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? for you veteran bowhunters

J

JOHN DEERE

Member
I have a question for all you seasoned bowhunters. And give it some thought. Would you rather be hunting in the present vs. ten-15 years ago. You would have to give up all your superior modern equipment and superior knowledge in turn for less congested woods, less competition with other hunters(trophy wise), and access to more and better land. I know the future of bowhunting is bright, but do you miss the good ole days. Have the good ole days come and gone?
 
The hunt is what you make of it, I've enjoyed both scenarios. 10-15 years ago I ruled the roost on some darn good private ground and shot a nice buck almost every year, but I was young and dumb. Eventually due to urban sprawl and increased number of hunters, the last 6-7 years I have hunted public ground almost exclusively and harvested many does and only 2 bucks. Bottom line, I used to expect a 130+ buck, but now that they are rare I appreciate them.

Advances of equipment have made very little difference to me. I started with a recurve and now use a fairly modern compound, from day 1 till today I was proficient with what ever I shot.

The good old days are very dependent on the maturity level of the hunter.
IaCraig
 
It was a different scenario completely years ago. I remember getting so exciting just seeing does let alone have them pass by my stand, and to see a good buck was earth-shattering. The thrill of the hunt today is the same for me as it was 10-15 yrs ago. Your goals may change but the thrill of the hunt never changes. Back then you didn't know what the future held, you didn't know some of the best deer hunting ever was going to present itself in a decade. So, I feel I'm experiencing the best deer hunting I've ever experienced, just as I did 10-20yrs ago. I can't say I've ever been on a bad bowhunt.

Pupster
 
I have enjoyed all of my years of hunting but things are changing with both positive and negative aspects showing up each new day. I have always been blessed by people who would let me bowhunt on their land and today it is tough to find a great parcel where you are welcome. When I started bowhunting as a kid in the early 80s, not a whole lot of info was out there in mature buck hunting but nowdays, there are numerous publications on how to try and fool a mature animal. I guess my response is, I really enjoyed the deerhunting as a youngster because I nearly had the woods to myself.
Nowdays with people managing their deer herds, I think there are more mature animals out there, they are just a little tougher to hunt. Also nowdays, you have people that know nothing of deer behavior tromping thru the woods setting stands everywhere, outfitters leasing a lot of great land making it inaccessible to most, and the rise in prices of antlers making mature deer a poachers gold mine. Do I welcome the new age of bowhunting, I sure do but I wish its popularity was what it used to be 15-20 years ago...............S220
 
There were a lot fewer deer back when I started bowunting in 1973. I would like to have the equipment and the knowledge I have now, and use it back then when there were so few bowhunters. Particularly the knowledge. Man some of the property I had to hunt back then was amazing and I really didn't know how to hunt it effectively. Move over Miles Keller!
 
My hunt really wouldn't change much. I still use the same bow I was using back then and believe it or not the same camo overalls. I just changed over to carbon arrows but that's pretty much the only thing different for me, that and I've learned a lot more patience and gained a heck of a lot more experience. I don't "look for only the rack". I'll shoot a big doe twice as fast as I'll shoot a small to medium buck. I just think they taste better!
 
I think that to go back 15 years would probably be a good thing just to get away from all the hype of deer hunting today. We could read real stories in magazines instead of articles about how to hunt giant white tails in Iowa. There wouldn't be as much competation for hunting land and hunters would treat each other with respect instead of puting up stands to try to cut off the deer before they get to the first guy. It was a little simpler time when people had fun and enjoyed hunting and didn't feel driven or obcessed with killing a Booner.

As for the equipment that wouldn't bother me at all. I make almost all of my own including bows, arrows, quivers, stands, and blinds. It might be a little uncomfortable to give up the gortex boots however. We certainly don't need most of the newest and latest equipment to kill deer, but the marketing industry has convinced us we do. There were lots of deer taken without 300fps bows, carbon arrows, mechanical broadheads, and 85% let offs.

As for the knowledge part, I don't know how that would effect me either. I pretty much hunt the same field edges, trails, and creek crossings now that I did then. I think that anyone who spends some time in the woods understands where the deer move, feed, and bed. Most of the other knowledge, while interesting, is secondary and not very necessary to harvest a deer.

