AIRASSAULT
PMA Member
I love slug gun party hunting and bowhunting. I've been bowhunting for 15 years and slugging for 14. If I had to pick one, it would definately be bowhunting, however, I sure would miss the camaraderie of party hunting. I will say that I don't agree with a lot of the deer that people in my group shoot, BUT, it's not my place to tell them what to do. As long as they are safe and doing the right thing, that's all I can ask for. I've hinted several times for people to try to let the small ones go, but for many, this is the only time they hunt all year and it's hard for them to get away with the 'if it's brown, it's down' mentality. The majority of them don't have time to sit in a bowstand for hours in the fall, although I'm sure they would love to. I haven't even bought an any sex tag the last couple years for party hunting because I enjoy using my other any sex tag for late muzz. I'm a firm believer in 'Ya can't knock it till you've tried it'. I've killed some extremely nice bucks over the years, but I can tell you nothing in my bowhunting career has been as exhilirating as 30+ deer running past me at anywhere from 5 to 30 steps when I was 13 and harvesting my first buck, or, watching my 180 run across a field straight at me from about 400 yards away and being able to watch his rack 'grow' with every leap until a 'cheap' remington slugger dropped him in his tracks at a dead run at 75 yards..... yep, cracks me up when people get their panties in a bunch for shooting at a running deer... I bet ya'll let the ducks and geese land in the water and shoot pheasants off the ground too, eh? Yea, I'm sure you'd see a lot fewer dead deer in the spring if it weren't for party hunting, but, I think that's just a numbers game.. A lot more people gun hunt than bowhunt. I don't know a single living soul personally who hasn't wounded a deer or two, or three that they haven't found while bowhunting. It makes us all sick to our stomachs... Such is life. I'm just thankful to be able to enjoy this sport in more way than one and to be able to share it with family and friends at the same time. It's just too bad that some people have to ruin it for everyone.
6x6
PMA Member
Dont get me wrong,I have no problem with well organized party hunts as long as after they have run all the deer off their property it stops there. What I do have a problem with is the measures some will take to get bucks that are now safe on private property. I will deal with a tresspassing bowhunter the same way, but one bowhunter is not gonna have the potential to wipe out a whole group of bucks like one renagade group of party hunters. Awesome buck Airassault.
gundog870
Premium Platinum Member
Party hunting is going to happen whether it is legal or not. I dont think the tag sharing is a big deal... However I am not a fan of the orange army, the Iowa deer herd needs them to keep the numbers in check.
Without it they would probably have six more doe seasons extending into May...
Without it they would probably have six more doe seasons extending into May...
jjohnson
Well-Known Member
I agree. There are way more gun hunters than anything else. They are the ones keeping the #'s in check. I just wish they respected the resource as much as most bowhunter's do.
spltbrow
Member
I seen the show also and was a little confused??? They never showed putman shoot a deer with his tag just hers and never exsplained if he did or did not even have a license of his own. I understand party hunting (not a big fan myself) but they made it look confuseing on the show.
Liv4Rut
Active Member
I love drive hunting deer with a good group of guys but never liked party hunting. I guess for me just thought of tagging someone elses buck with my tag just makes me cringe. I couldn't and wouldn't do it. That is probably why I got a way from group hunting. It is a blast though and quite exciting when the shooting starts. I can see why people enjoy it.
ReinertsonTaxidermy
Well-Known Member
Nothing more sporting and rewarding than having a group of guys kick up that monarch 190" buck, unload their slugs guns at the running taget, miss him 8 times hit him 3, then argue who's shot was closest to the vitals. Yep, now that's huntin!
Elitebowhunter
New Member
grew up hunting from a stand, just the old man and I. You hear all the pickups and people shouting in the next section. Not for me, I think anymore than 6 people in a group would be a great way to get shot.
Just my two cents
Just my two cents
wapsiguy
PMA Member
I sure hope all you haters dont fall off of your high horse. By the sounds of it its long way down. :grin:
I used to gun hunt with a large group but I stopped 5-6 years ago, now I go and sit by myself. I agree with a few other posters that we need to realize that we are all thrown into the same group labeled "Hunters" whether some desearve that title or not. There are alot of shady bowhunters out there too.
I believe it is here to stay and no doubt there are some slobs out there but we need to try to stick together as hunters :way:
I used to gun hunt with a large group but I stopped 5-6 years ago, now I go and sit by myself. I agree with a few other posters that we need to realize that we are all thrown into the same group labeled "Hunters" whether some desearve that title or not. There are alot of shady bowhunters out there too.
I believe it is here to stay and no doubt there are some slobs out there but we need to try to stick together as hunters :way:
ReinertsonTaxidermy
Well-Known Member
I believe it is here to stay and no doubt there are some slobs out there but we need to try to stick together as hunters :way:[/QUOTE]
I disagree, I don't want to be lumped in just as a "hunter" and have to stick with these people just because they share my activity.
