Obsessed is often mistaken for Dedicated!!

[Bowtechian84]

With another great season approaching rapidly, and A late December rifle couse tag in hand.. Id like to hear about any new gear guys have picked up for hunting the backcountry. Personally Ive upgraded my glass to the Zeiss Conquest 15s. There light, crystal clear and Im really happy to have them in my arsenal. Scouting for me began a few months ago with cameras and lots of hiking. Im in a new unit this year, so my works cut out for me. Whats everyone else doing to get ready for this years season? The guys I work with say your hunts not for 6 months or all you care about is hunting well yeah I guess it might look like that to an outsider looking in.. I heard a saying and its just stuck.. Obsessed is a word often mistaken with Dedicated.. pretty cool I thought especially when it comes to the grey ghost.. Anyone else putting up there A game for this season? Exercising , training, Running the mountain.. Good luck to all !!

[QhunterAZ]

My prep for the next season starts before I even leave the current one.

[wildwoody]

++1

[johnnie blaze]

Your eyes are a muscle too. If you aint out glassing now, your ojo's are gonna be feelin it come season.

[Bowtechian84]

Your eyes are a muscle too. If you aint out glassing now, your ojo's are gonna be feelin it come season.

[Bowtechian84]

I agree johnnie blaze.

[208muley]

They say 10% of the fishermen catch 90% of the fish. I would guess its the same for hunters. Which % are you? Call it obsessed, crazy, addicted, or any other derogatory word you can think of, I call it dedicated which equals sucess. I hike, scout, glass, buy new stuff, shoot, study maps, shed hunt year round to hopefully give me an edge when and if I ever draw a tag... To be honest, drawing a tag is the hardest part, the rest is just what I do to stay sane.

[capoeirajosh]

I put my cameras out this past February to see what bucks made it through the season. Been out hiking, glassing, hunting, and checking cams ever since. I shoot all year round and try to hit the gym 3 times a week. I GOTTA be out there doing something, no matter what time of year. During the "off season," I also backpack with my wife in potential hunting areas to see new country. When not out in the hills, I am an avid reader of hunting magazines and any hunting related books I can get my hands on. I have also been running a blog, www.dialedinhunter.com, that has been keeping me sane writing about hunting, haha. To say it's an obsession, might be an understatement. More like a way of life. Good luck to all of you.

[Bowtechian84]

208Muley your right dedicated = success!! I do believe your on to something with the 10'/. Catch 90'/. Of the fish. We all know the guys that go every year and come up short. I've been very fortunate the last 3yrs, my bucks have improved and last year I killed my best buck yet.. Each year I've been putting in more and more work. I find myself on scouting trips, shed hunting.. Like capoeirajosh mentioned, it truly is a way of life. I've been shooting more / further and more accurate then ever. I Started using cameras two years ago. Physically I'm not getting any younger, so I have been trying lifting and excersise. Mostly just trying to build up some cardio . I quit smoking cigarettes 3yrs ago and haven't looked back. The weight lifting has been aimed more towards my legs for the climb. And the most important part of all GLASS!! GLASS!!GLASS!! Last year I glassed up a buck in his bed. At first I wasn't sure anything was even there .. but like we do when we glass for couse I had thought I'd seen movement.. I would check back frequently

as I glassed the rest of the side of the mountain and again saw the movement. Come to find out what I was seeing was this buck chewing his cudd.. I then sat and watched this buck crawl out from his bed.. Ya I said crawl .. he was on his belly and made his way to the sun so he could warm up.. 5yrs ago I'd of never known that buck was there!! Just being honest... I did have a witness lol my buddy was with me. This was my first encounter with a couse buck to that level of STEALTH. My dad and grandpa have told me stories of them smart old bucks but this was my first time seeing it with my own eyes. After that I told myself I need to up my game.. And up my game I have, it seems to be working. Hard work paying off and I can't wait for December to get after them!!

[capoeirajosh]

208Muley your right dedicated = success!! I do believe your on to something with the 10'/. Catch 90'/. Of the fish. We all know the guys that go every year and come up short. I've been very fortunate the last 3yrs, my bucks have improved and last year I killed my best buck yet.. Each year I've been putting in more and more work. I find myself on scouting trips, shed hunting.. Like capoeirajosh mentioned, it truly is a way of life. I've been shooting more / further and more accurate then ever. I Started using cameras two years ago. Physically I'm not getting any younger, so I have been trying lifting and excersise. Mostly just trying to build up some cardio . I quit smoking cigarettes 3yrs ago and haven't looked back. The weight lifting has been aimed more towards my legs for the climb. And the most important part of all GLASS!! GLASS!!GLASS!! Last year I glassed up a buck in his bed. At first I wasn't sure anything was even there .. but like we do when we glass for couse I had thought I'd seen movement.. I would check back frequently

as I glassed the rest of the side of the mountain and again saw the movement. Come to find out what I was seeing was this buck chewing his cudd.. I then sat and watched this buck crawl out from his bed.. Ya I said crawl .. he was on his belly and made his way to the sun so he could warm up.. 5yrs ago I'd of never known that buck was there!! Just being honest... I did have a witness lol my buddy was with me. This was my first encounter with a couse buck to that level of STEALTH. My dad and grandpa have told me stories of them smart old bucks but this was my first time seeing it with my own eyes. After that I told myself I need to up my game.. And up my game I have, it seems to be working. Hard work paying off and I can't wait for December to get after them!!

Your are the 2nd person that I have heard mention that they saw a coues buck crawling. Another gentleman I spoke with told me he saw a buck from his treestand crawling through the tall grass. Wise critters for sure.