So, I pick up a magazine a week or two ago- i can't remember if it was a F&S or Outdoor Life OR one of the deer hunting mags (main article you'll see on cover)- doesn't matter I suppose, the articles and write in's are almost all the same. The basis was once again- "Trophy Hunters" are ruining hunting, etc, etc. There's of course 2 sides to every debate BUT I sure hear and see more articles like this that take off the gloves to battle the "Trophy Hunters" than vice versa. Sure, we see the trophy hunters knocking, say the "if it's brown it's down crowd" or WHATEVER sometimes BUT nothing like I see against the "Trophy Hunters".
***Keep in mind, I'm not just talking IA here, we're talking about dozens of states, etc that some have great management, some have lots of "if it's brown, it's down, etc". Not referring to just IA by any stretch. The magazines I am referring to are National.
Just felt like venting tonight a little with a little contraversy and it bugs me seeing this stuff while I can't respond and point out some huge flaws. They start by labeling this group- "Trophy Hunters", they could never call them "Balanced Deer Herd Hunters" or "Quality Age Structure Hunters"- they always have to define the argument with something they've tried to label & stigmatize as bad and create a label that brings a bad image to mind.
Part of me thinks these articles are written by guys who don't shoot older deer, can't hunt areas with older deer or are jealous of folks who do shoot older deer.
I followed out "Trophy Hunter" to what its result is, in my case. I guess they COULD label me as a "Trophy Hunter", I sure fit into what they are battling against I suppose. So, factually, what this has done for me and my land is:
1) allow for a balanced buck to do ratio, I now see around 2 does for each buck
2) I pass up bucks of younger age, regardless of score and shoot deer of older age, regardless of score
3) I have a balanced age structure, my land is below carrying capacity and the hunting is just as good year in, year out because I let younger deer go. I could go on and on about the benefits to my land, neighborhood, wildlife, habitat, enjoyment of our hunting, bringing kids out hunting who love it & have opportunites, etc, etc, etc.
Through-out the country where QDM is really practiced and when I see people properly managing for "Trophy Bucks" I see the best deer hunting around for a variety of criteria (hunter satisfaction, age class, success rate, etc). These practices have increased and this country now has the best deer hunting since Columbus landed here. The deer hunting right now is: the GOOD OLD DAYS but I truly believe those that fight against this by simply labeling you a "trophy hunter" will bring it back to factually less quality hunting, habitat, herd health and poorer success of the past.
Sure, there's problems, over-population in some areas, messed up ratios, poaching, rack obsession, etc. i get it, I understand it. There's never going to be perfection. We factually have the best hunting in our country's history for deer though.
I simply get sick of folks writing the artcles like they are ending the debate- "Trophy Hunters" = BAD. I see it everywhere, it's obvious, it's all over and I see these attacks as mostly rediculous from those that think they are the end all, be all.
Heck, go look and see what a state which doesn't care about "trophy hunting" looks like. Go to my old home state of MI and see what a joke it is. 1.5 year old bucks being the major kill of the year. Hunters complaining every time I talk to ANY of them. I don't talk to anyone that isn't outraged, sick of it or does not believe MI could get any worse- it's seriously every single guy I talk to. "Trophy Hunting" surely hasn't caught hold there and serious hunters from MI flee the state every year to come to these evil "trophy hunting" states. When all they are is states that are properly managed.
Sick of the slick worded labels, sick of the demonizing of so-called "trophy hunters" and how they are mis-represented. That's just one guy's 2 cents that has put huge effort into making his land a properly managed Quality Deer piece that also likes having mature deer around, etc, etc. Thanks for letting me speak back on all the reading I've done lately against this group of "Trophy Hunters" - that I think has done wonders for the deer herd and will continue to make it better. I could go on for 5 more pages with examples, different sides of story, IA management success, etc, etc BUT I'll save it.
What's your thoughts?!?! Do you notice or hear the same thing? Do you want to hunt in areas that aren't "Trophy Managed" as they label it? Opinions?
***Keep in mind, I'm not just talking IA here, we're talking about dozens of states, etc that some have great management, some have lots of "if it's brown, it's down, etc". Not referring to just IA by any stretch. The magazines I am referring to are National.
Just felt like venting tonight a little with a little contraversy and it bugs me seeing this stuff while I can't respond and point out some huge flaws. They start by labeling this group- "Trophy Hunters", they could never call them "Balanced Deer Herd Hunters" or "Quality Age Structure Hunters"- they always have to define the argument with something they've tried to label & stigmatize as bad and create a label that brings a bad image to mind.
Part of me thinks these articles are written by guys who don't shoot older deer, can't hunt areas with older deer or are jealous of folks who do shoot older deer.
I followed out "Trophy Hunter" to what its result is, in my case. I guess they COULD label me as a "Trophy Hunter", I sure fit into what they are battling against I suppose. So, factually, what this has done for me and my land is:
1) allow for a balanced buck to do ratio, I now see around 2 does for each buck
2) I pass up bucks of younger age, regardless of score and shoot deer of older age, regardless of score
3) I have a balanced age structure, my land is below carrying capacity and the hunting is just as good year in, year out because I let younger deer go. I could go on and on about the benefits to my land, neighborhood, wildlife, habitat, enjoyment of our hunting, bringing kids out hunting who love it & have opportunites, etc, etc, etc.
Through-out the country where QDM is really practiced and when I see people properly managing for "Trophy Bucks" I see the best deer hunting around for a variety of criteria (hunter satisfaction, age class, success rate, etc). These practices have increased and this country now has the best deer hunting since Columbus landed here. The deer hunting right now is: the GOOD OLD DAYS but I truly believe those that fight against this by simply labeling you a "trophy hunter" will bring it back to factually less quality hunting, habitat, herd health and poorer success of the past.
Sure, there's problems, over-population in some areas, messed up ratios, poaching, rack obsession, etc. i get it, I understand it. There's never going to be perfection. We factually have the best hunting in our country's history for deer though.
I simply get sick of folks writing the artcles like they are ending the debate- "Trophy Hunters" = BAD. I see it everywhere, it's obvious, it's all over and I see these attacks as mostly rediculous from those that think they are the end all, be all.
Heck, go look and see what a state which doesn't care about "trophy hunting" looks like. Go to my old home state of MI and see what a joke it is. 1.5 year old bucks being the major kill of the year. Hunters complaining every time I talk to ANY of them. I don't talk to anyone that isn't outraged, sick of it or does not believe MI could get any worse- it's seriously every single guy I talk to. "Trophy Hunting" surely hasn't caught hold there and serious hunters from MI flee the state every year to come to these evil "trophy hunting" states. When all they are is states that are properly managed.
Sick of the slick worded labels, sick of the demonizing of so-called "trophy hunters" and how they are mis-represented. That's just one guy's 2 cents that has put huge effort into making his land a properly managed Quality Deer piece that also likes having mature deer around, etc, etc. Thanks for letting me speak back on all the reading I've done lately against this group of "Trophy Hunters" - that I think has done wonders for the deer herd and will continue to make it better. I could go on for 5 more pages with examples, different sides of story, IA management success, etc, etc BUT I'll save it.
What's your thoughts?!?! Do you notice or hear the same thing? Do you want to hunt in areas that aren't "Trophy Managed" as they label it? Opinions?
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