travel routes on the way to feeding areas, funnels, is the funnel on the way to a bedding area, or a feeding area. Rubs/Scrapes this years last years how fresh hours/days/minutes. Stand placement in relation to all the above. Scent elimination what scent, what scent what time of year Raccoon, or Fox pee, or just earth. Mock Scrape, was I scent free making my Mock scrape. Do I need to cut a shooting lane if I use a stand. Stalking I mean stalking not seeing your deer at 1 and a half miles, and putting on a awesome stalk to get 650yds away to shoot with your rest aided laser beam. I mean a stalk where it is 10 degrees outside with the wind blowing, making it negative!! then taking step where everything around you is frozen and the ground sounds like its breaking up to make a 50yd shot because the the woods are so thick in your bright orange bubble suite!! not to mention if you stand hunt sitting in that sucker for 12-14hrs without moving while its friken 2 degrees outside and your teeth are rattling in your mouth, and your body is shaking uncontrollably. BANG my deer is dead. Ask most eastern hunters the best part after the kill, ah ya the guttin!!!!! finally your time to warm your hands. Then the worst a couple mile drag of a 150lb animal back to the truck in my bright orange bubble suit. Now this is not a jab at southern AZ hunting its hunting, just different. I know one thing I have been successful all but 2yrs my entire life hunting 1 time in 30yrs out east, and 1 time in 2yrs here. The second I got home after my hunts out east I was planning my next year. Dropping money into the economy like crazy. I think I have spent money on gas and tags out here that's about it. East West it does not matter lets respect each others way of hunting in the end its all about our kids, and their kids, and what we teach them to pass on.