I've said it before, I can't stand 80% of hunters. I've found them to be either irresponsible with weapons, not repectful of the animals I hunt, jealous/spiteful due to antler envy, holier than thou with preaching their qdm views, or just plain dicks. The other 20% are great people and those are who I share my passion with. But to say we ALL need to stick together as "hunters"...no way. That's like saying all people who like golf need to stand united.
I disagree, I don't want to be lumped in just as a "hunter" and have to stick with these people just because they share my activity.
I've said it before, I can't stand 80% of hunters. I've found them to be either irresponsible with weapons, not repectful of the animals I hunt, jealous/spiteful due to antler envy, holier than thou with preaching their qdm views, or just plain dicks. The other 20% are great people and those are who I share my passion with. But to say we ALL need to stick together as "hunters"...no way. That's like saying all people who like golf need to stand united.
loneranger
Well-Known Member
I'll say one thing about "Hunting", Hunters". The more work a person is putting into it, in and out of season,generally, the more thoughful and considerate a hunter they are. I suppose one can say, poachers work hard at poaching too.
6x6
PMA Member
The biggest problem I can see with the party hunting is the "right of recovery" without permission law. Of course they must be unarmed to go onto private land to find a deer without permission from the owner, but I have seen too many times groups that may or may not of crippled a deer, send a guy in while the rest line up and shoot at every buck that comes out. This seems to usually happen towards the end of the week when they still have tags burning a hole in their pocket and have run all the deer off the ground they hunt, knowing where all the deer are now. If party hunting is going to remain I wish Iowa would require landowner permission to recover or trail a deer. This would solve alot of problems. Again I have nothing against the many groups that get together once a year and party hunt. I have several family groups that party hunt their farms around me legally and respectfully with no problems. If a deer they shot gets on me, they always call to let me know. Thats all I ask. Its just the renagade groups that put a bad taste in my mouth.
Cooter
Active Member
Ask some hunts that live in states that don't have the right to recovery and the land owners won't let them retrieve their game and the DRN can't do anything about it. I agree the right to recovery needs tweeked but not taken away. The way it stands now it gets very abused.
Once again some bad people are making it bad for the rest of us. It sucks. I just wish people had more respect for the game and each other.
Once again some bad people are making it bad for the rest of us. It sucks. I just wish people had more respect for the game and each other.
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Thinkin Rut
PMA Member
My only problem with party hunting is that alot of times, success is determined by how many tags are filled. With deer numbers on the decline, more of the younger bucks will fall because of the need to fill all tags, ultimately hurting the quality of bucks in Iowa.
ReinertsonTaxidermy
Well-Known Member
As a whole I could care less how far this sport goes, let me ask you where has this sport gone? Crappy hunting shows that depend on hot chicks to sell dvds, hunting celebs whoring themselves out to the highest bidder, feeling the need to have every device known to man to kill a deer, or having to covertly put out trailcams to catch poachers and shed thieves?? I care about where it goes for my friends and family. Nothing elitist about my comments, I am just not going to get lumped in with a group where I don't agree with many of them or their practices.
ShedderKG
Active Member
I could be far off on this but I think there are parts of the state that are where the "party hunters" are getting a bad name. Not saying that there aren't some idiots in other parts of the state either but I grew up in NW Iowa where there is not A LOT of timber. And if there is a 120 buck running around in the open during early December, you can count on trucks surrounding the section and ultimately surrounding the grove that the buck had no choice but to try and take refuge in. I would think North central Iowa could be the same as well as parts of the west side. Most of the other parts of Iowa has tons and tons of timber where these bucks can be pushed but still find a place to take safe refuge.
Where I grew up, it was much more SAFE to just stay indoors during the first couple weeks of December. If I had the one season to hunt in early December and waited all year for it and then had to give up my tag to another guy in the group who had shot 4 deer already...that makes me cringe also. I have been a bowhunter from day 1 and I doubt that will ever change. Late ML maybe.
I agree with Briener in the above post about not wanting to "stick together" with other so called "hunters." But I also think that if Briener feels that way, he has experienced "party hunting" in a completely different way than what other guys on here have. NOW WITH THAT SAID... Just because I agree with Briener about not "wanting" to stick together doesn't mean that is the best choice for us as "hunters." I think we do need to stick together but knowing some of those other so called "hunters" I have seen growing up, makes me sick to "side" with them. I know that sounds funny but sometimes what you want to do isn't necessarily what needs to be done.
Where I grew up, it was much more SAFE to just stay indoors during the first couple weeks of December. If I had the one season to hunt in early December and waited all year for it and then had to give up my tag to another guy in the group who had shot 4 deer already...that makes me cringe also. I have been a bowhunter from day 1 and I doubt that will ever change. Late ML maybe.
I agree with Briener in the above post about not wanting to "stick together" with other so called "hunters." But I also think that if Briener feels that way, he has experienced "party hunting" in a completely different way than what other guys on here have. NOW WITH THAT SAID... Just because I agree with Briener about not "wanting" to stick together doesn't mean that is the best choice for us as "hunters." I think we do need to stick together but knowing some of those other so called "hunters" I have seen growing up, makes me sick to "side" with them. I know that sounds funny but sometimes what you want to do isn't necessarily what needs to be done.