The deadline closes before the dream arrives
The urge to hunt comes back with fall weather. Western draw applications close in winter and spring. For a guided hunt, the real deadline is earlier still, because the outfitter has to be chosen before you apply.
Land isn't the problem. Game is.
Finding legal public ground is easy. Knowing which parts carry real game traffic, and which are dead zones you should cross fast, is what separates a hunt from a long walk.
Nobody plans the part after the shot
Packing meat miles to the trailhead, tagging and check rules, finding a processor, and your home state's carcass import rules. First-timers usually learn these too late.
One season is one data point
An empty season always has an excuse: weather, pressure, luck. Without counting encounters and reviewing what you did, there is nothing to learn from, and the next year looks the same.