Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
You posted while I was writing, we are on the same page...I see exactly what you are saying. Long season, hate to see it end on first buck that walks by!!
"if i don't shoot him - someone else will - so i better shoot him"
You posted while I was writing, we are on the same page...I see exactly what you are saying. Long season, hate to see it end on first buck that walks by!!
Good! Sometimes it is hard to write what how you feel with out ticking someone else off. I have ended many seasons with a tag still in my pocket because i could not get on "the" deer. I am really bad about getting pictures of a deer on camera and sticking it out until i get a crack at him. To put things in perspective, I have been bow hunting for 12 years and i have only killed 5 bucks...
Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
That is actually a good percentage...5 for 12!!
It is just plain fun, and I love the challenge, and I have an Iowa tag this year so even better in 2013
LYON
PMA Member
I did see your response to my comment in the other thread about you possibly putting your dad on that deer. I in no way meant to put you down for the "If I don't" comment. Just wanted to make sure you weren't putting yourself into a position of regret for shooting a deer that your really didn't want to. If I came off harshly, it wasn't meant that way :way:
I guess 5 - 12 isnt. But i had multiple opportunities every year on nice deer. They were just not the deer i wanted to put my tag on.
HorseDoctor
PMA Member
I hate to hear anyone say "if I don't kill it the neighbor will" or verbalize any other excuse for shooting a deer. I hate it because the vast majority of the time it is used as a way to escape the demeaning comments and disapproving looks from others who would rob them of the thrill of a successful hunt by imposing their will on them. I have witnessed this scenario far too often. It's no wonder hunter numbers have fallen off. In way too many "camps" success is not celebrated, it is judged and judged harshly. I have hunted a long time & over the years I have shot a lot of deer, some small some a little better. Deep down inside, I loved and cherished every success even though I found myself using all the "excuses" to others to allay the disapproval of some that I hunted with. I also watched their behavior crush the spirit of others to the point that they quite hunting deer. Especially frustrating to me was the fact that many/most of those who were so quick to judge others would just cut the rack off a decent deer and throw it in a pile in the garage rather than show the animal the respect of hanging it on the wall. I have far less respect for the hunter who holds out for a big buck and nails the rack on the side of the barn than the one who shoots a smaller buck because it made them happy.
Over the years I eventually evolved to the point that I now try to only shoot a buck I am willing to put on the wall, not because anyone has shamed me into it, but because that is what I now want to do. If a buck is big enough to make my heart go pitty-pat and I'm willing to give up some more wall space to honor it, that is a buck I will try to take. If I live much longer, I may run out of wall space even though there are no Booners there (yet), but I will never again make excuses for the deer I kill. Probably why I love bow hunting so much. The only one there to pass judgement is me, & at this point in my hunting career, that's the only one whose opinion matters.
I really hate hearing excuses, mostly because of the dismissive attitude someone has shown that make others feel the need to make those excuses. They are robbing someone of the joy of a successful hunt. It's not supposed to be that way!
OK someone else can take their turn at the "Pulpit".
Over the years I eventually evolved to the point that I now try to only shoot a buck I am willing to put on the wall, not because anyone has shamed me into it, but because that is what I now want to do. If a buck is big enough to make my heart go pitty-pat and I'm willing to give up some more wall space to honor it, that is a buck I will try to take. If I live much longer, I may run out of wall space even though there are no Booners there (yet), but I will never again make excuses for the deer I kill. Probably why I love bow hunting so much. The only one there to pass judgement is me, & at this point in my hunting career, that's the only one whose opinion matters.
I really hate hearing excuses, mostly because of the dismissive attitude someone has shown that make others feel the need to make those excuses. They are robbing someone of the joy of a successful hunt. It's not supposed to be that way!
OK someone else can take their turn at the "Pulpit".
Gladiator
PMA Member
Well said thephatchef!
Look at it like this - we have people that hunt for: 1)fun/pasttime 2)trophy 3)meat. (am I missing any? Sorry if I am.)