I might ask you to expand this question a little and think about what things will be like 15 years in the future. Will our children and grandchildren be able to enjoy a beautiful day in the woods hunting white tails, or will they be totally consumed with killing a 200+ class deer and disapointed when they fail. I don't like to hear things like I had to settle for just a doe at the last minute, or all I could get was a small buck because the big boy wouldn't come in. If we can't give these animals the same respect as the bigger bucks then maybe we shouldn't kill them. We are deer hunters, not antler hunters and every deer should be respected for the wonderful gift that it is.
 
Bowmaker is tough to follow. I think he reads my thoughts. My hunting has always been fun, then and now. It was nice when it was low profile and not real popular, but you know what happens when gold is struck.

I was lured into bowhunting by the challenge and reward of the hunt, not by making a book or scores. We were able to do our own thing without needing to slam one another or tell each other how to hunt. These are some things I miss, but I still appreciate the blessings we have these days as well. Change comes with growth like it or not, and sometimes it gets fixed even if it is not broke.

I hope we can keep a good balance of safe, affordable, quality hunting enjoyment for all.

All things considered, I would most like to go back to the old days so Dad and I would have another lifetime to bowhunt together.
 
I'd rather be bow hunting no matter what era it is, past or present. I have to agree with Iowa 1's statement though, to have the knowledge & equipment we have today would have brought us a lot of fantastic hunting in the ealry 70's & our walls would be swollen with huge buck.

I would not mind giving up the equipment & knowledge to hunt in the past, they were great years. I may not have put a lot of venison on the table but when I did it was extremely rewarding. I hunted for years with traditional equipment on public & private land & only ran into other archers on very rare occasions. Today it can be very competitve, hunters everywhere, trying to hoard in on your action, tresspassing, stealing, cutting you off or anything else to interfere with what's supposed to be a relaxing oportunity to get close to nature. Looking at all the pros & cons I would have to pick hunting 15 years ago, less headaches. Bring back the good ole days!

There seems to be better hunting today & nicer deer in my state but it might be attributed to urban sprawl? There are more deer in the suburban areas than there were 20 years ago & less in the public areas. Threre is limited access when it comes to hunting suburban deer so thee numbers grow & we are seeing more mature deer than ever before.

We still need to do our part for the future so our grandchildren can have the opportunity to ask the same question.
 
Darn right Id like to go back to when Iowa was a well kept secret, (early 90s). Before all the big name hunters got hip to it. Like to go even farther back when Northern Missouri was as hot as Iowa is now. (late 60s-early 70s) Cant do it though. Gotta hope for some changes in the game laws down here.
 
I was just looking through a back issue of Iowa game and fish and found some things that reminded me of this post.

Did you know, some of you may even remember this:

Iowa didnt have its first modern day deer hunt till 1953

Only about half the counties in the state were open to hunting that year

There were only 3,782 tags given out that first year

It was several years after that before many hunters bagged their first deer(and they went every year)

Even with the intense hunting pressure and the competition for hunting ground, I think were living in times with some of the best deer hunting this states had to offer.If your willing to shoot a doe your almost guaranteed a deer every year, or even several.With QDM catching on and people shooting fewer smaller bucks and theres more mature bucks roaming the state for us to hunt.Residents are gauranteed a tag, theres more non resident licences given out than there was resident licenses 50 yrs ago.The gear we hunt with today, helps ensure a quick clean kill, althoughmany of you are right, all this technology isnt needed tokill a deer.So i guesse what Im saying is Im happy hunting now, there might be more people and fewer places to hunt but theres also more deer and for a guy with a little patience and willingness to let the little bucks go and fill a doe tag now and then I think theres a better than ever chance to get that once in a lifetime buck.
 
I think you are now living the good old days now...Just think what the future has to offer, if our leader of the DNR gets his way, Several thousand non-residednt tags more than now to be given to out-fitters and bed and breakfast houses so they can get more hunters to come to Iowa. That means more leased land for hunting and of course more trophys shot out of our hurds, you know the out of staters won't hunt for anything less, with the amount of money they spend. Now who benifits from this? Not the everyday hunter...PS> It was stoped last year at the State Capitol but what about this year?
 
im no veteran, but the way my dad talks and my grandpa makes me wish i was born about 10 years earlier. it would be so great walking into a timber and knowing your the only one there. i mena now when i walk in the woods im more likely to jump people instead of bedded deer. i wont complain because i do get the oppertunity to hunt. i just wish you could trust people a little more. i mean you hear stories about people getting shot by bows and earlier i read a horse was shot i mean come on,!!!! people should just use their heads and not to mention a little common sense.
 
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