Jog your memory and then tell me....

Vabowman · 12-03-2008, 09:57 AM

What things do you like about bowhunting in this new age? What don't you like?? If you could bring back something from the early days, (relative to how old you are) what would it be?? For me...I love the new bows, they are wonderful, camo is not an issue for me, I liked it in the late 80's and early 90's...I like the tree stands of today...I don't like it being so commericialized...dvd's with so many outfitted hunts for big bucks...yeh they are neat to watch, but it's just not realistic for me..I also long for the days when there weren't as many people bowhunting...I know that sounds bad, but it was one thing that could get you permission on a farm or land before the gun hunters could...now everybody is bowhunting, and i think that it is great for us as a whole, but with so many doing it, the bowhunter is not a novelty anymore...I like the technology of today, but the big business had tainted it all..

Jim_IV · 12-03-2008, 09:59 AM

I like carbon arrows and expandable broadheads. I also like the safe tree stands

Vabowman · 12-03-2008, 10:06 AM

I forgot about the carbon arrows!!!

GMMAT · 12-03-2008, 10:07 AM

Landon...I wasn't a deer hunter, growing up. I began hunting small game when I was around 9-10.....and I've always hunted "something".

I grew up in VERY rural NC. I can count on one hand the number of deer I saw in our rural NC farm from the time I was born until I went away to college (actually 3 fingers.....and two of those deer were spotted in a field on a beach trip, once). That's the truth.

I saw my first wild turkey on a return trip to college in 1987. I was riding the Blue Ridge Parkway.....and didn't know what it was.

I think we (deer hunters) would be remiss if we didn't take into account the sheer explosive rise in deer populations.....as we (as a whole)answer this question. The population of whitetail deer in my state has risen over 450% since 1977.

I think this is the "golden age" of deer hunting in our state (OUR state)....and it could be even better. That's gonna bring a LOT of people out of the woodworks (guilty here, likely).

NY Bowhunter · 12-03-2008, 10:08 AM

Treestands and equipment technology have come a long way...

Access to land (lack of) and commercialization would be the 2 negatives IMO.

virginiashadow · 12-03-2008, 10:14 AM

I LOVE the cold weather products. I spent many a year suffering and freezing my butt off while hunting. Never again, I paid my dues on the cold weather/tough guy thing for years.

I like the hard work that is involved in the places I hunt...nothing comes easy most of the time. That has not changed for me over the course of the years I have hunted, minus a few trips to some private land with an abundance of deer.

Hunting boots seem to be getting alot better, and for my aching feet that is a wonderful feeling.

I do not like how hard it is to find a place to hunt. It also seems that all the old farmers are selling their property to people who are destroying all the wonderful habit. I don't blame the farmers one bit as they have busted their butts their whole lives and now want to reap the benefits and enjoy the remaining years of their lives via the money they have earned from the land sales.

magicman54494 · 12-03-2008, 10:24 AM

I started hunting in the 70's. I could go bow hunting just about anywhere I wanted. Archery was called "primative weapon season" then. LOL
Land up north sold for $25 - $50 an acre! My grandpa bought a lake lot (3 acres w/ lake frontage) for $3500! There was no internet!

I never hunted with my i-pod

. My arrow flew slow enough that I could see where they went. A fall away rest was one that fell off your bow.lol My bow was so slow I could use a bale of hay as a target. When I shot a deer I had to wait til I got home to call my friends. Then I had to stand next to the phone and talk because it was attached with a cord. I didn't know Pope or Young. I used a baker tree stand. Anyone remember those tree burners? A quad was a muscle group.

I kinda miss those days

HuntingEd · 12-03-2008, 10:33 AM

Bakers were death traps!!!

Thats one thing i like the most about today, the climbers, I remember my first climber 13 yrs ago (at the ripe ol age of 12

)man I hated having to bear hug the tree to go up, and then if you stepped on the wrong part it might kick out!

One thing i miss is the fingers/hedge rows in fields, the farmers around our family farm realized they'd get more crops in if they cut all the thickets out and planted them... [:@] It was not uncommon for me to see 60 deer in an afternoon sit, granted this was slightly over populated but it was amazing none the less... That has dropped down to averaging 3-6 deer per sit, mostly because we had an EHD epidemic that killed off close to 80% of our herd in 07 but also because they lost good cover, the populationis already starting to recover now, so I expect in a year or two to be back up to 10-15 deer per sit.We are in the process of planting thickets as well so that should help emensely.

Other areas are the opposite, neighborhoods popped up and the deer population exploded, more food and less hunting!

Vabowman · 12-03-2008, 10:36 AM

priceless Todd!

magicman54494 · 12-03-2008, 10:42 AM

When I started hunting Schultzy weighed 8 pounds - 11 oz.[8D]

How times have changed!