The problem is all 3 groups have their own interest and end up getting upset with the others because they don't share their same interest. We simply need to have an understanding that people do things for different reasons...none "right" or "wrong" for the most part. It's really pretty simple...
I'm putting myself out there a little, but bottom line is this - any time we try to fill our needs/wants with some 'material thing,' it only temporarily satisfies. It is a fact of life. But when you find a purpose in life and those 'material things' fall under your greater purpose, that's where joy comes in.
Someone who has a grasp that deer are only part of our lives, not the focal point of it will have a much more satisfying time entering the woods this fall than the person who has put that deer at the focal point of everything they do.
Personally, I'd rather leave the woods thankful for the opportunity and the experience, than leave disappointed because I didn't kill a certain buck that others would deem appropriate...
Great topic Skip - a topic no one is exempt from maturing in... :way:
muzzleloader128
Member
like the way you think!
I am so glad someone finally confessed, I like the way you think, way to many people now adays get stuck on shooting a big deer and what other people think if they dont let a small guy walk, like my kids say when they decide to shoot a small buck, ( I let them shoot what ever they decide on) "its all about the experience Dad" it doesnt get any better than that !! and if the deer happens to be big thats just a bonus
:way::way::way:
I enjoy hunting, period. If I shoot a deer, it a bonus, but I quit worrying about what others think of what I shoot a long time ago, wasted far to many years doing so. Sometimes I'm in the mood to let a young buck walk, other times, I'll put a big round ball through him without a second thought. My freezer doesn't care how old the meat is.:way: I've never shot anything because I felt somebody else would. Makes me wonder.......maybe I'm the guy that others think will shoot "their" deer.
I am so glad someone finally confessed, I like the way you think, way to many people now adays get stuck on shooting a big deer and what other people think if they dont let a small guy walk, like my kids say when they decide to shoot a small buck, ( I let them shoot what ever they decide on) "its all about the experience Dad" it doesnt get any better than that !! and if the deer happens to be big thats just a bonus
Thinkin Rut
PMA Member
Trophy hunting is the last level to a long journey...not everyone makes it.
nemohunter
Member
Best response I've heard
Daver
PMA Member
As a younger hunter I would do nearly anything to get my duck/turkey/deer, etc and was pretty hung up on "numbers", whether it was the number of points on a deers antlers, the "score" of a tom turkey or the number of ducks reduced to bag, etc. Now that I realize that more than half of my hunting career, maybe more than 2/3's, maybe even 3/4's, yikes! , is behind me, I find that certain things mean less to me and certain other things mean more to me, as it relates to hunting.
I now get a little chuckle from those that obsess about whether a buck would be a 166" or a 167", etc. We do make an effort to let younger bucks live on at our farm and consequently pass many, many shot opportunities up each year. But when the trigger is pulled and an animal is down, then IMO it should be time for congratulations and appreciation. If you cannot appreciate your own kills, OR those of others, I think you are missing a huge part of the essence of hunting.
I admire and support those that are real die hard hunters and impose limitations on themselves to only kill truly mature bucks. Some of these true trophy managers frequent this site and make many fine contributions to it. I do cringe though when a self described trophy hunter castigates another hunter for shooting a buck that they wouldn't have shot, as I think that crosses a line of basic courtesy.
I think that if all you can say when another hunter posts his "trophy" is some left handed compliment like, "He would have been a giant next year", etc, then I feel a little sorry for you. Because I suspect you are not truly enjoying your own outdoors experience as much as you could. For the last several years I have put much, much more of my emphasis on enjoying the times with my boys, their friends, my friends, neighbors, etc, than whether I get a mature buck or not.
I can say easily that I have had more overall enjoyment hunting in the last 5 or 6 years with my boys in particular than in all of the years prior to that when I was a "serious" hunter, whatever that is.
