What has hunting become???

[Daver]

On trophy hunting leading to the demise thought (and admittedly there are potential downsides to it, not saying there aren’t)……

Would just say that on the farm I was blessed enough to be able to purchase a handful of years ago in IL weve tried to do a nice job of both “managing” the place for older age class deer while at the same time putting a small, nice cabin on it and enjoying the heck out of hunting w my dad, my son and 3 daughters, my wife, one of my best friends from h.s. and his two boys. Nothin like deer camp and the memories/relationships/laughs/food/stories.

So trophy hunting AND enjoying deer camp like the old days can be done and aren’t mutually exclusive imo. Would I kill a bigger deer if I chose to hunt the place by myself or maybe just one other person? Probably. And am I doing everything I can think of to kill a Booner one of these days? Definitely! But if I have to go the rest of my life wo killing a Booner bc I have friends and family that hunt with me, then so be it.

I would echo all of those thoughts ^^ well said IMO...my philosophy, so to speak, is to "blend" management for big bucks and also recreation with friends and family. I could absolutely take a different approach if I wanted to and probably have one or more Booners every year that I could shoot. But I would rather see one of my sons get a nice buck than me "hoarding" giants, etc.

And...I am only a few years away from my grandsons hunting me. Yee ha! I can't wait.

 

[sep0667]

I agree, been this way for a bit now. Social media and youtube have really sped up and increased the issue. No way of telling, but it would be interesting to think how many people hunt now, that only do because of watching youtube etc. I keep hearing over and over how we need more hunters, hunter #'s are dropping, but it seems to me there are more now than ever. I dont know. I like sharing any harvest pics I get with others, but thats not why I go out to see how many l likes I can get, its to share my success. But, I agree that there are defintly those that are in it just to say hey look at me or trying to get noticed to be sponsored or become someone in the outdoors.

 

[NextBuk]

am I doing everything I can think of to kill a Booner one of these days? Definitely!

Not gonna happen for a while now, Paul... you blew all your luck on your BOONER MOOSE last year!!

 

[Rous14]

Not gonna happen for a while now, Paul... you blew all your luck on your BOONER MOOSE last year!!

Ha! So true. That moose may have taken up all my booner luck for the rest of my life haha.

 

[Snail3496]

I keep hearing over and over how we need more hunters, hunter #'s are dropping, but it seems to me there are more now than ever. I dont know.

Bingo - been saying the same thing for the last several years. Thought maybe it was just my area maybe. There is zero doubt there are more hunters during archery season than ever. Just wait until they allow the Xbow!

 

[tall@wide]

Bingo - been saying the same thing for the last several years. Thought maybe it was just my area maybe. There is zero doubt there are more hunters during archery season than ever. Just wait until they allow the Xbow!

Agreed. It seems like every single farm in the Midwest is hunted now. No drop in hunters here. As far as crossbows(crossguns), they have a huge impact on buck age structure. More hunters during archery season mean more young bucks being shot. In Illinois, I'd say about half of the hunters switched to a crossbow when they legalized it. Let's keep them out of Iowa!

 

[Sligh1]

Fantastic thread & replies!!! Real quick 2 cents..
Social media “look at me” is problematic. IMO- turns into “I need to post a buck to be cool”. “I have to shoot a buck- HAVE TO”. Whatever.

In iowa- I would say the quality & age class of bucks has decreased in last decade. More competition & more guys “have to get their buck”. Often times having an age standard or goal but deviating from it due the pressure of getting a buck. If folks have no goals and “want to just have fun & shoot whatever” - that’s great- I used to be like that. All good. But- I’m specifically talking about seasoned hunters with goals that spend too much time on social media and feel like deer hunting is a competition. I personally don’t feel pressure to fill a buck tag. I’ll gladly eat them & do. I just love being out and I am not jealous of others success or feel like I have to shoot one. That’s just me. I’ll shoot a doe if I need meat. Or an old bully buck.

IMO- the biggest threat to hunting is the special interests. The groups that hate deer. Want them all killed. Or the weapons companies that need to make huge $ - they have laws changed to their favor & all the sudden a state has a third of the year to kill with 50 billion weapons & seasons with massive quotas. It causes more people to lock up land. The end of hunting or decline will be: lack of access to quality land. & special interests & liberal seasons combined with more guys that feel like they need to post “a buck” on IG to be “successful” is the root of most these problems IMO. We can’t fix the social media “look at me” problem BUT we can fix the regs & fight special interests & WIN.

Very complex issue & all perspectives above are great & no simple Answer here.

 

[Hardwood11]

There has to be a happy medium ! We should be careful to criticize guys for posting their buck on social media . We also should be smart and not to judge what others shoot .

Not everyone is a trophy hunter and not everyone is a meat hunter. Be happy for both sides.