Getting back to the original topic...I don't shoot, or not shoot, any deer because of what someone else may do on the other side of the fence. However, I recognize that I also have a huge benefit of owning my own place surrounded by really great neighbors, so I can't say if I would be so magnanimous if I "knew" that the promising 2 year old would more than likely get whacked once he jumped the fence.
I can say though that it is much more enjoyable and rewarding to not be so uptight about scores, what someone else might do, etc. Hunting is a form of recreation and we are all privileged to be able to do so in such an overall good state. Enjoy yourselves men, don't stress out over a deer!!
, is behind me, I find that certain things mean less to me and certain other things mean more to me, as it relates to hunting.I now get a little chuckle from those that obsess about whether a buck would be a 166" or a 167", etc. We do make an effort to let younger bucks live on at our farm and consequently pass many, many shot opportunities up each year. But when the trigger is pulled and an animal is down, then IMO it should be time for congratulations and appreciation. If you cannot appreciate your own kills, OR those of others, I think you are missing a huge part of the essence of hunting.
I admire and support those that are real die hard hunters and impose limitations on themselves to only kill truly mature bucks. Some of these true trophy managers frequent this site and make many fine contributions to it. I do cringe though when a self described trophy hunter castigates another hunter for shooting a buck that they wouldn't have shot, as I think that crosses a line of basic courtesy.
I think that if all you can say when another hunter posts his "trophy" is some left handed compliment like, "He would have been a giant next year", etc, then I feel a little sorry for you. Because I suspect you are not truly enjoying your own outdoors experience as much as you could. For the last several years I have put much, much more of my emphasis on enjoying the times with my boys, their friends, my friends, neighbors, etc, than whether I get a mature buck or not.
I can say easily that I have had more overall enjoyment hunting in the last 5 or 6 years with my boys in particular than in all of the years prior to that when I was a "serious" hunter, whatever that is.
Getting back to the original topic...I don't shoot, or not shoot, any deer because of what someone else may do on the other side of the fence. However, I recognize that I also have a huge benefit of owning my own place surrounded by really great neighbors, so I can't say if I would be so magnanimous if I "knew" that the promising 2 year old would more than likely get whacked once he jumped the fence.
I can say though that it is much more enjoyable and rewarding to not be so uptight about scores, what someone else might do, etc. Hunting is a form of recreation and we are all privileged to be able to do so in such an overall good state. Enjoy yourselves men, don't stress out over a deer!!
Gladiator
PMA Member
As a younger hunter I would do nearly anything to get my duck/turkey/deer, etc and was pretty hung up on "numbers", whether it was the number of points on a deers antlers, the "score" of a tom turkey or the number of ducks reduced to bag, etc. Now that I realize that more than half of my hunting career, maybe more than 2/3's, maybe even 3/4's, yikes!
I now get a little chuckle from those that obsess about whether a buck would be a 166" or a 167", etc. We do make an effort to let younger bucks live on at our farm and consequently pass many, many shot opportunities up each year. But when the trigger is pulled and an animal is down, then IMO it should be time for congratulations and appreciation. If you cannot appreciate your own kills, OR those of others, I think you are missing a huge part of the essence of hunting.
I admire and support those that are real die hard hunters and impose limitations on themselves to only kill truly mature bucks. Some of these true trophy managers frequent this site and make many fine contributions to it. I do cringe though when a self described trophy hunter castigates another hunter for shooting a buck that they wouldn't have shot, as I think that crosses a line of basic courtesy.
I think that if all you can say when another hunter posts his "trophy" is some left handed compliment like, "He would have been a giant next year", etc, then I feel a little sorry for you. Because I suspect you are not truly enjoying your own outdoors experience as much as you could. For the last several years I have put much, much more of my emphasis on enjoying the times with my boys, their friends, my friends, neighbors, etc, than whether I get a mature buck or not.
I can say easily that I have had more overall enjoyment hunting in the last 5 or 6 years with my boys in particular than in all of the years prior to that when I was a "serious" hunter, whatever that is.
Getting back to the original topic...I don't shoot, or not shoot, any deer because of what someone else may do on the other side of the fence. However, I recognize that I also have a huge benefit of owning my own place surrounded by really great neighbors, so I can't say if I would be so magnanimous if I "knew" that the promising 2 year old would more than likely get whacked once he jumped the fence.
I can say though that it is much more enjoyable and rewarding to not be so uptight about scores, what someone else might do, etc. Hunting is a form of recreation and we are all privileged to be able to do so in such an overall good state. Enjoy yourselves men, don't stress out over a deer!!
Way to go Dave....preach it brother! :way: This is the reflection a post like this was meant to foster..
JRudd
Aim small miss small.
My stand point is now, if I pull the trigger, or let an arrow go, its either the hunt unfolded picture perfect and a good story to be told, or the deer is big enough to do a shoulder mount on. With 5 on the wall, I've stepped up my standards considerably as I'm still younger (25) and don't have unlimited wall space. Not to mention, trying to better myself. Will I kill a 140" deer again... surely. More than likely with a gun on a deer drive, than a bow where I can size him better. Unless he's a management deer, or crippled. But if I decide to kill a 130-140, you can bet I'll be as happy as ever and tell the story in my duck boat, or my barn for years to come!
But that's just me.
Being 25, I've had the opportunity to get several friends involved in deer hunting both bow and gun.. to them I say, if the deer excites you after you have taken a breath and settled... kill him and I'll buy the beer! I'm proud of all my friends no matter if the deer scores 100" or 180"+. Don't pass judgement, and don't make excuses. We are all at different stages in our hunting career.
I have a family friend who passes 160" deer every year Cuz he wants a 180+.. he's a dam good hunter and has several (12) bucks 150-176" on the wall and a few in the 140's.. yet every time I kill a buck he's egar to see and congratulate me on a 140-150" buck. He knows he was where I am at in my career and he understands that I'll be there eventually.
Some will never go for trophy status, or care to try to improve. But as long as they are proud of that deer, then I'm happy for them.
Do what you do. And don't pass judgement. If they aren't breaking the law, or interfering with your hunt, be happy for them.
I personally, will not kill a buck in fear of the neighbor kill in him.... I know he's a crappy shot:moon: lmao
But that's just me.
Being 25, I've had the opportunity to get several friends involved in deer hunting both bow and gun.. to them I say, if the deer excites you after you have taken a breath and settled... kill him and I'll buy the beer! I'm proud of all my friends no matter if the deer scores 100" or 180"+. Don't pass judgement, and don't make excuses. We are all at different stages in our hunting career.
I have a family friend who passes 160" deer every year Cuz he wants a 180+.. he's a dam good hunter and has several (12) bucks 150-176" on the wall and a few in the 140's.. yet every time I kill a buck he's egar to see and congratulate me on a 140-150" buck. He knows he was where I am at in my career and he understands that I'll be there eventually.
Some will never go for trophy status, or care to try to improve. But as long as they are proud of that deer, then I'm happy for them.
Do what you do. And don't pass judgement. If they aren't breaking the law, or interfering with your hunt, be happy for them.
I personally, will not kill a buck in fear of the neighbor kill in him.... I know he's a crappy shot
:moon: lmaoMy stand point is now, if I pull the trigger, or let an arrow go, its either the hunt unfolded picture perfect and a good story to be told, or the deer is big enough to do a shoulder mount on. With 5 on the wall, I've stepped up my standards considerably as I'm still younger (25) and don't have unlimited wall space. Not to mention, trying to better myself. Will I kill a 140" deer again... surely. More than likely with a gun on a deer drive, than a bow where I can size him better. Unless he's a management deer, or crippled. But if I decide to kill a 130-140, you can bet I'll be as happy as ever and tell the story in my duck boat, or my barn for years to come!
But that's just me.
Being 25, I've had the opportunity to get several friends involved in deer hunting both bow and gun.. to them I say, if the deer excites you after you have taken a breath and settled... kill him and I'll buy the beer! I'm proud of all my friends no matter if the deer scores 100" or 180"+. Don't pass judgement, and don't make excuses. We are all at different stages in our hunting career.