There is a lot more to deer hunting than the day of the hunt. It’s a year round hobby for many on here! We can’t really compare it to the 70-80s!

If I shot the first buck that walked by me, my season would be over in 2-3 days. Not gonna happen . I love the big buck challenge and actually I don’t mind eating tag soup!

Does can supply the back straps!

 

[JakeVBC]

Time in the woods is what it's all about for me. Stories with family and friends a close second.

One of the reasons I decided to buy a Banks blind last year was on those weekends away from home and work and the weather is nasty one of the days, it gives me more time than I probably would have spent otherwise in a tree stand.

Definitely not a big fan of the social media hype trains and holier than thou attitudes of some but still manage to enjoy the good parts of it.

I've gotten some good camera pics this weekend since putting them out and it's got me in the mood! Have a good weekend all!

 

[Zim]

Agreed. It seems like every single farm in the Midwest is hunted now. No drop in hunters here. As far as crossbows(crossguns), they have a huge impact on buck age structure. More hunters during archery season mean more young bucks being shot. In Illinois, I'd say about half of the hunters switched to a crossbow when they legalized it. Let's keep them out of Iowa!

The xgun was and continues to be a real scourge for hunter traffic on Illinois public. Indiana’s public is a complete lost cause. Definitely want to keep it out of Iowa that’s for sure. You’ve got the most to lose of any Midwest state. I just laugh when some dope says “It didn’t make any difference here in Michigan.”! Really……..Ya think?! Two week peak rut rifle season w/2 buck limit??? They had nuthin to lose in the first place. A P&Y desert.

 

[Matthewfox_45]

I’m an equal opportunity poster on social media. Doe or buck, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m a proud hunter and I like to share my kills….most of which are does.

 

[Sligh1]

I’m an equal opportunity poster on social media. Doe or buck, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m a proud hunter and I like to share my kills….most of which are does.

I think that’s great!!!!!!
& heck- I think it’s great to post a big buck on social media. Or any buck.
The LINE is this - IMO….. there’s SOME folks (deep down they know who they are) where that’s their main motive. “ME ME ME”. “LOOK AT ME!!” “I need to shoot one & post it for my sponsors”. “Need to get on film just to add a kill”. SOME have that mindset. IMO- they will lose the love for hunting & convey a shallow message to other hunters. I know a handful of “hunting celebs” that don’t like hunting. Yes, I said it…. They don’t really like it. Or have a true love for it. I won’t name names. It’s sad. It’s a handful & not majority but it’s become only business for them.
The day I quit loving this or spend time hunting only for $ or for attention “look at me”….. I’m done. I won’t let it happen.

I’ll admit - at 44 …. I care a lot less about shooting a buck. If I get one- that’s awesome. If not- that’s ok. I literally will go out to a spot where I know I won’t be shooting a buck I just love being out. Watching. Being in Gods great creation. Everyone has their own reasons for being out. I’m gonna guess 99.9% of folks on here is because they truly love it. The more folks that truly love it vs being an ego issue - our sport will be in a far better place on all levels.

 

[CurtisWalker]

I’ll admit - at 44 …. I care a lot less about shooting a buck. If I get one- that’s awesome. If not- that’s ok. I literally will go out to a spot where I know I won’t be shooting a buck I just love being out. Watching. Being in Gods great creation. .

Skip is being 100% honest here. I’ve had the pleasure of being on his farm a couple times during deer season and I’d come back to his cabin and he’d be all giddy. You’d think he’d of killed a giant by the way he was acting but then he pulls out his little handheld camera and says “watch this”.. he had all the joy in the world just sitting in the stand watching and filming deer for fun. I’ll tell you right now some of the deer, I thought he was crazy for not even picking up his bow.

I’ve never actually sat with Skip during a hunt but I picture him looking like a kid going into a candy store for the first time.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[203ntyp]

I’ve never actually sat with Skip during a hunt but I picture him looking like a kid going into a candy store for the first time.

Too funny!

 

[Bassattackr]

IMO- the biggest threat to hunting is the special interests. The groups that hate deer. Want them all killed.

Agree 100% Skip.

On a side note - Hunters are probably the single reason why we still have the 2A today. Otherwise that ship would have sailed a long time ago..

 

[Buckscrape]

One of the reasons why I am here on IW is because most of you "get it". Hunting isn't about how good you are, what you were wearing the day you shot your buck, or even the brand of bow or tree stand you were sitting in. It's about the deer and being out there in nature. I love seeing the pictures posted on here and I never sense a hint of jealousy from anyone "here". Other social media on the other hand, "meh". But I've been at this for a long time, it's always been this way ... just amplified for sure by youtube and Facebook along with the myriad of hunting shows.
So please keep posting pics of what your going after, along with the ups and downs of your pursuit and I'll be one of the first to congratulate you if you're successful.