I have a family friend who passes 160" deer every year Cuz he wants a 180+.. he's a dam good hunter and has several (12) bucks 150-176" on the wall and a few in the 140's.. yet every time I kill a buck he's egar to see and congratulate me on a 140-150" buck. He knows he was where I am at in my career and he understands that I'll be there eventually.
Some will never go for trophy status, or care to try to improve. But as long as they are proud of that deer, then I'm happy for them.
Do what you do. And don't pass judgement. If they aren't breaking the law, or interfering with your hunt, be happy for them.
I personally, will not kill a buck in fear of the neighbor kill in him.... I know he's a crappy shot
Well said my friend! My thoughts exactly! I too am only 25 and i too have killed 5 deer which will all be mounted. 3 currently are and the other two in the process. One of my best hunting buddies just started "really" bow hunting 3 years ago. He has killed 2 really mature deer in the past 2 years and I couldn't be happier for him. Neither one of them were over 150" but they were the most mature deer on his farm and he found success in hunting for a mature deer. All you can do is encourage them to keep with it.
nockthru
New Member
This thread has really given this newbie a lot of insight to a question I have honestly been a little afraid to ask. Last year was my first and I am yet to harvest a deer, but I have been a little worried that if I am lucky enough to harvest a deer and post a picture of it, I would have the wind taken out of my sails by people saying it was not big enough, old enough ect. So much so, that when I started my first season I had the idea in my head that I could only take a mature buck. Well I was quickly humbled by the fact that deer are much better at hiding in the woods than I am at hunting. I sat in the stand as much as I could last season waiting for mr. booner to walk out 20 yards in front of me, quarter away slightly and let me take my shot. Like I said, I got humbled. I learned a lot, but what I learned most was how enjoyable it is just to sit woods quietly and let nature go on around me like I wasn't even there. I am going into this season with a new goals. 1. Enjoy my time in nature. 2. attempt to harvest a deer. Thats it. Its in reasureing to know that it seems most would think that is acceptable.
harleyjohnc
Member
Firstly, welcome to the sport. Next; you'll find plenty more humbling experiences while partaking lol. Finally, as a 30yr bowhunter, I for one would be just as happy to see the pics or hear the story of your first harvest; weather it is a fresh out of spots yearling or a 180 class stud.
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JRudd
Aim small miss small.
You have to start somewhere man! Don't hesitate to harvest a doe or buck of any size for your first one! My first deer with a bow was a doe, and my first buck was a small 5 pt that did it right and came right past at 5yds.
My friends dad started hunting with me a few years ago during shotgun with high expectations from our previous year... which we will never match.. passing on decent bucks as a beginner, until he missed 3 giants in a row one weekend. I told him "you gotta get a taste before you stuff yourself... kill the next deer that runs by you and fill your statewide or my antlerless"... he killed a buck and a doe on the next 2 drives, and now has confidence for the next deer he shoots at
Point: gotta start somewhere... confidence goes a long ways... success fuels the addiction in its early stages
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KnuckleDragr
Active Member
Nockthru, don't ever let someone else's opinion spoil the joy of your first harvest. Or any other for that matter. That day will be one of the most rewarding moments of your life, and one that you will cherish forever. As far as posting up pics and a story; absolutely!! I know that myself and plenty of others on this site will be eagerly waiting for a harvest thread from you. Best of luck!!!
LYON
PMA Member
There will most likely always be naysayers in everything you do. Don't sweat it. I applaud you for not burning yourself out though with trying to accomplish a difficult feat you're very first year! I have been able to assist a couple of guys with starting to bow hunt. The advice I gave to both is just get SOMETHING your first year. Don't pass up an easy shot at a doe or yearling buck because you are going to wait for something bigger. It would be way to easy to not enjoy it if you are pressured to get a wall hanger right away. Looking forward to seeing your pics this year and good luck!